October 21, 2021 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Greetings, friends! You may remember that two weeks ago we talked about the upcoming Creation Sabbath that is scheduled for tomorrow–October 23. I hope you have taken the opportunity to look at the materials available on the Creation Sabbath website at creationsabbath.net and are looking forward to a special day this Sabbath.
You know, friends, creation is such an important topic that it is found in numerous places throughout the Bible. In Psalm 95:1-7 we read:
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.”
God wants us to remember that He is our Creator and that we belong to Him! Nowhere is this more apparent than in the heart of the three angels’ messages–found in Revelation 14, where we read in verses 6 and 7: “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth–to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people–saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”
Notice that here, as well as in our previous reading in Psalm 95, creation and worship are tied together very closely–we are to worship Him, our Creator. Of course, this is echoing the fourth commandment where we read in Exodus 20:11—“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
Yes, creation and worship are intimately related and come together in the Sabbath–God’s seal of creation and redemption. Ellen White comments: “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Man has no right nor power to substitute the first day for the seventh. He may pretend to do this; “nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure.” The customs and teachings of men will not lessen the claims of the divine law. God has sanctified the seventh day. That specified portion of time, set apart by God Himself for religious worship, continues as sacred today as when first hallowed by our Creator” (Christian Stewardship, p. 66).
As we reflect on these thoughts, I invite you to watch this beautiful short video, titled “Finding Rest.” May God bless you in a special way this Sabbath as you find rest in Him.