Keeping The Sabbath Day

Bizamare, Beloved
Mvundura, Joelson Tatenda
The Sabbath
• The Sabbath is a safeguard of our relationship with God
• The Sabbath encompasses our entire relationship with God. It is an
indication of God's action on our behalf in the past, present, and
future. (Ezekiel 20:12,20)
• The Sabbath protects man's friendship with God and provides the
time essential for the development of that relationship. (Isaiah
58:13-14)
• The Sabbath clarifies the relationship between God and the human
family, for it points to God as Creator at a time when human
beings would like to usurp God's position in the universe. (Exodus
20:8-11)
Legalistic way of keeping the Sabbath
• The Pharisees in the Bible were members of a religious group or
party who frequently clashed with Jesus Christ over his
interpretation of the Law.
• The Pharisee had the their own way of keeping the Sabbath and it
was legalistically, which became their custom. It was mainly
concerned on works more than the love of God
• They magnified the Law more than the creator therefore missing
the point, which is the Love of God for men
• Their custom also manipulated how the Sabbath was kept and it
out weighed how the Sabbath was originally kept in the beginning.
It became burdensome to the observer.
Jesus’ teachings on keeping the Sabbath

Jesus associated the Sabbath with His redemptive as well as His

creative work.
Throughout His earthly ministry, Christ exemplified for us faithful
Sabbath keeping.
--Luke 4:16
“And he (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where he had been
brought up: as his custom was, he went into the synagogue
on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.”
Discussion Question

• Are there any kind of works that are allowed

to be conducted on Sabbath?

• For Example, in cases of Doctors and Nurses

Jesus’ teachings on keeping the Sabbath

• Jesus taught that it is lawful (or good) to do what is good on the

Sabbath, helping friends in need, visiting those who need
encouragement or visiting the sick.
--Matt 12:9-12
“He went on from there and entered their synagogue.
And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ‘Is
it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’ –so that they might accuse him.
He said to them, ‘Which one of you has a sheep, if it falls into a pit
on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how
much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good
on the Sabbath.”
The Apostles (disciples) and the Sabbath

• As had Christ, the apostles worshipped on the seventh-day Sabbath.

--Acts 13:14
“but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in
Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and
sat down”
--Acts 17:1-2
“1. Now when they had passed through Amphipolis
and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a
synagogue of the Jews. 2. And Paul went in as his custom,
and three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the
Scriptures”
Sabbath Observance

• How is Sabbath suppose to be kept are we suppose to cook on the

Sabbath?
• During Old Testament the Israelites, picked double portion of
Manna before sunset of the preparation day. The manna was to
carter for the whole Sabbath. Exodus 16 vs 5 and 19-21
Sabbath Preparation
Exodus 16 vs 22-27
Is it ok to pursue our own pleasures on the Sabbath?
Isaiah 58 vs 13-14
Are married couples allowed to have sex on
the Sabbath?

• The topic of sex on Sabbath is a deeply personal decision that

should be prayerfully discussed between a husband and wife
• For some couples this may be something that they choose “by
mutual consent” (1 Cor. 7:5, NIV) to forgo during the hours of the
seventh-day Sabbath in order to maintain their spiritual focus.
This is admirable, but for others this may be yet more distracting.
• For those married couples who do engage in sexual relations on
Sabbath, such a view has deep roots in the original Creation. A
view of sexuality that embraces the whole person connects sex
with Creation as God’s beautiful gift to humanity.
Conclusion

• The Sabbath as a sign of the Creator points to His ownership and

authority. Meaningful Sabbath observance, therefore, indicates
the acceptance of God as Creator and Owner and acknowledges
His authority over all creation, including oneself. Sabbath
observance is based on the authority of God's Word. There is no
other logical reason for it.
• Human beings have the freedom to enter into a relationship with
the Creator of the universe as with a personal friend.
Thank you for listening!!!....
Quiz

1.The Sabbath is a safeguard of our relationship with TRUE

God.
2. Jesus Christ exemplified for us faithful Sabbath TRUE
keeping when he was on earth.
3. The Apostles (or disciples) stopped observing the FALSE
Sabbath after Jesus Christ went to heaven.
4. Keeping the Sabbath legalistically (like what the FALSE
Pharisees did) is the ideal way of keeping the Sabbath.
5. Doing what is good on the Sabbath day (like helping a
friend in need) is lawful according to Jesus’ teachings on TRUE
the Sabbath.