♪ theme music ♪ (Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School, an in-depth, interactive study of the Word of God. I'm excited about today's topic, <i>How to Experience the Sabbath.</i> We've got an amazing teaching in the Word of God about Sabbath, but how do we experience it
as God intended? We're learning <i>Lessons for Life</i>
in this series, and <i>How to Experience the Sabbath</i> will be a blessing, I'm sure. We're glad you're with us, and welcome to the team, good to be together again. Folks are looking and saying, "Where did the other seven go?" And the answer is, we're in a pandemic, and we've got social distancing. But hasn't God blessed in spite of the challenge? And we're glad that you've been with us on that journey. Maybe you're locked in your home or you've got a mask on somewhere, but we're glad that the Word of God
is not silent during these challenging times. In fact, we're always happy to hear from you, our Hope Sabbath School members
around the world, and here are just a few notes. John writes to us from South Sudan, and John says, "My name is John. I started watching Hope Sabbath School
in 2019. That year, I had been struggling a lot with my life. I'd lost my way in almost everything, and I had succumbed to a lot of bad things. At that time, I wanted total transformation in my life, and one day I thought I'd look for some Bible teaching on the internet, and I found Hope Sabbath School." (Team) Amen. (Derek) Praise God, someone's
looking for hope. "It was a series that brought a total relief to my heart. Since that day, I watch Hope Sabbath School every week, even sometimes I watch the same study several times." (Team) Amen. (Derek) "My life is turned around
for the best. May God bless you all is my prayer. May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God." Isn't that awesome? John, thanks for writing to us from South Sudan; that's really
a wonderful testimony. Well, here's an old-fashioned note from a donor in Washington State in the United States of America, says, "Just a short note to tell you what a blessing Hope Sabbath School is for us. We look forward each week to welcome the Sabbath with our study hour with you. We really enjoy the group input," I guess that's the word
"interactive," right, "the various translations you read from, and the testimonies and perspectives. May God continue to bless your ministry in these trying times," and they sent a gift of 200 dollars to help Hope Sabbath School. (Team) Amen. (Derek) We just want to say thank you for partnering with us. A note from Jeanette in Trinidad. Trinidad, that's the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, right? "I enjoy Hope Sabbath School very much. My husband and I watch your program every Friday night. We enjoy the interactive discussions. May God bless you, and may you continue doing the Lord's work. Amen." (Team) Amen. (Derek) Well, Jeanette, thanks for writing to us from Trinidad. We're glad you're part of our Hope Sabbath School family. Now, I've got a card I have to show you here. This is a handmade card, and I'm going to hold it up. I don't know if anyone can see that, but it says, "Hope Sabbath School." It's kind of made with cutout letters, and inside the card, which is a handmade card, "Thank you for your ministry. I'm truly blessed by Hope Sabbath School. I've been watching since the Lord and Savior called me back home November 2018." Amen? (Team) Amen. (Derek) Now, "called me back home" means I'd been wandering, and I came back to the Lord. "God has truly blessed me. It's a privilege to donate for sharing the gospel," and a gift of 500 dollars. (Team) Amen. (Derek) Not only a beautiful card. I just want to pause and thank each one of you. Maybe you've never supported Hope Sabbath School before, and you say, "I want to partner in this mission." You can go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess, and just click on the donate button and say, "I want to partner
in this mission." And what a beautiful testimony, "The Lord has brought me back
November 2018," and wanting to be a part of the mission; that's beautiful. Well, here's one last note, ah, it's also from California in the United States, and Liliana writes and says, "Hello, Hope Sabbath School friends." (Team) Hello. (Derek) "I live in Central California where the best fruit and vegetables are grown. I've been watching for several years, and I've gotten to know you all. I have my favorites, but I won't mention your names because, like a grandma, I want every child to feel special. But I want to share with you. I was reading in my devotional
this morning, and I read Colossians 3:16. And as soon as I read it, I began to sing that Hope Sabbath School song." "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you." And she sang it, and she said, "I was so heartwarmed, I had a smile on my face all day." Well, Liliana, you've been watching Hope Sabbath School for some time, and got to know the team. We're glad you're part of our family. In fact, we'd like your help to sing our theme song right now. It's taken from Proverbs 19 and verse 20. We can't sing here because of the restrictions, but we'd like to hear you sing. Let's sing it together right now. ♪ music ♪ (Derek) Let's pray together. Father in Heaven, I want to thank You. We're talking about listening to counsel and receiving instruction, today, learning, not just <i>about</i> Sabbath, but <i>Learning to Experience the Sabbath</i>
as You intended. May the Holy Spirit guide these <i>Lessons for Life,</i> that, not only we would be blessed, but we would have a clearer testimony to share with those around us. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. (Team) Amen. (Derek) Well, we're starting our study on <i>Learning to Experience the Sabbath.</i> Someone might say, "I've heard of that. Where does that come from?" Well, let's start in the beginning. Sabina, could you read from Genesis, chapter 2, verses 1 to 3? The end of the creation account, this is now the seventh day of creation, and what does the Bible say? (Sabina) Okay, so I'll be reading from the New International Version,
and it says: (Derek) Now, every day was good. In fact, I think on the sixth day it said it was "very good," right? That's when our first parents
were created. So, this is their first full day, and only one day, though, He blessed. He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special time. So, what do you think the Sabbath meant to our first parents? It was their first full day together. Anybody? Have you imagined what that was like? Gladys? (Gladys) It was probably very special because they spent a whole day with God, and just, I guess, God was their tour guide, you know, showing them the garden, teaching them everything, spending time talking. Maybe they had a lot of questions. I think it was a special day. (Derek) Later, we'll read in Exodus, that we labor for six days, and then the Sabbath we rest, right? But they had not had any labor at all, really. It was their first day. Pedro? (Pedro) We see that Adam named the animals before Eve was created, so he had some work on Friday. (Derek) A little bit of work. (Pedro) But definitely it was
a new experience, and a wonderful day with God. (Derek) It must have been a beautiful day with God. And that was God's plan all along. Stephanie, take us to Exodus chapter 20. It begins with a significant word, because it seems, by the time that Moses brings the Ten Commandments, some people have forgotten
something important. Let's see how it reads in Exodus 20, beginning with verse 8. (Stephanie) And I'll be reading from the New King James Version: (Derek) Now, I was reading just recently, within the past couple of weeks, where someone said the Sabbath did not exist before Sinai. But what do you hear in that commandment that clearly tells us that the Sabbath existed long before it was given on tables of stone? Gladys? (Gladys) It says "remember," so when you remember something that was said before... (Derek) Okay, of course, there were also miracles that pointed out which day it was with the manna falling; you remember that. What else makes it very clear this didn't just come up, you know, what are we, 1400 years before Jesus, at the time of Moses? Pedro. (Pedro) The creation account is mentioned here in verse 11. "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth." It's referring back to, "Remember when I created you." (Derek) And...Not only "six days made heaven and earth," but...? (Team) He rested. (Derek) He quotes Genesis, chapter 2, right? Yes, Stephanie? (Stephanie) He blessed and sanctified. (Derek) So, it seems very clear, and no wonder He would say "Remember." It seems very clear the Sabbath was something from the very beginning. Now, I want to ask a question, and then we're going to talk about how to experience it. Did you all grow up in a family where you knew about Sabbath? Some of you are going, "Yes." Sabina, tells us your experience. (Sabina) I grew up in a family that was not Adventist, so we didn't have the habit of keeping the Sabbath. I became Seventh-day Adventist
later in my life, so that's not an experience that I had as a child. (Derek) So, Sabbath, when you heard that word back when you were little, what did it mean to you? (Sabina) To be honest, Pastor Derek, it came later in my life when I heard about people that would keep the Sabbath. Even being part, all my teen-age years, of a church that was a Christian church that was centered in the Word of God, still it was not something that really I would think much about. So, for me it's a blessing. Keeping the Sabbath is so wonderful. It's a gift from God, and it changed so many things, my perception, even about God's grace
towards me and His purpose for us all. So, it's really, truly a blessing,
special to me. (Derek) And that's what we're going to talk about in our study, is how to experience the Sabbath, but some of you grew up with the Sabbath. Did anyone grow up where it wasn't really a great time for you, or you grew up with not such
a positive attitude? It was just something that you did every week. Or, did you grow up in a family where the Sabbath was a blessed time? Stephanie. (Stephanie) I think it was a mix because, when we would have friends over for a fellowship meal at our house, that was great, and we enjoyed that time. But we knew that there were certain things that we did during the week, you know, outside and playing games, certain games, we wouldn't play those on Sabbath. So, we felt, we were kind of waiting until the sun went down so that we could have "fun" in our version of fun. So, honestly, that was my perception as a child. I enjoyed having friends around and having a special family
and friend time, but there were things that we would have liked to do that we felt kind of "restricted." (Derek) So, maybe there is some maturing that happened through the years as you came to understand what we're going to study
about today. Gladys. (Gladys) For me, it was just like Stephanie, like a mixture, but my parents always made it very fun. They had activities for us in the afternoon; we would go for walks. We would just go to a hill or a river and just walk around. Of course, we were not allowed to get in the water, just like Stephanie said. For us, it was like, "If you get knee high into the water, if you go higher, you're sinning. So, you cannot get in the water. So, we couldn't swim, but we could walk around and spend time with the family. So, for me as a child, it was a mixture because I was confused. I was like, "Okay, why can we go to the river, but we cannot get in it? Why can we go to the beach
and not swim? So, to me it was just like, "Why can't we just do both?" So, part of the fun as a child was kind of like, weird. (Derek) Maybe a lot of people just need to understand the true blessing of Sabbath, what it's really all about. Everybody's got your hand raised here. Let's go to Jason, and then we'll go to Stephanie and Sabina. (Jason) So for me, Sabbath was interesting because there was a period of time when my parents, for Sabbath, they were just kind of tired from, like, all the church activities, so they would just want to take naps and everything in the afternoon. And I would be sitting home, and I would be kind of bored. So, what ended up happening was I would go and spend time with some of my friends' parents, and we would do outdoor activities and go for walks and have Bible games. And then for me, Sabbath became a whole lot more meaningful because, for me, I've never really liked taking naps that much. I'd much rather, uh, be... (Derek) Do something. (Jason) Yes, do something, and so for me, by having the church friends, that gave me a much more enjoyable experience
on the Sabbath. (Derek) Okay, we had some other hands raised. Stephanie? (Stephanie) I do think it's that maturing, though, because I know that back then, compared to now, my relationship with God is different. And so, when I look at the Sabbath now, this is spending time with a Friend, and I call it my "date" every week. You know, 24 hours that I get to be free from everything else that I do during the week. So, it's a change of perspective on the relationship that I have with God. (Derek) Sure. Sabina, did you want to add to that? (Sabina) Yeah, actually I was thinking. I was taking some time here reflecting how I felt about the Sabbath when I first started observing people who would keep it, before my becoming Adventist. And I think that probably some people who are watching can identify with the fact that I actually thought this was an indication of legalism. So, because of a misunderstanding that I had about the Bible, and even about the Sabbath, what it was in itself, for me it sounded like people that I saw keeping the Sabbath, including Seventh-day Adventists
and Jewish people, there was something that appeared to me to be wrong and legalistic about it. So, I just wanted to share also that. (Derek) And it's possible that it could be, right? That somehow we think we've got to do certain things and not do other things so that God will love us, when we get to the mature place of going, "No, no, we've got this special time <i>because</i> we love God, and He loves us." I've got to move to three areas,
if we can. The Sabbath as a time of blessing, a time of healing, and a time
of fellowship, that totally revolutionizes the way we will experience Sabbath. Let's start talking about the Sabbath as a time of blessing. Think back, in Exodus 16, to the experience of the children
of Israel, and let's look at verses 1
through 4, Jason. What blessing came to the children of Israel that also reminded them about this special day? What do you read in Exodus 16:1-4? (Jason) And I've got the New King James Version here; it says in Exodus, chapter 16, verses 1 through 4: (Derek) Now, if you keep reading
in Exodus 16... By the way, I'm thinking they must have got strange memories; they were slaves back in Egypt. They sound like they were at a party or something, you know, like, "We had everything we wanted and lots of good food." They were slaves in Egypt. But God is not going to argue with them, like, "What are you talking about?" He's going to show them that He will provide for them. And you can read it in verses 15 to 25, but just describe. This bread from heaven comes; they look at it, and they go,
"What is it?" That's what the word manna means, right, "What is it?" And tell us how it came. Did it come, like, once a week, or...? Pedro, how often did it come? (Pedro) It came every day from, basically, Sunday through Friday, or every day of the week, but on Friday it came as a double blessing. So, God instructed them to collect for that day and to save for the next day, because it would not come on Sabbath. (Derek) And so, it was a way of clearly identifying which day God had blessed as a day for them to rest. And several miracles happened
with that, right? Do you remember what? Pedro, do you want to keep... Because all of the other days, if they tried to keep more, it would go bad, right? (Pedro) Basically, every morning it was like in the dew, the manna would be on the [ground], and they would collect it; and by sunrise, it would melt away. But people who kept it for the next day, it would become spoiled. But on the Sabbath, it was the only day that they kept it, it was good, and some people thought that it was going to be spoiled and did not collect it. They came out, and there was
nothing to collect. (Derek) So, the Friday, or the sixth day, a double provision. They'd have enough for that day, and it would keep over to the next day. So, all they had to do on the day that God had blessed was to...? (Team) Eat. Enjoy it. (Derek) Enjoy it, right? And to worship. It was a special time. Now, that understanding is reinforced in Isaiah 58, verses 13 and 14, that the Sabbath is actually meant to be a delight, a time when we rejoice
in God's blessings, (Derek) Let's take a look in Isaiah, chapter 58. Stephanie, it looks like you have it there, verses 13 and 14. (Stephanie) All right, and the New King James Version says: (Derek) It's interesting, though; did you hear that? Not only call it a delight, but you <i>will</i> delight yourself in the Lord, that idea. Now, so, a person says, "Well, I'm not finding it to be a delight." Go back to your experience, Jason. If I'm not finding the Sabbath
as a delight, then what? Then I'm not experiencing it the way God desires. (Team) Yes. (Derek) He wants it to be a wonderful time! So, I can ask, "Okay, what's hindering that?" Is it a legalistic attitude that Sabina talked about? Is it maybe some things happening in my family that need to be rejuvenated, so the Sabbath becomes a delight,
a joyful time? Look at what Jesus says in Mark chapter 2, verse 27, Mark 2 and verse 27. Jesus, of course, claims that He is Lord of the Sabbath, doesn't He? Mark 2, Pedro, if you have that, verse 27. (Pedro) I'll be reading from the New King James Version, Mark 2:27, and it says: (Derek) God didn't say, "Hmm, um, I've got this day that I'm going to require everyone to keep. Now, I'll make some people and force them to keep it," no. He created people, and to <i>bless</i> them, He gave them a special day to commune with Him and with each other, right? He said, "It was made for <i>you!</i>" Now, think about that in terms of, okay, does that mean just I'll be blessed on Sabbath? Or, if the Sabbath is a time of blessing, is it also a time for you to bless other people? What do you think? Pedro. (Pedro) I like what it says here in Mark, because it continues; it says who is the Lord of the Sabbath. You know, sometimes, "Oh,
God made it for me, so I'll do what I want." But God says in the very next verse that, "Therefore the Son of Man
is also Lord of the Sabbath," meaning that, that's the day of the Lord for us to enjoy with Him. And there's no better way to enjoy the day with the Lord than to do His will. And, one of the things - and we cannot give anything to God; you know, God has everything;
He's the giver - and the best way that we can enjoy time with God is by doing what He does best, to give and spend time with others, give love to each other. Shared time together is a way
of giving joy, a smile to the face of Jesus. (Derek) So, can you think of a Sabbath... And, I like what you said,
Stephanie, earlier, it really is a maturing in our understanding, isn't it? Where it's not just checking off boxes but saying, "This is a special day of blessing with God, that I want the blessing of God to flow through me to other people who might not even know," right? They might not even know that it's a special, blessed day. Can you think of a time when God poured blessing through you on a Sabbath to bless someone else? Yes, Gladys. (Gladys) One time, I was visiting a friend of mine in Sweden. And being born and raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church
and growing up in a very, I wouldn't say legalistic, but very strict kind of observance
of the Sabbath, my mind, you know... There are certain things that you can and cannot do. So, that Friday night... Her father had a big farm, and while he was trying to feed the cows, his fingers got caught in the machine, and one of them got chopped off. So, we had to go to the hospital, and we spent almost a whole night there. So, early in the morning, we came home around 3 or 4
in the morning, like, at 5 in the morning, my friend woke me up, and she said, "We have to go and feed the cows." And I looked up at her, and I said, "But that's work, and it's Sabbath." And she said, "But my father cannot; he's still in the hospital. We have to go and feed the cows, and if we don't feed them
and let them out, that's going to be a huge problem for the cows and the farm." So, I was in an inner struggle, and she said to me, "What is more blessed? That we help or that we cause damage?" Because her father was not Adventist. And I said, "You know what, we're going to be a missionary today." So, I got up; I put on the suit, and I tell you, when her father came home, the smile on his face... Because he really thought, "These Adventist girls are not going to do anything on the farm today." And he was so happy, that he said, "I want you guys to sing to me while I rest my head because I'm in so much pain." And it was just such a blessed Sabbath, different than any I had ever had. (Derek) Now, that doesn't mean we go work on the farm every Sabbath, right? Is there a Bible text that comes to your mind, though, as you think about that situation? Stephanie. (Stephanie) If the ox had fallen in a ditch on the Sabbath, you would pull him out, and you lead them to get water on the Sabbath, your cattle. So, we feed ourselves, and we take care of our needs, so... (Derek) Jesus will actually say, "It's good to do good on the Sabbath." That was an emergency situation, and what were you doing by helping in that situation? What were you doing? (Gladys) Blessing them. (Derek) You were lettting the blessing of Sabbath flow through to those people. Now, some people do view the Sabbath as a burden. "Oh, can't do this, can't do that." How do we help them, Stephanie, to mature to the place where they say, "Oh, God just wants this to be the most special day of the week, a time of great blessing, and a time," like Pedro said,
"to bless others"? (Stephanie) Well, I had written down that I bring them in as part of our Sabbath experience. Let them experience the Sabbath as a joyful time where you can enjoy your time out in a park or walking along the beach enjoying God's nature and help them to see that it's fun to spend time with God and to be out in His nature. (Derek) Let them not only hear the theory of it being a blessing, but actually experience it. Okay. (Stephanie) Just to kind of tag onto that, not necessarily say, "This is what we don't do," but just show them what you do do. And show them the positive. And they'll see that there are certain things that you don't do on Sabbath because you choose to draw closer to God in a very special way. (Derek) "Remember the Sabbath day
to keep it holy," so that's kind of a very special time
with God. But I think there are probably different interpretations and different situations of honoring God on that day. Sabina? (Sabina) Pastor Derek, I'm also thinking of something as to how to help people to enjoy, and here's the thing. When I came to our church, I was already a Bible believer,
a Jesus follower, so I had already a relationship with God. And having the privilege of then now looking at this as a special day where I could spend my <i>full</i> day communing with my brothers and sisters, doing good, reading my Bible, spending time
with prayer, for me was not difficult. It was actually a delight. So, I think that, to help people actually enjoy the Sabbath, you first need to help them enjoy their relationship with God. You know, if you don't lead them to Christ, and help them to really truly see who is the Lord of the Sabbath, there is no point of just trying to help them to have a fun day, which will be nice, as well, but if they cannot enjoy the Lord of the Sabbath, it doesn't make sense for them. I've met people from other church
denominations who are true, loving Christians that I'm sure if you bring them into a full day of spending time
with Jesus, doing evangelistic work, fellowship with other brothers and sisters, they would enjoy it so much because they love Jesus already. So, I think that's part, also,
of the answer to help people delight in it. (Derek) Jesus wants us to experience Sabbath as a time of blessing, but He also went out of His way to say the Sabbath is also a time for healing. Now, that could be physical healing. it could be emotional healing; it could be relational healing within a family, right, lots of healing. But let's look at a couple of examples of healing on the Sabbath. Luke 13, Jason, could you read for us verses 10 through 17? (Jason) I've got the New
King James Version here, Luke, chapter 13, verses 10 through 17: (Derek) If there was ever a time to experience healing - Sabbath. That's what Jesus says, right? The Sabbath is a time to be made whole. Now, you say, "Well, Adam and Eve didn't need it on their first Sabbath." That's right, but pretty soon, they did. They needed that wholeness that would come emotionally, spiritually. Stephanie. (Stephanie) It just seemed to pop out at me on the last verse there. It said that, "All the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things." It was almost as if they were healed of this religious bondage, and there was freedom, "Ah, thank You." (Derek) It's that breakthrough you were talking about earlier where I get past it as an obligation or a burden, and say, "It's a blessing and a time of healing." And I like that, that they were healed in that experience, too, that they rejoiced in the Lord. Let's look at one other story in Matthew, chapter 12, which really emphasizes the Sabbath as a time of healing. Gladys, if you could read Matthew 12, verses 9 through 13. (Gladys) Sure, I'm reading from the New Living Translation,
and it says: (Derek) Now, verse 14, I'm going to ask you to read it in just a minute. Back to this other story, what would the most appropriate response of the crowd be to seeing this man with the withered hand healed? (Gladys) "Praise the Lord!" (Derek) "Praise God," and have this breakthrough, "Now I see that Sabbath is a time of blessing
and healing," right? That's what we would hope. But, Gladys, read on in verse 14 of Matthew, chapter 12. What do you see there? (Gladys) It says: (Derek) Pedro, they ought to call a meeting to say, "We need to repent and recognize Him as our Messiah." What is going on in their minds that they would call a meeting and say, "We need to plot to kill Him"? (Pedro) They have selfishness
in their hearts. They're trying to follow a rite instead of trying to have a relationship with God. When you look into the Sabbath, God wants to have a relationship with us. And if we see the Sabbath as something we have to do because it says in the law, we're not going to delight, like we mentioned before. The Sabbath is a day to spend time with Jesus to remind us that He's our Savior. And if we think, "This is what to do and not to do," we're not going to enjoy... (Derek) And, by the way, the incarnate Son of God, Jesus, was also our Creator, the Word who was made flesh. By Him all things were made, right? So, if anyone wanted us to experience Sabbath fully, it's Jesus, right? Sabina? (Sabina) And also I'm thinking that even going back to the first question that you made to us about the significance of the Sabbath being the first day, I was considering that the fact that God created everything, and just the last act before Sabbath was the creation of human beings to have then this time together with Him, speaks so much about grace and about God's desire to gift us with blessings. So, even the fact that these people
cannot understand that indicates to me that they couldn't really truly understand the meaning of the Sabbath fully. That they were not understanding that it was about God's grace and about God's desire to gift us. But instead, they were trying to do as something, "Oh, that's my work and not God's work." And it was about God's work to serve us, even, and to have us delight with Him. So, yeah, this is very sad. (Derek) When did you have that breakthrough personally, that, instead of going, "That's not right! You shouldn't do that! You've got to do this, this, this, this, because that was in my list," to going, "Praise God for an understanding of what God's doing, blessing and healing"? When did you have a breakthrough? Pedro? (Pedro) I look into my life, coming to believe in the Sabbath
and learning. I was not raised in a house that that was part of my life. And coming to the realization, it came through time. It was not something that all of a sudden I say, "Now I've got it." No, it was a process. And what made it easy, that process, was the relationship I had with the community of faith that invited me into their homes so I could experience, firsthand,
into their lives. (Derek) And how old were you when that journey was going on? (Pedro) I was 9 years old. (Derek) Nine years old! Whoa! Sabina, you were a teenager. No, actually you were older. (Sabina) I was older. (Derek) So, here's a 9-year-old, and you were starting to experience Sabbath that you had never known before. He was smiling while he was telling that story. As you look back, what did the community do well in helping you? We're talking about learning to experience, not just know about, but experience the Sabbath. What did the community do well? (Pedro) I think that, as Stephanie
mentioned earlier, it was the friendship. I went to the house of my friends, and they showed me what to do. They didn't tell me, "This is
to do or not to do." They never said what not to do. We just experienced what is the blessing of the Sabbath. So, we go out, and it's like,
"We're going to do this. We're going to do that." And they invited me in to participate. And it was not being a list of things of what we can do or not do,
and they were not mentioned, "This is not supposed to be done now." They allowed me to experience and to learn for myself. They respected my growth and also showed me through their example
how to live it. (Derek) Just out of interest, did your family come on this journey
with you, or were you just a little fearless
9-year-old saying, "I want to follow. I've learned the truth of God. I want to follow His truth"? (Pedro) I can say both. My mom was a seeker, and she had been to many, many churches, and she started studying the Bible. And she says, "I'm studying the Bible. I'm going to this church." And the first time she mentioned it to me, she's like, "Well, we're
going on Saturday." And I said, "Okay, church." You know, we go any day. And I went and started to experience this. My brothers were there. We built friendships with different age groups. And there was an elder of the church who had a son who was my age, and he invited me into his home, and I made friends with his son. And that relationship developed through the engagement, not only with my family but on a personal level to my life, the elder and his kid. (Derek) Now, Sabina, I see you smiling as you're listening to Pedro's story. You're connecting some with your story or just excited that he found out when he was only 9 and didn't have to wait so much longer to learn about the blessing of Sabbath? (Sabina) I think it's twofold. I'm happy for him and just listening also to his story, how his mom was coming from another religion. And I feel happy for him, as a child to have this privilege. And at the same time, I was thinking how the Sabbath was healing
to me as well, like how God used the Sabbath to heal me in some ways. I started keeping the Sabbath; I was already doing my master's, and it was a time in my life that was very busy because my school was super-demanding, very competitive. And I used to go to church every Sunday, and I had my devotional and everything, but I felt like I was just starting to get dry on my walk with God just because my routine in the school was so demanding; I would be doing works for the school, too, midnight
and everything. And I noted that as I decided, the moment that I learned
about the Sabbath, and as I decided to stop that one day, to give it all to God and to focus on spending time in prayer and with my fellow brothers and sisters, it was so invigorating to me. Even though I still had so much work from the master's to do, it gave me a relief in a sense of like, "Okay, I don't need to worry. God is going to provide for me. He will help me to be better and more effective the other days
of the week," so that I can actually have the time with Him that I was eager to have, and that I was not being able to organize because of so many other tasks that I had. So, I was just also thinking about how it was a healing process in my life. (Derek) For you. (Sabina) Exactly, yeah. (Derek) Beautiful. By the way, for those who may be watching from other parts of the world, when you talk about master's, that's graduate degree, right? So, you had finished your undergraduate degree. You were in a graduate school;
it was really intense. (Sabina) Exactly. (Derek) But the Sabbath came
as a blessing. And that is a beautiful sequel to the whole experience, not only of a time of blessing and a time of healing, but a time of fellowship. You say, "Well, I found out about this. I'll just go off by myself and be blessed and be healed." Well, there may be times to do that, right? But let's see about the Sabbath also, to experience Sabbath as a time of fellowship. Luke 4 and verse 16, and, Stephanie, do you have that, Luke 4, verse 16? Jesus could have said, "I am so busy in doing ministry, I'm just going to be by myself on Sabbath." He was the Lord of the Sabbath. What does He do in Luke 4, verse 16? (Stephanie) The New King James says: (Derek) Why did He do that? What do you think? Was it hoping God the Father would love Him if He obeyed
certain regulations? Why did Jesus go there each week to the synagogue, Pedro? (Pedro) Well, the text says that it was His custom. He was brought up that way. It was something that He enjoyed doing as His regular time with God. And, you know, I see Jesus, He's wanting to do God's will. He came to do the will of the Father, and we see that He's following
that relationship, not only by Himself, but He wants to share that wonderful relationship
He has with the Father. (Derek) When you said it was
His custom, though, there were other traditions
that He said, "You keep the traditions of men as the commandments of God," right? "In vain you worship Me, keeping for doctrines the commandments of men." So, He threw out a lot of man-made traditions. Jason? (Jason) So, yes, it was His custom, and it was also the custom of the people He was with. And so, He was there, not just because it was His custom, but that was the way He could reach and interact with those who were part of His community. And so, going there was His way of fellowship, of relationship, and it just so happened that the custom matched what He was called to do by His heavenly Father there. (Derek) Alright, so that was a place He could share. Stephanie? (Stephanie) I wonder if it was not just an external custom, but it was His own personal daily commitment, that He spent time with His Father. And then once a week, He came together with other fellow believers, and He spent time with them. And there's that strength in being with fellow believers,
to worship together. (Derek) Let's go to the New Testament and see how the early Christians saw the Sabbath, not only as a time of blessing and healing, that's wonderful, but a time to gather together
in fellowship. Acts, chapter 13, Gladys, if you could read verses 13 through 15, and then, Sabina, if you could read at the end of the chapter,
verses 42 to 44. Let's hear what Dr. Luke records in the book of Acts. (Gladys) I'm reading from the New Living Translation, Luke, chapter 13:13-15: (Derek) So, you could say, Jason, well, there were people there, so they went there. But I think they also went there because it was Sabbath. They were fellowshipping
with other believers and wanting to share with these God-fearing people some more truth about Messiah. Sabina, same chapter, Acts 13, verses 42 to 44. (Sabina) Okay, so I'll be reading from the New International Version,
and it says: (Derek) Now, back to...you talked about every-day experience, Stephanie, were they talking about Jesus during the week, too? (Team) Yes. (Derek) Absolutely they were, right? They were always talking about Him. But this is a special time to gather for fellowship and to worship together. Acts 17, Pedro, if you could read verses 1 through 4. (Pedro) I'll be reading from the New King James Version, Acts 17, verses 1 through 4: (Derek) And nowhere does it say, "And then they cancelled Sabbath," because Sabbath was a time of blessing and healing given at creation. We're told to remember it in the commandments, but break away from, certainly, Sabbath that doesn't include Jesus at the center, because we're followers of Jesus. Break away from that legalistic attitude that we earn God's love or favor, but see it as a time to... What did they do again?
Praised God, right? To praise God and rejoice in the Lord. One last text, from the book of Acts,
chapter 16, because sometimes there were no buildings where they could gather to worship. But, Jason, in Acts 16, verses 13 and 14, this is what we would call, I suppose, an outdoor worship service. (Jason) I've got the New
King James Version here, Acts 16, verses 13 and 14: (Derek) If you read on in the chapter, a house church actually starts
in her house. Because the Sabbath is not only a time of blessing and a time of healing, it's a time of fellowship. And they're gathering together. You may not have a big church building. People say, "Well, can you really experience God without the big church building?" And the answer is...? (Team) Yes. (Derek) "Wherever two or three are gathered in My name," right? So, there's this sense of fellowship. Stephanie, you want to respond
to the story? (Stephanie) Well, I was just thinking about Pedro's experience. The family that brought him in there, they were also teaching you about who Jesus was, really. It wasn't just the Sabbath, but they were connecting you with Jesus, and that whole experience of fellowship with each other. And I just thought, the family that did that is such an example for all of us that we could follow. (Derek) Leading by their example. Sabina? (Sabina) I'm also thinking, Pastor Derek, that nowadays people are so distant from each other, even in their own families, so in certain ways, a time of fellowship also equals a time of blessing and a time of healing for the families, for the church in itself, because, if you just let things happen the way they are happening, and people are not going to meet ever or just going to talk quickly on the phone, there is no depth in a relationship. So, I think that we can equate also the fellowship with blessing and healing. (Derek) It's all tied together. You might come to the conclusion, we really <i>need</i> this day that God blessed and set aside. It's a time for blessing, healing
and fellowship. Share a time when you experienced some wonderful fellowship
on a Sabbath day, maybe something unusual where you said, "Wow, that was such a blessing to gather in worship with God's people." Anyone have a story you'd like to share? Anybody? Yes, Pedro? (Pedro) I can say this past Sabbath was a great time; we went to church,
we fellowshipped with our friends afterwards. We had lunch together, and we went to a walk in the park. And you look into the possibilities of creating a space. You know, before, I thought I needed things to be happy. You know, I was looking forward to...We all probably had an experience when young, we want to finish the Sabbath so we can go play a video game or do some things that we're not supposed to do on Sabbath. But now I look forward to Sabbath because I can spend time with people that care for me, and I can care for them and share that loving relationship. And most importantly, knowing that Jesus is with us, and you can share. This past Sabbath, we were just walking around the park, and we met some friends. We socially distanced together, and we started talking and getting together to get to know each other a little more in the middle of the park. (Derek) You know, what I like about Pedro's testimony, it just happened last week. It's not like, "Well, 17 years ago...," because God knows we need that time of blessing, healing and fellowship. Sabina, can you think of a time that was just a special Sabbath of fellowship? (Sabina) I was just going to say that I do have various special days that I've experienced since I started keeping the Sabbath with my church family. People inviting me to their homes and having delicious meals and walking in parks and going out. But, for me, it's just like the combination of actually having the Sabbath now in my life is the greatest, like, the best Sabbath, if I can say that; I don't know if it comes across clearly. But I think what is the greatest joy of it all is the fact that I have it every week, and it's my favorite day. And I have many special memories, and it's hard for me to pick just one. But just having it as a habit is wonderful. (Derek) When we are experiencing the Sabbath as God intended, as Jesus, Son of God, Creator, and Jesus, Redeemer, intended, just listening to these testimonies,
it's contagious. People say, "That sounds awesome. I want to experience the Sabbath the way that God intends and to experience the joy that you're experiencing." Maybe you're watching, and you're saying, "Wow, that's revolutionary. That's a whole new way of looking at things." Instead of complaining, we're praising God and saying, "Thank You, God, for this special day that You've given." A time of blessing, healing and fellowship. And, friends, there are people who need to know that, not as a burden for them but as a breakthrough, as a time to deepen their relationship
with the Savior. Let's pray that we can experience the Sabbath as God intended and also share that blessing with those around us. Let's pray; Father in Heaven, Oh, thank You that You continue to lead us on a journey. We may have had limited understanding, but You broadened our horizon to understand Sabbath as a time of blessing and healing and fellowship with You and with each other. Oh, Lord, thank You that You are Lord of the Sabbath, for wanting a close, intimate relationship
with us, not just for now, but for eternity. We bless You and give thanks. In Jesus' name. Amen. (Team) Amen. (Derek) Well, if this study's been a breakthrough to you, I'd love to hear from you. You can write to us at sshope@hopetv.org. But don't keep the good news to yourself. God's got a special day waiting for you just around the corner. Be blessed and be a blessing to those around you. ♪ theme music ♪
