THE SABBATH PART II

How did Jesus Christ keep the Sabbath Day?

Luke 4:16
"...and as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day, and stood up for to read."

Mark 6:2
"And when the Sabbath Day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue; and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence that this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?"

Mark 3:1-3
"...And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath Day that they might accuse him..."

Jesus Christ left us an example, we are to worship Him in the House of the Lord, to do good, to help others when in need. It is to be a day of fellowship with others, studying His words, praising Him. He was not a man of words only, and He never asked us anything that He didn't do.

How are we to keep the Sabbath Day?

Jeremiah 17:22-23
"Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath Day, neither do ye any work, but Hallow ye the Sabbath Day as I commanded your fathers. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction."

Isaiah 58:13-14
"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasures on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the Holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor find thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

Exodus 35:2
"Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an Holy Day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord; whosoever doeth work therein shall be put do death."

The Lord didn't leave anything out, He made it very clear how we are to keep the Sabbath Day. Our daily life style, our pleasures, our busy work schedules, they are to be put aside, aside for a 24 hour period to worship our Lord and Saviour.

After the resurrection of Christ, was the Sabbath kept?

Acts 13:14-15
"But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on."

Acts 18:4
"And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

Hebrews 4:3-10
"For we which have believed do enter into rest,...For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, and GOD did rest the SEVENTH DAY from all His works...Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your Hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his."

Acts 13:42-44
And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next Sabbath Day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God."

After the resurrection of our Lord you can see the Sabbath day did not change. Paul continued going into Synagogues preaching as Christ did, and if you notice, the Gentiles were desiring to be included in the worship services. Due to Jews not excepting God's word, Paul turned to the Gentiles. There never was a separate law for the Gentiles and Jews, the word was given to every lost soul, and everyone of us is a sinner. Only through the Grace of God do we have a chance for Eternity. But we have to follow HIM! This includes keeping His Sabbath Day Holy! As Christians we must do what Paul did, He followed the examples Christ left us. Does the Bible separate the Sabbath and the first day of the week?

Matthew 28:1
"In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,..."

Mark 16:1-2
"And when the Sabbath was pat, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James,.....and very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcre at the rising of the sun."

Luke 23:56
"And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment"

Luke 24:1
"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre..."

It is very clear that the Sabbath and the first day of the week are two different days. The Sabbath to be kept holy, the first day of the week, a work day. There was a division made by our Lord. The Sabbath day was not the 1st day of the week, nor was the 1st day ever called a Sabbath Day.