♪ theme music ♪
(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.
Welcome back to a series
on Three Cosmic Messages,
a vitally important topic
for these last days of Earth's history
from Revelation, chapter 14.
If you've missed anything in the series,
go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess,
watch the entire series.
You can download the outline
we'll be using today.
I know that you'll be blessed.
Our topic today, The Sabbath and the End,
so welcome to Hope Sabbath School.
Welcome to the team,
good to be back together again.
I'm excited today because one of our team,
Sabina, is going to be leading us in our study,
and it's going to be a great study
of the Word of God.
We've also got some remote team members joining us.
Good to see Jason with us today.
Jason, we're glad you're with us.
And let's see who else we have.
Shaina, good to see you with us today.
And, Tricia Lee, always good
to have you with us.
It's going to be a great study,
and we're glad you're with us today
as we study the Word of God.
We've got Hope Sabbath School members
in about 200 countries around the world,
and we'd love to hear from you.
Write to us: sshope@hopetv.org.
You say, "Derek, you don't need
to hear from me," but, actually,
we would love to hear from you and to see
how you're blessed through a study
of the Word of God.
Thank you, Mary, for writing to us.
Mary is a Zambian living in the UK.
"My name is Mary, living
in the UK, from Zambia.
I watch your program on Friday evenings
as I have no one in my home
who believes in Christ."
That's what we call a lifeline, isn't it?
Mary, we're so glad you're part
of our Hope Sabbath School family.
"You help me understand
the Word of God and its meaning
for our lives, thank you.
I also want to thank
all of the beautiful ladies on the team
who let their natural beauty shine through.
I love to see your smiling faces,"
and she notes, "especially Shaina,"
Shaina, maybe we can
put you up on the wall;
you're with us remotely today,
"especially Shaina, who lets
the love of God shine on her face."
Shaina, thanks for being part of our team.
"Bless you all, and not to forget
the men folks," she says,
"I love to see the intensity
of your love for God
when you talk about Him. Amen.
Praise God for His mercy to us.
I long to meet each one of you
at the feet of Jesus in Heaven."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "Till then, keep up your ministry.
You are helping the world
to find Jesus." Amen?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Mary, thank you so much
for writing to us
from my homeland, the UK,
originally from Zambia.
By the way, we have lots
of Hope Sabbath School members in Zambia,
I'm sure you know that,
and thank you for being a witness
there in the UK.
Amos writes to us from the DRC,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
"Hello, Hope Sabbath School!" Got the wave.
"My name is Amos, and I watch
Hope Sabbath School
here at my house; it blesses me."
Well, I know what he means, God
blesses him through the program, right?
"It gives me more hope than ever!
It's my pleasure to be by your side.
May God bless you. Amen."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Thanks so much
for writing to us, Amos, from the DRC.
Here's a handwritten note
from a donor in Canada,
and the donor says, "My husband and I
have been watching Hope Sabbath School,
and we love the interaction
that goes on with the team.
I love that I can do my study
along with your program.
Being able to fast forward and rewind
helps me so much when I'm trying to answer
the questions in the Bible study,"
and a donation of 100 dollars.
Thank you, Donor; you know
who you are, there in Canada.
Thank you for being part
of this Impact Movement.
We're a donor-supported ministry,
and thanks to each one of you
who are part of this ministry.
You can go to hopetv.org/donate,
or go to our website,
click on the Donate button and say,
"I want to be part of impacting
the world for Christ."
We thank you very much.
One last note, from Daniel in Romania,
and Daniel writes and says, "My wife and I
are so blessed with Hope Sabbath School
where the Word of God is lifted up."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "Every time I'm encouraged
to go further as a teacher of the Bible.
Sometimes I get discouraged
when I look at people,
but when I see how passionate
the team is on this program,
how natural and enthusiastic you are
in studying the Word of God,
I get up and start again with courage."
(Team) Amen!
(Derek) Well, praise God.
Daniel, we're so glad
we're an encouragement to you.
"I'm always inspired by the practical way
you carry out the study,
and I have a strong desire
to tell others the good news.
May God keep you
physically and spiritually healthy."
Well, Daniel, it meant a great deal to us
that you took time to write to us
and share how God is blessing you
and using you to share
His Word with others.
We'd love to hear from each one of you.
Please write to us: sshope@hopetv.org
Isn't it encouraging to hear
what God is doing around the world?
Well, before we sing our theme song,
taken from Revelation 15,
I have to remind you about an amazing gift
we have for you just during this series.
Thanks to Pastor Mark Finley and Hart Books,
we are able to offer you a digital copy
of Pastor Finley's book
Three Cosmic Messages,
a great resource, companion study
to our series here on Hope Sabbath School.
And it's yours absolutely free,
a digital copy delivered to you.
All you have to do is go to our website,
hopetv.org/hopess,
click on the Free Gift tab
in the middle of the screen,
and you'll receive instructions
on how you can receive a free digital copy
of Three Cosmic Messages
by Pastor Mark Finley.
Take advantage of that generous offer.
We want to thank Pastor Finley
and Hart Books for making that gift
available to each one of you.
But right now, we're going
to sing our theme song.
Oh, I love this song.
It's the song of Moses and the Lamb.
I don't know what the tune will be
in the Kingdom of Heaven,
but I thank my wife
for giving us the tune right now,
and I invite all
of our Hope Sabbath School members,
wherever you are, to sing
this beautiful song with us.
♪ music ♪
(Derek) Amen. It was almost as if we
could hear our Hope Sabbath School members
all around the world singing.
Well, Sabina, why don't you pray with us
as we begin our study.
(Sabina) Yes, let's pray
as we start this very amazing study.
Wonderful Father, we are
so thankful, Lord, to call You
not only our God and Savior
but also our Friend.
As we gather here in this studio,
and as we gather with all our listeners
that will be watching this video,
we pray that Your Holy Spirit
will be upon us, impressing us of truth,
guiding us, Lord, into knowing
more about You, who You are,
and also who You want us to be.
I pray in a special way
that You anoint our lips,
and that every word we say now
will be, Lord, said in power
of Your Holy Spirit.
And I pray all those things
in Your wonderful name, Jesus. Amen.
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Sabina) Okay, as we gather here
to continue our sessions
on the Three Cosmic Messages,
we are going to go a little bit deeper
than our last lesson,
which was a lesson
when we discussed how worship
is so related to the messages
that God has for us
in these end times.
Okay, so we started last time,
and our friend Stephanie was leading us,
and we discussed worship,
and today we are going to look
at how the Sabbath and its connection
with worship to our God are also central
to the Three Cosmic Messages
that God has for us, okay?
So, as we start, I'm going
to invite Brittany, would you turn
with us to Revelation 14:6,7,
which has been our key text,
and let's start off the study there.
(Brittany) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
Revelation 14, verse 6, says:
(Sabina) Thank you so much.
So, how is God described here?
What do you see? Yes, Harold.
(Harold) I see Him being described
as the Creator, because it says,
"Worship Him who made the heaven, earth,
sea and springs of water."
(Sabina) Okay, wonderful.
And so, as we look into this text,
and as we consider that it is teaching us
about God as our Creator,
we also are led into thinking
about another passage in Scripture,
very famous, also, for defining God
with the same attributes.
If anyone will turn for us, here,
let's say Jason, if you'll lead us
into Exodus 20:8-11, and we'll be looking
at some similarities that we have
between those two passages. Jason.
(Jason) The New King James Version says
in Exodus, chapter 20,
verses 8 through 11:
(Sabina) Thank you, Jason.
So, what are the similarities
that you see between those two texts?
What is in there? Yes, John.
(John) Right here in verse 11, we find
that same concept of God being the Creator
of heaven and Earth
and everything there is.
And so, it's calling us to worship God
on the Sabbath as a sign
that He is the Creator,
and we are the created.
(Sabina) Wonderful. Yes, Jason.
(Jason) The Bible even uses
some of the same language,
heavens and earth and sea,
so it's not even just like a similarity;
it's almost the exact same language you see there.
(Sabina) Same language, exactly,
so an attentive reader of the Bible
would probably consider that God impressed
the apostle who wrote this letter
maybe, just maybe to make
some reference to Exodus. Yes, Harold.
(Harold) And I also want to highlight
that the commandment
starts with "remember,"
so it's easy to forget.
And it's interesting that the angel
that is bringing the message
is proclaiming that, probably because we
have forgotten who God is.
So, like, bringing it to remembrance,
"Hey, remember who made you.
Remember where you come from,
because the hour of His judgment has come,
and He's coming very soon."
So, we need to go back to our Creator.
(Sabina) Yes, so much well said, Harold.
And this leads us to our next question,
because I'm wondering here if we are
seeing from Scripture
that the Sabbath is so important,
that it's such a special moment
for us to turn to God
and be reminded of His creative power.
Why is it that you think
that so many people nowadays
have forgotten about the Sabbath?
What's wrong? Yes, Lilica.
(Lilica) As we see the worship theme,
it's not just about the end times,
it's from the beginning,
the fight about who should be worshiped,
and the Sabbath shows us who created us
and whom we should worship.
My favorite author says
if we were to keep the Sabbath, there
wouldn't be any idolaters or atheists.
So, the Sabbath is way bigger than...
(Sabina) So, I'm hearing you saying
that one of the reasons why people
are disregarding the Sabbath
is because there is
a cosmic conflict going on,
so there are influences of evil forces
that will make people forget
or turn to other things. Yes, Brittany.
(Brittany) I think a lot of people
are told that the Sabbath
is a Jewish tradition, that it's something
that was made for the Jews
because they had been in slavery,
and they needed to be told what to do.
And so, people will go back
to the Old Testament and say
that was part of the old law
or the old ways of doing things.
And then they say, "But I'm living
in the New Testament times,
and those things are done away with."
And that's what a lot
of people are taught,
that's it's just a Jewish tradition.
(Sabina) Okay, thank you so much.
So, we're listening here that there is
an issue with this cosmic conflict,
but there is also, alongside with it,
wrong teaching, right,
or maybe lack of information.
Someone may just have misunderstood
or is not quite there.
I think all of us are subject
to that type of ignorance,
right, Pastor Derek?
(Derek) And I think there are
a lot of people that just don't know.
They've just not heard
that God has blessed a day,
actually for our blessing,
it's made for us, and so maybe part
of this program is just to let people know
a truth that's been hidden from them.
(Sabina) Exactly, yes.
Thank you so much.
And also, Shaina, you have your hand up.
(Shaina) Yes, and in addition
to everything that everyone else has said,
as humans we tend to do
what's convenient and comfortable for us.
And for many people,
work falls on the Sabbath,
so they may not know that the Sabbath
should be observed, should be hallowed,
and so they work on the Sabbath or choose
to do leisurely things on the Sabbath,
what's comfortable and convenient.
(Sabina) Okay, so we also have an issue
not only of ignorance or wrong teaching,
but also convenience.
Maybe someone knows about it,
but doesn't really want to know about it.
There are certain things we learn about
but we prefer to ignore,
because it's not very convenient.
And I also think, as I look around,
considering the ways in which our world
"benefits" (quote/unquote benefits,
I would say, just with the quote/unquote,
because it's not really a benefit),
that people that are greedy,
people who are not really willing
to see others on the same page as them,
because the Sabbath has an element
of equalizing us, right?
It puts us in a space where we are free,
in peace with each other, where there are
no strings or holds attached.
And some people "benefit" (quote/unquote)
from this type of system, unfortunately,
right, Pastor Derek.
So, yes, I agree with you, Shaina,
sometimes people know about it,
but just prefer not to put it in practice.
So, this leads us into our next question,
and that's a consideration that there are
some examples of people in Scripture also,
that knew about the Sabbath, they thought
they were observing the Sabbath properly
as a legal requirement,
but they failed to worship
the Creator in spirit and truth.
Can you think of an example?
What occurs to you? Yes, Harold.
(Harold) I think one example
is in Matthew, chapter 12,
where Jesus' disciples were hungry,
and they were eating, I think, grain.
And then the Pharisees accused them,
"Hey, you're not supposed
to do that on the Sabbath."
But then Jesus asks them,
"Well, do you know what David did,
that he ate the Bread of the Presence
from the sanctuary that was not
supposed to be for him?
But he ate it because he was hungry,"
and so and so on.
And then He tells further in Matthew 15,
He says, "These people
worship Me with their mouth
and honor Me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from Me,
teaching as [doctrines]
the commandments of men."
So, they totally forgot the true spirit
of Sabbath or anything
about God and truth,
and He called them out.
(Sabina) Yes, that's unfortunate, right?
And I know which passage
you were talking about.
That's also in [Mark], chapter 2,
the end of that chapter, and it's
really, indeed, a beautiful passage,
because it leads us to think
about how important it is
that we also look to ourselves
as we consider things around us
and see if we are not also
on that same page with the Pharisees,
that we think that we
have the information,
that we have this legal treatment of the Sabbath,
and our hearts may be far
from God, right, Harold.
Hope, I see you had your hand up.
(Hope) It just made me think
of when Jesus, I think he was
talking to the Pharisees, said two things.
He said, "It's lawful
to do good on the Sabbath,"
and He says, "The Sabbath
was made for man."
So, I think sometimes we get
into the mindset that, "Oh,
we have to do this and not do this,"
but the Sabbath was made
as a gift to us, not as a burden.
(Sabina) Yes, thank you so much.
Shaina, do you want to share something?
(Shaina) Yes, so I'm thinking
of a passage in Luke 6
where Jesus had entered the synagogue.
He went to church,
and there was someone there
who had a withered hand.
And the verse specifically says
they were watching Him,
the scribes and Pharisees
were watching Him, to see
if He would heal on the Sabbath.
And so they came with bad intentions,
and it said Jesus knew their thoughts,
and He asked them, "Is it lawful
to do good or evil on the Sabbath?"
And then He healed the man.
He told the man to stretch forth his hand,
and he was healed.
And it said they were filled with rage,
and so they were so focused
on the legal aspect
of "thou shalt not,"
"thou shalt not" on the Sabbath.
But Jesus came and liberated this man
from his ailment on the Sabbath.
And so, that's an example
that I have for this one.
(Sabina) That's a very good example.
Thank you so much, Shaina.
Those two texts that Harold and you brought,
they really lead us
into our next question then,
that I want to inquire of you.
So, what is it that we need to do
in our hearts to ensure that we are
worshiping our Creator in harmony
with His plan for each Sabbath? Yes, John.
(John) It's important to recognize
that the Son of Man or Jesus
is the Lord of the Sabbath,
so He's the center of the Sabbath.
And also, as Hope said,
Sabbath is a gift for man,
so we need to see Sabbath
not in a legalistic way,
but in a Christ-centered way
where we focus on a relationship with God.
(Sabina) Yes, Jason.
(Jason) One of the things
Jesus did on the Sabbath
was relieve other people's burdens,
whether it was with their health
or endorsed, with His disciples, their hunger.
And so, one thing we can do
is find ways to relieve
other people's burdens,
whether it's feeding people
or providing them clothing,
helping people who don't have things, who have a lack,
following Jesus' example.
(Sabina) Amen. Thank you so much, Jason.
So, we are hearing here
that it's important that on the Sabbath
we keep Jesus as the center.
And as a result of that,
we are going to turn to others
to offer them, you know,
to extend a hand of love,
maybe to provide some clothing or food,
something that may be lacking, even love, right?
And I also see Jason's hand up,
and then I'll get to you, Lilica.
Jason, what is it that you are thinking.?
(Jason) Yes, and I was just thinking
about it being all about love,
as you just said.
Jesus said, "If you love Me, you'll
keep My commandments,"
so that's the bottom line
when it comes to keeping the Sabbath
and the other commandments.
It's all about love
and our relationship with God
through Jesus Christ.
(Sabina) Amen. Thank you so much.
Yes, about love, Jesus
at the center. Lilica.
(Lilica) Yes, Jason said it so well.
Attaching it with the previous question,
it's so easy for us to keep the law
without loving the Lord
who gave the laws.
Jesus said, "The two great commandments,"
which is summarizing the commandments,
"is love God above everything,
and your neighbor."
And in the Sabbath,
we can see that encapsulated.
How? When I was back home,
we would have people working
for us in the house.
And keeping the Sabbath, it says,
neither your servant should be working,
which makes you and your servant
remember that the Lord, here, is God; it's not you.
So, when we keep the Sabbath
because we love the Lord,
we do it in a right way,
and it takes us to Isaiah 58,
how it shows you the true fasting,
the relationship, the love,
between, you know, love your neighbor as yourself,
and it tells you the right spirit,
right to the end of Isaiah 58, of the Sabbath.
(Sabina) Yes, that's a very important passage, Lilica,
that you brought up, and it leads me
to think that at the heart of the Sabbath
is the heart of justice
that God has, right?
Because that particular passage
you were referring to
talks about the importance
of what Jason was saying,
that we need to look around us
and see those who are suffering,
and that could be a very good thing
to do on your Sabbath,
to care about those
who are suffering. Yes, Brittany.
(Brittany) I think another aspect
of the Sabbath like we've read
in Revelation and then in Exodus,
is about remembering our Creator.
And one way that we remember
who we are and who He is,
is spending time in His creation.
And so, when we spend time
going around, looking at the beauty
of everything that God has made,
even though we're living
in a marred world,
it's not in its perfection,
we still see God's fingerprints, right,
around us in the plants and the animals
and the things that He has made,
the sunsets and the sunrises.
And when we spend time in God's creation,
it rejuvenates us, and it helps us
lift our eyes to Him, the Creator,
and praise His name.
(Sabina) Amen. So it's also a time
when we can find healing, right?
So, we look around, we look to others,
we look to Jesus, and we also
have to stand in awe
in a prayerful spirit
and also in reading His Bible,
and that will be the healing for us also
as we contemplate His creation in nature,
as we look to Scripture.
So, we are going, now, to look
a little further about one aspect
that has been also kind of making people
have wrong understandings
about the Sabbath,
and that is, some people will say that despite
the teaching of the Bible that God
created the world in literal days,
they kind of try to create some ideas
that maybe it was not
exactly quite like that.
So, let's look to Scripture,
and instead of just sharing here,
we are going to read from Scripture
to see what it is that the Bible
teaches us about how long it took
for God to create this world, okay?
So, maybe if Tricia Lee, if you can turn
with us to Genesis, and, Tricia,
I have a few passages,
if you will read for us.
First of all, Genesis 1, verses 1 to 5.
(Tricia Lee) Reading from the New King James Version:
(Sabina) And what does
verse 8 say, Tricia?
(Tricia Lee) Verse 8 reads:
(Sabina) What about verse 13, Tricia?
(Tricia Lee) Verse 13 says:
(Sabina) And verse 19.
(Sabina) And just one more
for us to double check or triple check,
what about verse 23?
(Tricia Lee) Verse 23 says:
(Sabina) Thank you so very much.
So, we see here that those texts
are challenging this theory.
Who can tell us what you observe
that is so clear here? Pedro.
(Pedro) We can see here that every day
had an evening and morning,
and we can see the cycle
that we see every day of our lives,
that when the sun sets, a new day starts,
and when the sun rises and sets again,
that's the end of that day.
So, God is giving us a visual aid
of what a day meant for Him
when He created and how we can see today,
as clear as can be, how a day's cycle
is still the same.
(Derek) And I think what's most important
is verse 31 because we might say,
"Well, okay, but in terms
of the evolution of the human species,
that took a vast amount of time."
But, on the sixth day, the text says
the evening and the morning was
also the sixth day when He created
man and woman in His image.
(Sabina) Okay, so, Pastor Derek, maybe
we should turn there
just in case someone has a question,
that's a question
a lot of people have.
So, Stephanie, do you mind
taking us there, then, to verse 31?
(Stephanie) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
Genesis, chapter 1, verse 31:
(Sabina) Okay, awesome.
Thank you so much, Stephanie.
Along these same lines,
we can also turn to the New Testament,
because we also have testimony
in Scripture, not only in Genesis,
but all throughout Scripture
that this truth about God's creation is still valid.
So, maybe, if Hope, you would lead us
to Hebrews 11, verse 3, and then we are
going to see what it is that we can learn
from Scripture there,
Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 3.
(Hope) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version Hebrews 11:3:
(Sabina) Okay, wonderful.
That's a very important passage, right, because nowadays
because of so much information
we are exposed to,
we may sometimes question
the truthfulness of God's Word.
And then when we look
to this particular verse that Hope
has led us into reflecting,
we are going to consider
that it takes faith at times
for us to fully grasp,
not only to fully grasp
but to kind of grasp a little bit
of what this magnificent work
of God, creation, meant.
So, more than trusting
in our own understanding,
we should be trusting in God's truth in His Word.
And this leads us to my next question
to you, which is how is it
that this attack we see at times nowadays
on a literal creation week
also becomes an attack on the Sabbath? Yes, Lilica.
(Lilica) So, we see that if the world
was not created in six days,
then why why would we worship God
on the seventh day, which is Sabbath?
I read a saying that even the scholars
that do not believe that God created
the world in six days do agree
that the intent of the writer
when he says "the evening
and the morning," meant six literal days.
(Sabina) Okay, so even those
who studied the Bible more in depth,
if there is some question
about the right way to interpret,
they for sure [conclude] that there is
no space for these type of theories.
Yes, Jason, I see your hand up remotely.
(Jason) Yes, thank you, Sabina.
When we read the Bible, we understand
that the Ten Commandments
is God's character in written form,
and so basically the Sabbath
is in the heart of the commandments.
So, when you disregard the Sabbath,
you basically disregard God.
And so, that's an outline, you know,
in dealing with such matters.
It's sad, but it's happening in our world,
but thanks be to God that we have
a message like this that's going forth
and allowing people to know
about God's character and His love fo rus.
(Sabina) Thank you so much, Jason.
And I also see that Tricia Lee
has her hand up remotely.
Let's listen to what you
have to say, Tricia.
(Tricia Lee) So, attacking
the literal creation week,
the order of the days,
it puts into question when the Sabbath is,
because if we don't know which way
in the order of the days,
then how do we know that the seventh day
really is the Sabbath?
But when we go back to the verses
we read in Genesis, those numbers
that were used to describe
each day of creation,
it's not God created one day
and then another day.
The numbers used are
actually ordinal numbers or numbers
that have sequence, and so that's
why it's translated as first, second, third,
as in, there was not a gap
between when creation
took place on these days,
or there's no way to fit
extra time periods in.
And so, even the actual use of the numbers
in the original Hebrew that's there
records that this is a first, second,
third, fourth, fifth, sixth,
which only leaves room for the seventh
to the be the Sabbath day.
You can look elsewhere
in the New Testament and Old Testament
to establish that the seventh day
actually is the day after Friday
and before Sunday,
but I think it's beautiful
because we have that record
of just even numerically how the text
is written or recorded
that these are ordinal sequential numbers.
These aren't just saying "one day,"
"another day," "a different day,"
"a different day."
It's actually 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
(first, second, third, fourth, fifth,
sixth, seventh), so that's beautiful
that's recorded that way.
(Sabina) Thank you so much, Tricia.
That's an excellent observation.
And I also saw Pedro wanted
to say something about it.
That's a hot topic.
(Pedro) I think it's very simple.
I can see every day of the week
God created something,
and I can see in His nature
the beautiful things
that He created on those days.
But when we look into those six days,
we also can see on the seventh day
God created something very special.
And even though I cannot grasp the time,
God has given a time for us to grasp Him
and have a relationship with Him.
As important it is that we
can see each other and say,
"God created man and woman,"
I can also say that God created a day
for us to enjoy and be blessed.
(Sabina) Yes, and, Jason, I see
you're waiting to share before we move on.
(Jason) Yes, so if you look
at the Ten Commandments
back in Exodus 20 there,
and I read 8 through 11 a little bit ago,
the one commandment
that really deals with time
is the fourth commandment
and makes reference
directly back to creation
and to these six days.
So, it's important for us to understand
what time we are talking about,
and that's why the literal time
is so important in talking about worship
and the commandments.
(Sabina) Yes, and, Jason, you are
leading me to my next observation,
because I really wanted us
to look at that in Scripture also.
Maybe if you'll turn first of all
to Genesis, chapter 2, and I'm going
to ask Shaina if you can lead us
to Genesis 2, verses 1 to 3.
(Shaina) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Sabina) Wonderful, thank you, Shaina.
And now we are going to turn to Exodus 20,
and we are going to read the verses
that Jason made mention of.
Those are verses 8 to 11,
and maybe, Jason, do you mind
being the one then to read that for us, please.
(Jason) Alright, the New King James Version says,
Exodus, chapter 20, verses 8 through 11:
(Sabina) Thank you so much, Jason.
So, as we saw here in these passages,
the fourth commandment,
the commandment that leads us
into this reflection, worship
and spending and separating this holy time
for God and for service to others,
it is based on the understanding
that the days of creation were
literally 1, 2, 3 literal days, up to 7.
So, we are talking about those things.
It's important because there is
a moment that we are living
in which a lot of attacks
are being made on the Sabbath.
So, it is important that we understand
some of those things
that are part of our context.
And we know from Scripture
what is the truth that God teaches,
because then comes our next topic
in this study which is,
why is it then that the Sabbath
and the proper understanding of the Sabbath
are relevant for us in the context
of end-time events?
We are studying the Three Cosmic Messages,
we are now talking about worship,
about the Sabbath,
why is it so important for us, my friends?
We are going to look again
in Revelation 14 to think
about the answer to my question.
So, maybe if Harold would take us
to Revelation, chapter 14, and then we are
going to read verses 7 and 9.
And as Harold reads these verses,
I would like us all to be considering, already,
why is it that honoring the Sabbath
is such an important issue
in the last days? Harold.
(Harold) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, verse 7:
Verse 9:
(Sabina) Okay, so given this passage
that we just heard
and the discussion that we are having,
what are your thoughts then, my friends?
Why is it that honoring the Sabbath
becomes such an important matter
in these last days?
I see you have your hand up, Brittany.
(Brittany) From those two verses,
we see a contrast.
We have to make a decision:
Are we going to worship the Creator
and follow what He asks us to do
out of that loving relationship with Him?
Or, are we going to worship the beast,
which when we study the beast
we realize is a kingdom
that's contrary to what God says.
And so, we have to choose, and we know
behind it all is really this conflct
between Christ and Satan.
Satan wants us to worship
anything other than the Creator God,
and he wants us to ultimately worship him.
And so, he uses systems and people
and all different things to try to take
our attention off of Christ and onto him.
And so, at the end we have
to make a choice: Are we going
to worship Christ and follow
what He asks us to
in a loving relationship with Him,
or are we going to follow what systems
and people tell us to do
that's contrary to what God has told us.
(Sabina) Yes, thank you so much. Stephanie.
(Stephanie) I think it's important
because it identifies
who has our allegiance.
(Sabina) Who has our allegiance, that's wonderful.
Yes, Pedro, I see you're also willing
to share something.
(Pedro) I think Brittany
put it very well here,
but the aspect of worship here,
that word appears in both texts
and is a reminder that the battle
between God and Satan is of worship.
And God is inviting, "You can worship Me,
or you can worship the beast."
And He's asking us to make a decision.
God, who gives us the choice to choose,
He's saying, "Choose Me, but I
still want you to choose."
And He invites us to worship Him.
And the emphasis
on the fourth commandment here
is given by the saying "who created
the heaven and earth,"
which is a reflection
of what we just read in Exodus 20.
(Sabina) Thank you so much. Derek.
(Derek) I think it's really important,
Sabina, to remember we're not saved
by keeping the Sabbath.
We're saved by trusting in Jesus.
Our willingness to follow what He asks us
to do in honoring Him as our Creator
in this weekly cycle is an evidence
of our relationship with Him.
And I think as we look later
in the book of Revelation where He calls
to people in confusion, "Come
out of her, My people,"
that when they see that this is
one of the ways that they express
that they worship the only true God,
Creator and Redeemer,
they will gladly do that.
But it's not a way of earning salvation
or earning God's love.
He already loves us.
It's an evidence, as Stephanie said,
of our allegiance, of our devotion,
to our Creator and Redeemer.
(Sabina) Yes, very well said, Pastor Derek.
Thank you so much for that reminder,
because as we consider
the relevance of a day and why it is
that it's so important that we
keep the Sabbath and remember God,
we need to be reminded also of God's grace
because that's the center of the Sabbath,
right, Pastor Derek.
Of any commandment in the Bible,
the fourth commandment is the commandment
that reminds us that we depend on Jesus,
and that needs to be remembered all the time.
And I see, Tricia, you also
have your hand up; you want
to make a comment, right?
(Tricia Lee) Yeah, thank you.
So, Brittany and Pedro reminded us
or pointed out that there is an issue
or tension between two types of worship,
God's worship and then this false worship
that's worship that involves
this beast and an image,
and we'll find out what that is some more.
But if I hear that personally,
it makes me think, "Okay, so there is
God's way to worship, and then there is
a false way to worship,"
that become really important.
So then it makes me want
to think to myself, "Well, then I
should try to find out what is
God's way of worship."
You read through Scripture,
and He talks about, you know, worship
means in spirit and in truth,
and then other passages
you hear about how,
and it's very important that God
prescribes the Sabbath
on this day, at this time.
And so, just kind of working from there,
you can see it's like, if there are
two ways of worship,
one that's God's way and one
that is this false way,
this way that involves a beast
and all these bad things
I don't want to be a part of,
then it makes me think to myself,
"How can I find out how to honor God
and give Him glory by worshiping Him
the way He's asked us to?"
And when you start looking and uncovering,
you realize it's more than just saying
"in spirit and in truth."
The truth of it all includes
that God actually has a day and a time
for us to meet with Him,
and that's why Sabbath
is so important to me
and why understanding the day
and understanding more about it
becomes so important in understanding
how to worship Him the right way
in spirit and in truth.
(Sabina) Thank you so much, Tricia.
And the fact also, my friends, is that
as we look to Scriptures,
we are reminded that Satan is looking
for ways to distract us
from fully worshiping and engaging
in a deep relationship with Jesus,
a saving relationship with Jesus
that is based on grace.
So, the fact that the angels
are announcing this message
that we are talking about,
the Three Cosmic Messages,
that they give emphasis on the need
to turn to Jesus in worship,
it means that at the end times,
things would happen to try to distract us
from true worship,
that would try to keep us from looking
to our gracious Savior and would try
to turn us to relying
on our own works, right?
So, as we consider the events
that are approaching as we look
to the Second Coming of Jesus,
this message here, this first message
from the angel,
is deeply, truly, fully a reminder
that our hearts need
to be abiding in Christ
and depending on His love alone.
So, as we consider that also,
I would like us to turn to Daniel 7,
verse 25, because now I want us
to be alert to some of the ways
in which the devil will try to distract us
from this truth about the Sabbath, okay?
So, maybe if Pedro will read for us
Daniel, chapter 7, verse 25,
and then following Pedro,
if remote Jason will read for us 1 John,
chapter 2, verses 15 to 17.
So, we'll start off here with Daniel,
and then we are going to 1 John.
(Pedro) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, Daniel 7:25:
(Sabina) Thank you, Pedro.
And now 1 John, chapter 2,
verses 15 [through] 17, Jason.
(Jason) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
and the Bible says:
Verse 16:
(Sabina) Amen. Thank you.
So, my friends, what is it
that you see here in those texts?
How is it that Satan has been trying
to divert our attention
away from the Sabbath? Yes, Pedro.
(Pedro) Looking back on Daniel, chapter 7,
we see here this horn power
trying to change God's laws and times,
and it's interesting that the time
is related to the Law, and the only law
that relates to time is the Sabbath
in the Ten Commandments.
And he's trying to do it in a pompous way,
he's trying to do it in a persuasive way,
to the world around it.
And God is inviting us to not be deceived
by those trickeries.
(Sabina) Okay, thank you so much. Yes, Hope.
(Hope) I think even those of us
who try to keep the Sabbath
and worship God on that day
can get distracted sometimes
like this verse in 1 John was saying,
like, by the things of the world
that just try to creep in.
And before we know it we have
lost sight of God.
And that's really the true purpose
of worshiping God on Sabbath, is
just to take that time to spend with Him
because we love Him,
as Pastor Derek was saying,
not out of obligation
but because we love Him.
I think it's just important to try
to remember to keep distractions away,
because the devil is going to try
to throw things at us even if we do know
what the true day of worship is.
(Sabina) Yes, thank you
so much for sharing, Hope,
because that's the reality.
Just as we were saying,
the Sabbath is a blessing; it's a way
for us to stay connected with Jesus,
to look to His saving grace.
And the devil is going to try
to change this time, right,
and he is already, as we were discussing.
There are some theories out there
that try to already change and convince us
that, "Well, there's not really
a Sabbath day out there,"
so we need to keep our hearts
open to Jesus, first and foremost.
And then I would like us to have
some sharing time here,
because some of us, most of us here,
at least in this auditorium, we experience
the Sabbath ourselves, right?
So, we've been experiencing the Sabbath,
and I would like us to share, if possible,
how is it that remembering the Sabbath
as a special time to worship
our Creator and Redeemer
has been a blessing in your life
or in your family?
Do you have any testimonies? Yes, Jason.
(Jason) Well, Sabina, it's been a blessing,
because it really reminds me
that God is mindful of me,
because we all work jobs,
and we hustle and bustle, 24/7,
but God has allowed us a time
to spend to with Him.
And be mindful, He wants
to spend time with us.
And so, it's just a blessing
that the God of the universe
wants to spend time with us.
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Sabina) Amen. Okay, any other experiences
that you've experienced
in your personal life?
How is it, Lilica, that the Sabbath
has been a blessing to you?
(Lilica) Growing up, there was
a lot of tension in my family.
My mom and I are Seventh-day Adventists.
Later on, some of my family members got baptized,
but before that it was her and me.
And on the Sabbath, as we
did vespers together,
it was a time of reconciliation.
As we prayed, we worshiped God together,
and it was a time of asking
for forgiveness to each other.
And later on, when I went to the faculty,
I would, on Fridays, before sunset,
leave the school, go home, and take
every book out of my backpack
and put them on the shelf
just to make myself remember
that that is the time to rest.
All my friends were like, "You are crazy.
We have to study; we have exams on Monday,
and you're going home and taking
all your books out of your backpack?"
And then after Sabbath,
I put all the books together.
Just to say one thing
also about the Sabbath,
as Hope was saying, the enemy
always tries to distract us
with so many things,
and naturally now we have no desire
to worship God, to spend time with Him.
But if we cannot spend 24 hours with Him,
will we want to spend Heaven, eternity, with Him?
(Sabina) Yes, that's a very good question.
And that leads us into the conclusion
of our study, because we now experience
the blessing of the Sabbath,
as you were sharing
and Jason was sharing,
and we can tell the wonderful things
that God has done for us
as we keep this special day,
but I want us to turn to Revelation,
chapter 21, verses 1 to 4.
And maybe, Hope, if you read for us
these four verses, Revelation 21:1-4,
what does it say there?
(Hope) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Derek) Amen.
(Sabina) Amen. So, we are seeing
that all the suffering
is going to pass away,
but there is something that is
going to be kept in Heaven,
and maybe if we can turn together
to Isaiah, chapter 66, so Isaiah 66,
verses 22 and 23, Harold, would you
please read for us what it iS
that Isaiah is saying.
(Harold) Yes, and I'll be reading
from the New King James Version, and it says:
(Derek) Amen.
(Sabina) Amen. And that is the good news
we have, my friends,
that soon Jesus is coming, that all
the suffering is going to pass away,
and there is one thing that is going
to remain with His love and care,
which is the opportunity for us,
all together, to worship in eternity.
And you can start that right now
as you keep the Sabbath,
as you guard your heart to Jesus,
and as you rely on His saving grace,
that's what the Sabbath is about.
God bless you.
(Derek) Thank you so much, Sabina,
and thank you to each one
or joining us for our study today.
What a blessing the Sabbath,
a time to commune
with our awesome Creator and Redeemer
and soon coming King,
and we'll celebrate with Him and worship
throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.
Let's pray together.
Father in Heaven, thank You
for this encouraging word
about the Sabbath and the end time.
And I pray that we would experience
the beauty of a relationship
with You every day
and especially on the Sabbath day.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Thanks for joining us for Hope Sabbath School.
Three Cosmic Messages,
what a powerful insight
for our lives today in the hour
of the judgment when Jesus is coming soon.
I pray that you would be blessed each Sabbath day,
and go out and be a blessing
to those around you.
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