7 Reasons Why Satan Hates the Sabbath | Mark Finley Sermon

far away in the realms of eternity there was a diabolical strategy session to destroy the sabbath but thank god satan's plans have not wholly succeeded although he has obscured the truth about the sabbath god has sent an eternal end-time message calling men and women back to the day that he established in my imagination in the outer darkness of this world i picture a diabolical scene some places in the someplace in the far reaches of space a rebel angel meets with his demonic forces in a strategy session now the forces of evil and darkness are eager to be successful in their devilish scheme in my imagination i see this committee meeting if you please and the devil is discussing with his evil angels how best to undermine the authority of christ now to do this they determine in that meeting to focus particularly on the sabbath they'll attempt to discredit destroy and demolish god's symbol of creation the sabbath in any way possible so they begin to discuss this and they in my imagination i hear them debating and they decide on at least five major objectives first the devil is going to lead millions of people to worship the object of creation the son rather than the creator of creation he introduces in egypt for example the sun god eman and they worship the sun god he introduces in babylon bel marduk the sun god he issue he introduces in persia mithra the sun god he introduces in greece helios and apollo the sun gods he introduces in rome soul the sun god and millions accept sun worship down through the centuries rather than sabbath worship then he proceeds to his second objective in the early christian in the early christian centuries he blends sun worship with christianity and so the church and state unite in honor of the resurrection so-called sun worship comes into the church and begins to replace the sabbath now satan doesn't care how he traps people as long as he traps them so he will use a variety of deceptions some in future generations would be trapped in the scientific arguments that the world evolved on its own rather than any creator and millions would accept that deception for others satan would keep them so busy so occupied with the things of time they'd forget the things of eternity and they would not keep the bible sabbath but then satan would come up with one of his most brilliant deceptions one of his most sophisticated deceptions for christians he would say that if you are saved by grace it's not necessary to keep god's law therefore the law of god is irrelevant satan would say that and this probably would be his most dangerous argument for believers he'd introduced the idea that a particular day makes no difference at all as long as you worship he would distort the gospel and make them believe that love does not require obedience now all these deceptions would have the common purpose to discredit the sabbath and discredit the creator but why why does the devil hate the sabbath so much here's the first reason the devil hates the sabbath because it's a memorial of creation and the devil hates jesus the creator so if you have your bible please take it and turn to genesis the second chapter why does the devil hate the sabbath so much because he wants to undermine creation and if he can undermine creation he knows he can discredit jesus and the reason the devil hates the sabbath is because he hates the creator and he hates jesus genesis chapter 2 and we're looking there at genesis chapter 2 verse 1 2 and 3. 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 now notice carefully verse three god blessed the seventh day and sanctified it in it he rested from all his work which god had created and made so the sabbath was set aside at creation as a memorial of god's love as a symbol of god's care but here is the question who is it that blessed the sabbath who did that who is it that sanctified the sabbath who is it that rested on the sabbath now although the godhead participated in creation and you remember god says let us make man in our image so the father son holy spirit participated in creation but but who was the active agent in creation who was the actual creator take your bible and turn to ephesians 3 verse 9 the father son and holy spirit participate together the father is the active designer of the creative pro of the created world but paul tells us that jesus christ himself was the active agent in creation so you see the devil's strategy ephesians 3 verse 9 if the devil hates christ and if christ is the creator and if the devil can undermine creation by undermining the sabbath of creation he can discredit jesus so ephesians 3 verse 9 to make all people see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in god now what's the next phrase let's read the next phrase together you ready church let's read it together who created all things through jesus christ so since jesus is the active agent in creation the sabbath don't miss this is a monument or memorial to jesus and into his creative power satan has jesus he sees jesus as a rival his supreme desire is to cast jesus off his throne and rule the universe so by attacking the sabbath satan attacks jesus the evil one wants to destroy the sabbath because he wants to destroy christ this is precisely why god sends an eternal last day message to all humanity calling them back to sabbath worship take your bible and turn to revelation chapter 14 verse 6 and 7. here is god's final message here is god's last day message to humanity then i saw revelation 14 verse 6 and 7. then i saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven so here is a divine message that's to go to the ends of the earth just before jesus comes i saw another angel flying in the middle of heaven the angel flies he does not float this is an urgent message for all christians everywhere in all humanity having the everlasting gospel to preach to those that dwell on the earth it goes to every nation tribe tongue and people saying with a hey what kind of voice loud voice why loud voice so nobody would forget it so everybody would hear it fear god that is reverence god respect god obey god give glory to him for the arvish judgment has come so we're living in the judgment hour now notice this phrase worship him who made heaven and earth the sea in the springs of waters that expression worship him who made heaven earth sea in the springs of waters comes exactly from the fourth commandment remember the sabbath so who is the one that made heaven earth springs and fountains of waters that's the creator and who is the creator that's jesus so here is a message in the last days of verse history just before the coming of jesus that's a call to worship the creator jesus christ by worshiping him on the sabbath the one that made heavens and earth and the springs of waters of course is the creator revelations final appeal takes us back to creation it reminds us of who we are in christ the sabbath takes us back to our origin it reminds us that we're not here by accident so the sabbath is an anchor of stability in an uncertain world it is an eternal symbol of the creator's dire desire for us to live life to the fullest so when we come to worship on the sabbath we are recognizing that we did not evolve we're not some speck of cosmic dust in the universe that we're not some random collection of genes and chromosomes but we were created by god the sabbath takes us back to our origin the sabbath centers us in life god created us to live to really live heaven's plan included happiness and health and joy forever our master designer created us to experience our greatest satisfaction and fellowship with him and that's what the sabbath is all about he is life's true center the enemy deceived our parents in shifting the center of life now this is critical and understanding see the sabbath takes us back to the creator and it centers us in the fact that we are creatures that life is a gift so every sabbath we become centered again in life so what the devil wants to do is shift the center of life from jesus christ to ourselves when the enemy deceived our first parents in shifting the center of life their desires became supreme their wants became paramount when adam and eve sinned they became slaves to the evil one so sorrow replaced joy conflict replaced harmony anxiety replaced peace fear took the place of trust close intimate loving harmonious relationship with god was replaced by this chasm of of separation from god but god broke through and there in the garden god sent the promise of the messiah he gave hope of a restored relationship with the creator every sabbath when we come to worship that is the garden promise of the restoration of our relationship with our creator so sabbath reminds us that in this world of sin in this world of separation from god that we are brought back into harmony back into oneness with our creator sabbath re-centers us in our lives it reminds us that the restored relationship through jesus our creator is a divine reality the sabbath speaks of the creator's desire to be in relationship with us his care over our lives and his divine guidance and all the affairs of life is echoed in the sabbath the weekly sabbath centers us in the eternal values of the kingdom of god so all week we are knocking our heads against this world all week we're working to try to make some living all week we're trying to eke out some existence so all week the devil is trying to take us from the center of life and to get to us to focus on the things of time rather than things of eternity but we come we sing the songs of zion we pray with our brothers and sisters we worship god together and our lives get re-centered so we can live in this crazy mixed up world another week that's what sabbath is all about now here's the first practical lesson of the sabbath when we worship on sabbath we acknowledge that we are not here by accident we rest in the creator's care the sabbath is the antidote for worry fear and anxiety the sabbath beckons us to return to the eternal values that hold life together that's what sabbath is all about the devil hates the sabbath because it takes us back to our origins and it centers us in life second reason the devil hates the sabbath here it is the devil hates the sabbath because the sabbath is a symbol of god's authority and the devil hates all authority see the devil wants no restraints when he rebelled in heaven against god the central issue revolved around authority did god have the authority to rule satan claimed that god did not have the authority to govern the creatures he created he claimed that god was unfair claim that god was unjust he claimed that god passed rules that he had no authority to pass and those rules restricted happiness so satan hates the sabbath because it's a weekly reminder of god's everlasting authority in his right to rule the universe now the book of revelation ties together this concept of christ's ability to rule the universe and his authority to do so with the sabbath and the law of god so take your bible and turn to revelation the 11th chapter now revelation 11 is a transitionary chapter that transitions into the final crisis in revelation 12 you have the rise of god's true church in final crisis in revelation 13 you have the enforcement of the mark of the beast where no man can buy or sell and when the death degree is passed revelation 14 you have god's final message revelation 15 and 16 the seven last plagues revelation 17 the fall of babylon revelation 18 the call out of babylon revelation 19 the coming of jesus revelation 20 the millennium and 21 and 22 the new heavens the new earth so revelation 11 is critical revelation 11 you come to this seven trumpets and in verse 15 you come to the seventh trumpet now notice what we're studying in this chapter we are focusing our attention on this thought that the devil hates the sabbath because the devil wants no restraints and the sabbath signifies a recognition of the authority of god so we look at revelation chapter 15 chapter 11 verse 15. the seventh angel sounded and there were loud voices in heaven saying the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our lord and his christ and he shall reign forever and ever and the 24 elders who sat before god on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped god so the whole universe worships the whole universe accepts the authority of christ at this point the wicked have been destroyed and the the universe accepting christ's authority worships now here verse 17 see the devil in that battle in the great controversy millenniums ago the devil challenged god's authority so verse 17 saying these are what the elders say we give you thanks o lord almighty the one who is who was who is to come because you have taken your great power and reigned so jesus reigns jesus has the authority to reign he rules on the throne of the universe now notice verse 18 there's a transition in verse 18 from looking at things vertically from focusing on heaven and eternity to looking at things horizontally looking at things in heaven now we look on things on earth verse 18 the nations are angry we're living in that time god's wrath has come the time of the dead that they should be judged and you should reward your servants the prophets and the saints those who fear your name when does he reward his prophets and the saints when jesus comes he says i'm coming quickly my reward is with me revelation 22 those who fear your name small and great and should destroy those who destroy the earth now verse 19 is our verse in the context of the reign of christ in the universe in the context of nations being angry and the coming of jesus then the temple of god was opened in heaven john says i looked up and the temple of god was opened in heaven now you'll recall that god said to moses let them make me a what sanctuary and i will dwell among them and in that sanctuary that moses created it was a scale model of the eternal sanctuary in heaven in that sanctuary there was the holy place in the most holy place in the most holy place there was the ark of the covenant and what was in the ark of the covenant what was in the ark of the covenant church the law of god so notice john looks up he looks not at some earthly sanctuary but he looks at a heavenly sanctuary the temple of god the sanctuary is opened it's the last days of verse history what's in that temple of god the ark of the covenant what's in that ark of the covenant the law of god and there were lightnings noises thunderings and earthquakes you see those expressions lightnings noises thunderings earthquake that's exactly what happened in my at mount sinai so this text is referring us to god's authority based in his law why does the devil hate the sabbath he hates the sabbath because in the last days of verse history the sabbath will be a symbol to god's people of the acceptance of god's authority and the devil hates god's authority the devil rebelled against that authority in heaven and as the result of that the devil will wants to rebel against god's authority on earth when john in prophetic vision gazed up into the heavenly sanctuary he saw the law of god enshrined within god's law is the sabbath and the love of god would become that very distinguishing feature of a people in the last days of verse history it would represent the acceptance of god's authority in a world of permissiveness and disregard of authority and rebellion against god that's why revelation 12 17 speaks of an end-time people who have gazed into heaven's sanctuary who's looked at who have looked into the most holy place who have seen the law of god and who accept god's authority revelation chapter 12 verse 17. take your bible please revelation 12 we're looking there at the 17th verse the dragon is angry with the woman the church the devil the dragons angry with the church he goes to make war with the rest of our offspring who keep the commandments of god and have the testimony of jesus so god will have an end-time people at a time of final crisis who respect his authority and are obedient to him the devil hates that so the devil will pass a decree so that if they keep god's commandments and respect his authority according to revelation 13 they'll be no longer able to buy or sell and according to revelation 13 there'll be a death degree why does the devil go to that length because the devil is anxious to cast christ off his throne because the devil wants to rule the universe and the law of god is the foundation of the government of god and the law of god reveals the love of god and it it reveals keeping and accepting god's authority so here's the practical lesson from number two the practical lesson is this since the sabbath is at the heart of the great controversy between good and evil and a symbol of god's divine authority over his creatures follow me to reject or violate or willfully disregard the sabbath is to rebel against god's authority if we really understand the depth of what it means to keep the sabbath we will see the sabbath as a symbol of our desire to be united with christ in obedience to his law and accept his authority now here's the third reason the devil hates the sabbath you will find this in your study guide page five bottom of the page the devil hates the sabbath because it's an eternal symbol of our fellowship with christ both personally and corporately now let's probe this a little bit adam and eve spent their first day together what was the first day that adam and eve spent together what day was that it was a sabbath he created them on the sixth day and the first day they spent together was the sabbath now jesus had a reason for creating our first parents on the sixth day and following their creation with the sabbath he desired them to recognize that the true meaning of life came in fellowship with one another and in fellowship with him so the whole purpose of the sabbath was fellowship whole purpose of the sabbath was relationship a relationship with one another and a relationship with god and if the devil can do anything he can to bring discord in families he's going to do that and the sabbath is is the day of family unity it's the day when families come together to worship it's the day when families walk together in sabbath afternoon out in country places it's the day when family unity occurs that's the whole purpose of sabbath you see jesus desired us to recognize that life's true meaning came in fellowship with one another in fellowship with him throughout the scripture god encourages us he instructs us he admonishes his people to worship together on the bible sabbath take your bible and turn to hebrews chapter 10. hebrews chapter 10 verse 23 to 25 why does the devil hate the sabbath because he does not want us to enter into deep fellowship with christ and he doesn't want us to enter into deep fellowship with one another now our text tells us four things you may want to write them down hebrews chapter 10 verse 23-25 let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering god speaks to the church he speaks to believers and he says hold fast do not waver in your commitment to accept jesus in his authority hebrews 10 verse 23 let us draw near with a true heart it would rather let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering for he who promised is faithful jesus promised to enable to hold you fast as you hold fast to him let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another so much more as you see the day approaching he says as you see the day approaching do these four things what are they at the text says first consider one another consider one another in other words don't be wrapped up with some self-inflated importance don't be wrapped up with your desires your wants and your preferences consider one another as believers in christ and then he says secondly stir up or inspire others to good works so jesus says as believers as you come to church don't be filled with your problems don't be filled with your self-inflated importance look for somebody that you can bless in church today somebody said to me well i went to church and i didn't get a blessing then you missed the whole point who did you bless who did you bless in church today who did you give a word of encouragement today who did you give a word of hope today see that's what paul is talking about in hebrews chapter 10 consider one another stir up one another then he says do not forsake the assembling of ourselves together in other words assemble together exhort one another encourage one another so consider one another inspire one another assemble together encourage one another meeting in the bonds of christian love each sabbath inspires us to know christ more deeply to love one another more more supremely and to encourage one another more fully now somebody says well well can't i get as much a blessing as worshiping at home you know one psychologist said this it takes about six weeks to form a habit six weeks to form a habit one of the biggest dangers for the church in covet 19 is people have gotten used to staying at home and watching something on television much easier you can do it in your pajamas you can do it when you're eating your breakfast you can do it when you're getting up halfway through the sermon to put the dinner in and you missed the key point now there are times frankly well we got to stay home when covet 19 was raging it may have been appropriate to stay home there may be people with illnesses we can't get out to church we thank god for the opportunity to communicate but i will tell you something honestly that's never god's primary reason primary purpose there's something about coming together with your brothers and sisters don't you agree church something about coming together when i see you in the hall and you say pastor mark how you doing today can i pray for you man that encourages my heart inspires me when somebody shares a text or a bible promise that inspires our hearts there's something about meeting together that inspires us there's nothing like the personal relationships that come from worshipping together there's something in the act of singing and praying and listening to the word and sharing together that draws us closer to christ worshiping together lifts our spirits and encourages our hearts it renews our souls worshiping together makes all the difference in the world you know there was some time ago i read the story about a newspaper editor in the west as many years ago and uh he ran out of things to to to to write for his editorial column in the newspaper so he said to his compositor the one that composed the print for the newspaper he said hey look today i i kind of ran out of what to say so what i want you to do in the newspaper today is just print the ten commandments print the ten commandments in my column that's all no comments just print them so the compositor prints the ten commandments as he does next week the editor of the newspaper gets a letter and in the letter it says please cancel my subscription to the newspaper because those ten commandments got too personal it is very true that the ten commandments are personal they speak to the depths of our being but the sabbath is intensely personal it calls us to worship with our brothers and sisters that's what sabbath is all about some of whom are different from us some who are not like us at all some who are difficult to get along with but some are different they look different they speak different they dress different some are not don't have the same personality that we have you know the bible doesn't say assemble yourselves together with those who are like you i don't read that text in the bible the bible doesn't say assemble yourself together with all your friends i don't read that text in the bible you know the text i read in the bible is assemble yourself together and there's something about our differences when we meet together that strengthens us as the bible says iron sharpeneth iron so a friend sharpens a friend there's something about seeing things from a different perspective there's something about looking at things from a different point of view there's something about the opportunity that we have of fellowshipping together with people that are different than us they come from different backgrounds they come from different cultures there's something that enriches us in all of that the bible says assemble yourselves together it's in the context of the church that we grow in christ together in ways that we could not grow alone we miss the blessing we miss the blessing if we can do so if we're physically capable of doing so we miss the blessing if we miss corporate worship here's practical lesson number three you ready to write it down the sabbath is intensely personal it invites us to a deep abiding lasting relationship with christ and one another in worship that's why the devil hates the sabbath because he does not want you to get the strength that comes from worshiping god together and he doesn't want you to get the strength that comes from encouragement from your brothers and sisters now here's the first fourth reason the devil hates the sabbath fourth reason the devil hates the sabbath is this the devil hates the sabbath because the sabbath is a symbol of the permanent healing we will experience when our bodies are made new at the coming of christ the sabbath above all other days is a day of healing did you ever notice in scripture that jesus performed more miracles on the sabbath than any other day jesus performed at least seven miracles on the sabbath more miracles on the sabbath than any other day for jesus the sabbath was a day of miracles one sabbath jesus is teaching in a synagogue a woman a crippled woman stricken with disease who had been afflicted for 18 years came in and jesus healed her it was sabbath and his grace and mercy and divine power flowed from him in the synagogue at capernaum jesus delivered a man possessed with demons on the sabbath he restored sight to a blind man on sabbath jesus was on his way to church in jerusalem he came through the sheep gate the gate that they drove the sheep through to be slaughtered and he was the lamb of god he came through that sheep he looked over to the right he saw the pool of bethesda there was a poor man there 38 years suffering from head to toe with affliction and jesus healed that man the sabbath is a day of healing it's a day that jesus worked his greatest miracles why did jesus perform more miracles on sabbath than any other day why did he perform some of his most spectacular miracles on sabbath there are at least two major reasons for this first the sabbath is a day of fellowship with the divine it's a day to find healing when we come to church on sabbath we come with our sin stricken souls we come with our palsied spirits when we come to church on sabbath it's a day that the healing grace of christ flows from heaven's sanctuary above to heal our souls the sabbath is a day of healing when we come on sabbath it's a day that we want to have healed relationships with others so the sabbath is a day of healing we we are healed spiritually as we go anger gives way to peace worry gives way to calm bitterness gives way to the joy of experiencing fellowship with christ impatience gives way to patience as we come on sabbath there's a healing process that takes place in our hearts and minds the same christ that healed that woman who suffered for 18 years comes and heals our hearts on sabbath on sabbath we put ourselves in an environment where god can touch us where the spirit of god can speak to us where our hearts can be made strong again secondly the sabbath is a divine reminder that the christ who came once is coming again to heal us totally so we come on sabbath with with our with our with our aching bodies we come on sabbath afflicted with our various sicknesses we come on sabbath as paul says with these bodies of ours that we have this treasure in earthen vessels the treasure of christ lives within these earthen vessels we come with all the weakness of the physical afflictions of our flesh but we come on sabbath and we remember that first sabbath in the garden of eden where there was no sickness or suffering or death and we look forward to that sabbath in heaven where there'll be no sickness or disease so the sabbath reminds us of the eternal healing that will come in the new heavens and the new earth with christ each sabbath we can expect god to do something special in our lives the day that god blessed creation in eden remains blessed forever and those who enter the sabbath hours believing god will bless them will receive heaven's blessing so here's practical lesson number four you ready awake each sabbath with the expectation that god's going to do something special in your life awake each sabbath it's not that i wake up and say oh man i'm so tired do i have to go to church today it's rather that i wake up with expectation i wake up with this sense that that god's going to do something god's going to touch me today god's going to work in my life today some song is going to encourage my discouraged heart some prayer is gonna lift my spirits some word from the text is gonna bore its way into my mind and change me awake each sabbath with the expectation that god is gonna do something for you because sabbath is a damn blessing sabbath is a day of healing you anticipate the blessings that will come to you each sabbath believe that the almighty creator is going to perform the miracle of inner healing for your soul's diseases now number five why does the devil hate the sabbath the devil hates the sabbath because sabbath is a symbol of our faith in christ as our loving savior as our self-sacrificing redeemer as our justifying lord the sabbath speaks of a christ who saves us by grace now in that last message to humanity called the three angels messages it begins with salvation by christ through grace and ends by salvation by christ through grace revelation 14 verse 6 revelation 14 verse 6 and i saw another angel flying in the middle of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach to those that dwell on the earth to every nation kindred tongue and people the angel that flies in mid heaven has the everlasting gospel what is the gospel the gospel is the incredible good news that through jesus and by jesus and because of jesus we can rest in his love know the joy of his forgiveness know that we're justified by his grace know that he will appear for us in the judgment the gospel is all about jesus what he has done for us on the cross what he is doing for us now the message of these three angels calling attention to the judgment hour and the creator begins with the gospel but it ends with the gospel too you look at revelation 14 verse 12. here are they revelation 14 12 that keep the commandments of god in the faith of jesus now notice it doesn't say faith in jesus they do have faith in jesus but they have the faith of jesus what is the faith of jesus the faith of jesus is the faith that christ had when he hung on the cross when he could not see the height his father's face when he experienced the hiding of his father's face and the faith of jesus is the absolute trust in the father and that's why jesus said into thy hands i commend my spirit because he had absolute trust so what does the sabbath say it says that we are resting in christ with the faith of jesus in absolute trust that the father will see us through that although we may die like jesus did before the coming of christ the sabbath says you can have the faith of jesus that you will be resurrected on resurrection mourning we rest in christ's love on sabbath so the sabbath is not a sign of legalism it is not a sign of righteous by works it is a sign of rest in his care rest in his love hebrews chapter 4 verse 9 and 10. hebrews 4 verse 9 and 10. those who think the sabbath is legalistic and jewish totally missed the point of the new testament gospel the sabbath is a symbol of our rest in christ it is a symbol that we believe that we are justified by his grace hebrews chapter 4 verse 8 and 9. for if joshua had given them rest he would not have afterwards spoken of another day that's the day of christ coming the day that we can rest in his love and grace verse 9 there remains therefore hebrews 4 verse 9 the remains therefore a rest for the people of god for he who has entered his rest has himself ceased from works as god did from his there remains a rest for the people of god what is that rest it is the sabbath rest of our resting in christ our resting from our labors the devil hates the sabbath because in it we rest from our fruitless efforts to save ourselves we rest totally completely absolutely in his grace the sabbath is a weekly reminder that we did not create the world he did and the sabbath is a weekly reminder that we did not redeem the world he did and the sabbath is a weekly reminder that we can neighbor not save ourselves he can the sabbath is a weekly reminder that we rest in the salvation that he offers pastor daniel hamstress states it well in the october 25 2019 article in the adventist review and he says this the sabbath keeping is a rhythmic reminder that human flourishing is not based on human effort neither is human serenity that's peace purchased by human striving we rest and thrive in delight in the garden and in each other's company because of who god our father provides and prescribes now the next sentence is the one that's critical resting on the seventh day is our intelligent and privileged expression of complete dependence on his power and care and love for us so what then is resting on the sabbath it is this complete total absolute dependence on his power care and love is dependence that christ has justified us that christ is our savior we rest in his love and care here's the practical us number five you're ready for it practical practice number five is this every sabbath is a memorial of resting in his grace rest in his grace trust what he's already done let the sabbath rest be a symbol for you personally of the deeper joy of rest in christ who has redeemed you the christ that justifies you the christ that stands for you in the judgment the christ who died for you the christ will do anything to save you the christ who loves you so much that will never let you go rest in christ that is what sabbath is all about now here's the sixth reason the devil hates the sabbath it is not only a symbol of justification by faith it's a symbol of sanctification the devil hates the sabbath because it's a symbol of christ's sanctifying strength his transforming grace and his life-changing power see the sabbath is his symbol that the god that created the world once out of nothing can do something out of the nothingness of your life the god that caused light to come out of darkness can shine into our darkened hearts and bring light the god that brought the fruits of the onto this created world and caused every flower to blossom can cause beautiful blossoms in your life he can make your life beautiful the god that caused the fruits to grow and flourish on the fruit trees in eden can cause the fruit of the spirit of love joy peace to flourish in your heart he is the christ of sanctifying strength he is the christ of transforming grace he is the christ of life-changing power ezekiel chapter 20 verse 12 is very clear on this point isaiah jeremiah ezekiel daniel ezekiel chapter 20 verse 12. here it is ezekiel chapter 20 we're looking there at verse 12. moreover i also gave them my sabbaths to be a sign between them and me what kind of a sign was it that they might know that they might guess no that they might think know that they might what know that i am the lord who does what sanctifies them so every sabbath as i come to church i say jesus just as you created the world from nothing by your almighty power you can do something with this hard heart to transform it to change it you have the power to do that there is an incredibly inspiring comment in the book education page 250 that illustrates this point let's read it together the sabbath is a sign of creative and redeeming power it points to god as the source of life and knowledge it recalls man's primeval glory and thus witnesses to god's purpose to recreate us in his own image so the sabbath is a powerful witness that god is going to recreate us in his own image that we may walk on earth but through the power of god we can be transformed to walk in heavenly flights some time ago i read a fascinating story a scottish preacher by the name of john mcneil loved to tell this story there was an eagle that was caught by a farmer this farm had a big chicken farm and the ego was caught by this farmer and the farmer took him tied the foot of the the leg of the eagle to a post put him on a long string and the ego began to walk around with the chickens and after a while the eagle thought he was a chicken and he would scratch in the earth like the chickens and he would squawk like the chickens and so and and they could even let him off this little rope and the eagle didn't think it was an eagle he thought it was a chicken and so uh he'd watch around he wouldn't fly he would scratch and scratch one day the shepherd came from the hills and this shepherd had seen eagles fly many many times and he said to the farmer what are you doing you tie this eagle up you let him go you tie the seagull up you let him go what are you doing here and the farmer said well you know i just thought it was kind of cool to see him walk with the chickens he's a eagle shepherd said i'd rather see him fly so the shepherd took this eagle and he took him up on a very high wall and he threw him up in the air and preceded the eagle didn't know what to do you know he's looking this way but all of a sudden that ego saw the blue sky all of a sudden that eagle saw the mountains and all of a sudden he began to flap his wings and he sort higher and higher and higher and higher because he had a greater vision on sabbath we come from walking around scratching the earth like chickens we come from the barnyard of this world and the sabbath lifts us above the lowlands the sabbath gives us a a vision a glimpse of who we are in christ so we can fly with the eagles rather than than run around with the chickens the sabbath lifts our eyes from who we are to who he is it takes our eyes off time and places them on eternity we see his strength not our weakness we see his power not our not our impotence we see his might not our frailty in all this we recognize anew on sabbath we sense afresh on sabbath we experience again and again on sabbath his life-changing sanctifying transforming power here's practical lesson number six jesus longs to recreate us in his image the one that who created us can recreate us his transforming power can change our attitudes our desires and our ingrained habits the sabbath is an eternal reminder that the christ who created the world with his awesome unlimited power can recreate our hearts in his image isn't that incredible good news now here's the last reason the devil hates the sabbath he hates the sabbath because it reassures us that jesus is going to recreate the earth again in eudenic splendor and is a symbol of our hope of his soon return the sabbath is that link between creation in the past and creation in the future the sabbath is the link between what god did in the beginning and what god's going to do at the ending each sabbath reminds us of the day that we will worship with christ around his throne it's a foretaste of heaven the great jewish scholar abraham heschel puts it this way i love the way what heschel puts it he says strict adherence to the laws regulating sabbath observance doesn't suffice the goal is creating the sabbath as a foretaste of paradise i love that the sabbath is a foretaste of paradise he goes on to say the sabbath is a metaphor for paradise and a testimony to god's presence in our prayers we anticipate a messianic error that will be a sabbath and each sabbath prepares us for the experience this last sentence is so significant i put it in your your booklet unless one learns how to relish the taste of sabbath one will be unable to enjoy the taste of eternity in the world to come every sabbath we learn what eternity is going to be like and so sabbath gives us a taste of eternity practical lesson number seven enter the joys of heaven now by fellowshipping with christ each sabbath in the fullness of joy far away in the realms of eternity there was a diabolical strategy session to destroy the sabbath but thank god satan's plans have not wholly succeeded although he has obscured the truth about the sabbath god has sent an eternal end-time message calling men and women back to the day that he established in eden the sabbath reminds us of a creator's care a savior's love and our redeemer's return do not allow the devil to destroy your sabbath experience with your family with god do not allow the devil to destroy the sabbath experience heaven desires for your family do not allow the devil to destroy fellowship with your brothers and sisters on church east sabbath let your heart sing as you excitedly anticipate heaven's richest blessings each sabbath do you desire a deeper richer fellowship with jesus each sabbath we're going to pray as we pray i'm going to invite you to contemplate fellowship with christ on sabbath and i have three very specific appeals is there somebody here today the sabbath is relatively new for you but you say lord it makes sense and i don't want the devil to destroy my sabbath blessing the sabbath is new for you relatively new but you want to say jesus i want and i long to have fellowship with you in keeping the bible sabbath and getting your blessing would you just raise your hand i want to pray for you amen amen amen is there somebody here today that you've known about the sabbath for years but yet your sabbath-keeping practices have slipped when you think back over it the secular the common the mundane has gripped you and you haven't been getting the blessing you ought to get and you want to recommit your life to jesus accepting his authority resting in his love and care and being more faithful in keeping the bible sabbath can i see your hands amen amen now i'm sure that there are many here today that have been very faithful in keeping the bible sabbath and you anticipate the blessings but like me today you want to go deeper and you just want to lift your hand say jesus i've been faithful in keeping your bible sabbath but i see that there's more for me and i want to go deeper i want to get the richer blessing the deeper blessing is from you each sabbath would you raise your hand oh my father we thank you so much that there are those here today for whom the sabbath is new but they long to get your blessing touch them today give them your word of encouragement hope today there are some who've drifted away and the sabbath has become more common more mundane maybe it's tv that has slipped in maybe it's extra work to make a little extra money maybe it's news has dominated sabbath and they couldn't even put it down for 24 hours whatever it is lord they've raised their hand today and they made a commitment a commitment to have a new experience with the unsabbath many of us here today have been faithful to you we've loved you we've anticipated sabbath but we want to go deeper it's such you have such an amazing blessing for us on sabbath we just long for that blessing we want to know you to have deeper fellowship with you and so lord until you come may our sabbath experience be in anticipation of resting in christ until that day in jesus name amen

Channel: HopeLives365

Views: 54,447

Rating: 4.879365 out of 5

Keywords: Sabbath, Seventh day Adventist, SDA, Adventist, Adventists, Mark Finley, HopeLives365, Hope Lives 365, the sabbath, the 7th day

Id: yuBijjOXt2k

Length: 56min 24sec (3384 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 16 2021