July 22, 2022 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Ted Wilson (TW): Hello, friends! Today, Nancy and I will be sharing about one of the greatest gifts God has ever given—the Sabbath! This gift was given in a perfect world at the very beginning of time and in a special way commemorates Creation and honors our Creator. The first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1, describes how God created this world, and all that is in it, in six literal, 24-hour days. And then in Genesis 2:1-3 we read:
“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” n.
Nancy Wilson (NW): Did God rest after His work of creation because He was tired? Of course not! We know from Isaiah 40:28 that “The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.” And yet, He rested, reflecting on the work He had done, and blessed and sanctified this day as a holy, special day–a time when Adam and Eve, and later all humanity, could enjoy a special blessing of communion with God, their Creator, and fellowship with one another.
TW: The Sabbath is central to our worship of God. The memorial of Creation, it reveals the reason God is to be worshipped: He is the Creator, and we are His creatures. Our Seventh-day n explains the Sabbath like this:
NW: “The gracious Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation.
TW: “The fourth commandment of God’s unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath.
NW: “The Sabbath is a day of delightful communion with God and one another. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, a token of our allegiance, and a foretaste of our eternal future in God’s kingdom.
TW: “The Sabbath is God’s perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. Joyful observance of this holy time from evening to evening, sunset to sunset, is a celebration of God’s creative and redemptive acts.”
TW: You can read more about this very important fundamental belief and what the Bible has to say about the Sabbath, at the URL shown at the bottom of the screen [Insert: www.adventist.org/the-sabbath/]
NW: When the Ten Commandments were given on Mount Sinai, the Sabbath had already been in existence since Creation, but had become obscured and even forgotten by some. That’s why the fourth commandment begins with the word, “Remember.”
TW: We read in Exodus 20:8-11—”Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 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.”
NW: Of course, we don’t try to keep the Sabbath in order to be saved! Oh, no! Keeping the Sabbath is a delight! As a child, I eagerly looked forward to Sabbath! By late afternoon on Friday, our Sabbath clothes were ironed, and the house was sparkling clean and accented with Mother’s freshly cut flowers throughout. The amazing aromas coming from the kitchen promised a very special supper with traditions like homemade schnecken (a sweet roll from my German relatives) and fruit salad. It was as though our family was preparing for something very special.
As the Sabbath hours approached, it seemed that heaven and our home came together to celebrate this very special day. It was a day to recognize that we were God’s children, His creation whom He loved, and that He was our heavenly Father who met all of our needs.
Even our worship was extra special on Friday night. Daddy would lead out, and then all five of us would pray. Mother, who played the piano beautifully, often played hymns as we fell asleep that night.
The traditions of my childhood have continued in our home today. God knew we would need this very special day for physical, mental, social, and spiritual restoration. The Sabbath is one of God’s most precious gifts, and it keeps us focused on our connection with Him.
TW: We know that while on Earth, Jesus Himself kept the Sabbath, declaring that He was “Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5), and that “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
The Bible also tells us that not only did God rest after His work of Creation, but He also rested on the Sabbath after His work of redemption.
Christ’s followers continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath after Jesus ascended to heaven, and the book of Acts is filled with examples of Paul and other believers meeting together and worshipping on the Sabbath.
NW: The Bible tells us the Sabbath will continue to be important down to the end of time. Just as Adam and Eve’s loyalty was tested by the tree of knowledge of good and evil placed in the Garden of Eden, so every human being’s loyalty to God will be tested by the Sabbath command placed in the middle of the Ten Commandments.
TW: Scripture reveals that before Christ’s second coming the whole world will be divided into two classes: those who “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” and those who worship “the beast and his image” (Rev. 14:12, 9). At that time God’s truth will be magnified before the world, and everyone will be given the opportunity to show where their true loyalties lie. By accepting God’s beautiful gift of the Sabbath now, we are allowing Him to work in our lives, changing us and bringing us into closer harmony with Him.
NW: We read in Testimonies to the Church, vol. 6: “The power that created all things is the power that re-created the soul in His own likeness. To those who keep holy the Sabbath day it is the sign of sanctification. True sanctification is harmony with God, oneness with Him in character. It is received through obedience to those principles that are the transcript of His character. And the Sabbath is the sign of obedience. He who from the heart obeys the fourth commandment will obey the whole law. He is sanctified through obedience” (p. 350).
TW: Friends, God has given us the wonderful gift of the Sabbath, and of His own dear Son. He created us and gave His life to redeem us. He longs to spend His special day with us each week. I invite you to experience for yourself the joy that awaits you on God’s special day.
Let’s pray together just now. Father in Heaven. Thank you for having created this world and creating it through your word. In six literal days recently. Thank you that you are all powerful and can do anything. Thank you for also giving us an example of resting on the seventh day Sabbath. We thank you that we can rest and worship you on that day in remembrance of what you have done as our Creator. Thank you for hearing us. Give us a special time this coming Sabbath and may everyone viewing and listening be connect with you and observe this precious gift from heaven. The seventh day Sabbath. In Jesus name we ask it, Amen.