Over this past month I’ve had two separate requests to present the subject of proper Sabbath observance. Now normally I feel under obligation to go with what the Holy Spirit impresses me to speak about and not so much what other people want me to speak about, but when two different people who don’t know each other and within a matter of a couple days gently press upon me to speak on this subject, I have to believe that this is what the Lord would have me to do.

If you have ever studied this subject in depth, you know that there’s a lot of information in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy, and as a result, you also know how important it is to keep the Sabbath holy. And so today, for many of us, this is going to be a refresher course. And you know, there’s nothing wrong with that, because the apostle Peter reminded the church many times about things they already knew. After teaching the church about things he had taught them before, in 2 Peter 1:12 he says, “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” Is the Sabbath present truth? Of course it is, in fact, it is one of the most important things we should be telling the world about in these last days.

If you observe how professed Sabbath keepers “keep the Sabbath” today, you know that there’s a need for reform in this area. And so, for these various reasons I think it’s important that we spend some time with this to make sure we’re not violating the Sabbath in a legal sense or in a spiritual sense.

Now I’m going to make a statement here as we begin our study that may or may not shock you, but out of all ten of the commandments, the one that’s probably violated more often than any other, by Seventh-day Adventists, is ironically the fourth one. The very people who were raised up by God to be the repairers of the breach, for the most part are only making that breach wider instead of, by example, closing the gap, and if we’re honest with ourselves, most of us are probably guilty. If you don’t think so at this point, you probably will before we’re done. After studying this out, I must confess that at times I have been a little lax myself in some areas, and it’s very easy to do, especially in conversation. So perhaps it’s about time we’re reminded about some of these areas so we’re not found to be violating the commandment that God said to remember.

In the Spirit of Prophecy we’re told when we study a subject in order to teach it to others, we are to go to the bottom of that subject. And so I tried to find everything I could on proper Sabbath observance and why it’s important, and I found quite a bit in the Bible and a whole lot more in the Spirit of Prophecy. In fact, when I looked up all I could find in the Spirit of Prophecy, I put it all in a word document on my computer and I ended up with about 100 pages. That’s like a small book! So as I read through those 100 pages, I underlined the points I thought were important, along with the context, which I didn’t underline, and after deleting duplicate statements I still ended up with 67 pages. Then I deleted everything that wasn’t underlined and narrowed it down to 15 pages of things I thought needed to be addressed. And so, it’s what’s on those 15 pages that I’m going to share with you today. It could be that I’ve missed a few things, but I think we’ll hit the main points.

First of all we’ll take a look at what the Bibles says and then we’ll allow the Spirit of Prophecy as it’s meant to do, put a magnifying glass on it. You’re all probably familiar with these verses we’re going to read, but have we thought seriously about them lately, and have we dug deep in the mine of truth to find out what treasure is in there? Have we thought of the positive benefits of proper Sabbath observance from the inspired council we’ve been given, or have we looked at it as “I can’t do this” or “I can’t do that?” “Boy, I wish the Sabbath would end so I can do what I want to do.” Do we really look forward to the Sabbath, or do we sort of dread it? And could it be that we are violating the Sabbath unknowingly? Our answer to these questions will show us if we are keeping the Sabbath from the heart, or whether we just have outward obedience and a rebellious spirit.

First of all, I think it’s important to look at the very first time the Bible mentions the seventh day as a day that has been set apart from the other six days of the week. Genesis 2:1-3, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God (did what?) blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

If we didn’t have any other verses from the Bible in reference to the Sabbath, even though it doesn’t call it that in these verses, but that’s what it is, this alone ought to be enough to tell us that there’s something special about the seventh day that is unlike any other day. When God blessed and sanctified the seventh day, what did He do? He set it apart from the rest of the week as a holy day, for the purpose of bringing happiness (that’s what the word blessed means) for bringing happiness to the two people He created, and by extension to us as their offspring.

By the way, the Sabbath and the family, through marriage, were both instituted in Eden and are inseparably linked together, and it’s no coincidence that these are the two institutions that are especially under attack today with Sunday worship, the gay movement, adultery, divorce, abortion, children out of wedlock and living together outside of marriage. The devil is working overtime to destroy these two institutions, because if these two institutions had been sacredly guarded from the beginning, there wouldn’t be all the immorality that is so prevalent in the world today. And so, the devil has been very successful in achieving his goal.

And here’s another thing, 2000 years before there was a Jewish nation, God blessed and sanctified the seventh day for mankind, so it cannot possibly be “the Jewish Sabbath” as many people like to refer to it today, and Jesus, who creator it said, “the Sabbath was made for (who?) for man.” He didn’t say just for the Jewish man, did He?

The word Sabbath in Hebrew means “intermission.” In other words, the Sabbath is the one day of the week when God ordained that we should “pause” and do things differently than we do on the other six days of the week, does that make sense? The Sabbath was created to be a “happy intermission,” a break at the end of the week when we can stop and rest from our regular activities and worship the Creator exclusively.

What kind of things do we do on the other six days of the week? We work, we shop, we may eat out, we wash clothes and clean house, we prepare food, we fuel the car, we may travel, we do all the common things that need to be done, we go places and do things that we choose to do. Conversely, on the Sabbath we don’t work, we don’t shop, we don’t wash clothes and clean house, we don’t eat out, we don’t prepare food (and we’ll talk about that later), we don’t fuel the car (even though we can do it by just putting a debit or credit card in the pump), and we don’t travel long distances unnecessarily. Now there may be a few exceptions to some of these things, which I’ll mention later, but normally we take care of all these things before the Sabbath begins.

But someone says, “I worship the Lord every day, so what’s the big deal about the seventh day? Yes, it’s important that we spend some time during every day to study and worship the Creator, but on the seventh-day that’s all we do, that’s the difference, and hopefully with others of like faith if we have others to worship with, many people don’t, so be thankful if you do.

Let’s take a look at a few other verses. Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 58. Isaiah is writing here to the Israelites who thought they were doing the right things, but they needed a reformation to take place among them if they would be allowed to rebuild the walls and streets of Jerusalem that had been destroyed, but there’s a spiritual application here as well, because if this same reformation takes place among spiritual Israel, the same promises that God made to literal Israel will be fulfilled to us, and God is very specific as to how it will happen.

Isaiah 58:12-14, “And they that shall be of thee (that is their descendants) shall build the old waste places (which happened during the time of Nehemiah PK 677): thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in. (Now listen to what they needed to do to repair and restore) If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath (in other words, if you quit violating the Sabbath, if you stop desecrating the Sabbath), from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and (or instead) call the sabbath a delight (or a day of joy and happiness and not drudgery), the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD (only then shall we find the joy and happiness that God designed we should find in His service); and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth (I’ll give you a prominent place in the world), and feed thee (or reward you) with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

What is the heritage of Jacob? For ancient Israel it was the restoration of their land, but for us it’s inheriting the promised land, it’s Eden restored, it’s the earth made new. And so, just as proper Sabbath observance was connected to Israel having their land restored to them, so is the Sabbath connected to us having a perfect world restored to us.

We need to understand that the Sabbath is God’s time, not ours, and when we violate it we are stealing from God. It’s bad enough if we steal from another human being, but when we steal from God it’s far worse, and sometimes we just shrug it off as no big deal, but it is a big deal, and it will cost us our eternal life if we don’t follow Isaiah’s advice.

Go also to Isaiah 56:6, 7, “Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer.”

Just as the strangers who chose to join themselves to God’s people anciently could become a part of Israel, so today the way is open for those who choose to become Christians to become a part of spiritual Israel, but if they do, they are to keep from polluting the Sabbath. Just as there was a covenant, or an agreement between God and ancient Israel to keep the Sabbath holy in order to be brought to His holy mountain, or to Jerusalem, so today if we expect to be brought to God’s holy mountain, or the New Jerusalem, then we must keep from polluting the Sabbath as well.

In The Great Controversy, page 451 we’re told that the spiritual application of Isaiah 56 is the gathering in of the Gentiles through the preaching of the Gospel in these last days. And so, the Sabbath today is part of God’s everlasting covenant, of which we are to keep from polluting if we want to be able to inherit the earth made new.

In Hebrew the word “polluting” can also be translated “to prostitute.” In other words, we are not to sell ourselves to the devil in order to gain worldly advantage by defiling the Sabbath or by keeping Sunday in its place. For instance, I have no doubt that a business person who joins himself to a mega Sunday church could make more money through his connection to the other members than he could by joining a little Sabbath keeping home church with a half dozen people, but if he knows the truth, he would have to prostitute himself in order to do it, and in the end lose what is much more valuable than monetary gain.

And so, we are to remain faithful to the Lord by not polluting the Sabbath, because He is our spiritual husband, and unfaithfulness to Him in Sabbath keeping is spiritual adultery. By the way, secularizing the Sabbath, or doing our weekly chores and activities during the sacred hours of the Sabbath, is also spiritual adultery.

Go also to Exodus 31:12-18, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign (or a mark of distinction) between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: (Why is the Sabbath a sign and a perpetual covenant? The rest of the verse explains) for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Here is a proof text to show that the seventh day of creation is indeed the Sabbath, even though back in Genesis it doesn’t call it that) And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”

A couple important points here. First of all the Sabbath is a sign, or mark of distinction, and a perpetual or everlasting covenant between God and His people, always has been, always will be. It was with Adam and Eve, it was with the Israelites, and it is for the Christian church,  and what proves this to be true is that, Isaiah 66:23 says we’re going to keep it in heaven. So how does it make sense that Sunday is to be observed as the Lord’s day during New Testament times? Why do people think there’s an interlude between creation and the earth made new when Sunday is to be recognized as the Sabbath when the seventh day was kept all through Old Testament times and will be kept in the earth made new? It doesn’t make sense, and that argument falls flat on its face.

The devil has really pulled a fast one upon nearly all Christendom when you think about it, and that’s why we have a mandate from the Lord in these last days to be repairers of the breach that has been made in the law of God. The devil, working through the papacy, has been the instigator of the false sabbath, and we have been given the task of exposing the man of sin to everyone who will listen. That’s our job, and how can we accomplish that job if we are polluting the Sabbath ourselves?

The meaning of the word “sign” in Hebrew is a “signal as a flag.” When we keep the seventh day Sabbath it’s like waving a flag to let everyone know that God has a chosen people in these last days who worship Him on the day that He has blessed and sanctified, and to sanctify is the other important point here. To sanctify means to be “clean”, to be “holy”, to be “pure.” Is there going to be anyone in heaven who is not clean and holy and pure? Not according to Ephesians 5:27. There it says God’s going to have “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Not just vicariously through Christ, but a church that has followed Jesus so closely that they have actually become like Him in character.

We just read that in the Old Testament, Sabbath breaking required the death penalty, and that fact has not changed. As people are enlightened about the importance of the Sabbath today and then turn their back on this truth, they will suffer the second death from which there is no resurrection. It’s very serious. I have some Sunday keeping preachers who listen to my sermons each month, they have been for years, and I hope they will heed this message, because if they don’t, the death penalty rests upon them. I know how difficult it will be for them to acknowledge the Sabbath, because they may lose their job, they may be given the boot by their congregation or be ostracized from their family, but I can assure you dear preacher, listening to me right now, God will take care of you if you do the right thing, and my prayers are with you that you will do what the Holy Spirit is convicting you to do right now.

It’s clear when you read these texts that obedience to God’s commandments and sanctification go hand in hand. When God writes something with His own finger on indelible stone, it means it’s important and can’t be changed. He didn’t write it on parchment paper that would deteriorate with time, He wrote it on stone! If Sunday was the true Sabbath today, then God would have had to rewrite the Ten Commandments with His own finger on new tables of stone as a replacement, or do something to make it plain that a change has been made, but of course that has never been done. The Bible says God never changes, that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We won’t take the time to read it, but Ezekiel 20 brings out some of the same points as Exodus 31 if you want to look at that later when you have time.

Well someone says, you only gave us Old Testament references about the Sabbath, what about the New Testament? Well, we only have so much time, but I’ll share a few before we move on.

Turn quickly to Matthew 5:17, 18. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law (of which the Sabbath is a part), or the prophets (who all testified about the enduring nature of the Sabbath): I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. (And He did fulfill it, perfectly, never once violating any one of the Ten Commandments. He didn’t do it so we could go on violating it, but so we would be given a second chance to keep it through the power of the Holy Spirit and the new birth experience. Adam and Eve blew first chance, and through the sacrifice of Christ we have another opportunity to succeed where they failed) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Last time I checked, heaven and earth are still here, and therefore so is every precept of the law still binding today. It can’t be any other way.

You know, it has always astonished me how Sunday keeping Christians can say that the law was nailed to the cross, and done away with, but at the same time believe that nine commandments, excluding the Sabbath, are still to be kept. Have you ever run into that before? What Christian would say that it’s OK to use the Lord’s name in vain, or to dishonor their parents, or to lie and kill and steal and commit adultery and so forth? Friends, there is a hatred and a distain for the Sabbath day that has been instilled in the hearts and minds of Christians all over the world by false teachers who knowingly or unknowingly are inspired by the devil. There’s no other way to explain it, because it’s so clear in the Bible that none need make a mistake here if they would just take God at His word, step out in faith and determine to obey what is so clearly presented in God’s word.

Turn also to Revelation 14:12, which is dealing with the last message of mercy this world will ever hear just before Jesus comes, and what does the apostle John write? “Here is the patience of the saints (or the holy ones, or the sanctified ones), here are they that Keep the commandments of God (all ten) and the faith of Jesus.” Did the faith of Jesus lead Him to observe the seventh day Sabbath? Yes, of course! For thirty-three and a half years He kept the day He Himself instituted on the last day of creation week, and for us, Jesus is the Pattern Man, He is our example and not just our substitute, He is the one we are to follow and imitate, regardless of what the rest of the Christian world does.

Revelation 22:14, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Do you want to be able to enter through those gates? Then keep the commandments, plain and simple. In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me, keep My commandments.” And don’t forget what the apostle John wrote in Revelation 22:19, “If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” It’s a very serious thing to tamper with the prerequisites of commandment keeping in order to be able to enter the pearly gates.

One more in Revelation 1:10. John says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” What day was that, Sunday? It’s true that the Lord made the first day of the week as well as all the other days, but three times the New Testament says what day the Lord’s day is, and it wasn’t the first day of the week, it was the seventh day. In Matthew 12:8, Mark 2:28, and Luke 6:5 Jesus said that He was the Lord of the Sabbath day, and wouldn’t that make it “the Lord’s day”?

There’s a lot more that could be said, but the Bible says, “in the mouth of two or three witness a thing is established”, and Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all agree that the seventh day Sabbath is the Lord’s special day. Nowhere in the Scriptures will you find that kind of endorsement for Sunday, period!

Now that we’ve established the Sabbath from the Bible, let’s see what the Spirit of Prophecy has to say about the importance of the Sabbath and how we are to keep it holy.

First of all, let me read you a short statement from Testimonies for the Church, volume 2, page 582, “God is merciful. (Do you believe that? He is merciful, or full of mercy) His requirements are reasonable, in accordance with the goodness and benevolence of His character. The object of the Sabbath was that all mankind might be benefited.”

So, right from the start we should realize that the Sabbath is for our benefit, it’s not a punishment. It’s not some arbitrary requirement that God thought up just to see if we would obey Him and if not He’ll smack us for it. Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Man was created before the Sabbath, wasn’t he? Yes! The Sabbath was made for the sake of man and not the other way around. Sabbath observance is for our benefit, for our sanctification, and without it, God’s design for the human race cannot be accomplished.

But what about those who lived in the past not keeping the Sabbath? Will they be lost? The Bible says, “to them that know to do good and do it not, to them it is sin.” If they didn’t know, but faithfully obeyed the truth they understood, then we will meet them in heaven, but what about us? What about those of you who are listening to me right now? This is your opportunity friend to check out what I’m saying, and when you see that it’s true, if you haven’t already, and then conclude that it’s not important, then what excuse can you offer on judgement day when you find out it was important?

Testimonies for the Church, volume 6, page 350, “To those who keep holy the Sabbath day it is the sign of sanctification. True sanctification is harmony with God (how can we be in harmony with God if we’re violating the Day He blessed and sanctified? Impossible!) “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.”

Didn’t the apostle James say, “faith without works is dead”? And didn’t he also say, “Yes, a man may say, you have faith, and I have works, but show me your faith without your  works, and I will show you my faith by my works”? So you see, we are sanctified through obedience, especially obedience to the commandment God said to remember, because it’s God’s sign of sanctification.

Now I find it interesting that the statement we just read says, “He who from the heart obeys the fourth commandment will obey the whole law”, because when you think about it, it’s just the other way around with Sunday keepers, because He who professes to keep Sunday keeps the whole law except one, which according to James 2:10 does not keep any of them. The important point for us is that the law must be kept from the heart, and it has to be a heart that has been renewed by the Holy Spirit, otherwise it’s just outward obedience, and that kind of obedience will not sanctify us.

So to begin with, let’s talk about how to prepare for the Sabbath. Because our time is limited I’m going to run through these next few statements rather quickly and you’ll have to decide for yourself if your life is in harmony with them or not. First of all notice what it says in Mark 15:42, 43, “And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate and craved the body of Jesus.”

So Friday is the preparation day when we are to ready ourselves and our families for the Sabbath, and not only that, but the entire week should be toward this end.

Testimonies for the Church, volume 6, page 353 says, “All through the week we are to have the Sabbath in mind and be making preparation to keep it according to the commandment.”

Also Page 355, and I’m going to be reading a lot from volume 6 of the Testimonies, so if you’d like to read what I’m leaving out, read pages 349 – 368. On 355 it says, “On Friday let the preparation for the Sabbath be completed. See that all the clothing is in readiness and that all the cooking is done. Let the boots be blacked and the baths be taken. It is possible to do this. If you make it a rule you can do it. The Sabbath is not to be given to the repairing of garments, to the cooking of food, to pleasure seeking, or to any other worldly employment. Before the setting of the sun let all secular work be laid aside and all secular papers be put out of sight.”

Page 357, “At family worship (this would be at the beginning of Sabbath) let the children take a part. Let all bring their Bibles and each read a verse or two. Then let some familiar hymn be sung, followed by prayer.” That’s a good way to begin the Sabbath, isn’t it? Read a few verses, sing a hymn and then pray. I don’t consider this a fast-hard rule, you might want to do things differently and you may not have children in the home, but the point is, we should do something to mark the beginning of the Sabbath, to welcome it in and thank the Lord for it.

Signs of the Times, May 25, 1882, “The violation of the fourth commandment is not confined to the preparation of food. Many carelessly put off blacking their boots, and shaving, until after the beginning of the Sabbath. This should not be. If any neglect to do such work on a working day, they should have respect enough for God’s holy time to let their beards remain unshaven, their boots rough and brown, until the Sabbath is past. This might help their memory, and make them more careful to do their own work on the six working days.”

Back to Testimonies 6, Page 356, “We should jealously guard the edges of the Sabbath. Remember that every moment is consecrated, holy time.” That means we shouldn’t be looking at our watch to see what minute sundown is so we can do our own thing. That kind of obedience is not from the heart, is it? and therefore will not be helpful to us to form a righteous character for heaven.

Page 356 continues, “There is another work that should receive attention on the preparation day. On this day all differences between brethren, whether in the family or in the church, should be put away. Let all bitterness and wrath and malice be expelled from the soul. In a humble spirit, ‘confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.’”

So, putting away differences is not just for the 13^th Sabbath Communion Service, is it? Every Sabbath we should make sure that there’s nothing between our soul and the Saviour, or between our brethren if at all possible.

Page 357, “Let not the precious hours of the Sabbath be wasted in bed.” You know, some people work so long and hard through the week that they think it’s OK to catch up on Sabbath, but that is not OK. That is not making a right use of the sacred hours of the Sabbath.

Notice what it says In Testimonies for the Church, volume 2, page 704, “It is displeasing to God for Sabbathkeepers to sleep during much of the Sabbath. . . They must make money, although it be by robbing themselves of needed sleep, which they make up by sleeping away holy time. They then excuse themselves by saying: ‘The Sabbath was given for a day of rest. I will not deprive myself of rest to attend meeting, for I need rest.’ Such make a wrong use of the sanctified day. . . Of all the days in the week, none are so favorable for devotional thoughts and feelings as the Sabbath.” So if that’s true, and I believe it is, then why sleep?

Volume 6, page 357, “We should not provide for the Sabbath a more liberal supply or a greater variety of food than for other days. Instead of this the food should be more simple, and less should be eaten, in order that the mind may be clear and vigorous to comprehend spiritual things. Overeating befogs the brain. The most precious words may be heard and not appreciated, because the mind is confused by an improper diet. By overeating on the Sabbath, many have done more than they think to dishonor God. While cooking upon the Sabbath should be avoided, it is not necessary to eat cold food.”

Now let me stop there for a minute. First of all, what is “cooking”? The dictionary says, “Cooking is the art or the practice of dressing and preparing food for the table.” This would include chopping, dicing, mixing ingredients, baking, etc. Besides, when you do all those things, you always have a mess to clean up afterward, don’t you? And as a result we are robbing God of the time we ought to be spending with Him. Now let me start over.

“While cooking upon the Sabbath should be avoided, it is not necessary to eat cold food. In cold weather let the food prepared the day before be heated. And let the meals, though simple, be palatable and attractive. Provide something that will be regarded as a treat, something the family do not have every day.”

Now you can understand why she says to provide something as a treat, can’t you? We all like to eat, don’t we? But in my mind this council is especially for the children. There are so many things to attract children away from spiritual things today, and to have something they can look forward to will help them to enjoy the Sabbath now and have good memories as they get older and have their own family should time last long enough for them to do so.

In Exodus 16:23, speaking about the manna it says, “This is that which the LORD hath said, tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day (on the sixth day, or Friday), and seethe (or boil) that ye will seethe.” That’s pretty direct and simple, isn’t it? Get all that cooking done on Friday and then if it’s cold out, go ahead and warm it up if you like. It’s kind of like eating leftovers. It’s already done, just warm it up. Nothing wrong with that.

Letter 104, 1901, “We would charge all not to wash their dishes on the Sabbath if this can possibly be avoided. God is dishonored by any unnecessary work done on His holy day. It is not inconsistent, but proper, that the dishes should be left unwashed till the close of the Sabbath, if this can be managed.” A good thing might be to just give things a quick rinse so food doesn’t become stuck on like glue and could be easily washed later.

Well Pastor Jones, some of these things you mention are pretty knit-picky, aren’t they? First of all, I would say that if you think the instructions the Lord has given are knit-picky, then you better examine your own heart to see if you have a rebellious spirit. I’m just telling you what God says. I didn’t make the rules. It’s up to you to follow the council or not. I’m just the messenger boy. I’m not here to judge anyone, and we shouldn’t, because we may not know a person’s level of understanding or if they have extenuating circumstances. The apostle Paul says, “who are you to judge another man’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.” Romans 14:4.

You see, we’re all going to be judged as individuals. All I know is, the information I’m presenting to you today is God breathed and from what I’ve observed, there needs to be a reform in our Sabbath keeping if we want to be repairers of the breach. There are a few things I could inject here and there concerning some of these things, but I’ve chosen not to, because I don’t want anyone to use me as their criterion. If you have questions friends, study it out for yourself. The Lord will teach you as well as anyone else if you have a mind to serve Him with a pure heart.

And please allow me to say something else before we go any further so no one gets the wrong idea. We are not saved by Sabbath keeping, we are saved to keep the Sabbath, does that make sense? The Pharisees had all kinds of man-made rules to help them know what to do and what not to do, but did it work? No! Whenever man adds something to God’s word it messes it all up. Jesus came to straighten it out and they accused the One who made the Sabbath of breaking His own law. Only the one who has had their sins washed away by the blood of Christ and have experienced the new birth can render acceptable obedience in Sabbath keeping. It has to come from the heart, and when it’s in the heart to obey you’ll never say, “I wish the Sabbath was over so can do what I want to do.” It will never be drudgery when Jesus lives within. And so, let’s keep that in mind as we read some of these inspired statements.

Testimonies volume 6, Page 360, “When compelled to travel on the Sabbath (notice the word “Compelled.” That means when there’s no other way around it) “When compelled to travel on the Sabbath we should try to avoid the company of those who would draw our attention to worldly things. We should keep our minds stayed upon God and commune with Him. . . we should not talk about matters of business or engage in any common, worldly conversation. At all times and in all places God requires us to prove our loyalty to Him by honoring the Sabbath.”

Page 369, “Divine mercy has directed that the sick and suffering should be cared for; the labor required to make them comfortable is a work of necessity, and no violation of the Sabbath. But all unnecessary work should be avoided. Many carelessly put off till the beginning of the Sabbath little things that should have been done on the day of preparation. This should not be. Any work that is neglected until the commencement of holy time should remain undone until the Sabbath is past.”

The Spirit of Prophecy has much to say about spending time in nature upon the Sabbath and usually it has to do with how we should instruct our children, and it’s good for grandparents to know as well. So, I’ll just read a little bit from Child Guidance, page 333 & 336. “All who love God should do what they can to make the Sabbath a delight, holy and honorable. They cannot do this by seeking their own pleasure in sinful, forbidden amusements. Yet they can do much to exalt the Sabbath in their families and make it the most interesting day of the week. We should devote time to interesting our children. A change will have a happy influence upon them. We can walk out with them in the open air; we can sit with them in the groves and in the bright sunshine, and give their restless minds something to feed upon by conversing with them upon the works of God, and can inspire them with love and reverence by calling their attention to the beautiful objects in nature.”

“Parents may bind up their lessons of instruction to their children, so that when these children look upon the things of nature, they will call to mind the great Creator of them all. Their thoughts will be carried up to nature’s God—back to the creation of our world, when the foundation of the Sabbath was laid, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Such are the lessons to be impressed on the minds of our children.”

“We are not to teach our children that they must not be happy on the Sabbath, that it is wrong to walk out-of-doors. Oh, no. Christ led His disciples out by the lakeside on the Sabbath day and taught them. His sermons on the Sabbath were not always preached within enclosed walls.”

There are very good reasons why we’ve been given all this detailed information about Sabbath keeping, and as we wind down, I’ll read a few statements that will hopefully make it clear to you why proper Sabbath observance is extremely important. This first statement is from Testimonies volume 6, pages 352, 353, listen carefully. “The Sabbath question is to be the issue in the great final conflict in which all the world will act a part. Men have honored Satan’s principles above the principles that rule in the heavens. They have accepted the spurious sabbath, which Satan has exalted as the sign of his authority. But God has set His seal upon His royal requirement. Each sabbath institution bears the name of its author, an ineffaceable mark that shows the authority of each. It is our work to lead the people to understand this. We are to show them that it is of vital consequence whether they bear the mark of God’s kingdom or the mark of the kingdom of rebellion, for they acknowledge themselves subjects of the kingdom whose mark they bear. God has called us to uplift the standard of His downtrodden Sabbath. How important, then, that our example in Sabbathkeeping should be right.”

This “is of vital consequence” it says. What does “vital” mean? It means life or death, doesn’t it? If you have one of your vital organs cut out, you can’t survive, and how can we be survivors in God’s eternal kingdom if we don’t keep the Sabbath holy by following this counsel?

Testimonies 6, page 353, “We must be guarded, lest the lax practices that prevail among Sundaykeepers shall be followed by those who profess to observe God’s holy rest day.”

It’s a sad fact today that in many of the larger Seventh-day Adventist churches, the members go out after church and eat in restaurants and do many of the things you can see Sunday keepers do on Sunday. I really  shouldn’t say Sunday keepers, because very few keep Sunday like the Bible says to observe the seventh-day Sabbath, but we know the day is coming when people will be forced to comply with a Sunday law that will be very strict. The one problem with enforced Sunday worship, besides being the wrong day, is that it will be just that, forced. God forces no one in matters of conscience, and thereby we can tell that the devil will be behind it. We’re told that “force is the last resort of every false religion.” And so, there need not be any guess work when it comes to the time when history will be repeated, and the union of church and state enforces their will upon the people of the world as it did during the dark ages.

Testimonies volume 6, Page 359, “If we desire the blessing promised to the obedient, we must observe the Sabbath more strictly. I fear that we often travel on this day when it might be avoided. In harmony with the light which the Lord has given in regard to the observance of the Sabbath, we should be more careful about traveling on the boats or cars on this day. . . In order to reach the churches that need our help (notice, we’re not talking about traveling for pleasure on various modes of transportation just because we want to go somewhere, the context is traveling to reach the churches that need our help), and to give them the message that God desires them to hear, it may be necessary (necessary is the key word here) for us to travel on the Sabbath; but so far as possible we should secure our tickets and make all necessary arrangements on some other day. When starting on a journey we should make every possible effort to plan so as to avoid reaching our destination on the Sabbath.”

Councils for the Church, pages 268, 269, “Some will urge that the Lord is not so particular in His requirements; that it is not their duty to keep the Sabbath strictly at so great loss, or to place themselves where they will be brought in conflict with the laws of the land. But here is just where the test is coming, whether we will honor the law of God above the requirements of men. This is what will distinguish between those who honor God and those who dishonor Him. Here is where we are to prove our loyalty. The history of God’s dealings with His people in all ages shows that He demands exact obedience.”

The Desire of Ages, page 283, “In order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy. . . When the command was given to Israel, ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,’ the Lord said also to them, ‘Ye shall be holy men unto Me.’”

Councils for the Church, page, 268, “Because the fourth commandment is so widely disregarded, we should be the more earnest and decided in seeking to honor this precept of God’s holy law. . . Whoever obeys the fourth commandment will find that a separating line is drawn between him and the world. The Sabbath is a test, not a human requirement, but God’s test. It is that which will distinguish between those who serve God and those who serve him not; and upon this point will come the last great conflict of the controversy between truth and error.”

Manuscript 110, 1904, “History will repeat itself. In this age the great test will be upon the point of Sabbath observance. . . . A rival sabbath is exalted, as was the great golden image in the plain of Dura. Leaders claiming to be Christians will call upon the world to observe the spurious sabbath that they have made. All who refuse will be put under oppressive laws. This is the mystery of iniquity, the devising of satanic agencies, carried into effect by the man of sin.”

And let me close with this, Testimonies 6, Page 359, “As the sun goes down [at the close of the Sabbath], let the voice of prayer and the hymn of praise mark the close of the sacred hours and invite God’s presence through the cares of the week of labor.”

Well, I hope something you’ve heard this morning will be of help to you, not just that you might know about the dos and don’ts, but that the Sabbath will truly be a happy intermission from your weekly routine, and that you will have obedience from the heart, and I want to thank the two people who urged me to share this information with you today, because I’ve learned a few things myself that I pray will draw me closer to Jesus and help me be a better witness as the great controversy heats up in the coming days, and I hope it has done the same for you.

Sermon in pdf  Repairers of the Breach