♪ theme music ♪ (Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School, an in-depth, interactive study of the Word of God. We are in the middle of an amazing series, <i>Rest in Christ</i>. You need that rest today, and so do I. And we're glad you've joined us as we look at <i>The Rhythms of Rest</i> in our study today. So, welcome to Hope Sabbath School, welcome to the team, welcome, Christian, who's going to be leading our class today, great to have you with us again. And welcome to our remote team members. Marianela joining us, Marianela, good to have you with us. Adison, good to have you with us, and, Shaina, good to have you with us again, too. We're thankful that we can expand our audience, our team, I should say
(not audience), even though we have restrictions in the studio. And we're just glad you're part of our Hope Sabbath School family. It's always good to hear from you. Write to us, please! Tell us how God is blessing you through a study of His Word: sshope@hopetv.org. Mayline writes from Kenya and says, "Hope Sabbath School has been a great blessing to me and my family for the past couple of years. I can't actually tell when I started following Hope Sabbath School, but it's really helped me grow in my Bible study and my teaching of the Bible at my local church..." Well, I'm going to use my favorite Hebrew word: Hallelujah! Take that outline, use it, start an in-depth Bible study. "...more so during the pandemic when we had worship at home. Hope Sabbath School has been my favorite companion. We sing together; we even answer the questions as if we're part
of the panel. May God bless you. I feel so connected. I know each one of you by name." Well, Mayline, thanks for writing from Kenya. Isn't that beautiful?
What a testimony. Lindale writes from the island
of Antigua, An-TEE-gah? In the Caribbean, "I hail from the sunny and beautiful Antigua, the land with 365 white sandy beaches, one for every day," you can go to a different, beautiful beach every day. "Many souls here need the Lord," Lindale writes. "I enjoy Hope Sabbath School, and I watch it to enhance my own study of the Bible," that's good. "I use the outlines, especially when it's my turn to teach the Bible class. Thank you, and may God bless you all." Well, Lindale, we're glad you're not only being blessed by the study but sharing the Word of God with others. Here's a note from a donor, handwritten, from Arizona in the United States of America, and the donor writes and says, "More than ever, prophecy has become incredibly real as events globally are shaping the world for the soon coming of Jesus." What do you think? "You're doing a great work sharing the wonderful love of Jesus. We'll keep praying for the work of the Holy Spirit to reach hearts and lives in these last days of Earth's history. God's abundant blessings
on your ministry," and a donation of 1,000 dollars to help Hope Sabbath School. (Team) Amen. (Derek) Thank you, Arizona, and thank you, Hope Sabbath School supporters
wherever you are. You can go to to hopetv.org/donate. We appreciate you being part of the miracle with us. Thank you for your support. Here's a note from Katie in Australia. We have quite a few Hope Sabbath School members in Australia, don't we? "Thank you so much for your willingness to serve God. It's evident in your faces that God is with you..." Amen? (Team) Amen. (Derek) That's what we pray for, isn't it, when we begin our study. "...and that you have a personal, close and strong relationship
with God." (Team) Amen. (Derek) "I live in a small country town
in Australia, and many weeks Hope Sabbath School is my Bible study class. Thanks for allowing God to let you be a blessing in the lives of others." Well, Katie, from that small country town
in Australia, we're glad you're part of our family, too. One last note, from Evetta in Ohio in the United States, "Greetings, Hope Sabbath School,"
you get a wave. "Thank you for keeping hope alive. I'm thankful we can tune in and study along with Hope Sabbath School. God is blessing as I grow daily in my walk with Jesus." (Team) Amen. (Derek) "Singing the Scripture songs also helps me to remember the Word of God. Enjoy a blessed and productive day." Well, Evetta, thank you
for that invitation, because, as Christian will be leading us in our Bible study today, we're praying God would work in miraculous ways. We're going to sing our theme song in just a moment, but before we do, we do have a special gift. Maybe you've already requested it. This theme song, "Come to Me," from the words of Jesus, plus 11 other Scripture songs, we'd like to give them as a gift to bless your family. All you have to do is go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess, click on the "Free Gift" button;
it's that simple. You'll get a link, and download all of those beautiful songs including this theme song. Let's sing it together. ♪ music ♪ (Derek) I'm excited about our study today, and, Christian, thanks for leading us in prayer as we begin. (Christian) Alright, let's bow our heads together as we pray. Our Father in heaven, we are so thankful to have this time and opportunity to be able to open the Scriptures and be able to search the Scriptures, because we know that in doing so, we will find hope. And so, we pray that the Holy Spirit would join us now as we study together, as we share together. May the Holy Spirit be our Teacher as we begin; in Jesus' name. Amen. (Derek, Team) Amen. (Christian) I love cultural diversity. I love learning from various traditions. In fact, here at Hope Sabbath School, we have a pretty good representation. You know, we have Sabina from Brazil. We have Gladys from Dominican Republic. We have Billy from Haiti. I'm from Argentina. And what I love about a culture is that every culture
has unique traditions that they practice when they worship God. And it's been my joy, over the years, as I've traveled to different countries, to experience that worship as expressed by various cultures. And there's a tradition in many churches here in the United States that practice an affirmation of faith with a call and response. It's very simple, and it goes something like this: The leader begins by saying, "God is good...," And then the congregation responds, "All the time." And then the leader echoes by saying, "All the time...," and then the congregation responds by saying, "God is good." And why don't we try that here at Hope Sabbath School just now. And for those joining us from home, why don't you say it with us? Are you ready?
God is good... (Derek, Team) All the time. (Christian) All the time... (Derek, Team) God is good. (Christian) Amen. Amen. Amen. And the Psalmist David wrote about it. In fact, I want to take you to a verse, Psalm 106, verse 1. Amy, could you read that for us? (Amy) Sure, and I'm reading from New King James Version, Psalm 106, verse 1: (Christian) Amen. And because He <i>is</i> good,
I can rest. (Derek, Team) Amen. (Christian) You know, when I think about God's character, God's character really speaks
to the heart, and when we begin to recognize that God's character is good, then it must be that everything He does is also good. I'd like to begin our study today by going to the book of Genesis. Let's go to the book of Beginnings, the very first book of the Bible, and there we discover that the creation of a perfect world is recorded right there in the very first chapter of the very first book. And, as we take a close look at each day of creation, I can't help but to notice that there are certain words and even phrases that are repeated throughout this inspired account
of creation. For example, the record shows that the record of each day begins with the words "then God said." Did you notice that? "Then God said," "then God said,"
"then God said." For me, that tells me that God's spoken word has creative power, and when God speaks, He speaks substance and life into existence. He's a powerful God. And then I can't help but to notice that each day ends with the same phrase "so the evening and the morning were the," first day. Then, "the evening and the morning were the" second day, the third day, and so on and so forth. But let me ask you, let me ask you, as we read through that account of creation, what specific theme do you recognize in the account? What specific theme do you see repeated in this account of creation? Does anything pop out at you? Yes, Gladys. (Gladys) That everything was good. (Christian) Everything was good. Did everyone else notice that? (Team) Yes. (Christian) It was good. It was good.
It was good. In fact, the word "good" is mentioned in Genesis, chapter 1, verse 4, verse 10, verse 12, verse 18, verse 21, verse 25, and verse 31; that's seven times. Seven times the word "good" is mentioned in Genesis, chapter 1. And what's interesting is that the seventh mention
is "very good." That's a reflection on all creation. It's like a phrase that encompasses the entire creative work of God. But more than just words, what idea do we get about God's character? What does it reveal about His character that what God does is "good"? Does that reveal something about the character of our Creator, the character of our God? What do you think? Sabina? (Sabina) Yeah, absolutely, Christian, I think it reveals that God is good all the time, as we were responding here to you, and that He is a God of love and excellence, you know? His goodness is reflected in the creation around, and I think that's part of His character. (Christian) Yeah, that's wonderful. He's a God that we can approach
because He's good, and what He does is good. And as we can agree that God's creation was perfect,
did you notice that the creation of humanity follows a different pattern? It uses the personal phrase "let Us make," "let Us make." That's a different command. It's different wording than the previous commands that God gave during the week. And the creation account of the human family is recorded in Genesis, chapter 1, verses 26 and 27, as well as chapter 2, verse 7
and 23 to 25. And, Jason, why don't you read those passages for us as it gives us an account of the human race and God's creation. (Jason) Alright, I have the New King James Version here, Genesis 1:26,27 say: (Christian) Very good, thank you, Jason. So, based on what we just read, what are some unique aspects of the creation of the human race? Unlike any other creation prior to that, what's unique about God's creation of the man and the woman? Yes, Billy. (Billy) Yeah, that we're made in His image. (Christian) They were made in His image. Yes, Adison. (Adison) Well, I see a contrast. On the other days of creation and the other things that God created, they all were "good," but, as according to the Psalmist, "He spoke, it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast." Here God, He creates us in His own image, but from the dust of the ground or from the dirt of the ground. It's a lot more of an intimate experience where God is fashioning man, as we're going to read later. (Christian) Excellent insight. Yes, Shaina, you had your hand up. (Shaina) Adison actually reiterated
my point. You'd say that more thought and intention was put into our creation because we were handmade. We were fashioned after His likeness, and it's just a reflection of His love for us. (Christian) I like the way you put that: We were handmade. You know, something that is handmade has a special...something special to it, doesn't it? Yes, Derek. (Derek) I'm just wondering, Christian, people may be joining Hope Sabbath School for the first time and hearing this. This is a radical departure from the "fact" that we're here by chance, time and chance, survival of the fittest, and then we die. This says that our life has purpose, that if there is a Creator God, which is the theme of the whole Bible - and I like the "handmade,"
that's beautiful - that God not only created us, but He was intimately involved in the shaping of the human family. (Christian) Absolutely, and so the human, that's both man and woman, were created in the image of God as physical, intellectual, social and spiritual beings. So, with the Bible and the Bible only as our point of reference, what conclusion can we make about the origin of life on this planet? What can we conclude based on the account as recorded in the book of Genesis? What conclusion can be made? (Gladys) We're God's special treasure. (Christian) We're God's special treasure,
yes. Yes, Amy? (Amy) We're not an accident. God intentionally created what He created. And, just going back to this idea that it was good / it was very good, to me implies that God is enjoying creation. It's not just that He created it, but, like, He's got emotion involved. He's enjoying it, you know? (Christian) Yes, and what I
heard you say, too, Amy, is that when God created life, He created life fully mature, ready to enjoy life to the fullest. You know, in the beginning, God created an inhabited planet, as we see here in Genesis, Adam and Eve, and He tells them, "Be fruitful and multiply." And He created an inhabited planet because He could, He's God! He's able, He's the eternal,
omnipotent Creator. There's nothing that can stop a Creator like that from creating anything He wants, so the question I would have then is this: Why would the Creator <i>want</i> to create an inhabited planet? Why did He do this? After all, He is an eternal God. Why did God create an inhabited planet? Billy, what are your thoughts on that? (Billy) I'll take a stab at it. I think it goes back to who God is. God is love, and how can you show love? How can you demonstrate love? And you have to have somebody else in order to do that. So, God is love by Himself, but without people or other beings, let's say, to share that love, it's hard to define Him then. So, I think, out of His abundance of love, it's almost like when two people
get married, they want to have kids. They want to share that love with other people. So, I think that could be part of the reason why He created us. And there could be other reasons, but I think His very nature of being a God of love could be the driving reason. (Christian) Yes, the driving reason, I like the way you put that,
"the driving reason." God is good, God is love, and He thought it was good to create someone that He can love and be loved by; that's the character of God. Thank you for sharing that. One of my favorite themes in the Bible is God's creative ability. For me, that reveals a God that I can go to, and that He will provide anything I need, because, after all, He's the Creator God. In fact, the fact that He creates is, by many biblical authors, the very thing that distinguishes Him
from other gods. (Derek) False gods. (Christian) Other false gods, that He's able to create. He spoke life into existence. And so, when you think about God's creative activity... Can you think of Bible examples of God's creative ability? And I'm going to challenge you to give me a few examples from both the Old and New Testaments. Can you think of a couple of examples of God's creative activity? Outside of Genesis, let's go outside of the book of Genesis and see what we can find. Yes, Jason? (Jason) So, it's referenced in many places in Scripture that God created the plan of salvation before the formation of the earth. And so, this is interesting; this isn't
a physical item, but the whole idea, this structure of the plan of salvation, is something that God put together. And you see the whole story of the plan of salvation lived out in life of Christ. (Christian) I like that. Yes, Sabina. (Sabina) I'm thinking of Psalm 139, especially verses 13 and 14. When it says that God has formed us, our inward parts, and covered us in our mother's womb. So, I think that every time there is a conception, God's work, God's creative power is at work, even if indirectly through the bodies of those that He created for that purpose, He's still speaking life every time a life comes to be. (Christian) Amen. I love that. And I don't know the stats, but how many births are there every second on planet Earth? Thousands? So, every second testifies of God's creative activity in the birth and the conception of a child. Wow, I like that perspective.
Yes, Marianela. (Marianela) Yes, I was going to point out the manna that was given to the children of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. Food, really, from heaven
that could feed them, and He had creative power to do that. And that reminds me of how He just cares for us, even when the children of Israel were in the desert with no water or food, and He still provided for them. (Christian) Amen. Yes, Shaina. (Shaina) To continue on Sabina's point of creation, I'm thinking about Jesus, His ultimate creation. It's humanly impossible for a baby to be formed without the act of conception. And yet, his mom, Mary, conceived, and she was a virgin. And so, I think that was another example of God's ability to create. (Christian) Amen. That's a prime example. And then, of course, the life of Jesus displays creative activity time and time again with every miracle, every miracle He performed. And so, here we have a Creator God, going back to Genesis, now, let's go back to Genesis, who in six days, according to the Genesis account, He created the sun, moon, and stars. He created the firmament, the skies above. He created the birds off the air and the fish of the sea. He created the mammals and the reptiles and every creeping thing, the Bible says, and then, of course, His masterpiece, the man and the woman. And after six days, His work was finished, but there's still a gift, if I could call it a gift, a gift that the Creator God gives to Adam and Eve. And this is the creation of a day of rest. You know, how many of us have to admit,
can admit, that we tend to waste time? Wow, am I the only one?! (Derek) The only one who <i>admits.</i> (Christian) That's right. But here's a God that is able to do something that no human being could ever imagine doing, and that is creating time. I wish I could do that. There are days that I wish I had six more hours. But there are only 24. But God creates time, creates time. And the creation of a day of rest is recorded in the Bible in Genesis, chapter 2, verses 1 to 3. And, Billy, could you read that for us? Genesis, chapter 2, verses 1 to 3. (Billy) Sure, and I'll be reading
from the NIV: (Christian) So, with the character
of God in mind, remember He is good, He is good, He is love, there's no question that God does something different in the creation of the seventh day. It's uniquely distinct from all the other six days. How does this inspired account describe the creation of the Sabbath? What are some distinct characteristics of God's activity or the way that God created this 24-hour period known as the seventh day? What are some unique characteristics?
Yes, Gladys? (Gladys) The story says that He blessed it; He declared it holy, and then He rested from all the work
of His creation. So, He made a special anointing
on that day. It was like a sanctuary in time
that He created. (Christian) Okay. The word "blessed" it, He "blessed" it, is there something more significant about that act
of blessing than what one might think? Any thoughts on what it means that God "blessed" this day? Any thoughts on that? Yes, Billy? (Billy) I don't have an exact answer, but something that does, I think, relate to that is the fact that, the way I see it is that He created that monument for us to look back and remember basically, that contemplation of creation. And it reminds me of, I think, when Joshua was crossing over to Canaan, and he wanted to place a monument so that people could remember what God had done. I think that's something that God had created, that the Sabbath was a time for us to remember that creation, to remember God and to fellowship
with Him. So, it's sort of like a monument that can be a blessing to remember
who God is and that He is good and that He is love. (Christian) Amen. Yes, Derek. (Christian) Christian, to me, the Sabbath is brilliant because...Billy, you used
the word monument, but a monument's fixed; it's stuck somewhere, over there, in the other part of the world, but time, it comes with us. And it wasn't just that He blessed <i>a</i> seventh day at the end of creation, but He blessed <i>the</i> day, so every week it's with us wherever we are on the planet. To me, it's an amazing gift, because it's for the whole human family,
wherever we are. It's not limited by space. (Christian) I love the way you put that. And He also sanctified it, and He blessed on it. And we'll come back to the word "sanctified," and we'll dig a little deeper into the meaning of that word. But for now, we realize that God Himself rested on the Sabbath. But yet, did you notice though, that when you look at that passage, there's no explicit mention of Adam and Eve being asked to rest. There's no mention at this point that the human family should rest as well. Who can tell me where there is a command where we are called to rest each Sabbath day? Where is the well-known passage of resting? Yes, Marianela? (Marianela) It's found in Exodus 20. (Christian) Yes, very good. Could you read that for us? (Marianela) Yes, I wanted to point out something, too, if I can, in Genesis 2. God says He rested from the work
that He did, but it doesn't say that Adam and Eve - they had just been created on the sixth day, right? So, Adam and Eve weren't tired. They weren't tired enough to have to, like, completely rest
from work. I think maybe God showed them an example of what that would look like on the first Sabbath, and He asked them to worship and sanctify it with Him on the second Sabbath after they had worked the first week after being created. I don't know; it's something that I've been pondering some more about, like, how God...He worked that first week and rested, even though He didn't have to rest; He's God. Because He doesn't get tired, right? But Adam and Eve, they were just created. Do you think they were tired? They had just been created. I think He spent that Sabbath with them, and it says here in Genesis, chapter 2, that after He rested, He blessed it and sanctified the Sabbath, but I think He gave them an example of what it would be to sanctify it and rest on the Sabbath. But, yes, back to Exodus 20, then He gives us a command in verse 8. (Christian) Okay, read for us
verses 8 to 11. (Marianela) Verses 8 to 11 say: (Christian) Thank you very much. So, there at the heart of the fourth commandment, we find a command to keep
the Sabbath holy. In fact, the imperative mood of the verb expresses a command, so it's not merely a suggestion or a recommendation; it's a command. And the question I have is, why is the keeping of the Sabbath holy given as a command and not just simply a recommendation? I'm a father of two children, and we homeschool them. And there are times when I can see that they're hard at work. They've been really intense and focused on some project or assignment, and as a father, and as the teacher, I'll go up to them, and I'll say, "Listen, why don't you take a break? Just rest for a while," but I pose it as an idea, something that I recommend as an option. And there are times that they say, "No, no, no, no, Papi, I've got to finish this; I'll be done," and they don't take a break. And I just say, "Okay, whatever, If you're good; I'm good," and we go on with our day, but not so with God. God doesn't just give a recommendation or even a strong recommendation. No, God gives a command, and the question is, why? What's the significance of that?
Yes, Jason? (Jason) Well, you, as a human, you may not...you generally know what your children need, but you may not know perfectly. Whereas, God, He is our Creator. He knows us, He knows what we need, and He knows that we need rest. It's not just a recommendation because it's a requirement for ourselves. And so, He's reminding us, "Look, this is a requirement for you. You need to be able to rest to function." (Christian) Oh, "to rest to function," oh, that's a good thought. Yes, Adison. (Adison) A word that comes to mind is, preservation, preservation for humanity. An interesting example, as we look in history, during the French Revolution, there was, you could say, an unsuccessful attempt to change
the weekly cycle. They wanted to change it from a seven-day to a ten-day, and that proved to be very unsuccessful. And so, even our bodies, we operate on a seven-day cycle. And then God says, "Here's a day that I have made holy; I've sanctified it, that you can rest on, that you can contemplate the works of My creation and spend more time with Me in a very special way. And so, it's a tremendous gift. And also, too, note that on the fourth commandment, that's the only commandment that has the name and the title of the Lawgiver. And I think that in itself also shows the authenticity and the binding force of the Sabbath commandment. (Christian) Amen. Yes, Derek. (Derek) While you were reading, I flashed back to when we used to travel more, before all of the COVID restrictions, where I would rent cars. And you rent a car; when you're going to put fuel in it, it will say, for example, "Unleaded fuel only." That is not a suggestion. You'll ruin the car if you put diesel fuel into that car. I see that as, again, back to the loving Creator saying, "I'm trying to protect you, so this is not optional. This is something that I really want you to do." And I think, when we begin to do it, experientially, we realize the huge blessing that this gift is. But I just thought of that, you know. If you ignore that, it's going to be damaging. (Christian) Yes, and not just damaging for the people that He spoke that commandment to, namely the Jews, but this sounds to me like something that would be applicable or relevant to the entire human race, you know? There are those that would conclude that the Sabbath is strictly a Jewish practice, a Jewish Sabbath, but what teaching of Jesus confirmed that the Sabbath was not something given to just the Jews, but to the human race? Is there a verse that comes to mind where we find even Jesus Himself, in the New Testament, addressing this and speaking directly to it? Jason? (Jason) Sure, so a verse that comes to mind is Mark 2:27, if you'd let me read that. (Christian) Yes. (Jason) I have the New King James
Version here, and it says, Mark 2:27: (Christian) Alright, now, Jason, are you a Greek scholar? (Jason) No, I'm not. (Christian) Well, I discovered something very insightful, but it's the Greek that really brings this out. The Greek word translated "man"
is "anthropos," which means "human being." It's where we get the word anthropology in the English language, which means the study of humanity. And so, here Jesus is speaking about the Sabbath as a gift given to the human race. And when Jesus spoke about the Sabbath, time and time again, He often spoke about the purpose
of the Sabbath. And He spoke with divine authority. When the people heard Jesus speak, there are a few instances in the Gospels where it says that they were in awe because He spoke as a man with authority. What gave His voice authority? Do we have an insight of what made Jesus different than any ordinary man?
Yes, Gladys? (Gladys) Well, we talked about it, that the Sabbath was handmade by God, so He was the One who made it. (Christian) He's the One! (Gladys) He's the One, so in verse 28, right there in Mark where we were reading, that says the Son of Man is <i>Lord</i>, "I'm the owner of it," of the Sabbath, so it is His stamp, His gift to us. (Christian) Amen. So He's not just any ordinary man. Like you said, He's the <i>Lord</i>
of the Sabbath, and the Lord of the Sabbath is the Lord God who created the heavens and the earth. Yes, Derek. (Derek) Maybe someone wants to read it, but I just want to say I think the first chapter of John is one of <i>the</i> most important chapters in the entire Bible, because there may be many people in the world, including people
watching today, they've heard of Jesus, and He seemed to be a very loving and kind Teacher, a compassionate Person, but the Gospel of John, under the inspiration of the Spirit, makes a startling claim about the One who we call Jesus. (Christian) Yes, and I know that passage that you're speaking of, and we should take time to read it. Shaina, could you read for us John, chapter 1, verses 1 to 3, and then we'll add verse 14, and we'll see why, in a minute. (Shaina) I'll be reading John 1, verses 1 to 3 and verse 14 from the King James Version: And verse 14: (Christian) Amen. Wow, that is powerful. The Word was God, and the Word <i>is</i> God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And I can't help but to think of the verse, I believe, is in the book of Acts, where it says that Jesus went about doing, what? Doing good. Doing good, ah, there's that word that links us to the Genesis account, to the creation account. A God, who creates and declares, "It is good," a God who is good, a God who <i>does</i> good. Yes, Billy. (Billy) That's the same theme in Exodus 20, [which] we read, the fact that we are also commanded to do good because, when you look at the verse, it talks about the fact that, yes, you should rest but don't forget your servants, don't forget the animals. So, He created that justice system where God was commanding, and unfortunately He had to command us to be good to other people, too, because, we as human beings, we tend to abuse the privileges that we have. So, the strangers that come to our gates, the animals, we tend to abuse them. And, even on the Sabbath, let's say, we can overwork some people. So, God created a time where everybody was equal; everybody deserved to be treated well, respected, whatever your class is, whatever your gender is. So, the Sabbath basically is a manifestation of that goodness. (Christian) Amen. "A manifestation of that goodness," I love that. And we take note that the Sabbath was sanctified; it was set apart from the other six days. And when I think about the word
"sanctified," it means "to set apart and declare holy." But what's interesting is that when one studies the Scriptures, one discovers that God transitions from sanctifying a day to sanctifying a people. And when I think about that, it's quite revealing what He did
during creation week, because how many of us know Genesis 1:1, I mean, by memory, by memory? You know, all hands go up. I think I memorized that when I was in Cradle Roll, well, maybe not Cradle Roll, but Kindergarten, pretty close. But how about Genesis, chapter 1, verse 2? Who knows verse 2? Ah, the hands don't go up as quickly. Gladys, what does verse 2 say? (Gladys) It says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was dark and void." (Christian) Okay, other translations also say, "The earth was without form, and void." And did you ever notice that the sequence of days and what God did in each day follows that pattern of creating the form and then filling the void? Have you ever noticed that? Boy, if that's something you've
never noticed, take a close look, and it is quite an amazing insight, because in the first three days
of creation, God creates the form, light, firmament and the dry land. That's the form, but it's empty. It's void; it's void. And then in days four, five and six, what does God do? He fills the void, okay? So, He fills the void with the sun, moon and stars, the form of light. He fills it with sun, moon and stars. He fills the sky with birds, the oceans with fish. He fills the dry land with animals and with mankind. And what's interesting is that the seventh day becomes the seventh day, and it's an odd number; it stands alone. There's no pair that goes with the seventh day, but yet God continues that same pattern in that you and I become the form, and we turn to God to fill us with who He is. We are empty, and He is holy, and when He fills us with who He is, we experience the work of sanctification in our lives. The Sabbath becomes a celebration of who God is and what He desires to do in our life. And there's no question that the God in whose presence is the fullness of joy, He wants us to experience the joy of the Sabbath. There's a passage found in Isaiah, chapter 58, verses 13 and 14, that speaks about delight in the context of the Sabbath. Isaiah, chapter 58, verses 13 and 14, I'm going to ask Amy if she would read that for us, Isaiah, chapter 58, verses 13 and 14. (Amy) Okay, and I'm reading from the New King James Version, Isaiah 58, verses 13 and 14: (Christian) So, there's a reference there
of delighting, in the context of the Sabbath, and as you think about your own personal experience and how meaningful the Sabbath
is in your life, how can we be, as disciples of Christ, as the Lord of the Sabbath, how can we help our friends and even family members discover the Sabbath with new eyes or experience the Sabbath in ways that fill the heart with delight? You know, what can we do? Let's think of some practical things that we could do to be able to lead our friends and families to experience that. Yes, Gladys? (Gladys) I think the best way is not to make it a burden, because sometimes we just focus on the things that we "cannot" do, "You shouldn't do this." We make man-made rules of things that we cannot do, and that makes it a burden. especially for young people. But when you make it a delight, you just prepare their favorite meals, go on a picnic, go visit somebody that is sick or needs some help, it just creates a different type
of atmosphere, that people actually get to see the blessing of the Sabbath. (Christian) Amen. Thank you
for sharing. Sabina. (Sabina) What I'm thinking also, Christian, is that the Sabbath, as we are discussing here, was not created for coming out and doing work or thinking of what are the things we are supposed to do but primarily to be in a relationship
with God. So, I think that the way that we can better teach others or help others to enjoy and have delight in His day is primarily helping them to have a delight in a relationship with Christ. So, when they come into that day, for them it's enjoyable, not for the things they will be doing, but the things that they might be doing in order to be part of that relationship, you know, in connecting with other people, reading their Bible, praying together, coming to the congregation with other people where they can enjoy the same type of relationship. So, I think that for me, that's what's most important. (Christian) Amen. I love that. Yes, Shaina, why don't you share with us. What are your thoughts? (Shaina) I think that in order for it to be contagious, for me trying to convince someone that the Sabbath is a delight, I first have to believe
that it's delightful. I first have to find joy in the day, find the rest in Christ that He offers. And personally, I find the Sabbath delightful because it's a day that I get to be one with God in nature and to find the new truths that He has revealed to me in His Word that I may have missed out on
during the week because of the hustle and the bustle. But it's truly believing for myself, and then the contagion of my belief can spread to my family and friends. (Christian) I like that. Marianela. (Marianela) Yes, I just wanted to share a quick testimony because I got to talk about this topic with a lady I had met in the park with her children. And she told me, she says, "I have to go home. I'm so excited. I've not slept all night;
the food is ready. Everything is ready because my husband has been away, and he was out working for a week," or two weeks. And her name is Veronica, so, if she ever watches, I just want her to know that her testimony is very powerful, because she told me, she says, "I got the food ready, the house is clean, the kids are going to be so excited to be with their father when he comes home." And we had just been talking a little bit about what the Sabbath was, and I said, "You know, the Sabbath is a celebration, kind of like what you're about to experience when your husband
gets home, and you haven't seen him for a long time. It's because it's part
of that relationship. You're going to meet with your God. You're going to meet with your heavenly Father on that day, and it's a moment of getting together and making the best meal at home for your family and spending that time with your family worshiping God." And in a sense, her experience reminded me, too, yes, we're going to meet our Who? We're going to meet our heavenly Father, and that having that relationship on Sabbath is a celebration
and not a burden. You're looking forward to it. During the whole week, you're looking forward to that Sabbath to spend time with God. (Christian) That's awesome. Yes, Adison, I saw your hand as well. (Adison) I thought of the words, the phrase from the author of Hebrews, Hebrews, chapter 12, where he said, "Looking to Jesus." That's what we need to be doing. He is our example. He came to take down some of these unnecessary, these arbitrary
man-made laws and restrictions and to reestablish the beauty, the authenticity of the Sabbath. And that could be our experience as well. We can go out and serve others on the Sabbath, be a blessing to those around us and reflect His love. (Christian) Amen. And I couldn't help but to realize that the word, the picture that was presented with your responses is, relationship and delighting in the Lord. When I find myself responding to a command that was given to me by someone that I love, and I'm loved by, isn't it true that it becomes a joy to fulfill their request, to fulfill their command? It's something that is motivating because you're loved by them, and you love them. And so, I find that delighting in the Lord, as Sabina,
as you, pointed out, is the key to discovering the delight of keeping the Sabbath, of celebrating that relationship with Him. And, as we close here, we've talked about how we can inspire others to discover the delight of the Sabbath, but would anyone like to share just a brief testimony of an experience you've had or maybe a tradition in your family or in your life that you practice on a weekly basis that just really brings joy to your Sabbath? What are some things that you do, and for our viewers here today, you can listen, and maybe there are some ideas that you've never thought of before. But, what do you do to delight in the Sabbath? What practices do you have as a family? I know Amy, you and your husband, you've served overseas as missionaries. And I'm sure you've had many opportunities to connect with God on the Sabbath. What are some of the practices that you recall, maybe even in the mission field? (Amy) Two things that we really tried to focus on, on Sabbath was, one, spending a little bit of time in nature, especially when we were living in a big city. You know, it's hard to see nature, and so I actually had a microscope, and we would take it out, and I'd challenge my kids, "Find the smallest thing that you can. And then find the smallest thing that you can that's human made, and let's compare them." And, they'd bring me a safety pin or something; You look at it. Or, paper, you know. Paper is really not that smooth when you look at it under a microscope. A pin really isn't that sharp when you look at it under a microscope. But when you look at the wing
of a butterfly, or you look at the petal of a leaf, it's just incredibly intricate. Like, the closer you get, the more perfect it gets. And so, connecting with nature or something like that. And then also service, going out. Just this last Sabbath, we went down into Washington, D.C., and handed out food to some of the homeless people and just connected with them. (Christian) Doing good on Sabbath. (Amy) Doing good, and Jesus said that. He said, "Do good, not so that people see your works, but so that they see your Father in heaven." "They see your works, and they glorify your Father in heaven." So, service is a big part
of Sabbath for me. (Christian) Wow, and I loved the way you described that activity of taking a close look at simple things, like even the leaf, and seeing it with new eyes. And my invitation to you today is that you would discover the Sabbath with new eyes, that you would be able to delight in the Sabbath, not merely because it's the seventh day of the week, but because the Lord of the Sabbath wants to invite you to delight in Him. (Derek) Amen. Thank you
so much, Christian. What a blessing, I'm still remembering back to when my parents, they were teenagers at the time, and I was in utero, my brother a little baby, when they first learned about the Sabbath. And they thought they were the only people on the planet that knew about it. But God has many people who have discovered the beauty of the Bible Sabbath, that it is a time to celebrate
a relationship with our great and awesome God. Let's pray that we can experience those <i>Rhythms of Rest,</i> especially on the Sabbath, but all through the week through our relationship with God. Let's pray; Father in heaven, we've seen another revelation of how much You love us and want to spend time with us, even to spend time with us
throughout eternity. May we rejoice in Your love today. May we rest in Your presence
and thank You, especially for the gift of Sabbath rest. Thank You for Your blessings
and Your love. In Jesus' name. Amen. (Team) Amen. (Derek) Well, thanks for joining us
for Hope Sabbath School. What a paradigm shift from seeing things as a list of rules and regulations to a gift of a day to enjoy a loving relationship with our Creator. I pray that you'd experience that blessing each Sabbath and rest in your relationship with Him each day, and then go out and be a blessing to those around you. ♪ theme music ♪
