https:/.../HSS_2019_Q3_EP03.mp4

♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

We are in the middle

of a very practical series of studies

entitled "The Least of These."

Maybe you recognize

those words from Jesus,

where He talked about showing

the love of God to "The Least of These":

Ministering to Those in Need,

today, The Sabbath:
A Day of Freedom,

not just to observe,

but to remember a God who loves us

and loves all of His creation

with an everlasting, unfailing love.

And I'm excited today to welcome you

because one of our team, Tricia Lee,

is going to lead our study.

You know, we don't have guest teachers

on Hope Sabbath School, do we?

We just have the team.

So I want to welcome the team,

good to see you all,

and we're going to have

a practical study today

about The Sabbath: A Day of Freedom,
a day of freedom.

But first I want to share a few emails

from some of our Hope Sabbath School
members around the world.

From Zimbabwe, David writes,

"Amen to Hope Sabbath School."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) "I feel blessed to hear and learn

Hope Sabbath School lessons.

May God bless you abundantly and forever.

I became a believer, and I believe

that Jesus will come again soon."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "Let's work to share the gospel

while we still have time.

God bless you with this wonderful work."

Well, David, thanks for writing to us
from Zimbabwe.

We have many Hope Sabbath School members

in your beautiful country.

Here's a donor writing from Florida

in the United States of America

and says, "We've been watching

Hope Sabbath School each Friday night,

and we're tremendously blessed by it.

I'm sending a small donation

because I believe that Hope Sabbath School

is an excellent means

of sharing God's truth to the world."

And thank you for that gift

of a hundred dollars

for Hope Sabbath School.

We're all part of the miracle

of God together; we appreciate it.

Kofi writes from Ghana.

Ah, Joshua, wave to Kofi.

(Joshua) Yes, that's my middle name.

(Derek) Oh, that's your middle name.

I heard this "Ahh!"

when the name Kofi was mentioned.

"I told God," Kofi writes, "to help me

to take my Bible study seriously.

And I promised Him not to miss

any of the studies this year.

But as a student in high school,

I wouldn't have time to read,

or I was working at the house

when back from school.

I'm living with my brother and his family.

We don't get to church early,

and we also don't study much at home.

But when I searched on YouTube,

I found Hope Sabbath School."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) "Hope Sabbath School

was the first channel

I saw and subscribed.

I download the full lesson

as audio on my phone.

I listen whenever I wake up
in the morning,

while I'm working; I've not missed
a single study.

And I've been blessed.

I even downloaded the theme song
on my phone,

and I use it as my alarm tone.

I've been blessed; it touches my heart

every time I hear the Word of God.

I wish to be a pastor some day,"
writes Kofi,

"and visit Hope Sabbath School personally.

May the Almighty bless you

as He uses you to change lives. Amen."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) You've got a good namesake
there, Joshua,

with Kofi in Ghana.

Thanks for writing.

(Joshua) It means, "Born on a Friday."

(Derek) It means, "Born on a Friday."

Okay, well, thank you

for that little lesson

about Ghanaian history.

All right, Maddie writes to us from Oregon

in the United States of America

and says, "Thank you so much

for your time and talents;

because of Hope Sabbath School,

now I have learned

not to run away from God when I sin,
but run to Him."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Remember, we had

a study about that, didn't we?

Run to God, not away from Him.

"I look forward to every week of study

with you as a community.

I'm a registered nurse,

and when my patients seem hopeless,

I tell them about the love of Jesus."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) A missionary!

"By the way, I'm from Haiti,

but I'm living in Portland, Oregon."

One last note, from Jetro

(like Jethro without an H),

Jetro in the Philippines.

He says, "I accidentally put my hand up

when they needed someone

to teach Sabbath School.

I'm not an expert," he says.

"I'm not equipped; I was
a little troubled,

and then I remembered Jesus says,

'Ask, and it will be given to you.'"

And so he prayed, and he said,

"Then I found Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

They were amazed when I led
the discussion,

and now I'm a regular teacher.

Every week I download

the lesson discussion.

I listen over and over again

while I'm driving or doing something else

in my weekly routine.

My week is not complete

without hearing the Word of God

and singing the Scripture song. Amen."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) Thanks for writing, Jetro,

from the Philippines.

We're laughing because our hearts

are full of joy to see
that God is using you.

And you know you can download

the same outline that Tricia Lee

will be using for this study,

Sabbath: A Day of Freedom.

You can download it

on our website: hopetv.org/hopess,

and you can use that

in your Bible study group.

While you're at our website,

if you missed any in the series,

you can watch them,

but you can also download

our Scripture theme song,

which is taken from 2 Thessalonians,

chapter 3, verses 5 and 16.

In fact, we'd like you to help us;

let's sing it together right now.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) You know, I like that song,

and I just want my heart to be directed

into the love of God, don't you?

And, Tricia Lee, I know

God's going to bless as you share

the Word of God with us today.

(Tricia Lee) Amen. Let's bow

our heads in prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank You

so much for this study.

Thank You so much for giving a day to us.

Help us as we understand more

about how we can be a blessing

to others on this Sabbath.

And may this study, Lord, be a blessing

as we read Your Word.

In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

(Derek, Team) Amen.

(Tricia Lee) So we have

an awesome study today on the Sabbath.

And let's start off in Genesis, chapter 2.

We're going to go right to the beginning
of the Bible,

and let's see if we can understand

a bit more about the Sabbath,

the day that the Creator blessed,

and what we can learn from that.

Let's start off in Genesis, chapter 2,

and the first three verses.

And I'll ask Jason if he would
read that for us.

(Jason) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

Genesis, chapter 2, verses 1 through 3:

(Tricia Lee) All right, so this
is the first week of creation,

and we're told that God is blessing
the seventh day

and making it special.

I have a question: How do we know

that the Sabbath day

is an actual, literal, 24-hours,
just one day?

And I ask that question

because there are some people who believe

creation might have taken place

over a longer period of time.

And if that's the case, it might be

a bit confusing to identify which day
we're talking about.

How do we know? Gladys.

(Gladys) In Genesis 1,

if you read through the verses,

it says that it was evening,

and it was morning,

and He calls it a day.

So you cannot say it was

a longer period of time

because He says it clearly

it was evening and the morning.

(Tricia Lee) We're going to read

some more Scriptures

that talk about special miracles,

and even the commandments themselves,

and we're going to learn a lot from those

that help us confirm that we are speaking

about a literal 24-hour period

that God has made special, just for us.

And so, let's turn over

to the book of Exodus.

We're going to take a look now

at the Ten Commandments.

The book of Exodus, chapter 20,

and let's read verses 8 through 11.

Joshua, would you read that for us?

(Joshua) Sure, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

and the Bible says:

(Tricia Lee) Amen. So right here

in the heart of the Ten Commandments

we're reminded about God's creative power.

We're reminded that it took six days

to create the earth.

We're reminded that we should do

our work in six days

and rest on one day.

If the Sabbath was a longer period
of time,

it would be really hard for us

to work much longer than six days.

Some people even believe

it could have been millennia or centuries.

It would be hard to kind of model that,

in this commandment

if we were to work for a whole millennium

and then rest for a whole millennium,

so we're talking about a literal,

24-hour period of time. Adison?

(Adison) Just throughout history

there have been times where people

have tried to change the structure
of the week.

You had the French, I mean,
like in France,

who tried to change the structure

of a seven-day week to a ten-day week,

and it totally distorted, not only man,

but for the rest of creation.

(Tricia Lee) Confusion, it's important

not to be confused about this,

not just because we want
to get the day right,

but because we're going to keep reading

there are special blessings

that God has for us on this day

that He set apart for us.

Let's look now at some
very special miracles

that God did for His people

when He brought them out of Egypt,

and they were wandering
through the desert.

There were some very special blessings

that God could have given them
in different ways,

but He chose to bless them

and give them miracles on the Sabbath day.

Let's read about these miracles

and see what we can learn

about what God wants us
to learn from that.

We're going to turn to Exodus, chapter 16,

and let's start by reading
verses 1 through 5.

Alex, would you read those verses for us?

(Alex) Sure, and I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Tricia Lee) All right, so we see

the children of Israel

are now in the desert.

Is the desert known for being a place

of having food and plenty?

No, not much grows there,

and the things that do grow

are probably very difficult to eat.

Or maybe certain animals

are adapted to eating it, but not for us.

And so we have a crisis.

They're free, but they're hungry,

and you even see some of them

think they might die,

or they're even saying, like,

"This is not a good situation."

They're complaining, and probably,

if we were in their shoes, we would, too.

Let's keep looking now

at verses 15 through 22.

Alex, would you keep reading.

Let's see more about this miracle

that God is providing for them.

(Alex) Sure. Verse 15:

(Tricia Lee) All right, so God
provides this miracle

of bread called manna,

and I believe it actually means,
"What is it?"

They didn't know what it was;

they had never seen it before.

But what's interesting about the amount

that was provided for them?

What do we notice here in the Scripture
about the amount

that was provided? Evelyn?

(Evelyn) It was just enough

that they needed for that day.

It was their daily bread,

so it couldn't be saved for the next day.

(Tricia Lee) Did it last long?

(Team) No.

(Tricia Lee) It says when the sun rose,

it would melt when the sun got hot.

So it was just enough

to supply their need.

A reminder that God would take care

of them through the desert.

Now, let's keep reading.

Now, we're told that they collected

twice as much on the sixth day,

and let's keep reading and find out

what happens on the seventh,
or on Sabbath.

Alex, would you continue to read

verses 23 to 30 for us?

(Alex) Sure. Verse 23:

(Tricia Lee) Amen. Thank you
for reading that.

What special thing happened
on the seventh day,

that we just read? Adrien?

(Adrien) There was no manna...

God did not provide any manna that day.

He gave double on Friday,

and then on Sabbath there was none,

giving them a lesson

that they weren't to work that day.

(Tricia Lee) And that He would provide.

What would happen on the days, remember,

when they would collect extra,

what would happen to it?

It would go bad, but the extra

that God provided on the sixth day,

did that spoil on the Sabbath?
No, it didn't.

Why do you think God wanted to perform

that miracle on the seventh day?

(Adrien) I think, again, to show them

that that was a day for them to rest,

where they didn't have to provide
for themselves,

that they could trust Him

to provide for them.

(Tricia Lee) And another reminder

that this day is special.

It's very different from every other day.

And I'm sure, if they

even might have forgotten,

they were forgetting what day

is the seventh day,

on the sixth, when they see

the extra manna out there,

that would be an indication,

"Hmm, tomorrow's the Sabbath."

So God wanted to show that there was

a blessing in the day.

He didn't want them to go out and work.

He wanted them to do what instead?

(Team) Rest.

(Tricia Lee) What else do you imagine
He wanted them to do?

(Stephanie) Rely on Him.

(Tricia Lee) Rely on Him.

Can you imagine the stories

that you would be sharing
with your family,

every Sabbath being able to say,

"Wow, God is consistently providing
for us." Pastor?

(Derek) I'm just thinking,

when they were slaves in Egypt,

generation after generation,

I don't imagine their taskmasters saying,

"Oh, it's Sabbath; you can have
the day off."

And there may have even been a question,

though I think they were fairly careful

in remembering that day,

but certainly even some today might say,

"Well, how do we even know which day

was the day that God blessed?"

But here, every week

is a series of miracles,

double manna on Friday,

lasting over the Sabbath,

no manna on Sabbath,

that consistently reminds them,

"This is the day, the day to rest,

Sabbath, special blessing day."

So, if they didn't know when they started,

after 40 years of miracles,

it was absolutely clear to them

which was God's special day.

(Tricia Lee) That's a good point.

We're reading through this account
in Exodus,

but the reality is we're told

it happened every day for the entire time

that they were in the wilderness.

They knew which day was the seventh day,

and God consistently provided for them

and consistently blessed them.

Let's look now in the New Testament

at some additional miracles

that Jesus performs on the Sabbath day,

and let's see what we could learn
from them.

Liza, would you please read for us

Mark, chapter 2, verses 23 through 28?

And we can certainly learn

a lot about Sabbath-keeping

by looking at and following

the example of Jesus.

The book of Mark, chapter 2, 23,

and let me make sure I'm there as well.

(Liza) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Tricia Lee) So there's a lot

that we could learn about the Sabbath,

and we're going to learn about that today.

But by the time we get, now, here

to the New Testament,

there were a lot of misunderstandings

about what could be done on the Sabbath,

what could not be done on the Sabbath.

And, actually, instead of being a blessing

to those believers at the time,

it was more of a burden.

There were so many lists
of do's and don'ts.

It was so confusing and hard,

you literally had to be a scholar

to really memorize and understand

all the different things

you were allowed to do.

I have a question, though.

So we see the disciples and Jesus;

they're hungry, and they pick some corn,

and they eat it.

And the Pharisees are saying,

"It's not lawful to do that."

Why do we think

they might have thought that? Jason.

(Jason) Because back in Exodus

we read there, during the story of manna,

God made it clear they weren't

to gather food on Sabbath.

And it even said, "People,

don't go out of your house."

And so there is some guidance in Exodus

that you could take to say,

"Don't gather food for yourself;

don't do this extra work."

And so the Pharisees are now saying,

"Well, this applies now, in this context.

No picking grain on Sabbath."

(Tricia Lee) You need to starve all day.

It's going to be a day of fasting for you.

So there's a good point in there, Jason,

that there was some context,

that they could have easily said,

"You know what? Our ancestors

weren't allowed to work on Sabbath
or pick manna,"

but there was none provided, actually.

But notice that Jesus says

He's Lord of the Sabbath.

So certainly we can learn
from His example.

And the bigger context here

is that Jesus is meeting the needs

of the disciples on the Sabbath day.

Here we have some men who are hungry,

and if ever there's a day to bless

and to fill our physical
and spiritual needs,

then we're going to keep reading

and find out that the Sabbath

is the day to do that.

And so, even though there can be

some confusion about what we
can or cannot do,

we have to remember that we can

always follow Jesus' example,

and that the Sabbath is intended

to be a blessing for us, not a burden.

Let's look at another example
from Christ's life.

Let's look over to Luke, chapter 23,

and this is actually about His death
and resurrection.

And let's see what we can learn

about Sabbath observance
from this account.

We're in Luke, chapter 23, verse 50,

and we'll read all the way through

chapter 24, verse 6.

Gladys, would you read that for us?

(Gladys) Sure, Luke, chapter 23, verse 50,
and I'm reading

from the New International Version,
and it says:

Chapter 24:

(Tricia Lee) So, in case we're confused

by the time we get to the New Testament

about which day is the Sabbath,

we have another reminder here.

It says that He rested on the seventh day.

What day was Jesus placed in the tomb,

according to this account?

(Team) On Friday.

(Tricia Lee) It's called
the Preparation Day.

They called it Preparation Day.

Then it says the next day He rested,

and what does it say about that day?

It's called the Sabbath.

And remember, even though
this was their loved one,

who they cared for,

they stopped their preparations -

I believe they hadn't finished

preparing the body or putting
spices on it -

but they stopped that work

and were planning to come back.

It says, "Early on the first day

of the week they came back."

So if we look at the sequence of events,

we can clearly see, Friday,

which would be the Preparation Day,

followed by the Sabbath, the seventh,

and then the first day.

Even now in many Christian traditions,

it's called "Good Friday,"

it's called "Sabbath,"

and then some people celebrate

"Resurrection Day" as Sunday.

And so again we can see the days lined up,

and we can understand

which day is that special day.

But what do we think about the fact

that Jesus was resting or sleeping,

we're told that death is a slumber,

that He was resting in the tomb

on the seventh day?

What do we think about that?
Any thoughts?

(Derek) Tricia Lee,

I'm just remembering back,

because John 1 says,

"In the beginning was the Word

and was with God, by Him all things
were made,

and the Word became flesh."

So that's the Son of God

who comes into humanity, Jesus,

that, just as the Son of God

rested at the end of the creation week
on the Sabbath

with the finished work of creation,

so He's resting in the tomb.

He didn't have to, right?

But He rests in the tomb

after finishing the work of redemption.

It's an amazing parallel.

It could just be a coincidence,

but I don't think so.

(Tricia Lee) What is one
of the famous quotes

of Christ on the cross?

(Tricia Lee, Team) "It is finished."

(Tricia Lee) He came to accomplish a work

that we could never do for ourselves.

And how fitting, Pastor,

that He rested as well,
after accomplishing

that great work of salvation for us,
praise God.

So we have seen from Genesis

and from Exodus in the commandments

that the Sabbath is a reminder

that God is our Creator,

that He deserves our worship,

and He deserves to be Lord of our lives.

But there are some other reasons

why we observe the Sabbath,

and let's look at Deuteronomy, chapter 5.

This is another account

of the Sabbath commandment,

and there's another reason

why we observe the Sabbath.

I will ask Laurel to read for us

Deuteronomy, chapter 5,

verses 12 through 15.

(Laurel) All right, I'll be reading

from the New American Standard Bible,

Deuteronomy, chapter 5, 12 through 15:

(Tricia Lee) Amen. When we read

the Ten Commandment account in Exodus,

we're told to remember the Sabbath

because God is Creator.

And here we're reminded

to remember the Sabbath

because He rescued us from slavery;
He's our Redeemer.

There's another reason why

we should remember the Sabbath day.

Stephanie, would you read for us

Ezekiel, chapter 20, verse 12?

Ezekiel 20, verse 12.

And these are important reminders

because the Sabbath is a blessing for us

in spiritual ways as well as
physical ways.

(Stephanie) All right, and I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Tricia Lee) Why is it vitally important

to remember that God is our Creator,

our Redeemer, and the One
who sanctifies us?

And sanctification, that means

makes us holy, setting us apart,

changing us to be more like Him.

Why is it important to remember

all those things about God? Yes, Jason?

(Jason) It's a blessing to know

that God is our Creator

because we cannot make ourselves.

So we know there's Someone higher,

that Someone's greater than us.

And also as our Redeemer,

we couldn't save ourselves.

So, God, in His loving manner,

sent His only begotten Son to save us.

And as for sanctifying us,

He separates us for a purpose.

You know, that's a blessing

that we can co-labor with Him

and His Son in this act of love.

(Tricia Lee) These are some

really deep and profound thoughts
and principles.

How do we see all this

in the Sabbath commandment?

How do we see that by keeping
the Sabbath holy

we remember God as Creator, as Redeemer,
as our Sanctifier?

How does that happen?

(Gladys) It just keeps the focus on God

in our frail human beings.

You know, sometimes during the week,

we just go, go, go, to our jobs;

we have many things to do.

But the Sabbath is like

we tuned out everything else;

we're just like in tune with God.

And then we see the needs

of the fellowmen as well.

(Tricia Lee) We see the needs
of the fellowmen.

Certainly we're not in the desert
right now.

Most of us are living in lands

and times of plenty,

but even when we decide to not work

on the Sabbath day,

it is an indication that we're saying,

"God, we know You're going
to provide for us,

even if we don't work six days."

And what can we do on that seventh day?

It's an opportunity for us

to be a blessing to others.

Six days of the week, for the most part,

many of us are working

primarily for ourselves and our families,

but on that seventh day,

when we let God take care of us,

it's an opportunity for us

to start taking care of others as well.

Now, thinking about that fourth
commandment,

it's interesting that, of all
the commandments,

it's very, very detailed.

Some of the others, it's, "Do not kill,"
that's it.

"Do not kill." "Do not steal."

There is not much other description.

"Do not do these things."

But there is a lot of description

and detail and even repetition

throughout the Bible

about the Sabbath commandment.

Why do you think that is?

What is it about the Sabbath commandment

that there is so much detail,

there's so much to it?

Why do we think that is? Adison?

(Adison) The first four commandments

deal with your love for God

or your relationship with God.

And then the last six deal with, you know,

your relationship with your neighbor,
with each other.

And so I think that the Sabbath

encompasses both of those things,

your relationship with God,

and then how that's going to look like

as you interact with others around you.

(Tricia Lee) I have never thought of it

as a transition commandment,

but you're absolutely right,

because who all is mentioned

in this commandment?

It's not just, "You don't do this."

Who all do we see mentioned

in the commandment, if you recall?

Your servant, even animals,

even guests, foreigners and strangers.

It's a commandment that can touch

and bless all of us.

And, even, it's like a healing gift
to creation itself.

God is so good, so good.

Let's keep looking at some
of the blessings

that we can receive on the Sabbath day

and we can see in the life and example

and ministry of the Lord.

Let's turn to Matthew, chapter 12,

Matthew, chapter 12,

and I will ask Adrien if he will

read for us verses 9 through 13.

(Adrien) Sure, I'll be reading

from the King James Version,

Matthew, chapter 12, verses 9 through 13:

(Tricia Lee) Praise God. So we have
a man with a withered hand,

and the Lord intentionally goes
to heal him,

but there's some controversy.

Liza, what's the problem?

(Liza) It's on the Sabbath.

(Tricia Lee) What's the problem with that?

(Liza) Some people would think
that He's working.

Being a health worker, I guess,
in those times,

even they had to observe Sabbath day,

and so why is Jesus doing work,

even though it's good works,
on the Sabbath?

And maybe they just misunderstood that.

(Tricia Lee) We're going to come back
to this point,

but Jesus says, "It's lawful to do good

on the Sabbath day. Eric.

(Eric) There's something else.

If you read further down there,

it says that...His question is,

"What man is there who has one sheep,

and if it falls in a pit will not help
on Sabbath?"

You know, people will do things
that serve them.

They forget to help the other person,

so when you're healing, when you're
extending healing to someone,

you're not serving yourself.

And it's more for the service
of the other person,

so the other person can be restored
as opposed to yourself.

(Tricia Lee) Praise God. Evelyn.

(Evelyn) Adding on to what he said,

the Pharisees and the Sadducees

and people at this time

were very focused on, "How can I

keep Sabbath so that I'm not condemned,

so that nothing bad falls
upon me [from] God?"

And so Jesus comes and He's like, "No,

this is the right way to keep the Sabbath.

This is an example for you.

Sabbath is not for you.

It's for those around you.

It's to bring good upon others."

(Tricia Lee) And if you could show mercy

to an animal that falls into a pit,

of course, you can show mercy
to another person.

Let's keep looking at another miracle

that the Lord performs on the Sabbath day.

Joshua, would you read for us

Mark, chapter 1, verses 21 through 26,
Mark, chapter 1.

So we see a physical miracle,

a physical healing that takes place.

Let's look at another miracle

that the Lord performs.

(Joshua) This is Mark, chapter 1...

(Tricia Lee) 21 through 26.

(Joshua) 21 through 26,
and the Bible says:

(Tricia Lee) Okay. Amen.

What kind of healing was this?

(Team Member) Exorcism.

(Tricia Lee) It was an exorcism,
so this is...

I mean, a withered hand is pretty bad.

I mean, you're not able to work,

and certainly you may not be able

to take care of yourself,

but this man has a demon inside of him.

This is a spiritual bondage that he is in,

and the Lord frees him from this

on the Sabbath day.

This is a spiritual healing

that the Lord is performing. Gladys?

(Gladys) I think that it's
very interesting

that this man is at the synagogue.

He's not in the street;

he's in the synagogue, he's possessed,

he's in bondage, like you said.

So, to me, it's very interesting

that Jesus, even in that place,

that you would think

it would be just holy people

that were observing the Law, you know,

this man is in bondage among them.

(Tricia Lee) Yes, Liza.

(Liza) I was going to say the same thing.

The fact that he's in a temple of worship,

and this man is suffering

from spiritual bondage

means that it affected

the spiritual atmosphere of God's house.

And so, unless He addressed it,

then how could the people continue

to experience God in the fullness
of who He was?

(Derek) And, you know, the prophet Isaiah

had foretold that the One who would come

would set the captives free,

"set at liberty those who are oppressed."

So I like what's coming out

and certainly ties in with the whole theme

of ministering to those in need.

The Sabbath isn't just about us

and our relationship with God.

It's about letting the love of God

and the blessings of God flow through us,

and that's what Jesus did there.

He could have said, "Well, I'm going

to church right now..."

It's like, no, the Sabbath is a time,

it's a day of freedom; it's a time

to let the love of God bless other people,

and that's what He did.

(Tricia Lee) And I love that you mentioned

He's in church; He's in a synagogue

in a worship service.

That's a very common way

for people to worship together,

is to go to a house of worship

and to go through a program or a service.

But Jesus did not let

the service or the program

stop Him from being a blessing to those

who were right there in front of Him.

Certainly we can go out

and find hungry people

or people suffering, in need,

but sometimes the hungry people

and those in need are right there with us.

So what a beautiful example

that on the Sabbath, in church,

in the church building,

that He is performing miracles,

that we can still do all these things.

And I just say that because,

church service, sometimes we want

to get through the program.

There's a certain order.

We have to sing the songs, we pray,
we read the Bible.

Do we really pause to think about who's

around us that has a need?

But what a perfect time,

when we're all gathered together,

to identify those needs

and to be a blessing. Joshua.

(Joshua) Yes, there's a church

in the city that I live in

that decided that for an entire year,

and I even think they went further
than a year,

that every Sabbath before the service,

they were going to go out

and serve the city, as they called it.

And it was amazing because it was

something that I hadn't seen growing up,

as much as I should have, like, people

really going out consistently

to serve the people in one way or another,

not just spreading the gospel,

but really helping them...

(Stephanie) Meeting them...

(Joshua) Exactly, like meeting them
where they are

and serving their needs.

(Tricia Lee) This is good, so let's
talk about that

because I know prayer is powerful,

and we can pray for people.

What are some practical ways

that we can help people and do good?

What are some ways that we've seen healing

happen on the Sabbath day

or that we can be a blessing to others
on the Sabbath day?

Are there any examples that we have? Liza?

(Liza) One thing that I used to like to do

was go to the nursing home after church.

It doesn't require...I mean

maybe there's a sacrifice of time
as we talked about it,

but the people in the nursing homes,

they're helpless, and a lot of them,

they're disconnected from family.

All they really want is someone

to just spend time with them.

And sometimes we sing, and we pray,

but really just the presence

of someone being with them,

that means the world to them.

(Tricia Lee) Amen. Adrien, did you
have your hand up?

(Adrien) I work in a hospital

and take care of people that come in

with broken bones and infections

and things like that.

And I had an opportunity to help serve,

even on Friday nights

and Sabbaths as well.

And at first it was something

that was kind of hard for me

because I thought, well,

I'd rather be in church right now.

But I realized that's really selfish of me
to be thinking that way,

that it's really an opportunity

to extend the ministry of Jesus

as He would have done and as He did.

(Tricia Lee) Praise God. Gladys.

(Gladys) I go to prison ministry;

it's one of my favorite Sabbaths.

(Tricia Lee) Prison ministry? Wow.

(Gladys) Yes, I call it like
my high Sabbath

because just going into prison,

people who don't have physical freedom,

but they have found freedom in Jesus.

And it's just amazing how they sing
with their hearts.

And I love to minister in there,

because sometimes they feel a disconnect

with the church outside.

So coming in is just wonderful.

I love that experience.

(Tricia Lee) The church that I attend,

if we have members that are ill

or suffering or sick or even have cancers,

the Sabbath is a time when the pastor

and the elders will come

and lay hands on them

and have a special anointing service.

And it's an opportunity

because the other church members
are present.

We can all join in that prayer

and have united prayer

for that individual's healing

and comfort and restoration.

So I love that, Adrien.

Sometimes it is easy to be selfish

and say, "I worked so hard all week;

I just want to get my rest

and get a nap or do whatever.

I don't want to go out

and look for somebody else

who has problems and troubles."

But those of you who have blessed others
on the Sabbath,

have you not been blessed as well?

(Team) Yes.

(Tricia Lee) And you feel refreshed;
God is so good.

We're going to go back

to the Old Testament,

and we're going to see

some very practical ways,

amazing ways that the Lord

used the Sabbath in the context

of blessing the livelihood of His people

and even promoting social equity.

How on earth can the Sabbath
promote social equity?

How on earth can we have lessons

about agriculture and livelihood?

God is amazing; there's nothing

that His Word does not cover.

Let's go back to the book of Leviticus,

and I'm going to ask Jason to read for us

Leviticus, chapter 25, verses 1 through 7.

(Jason) My pleasure, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Tricia Lee) So we have another...

This is a parallel to the manna,

this is a parallel to the miracle
of the manna,

but we're not looking at a six-day period.

We're looking now at a six-year period,

and we're looking at agriculture.

And what is God telling them not to do

on that seventh year?

(Gladys) They were not supposed to sow
and plant the land;

they had to let it rest.

(Tricia Lee) For six years
they could do this.

They could plant and harvest

and fertilize and dig.

I'm not an agricultural person;

I'm actually not very good at gardening.

I try; sometimes things grow,

and sometimes they don't.

But all the things that you need to do

to have a healthy, strong crop,

they could do that for six years. Alex.

(Alex) It kind of reminds me

of our seven-day week.

We don't want to just prepare on Friday.

We want to be preparing

all six of those days

for that seventh day.

And if we are spreading it out

across those six days,

it makes the Sabbath a delight.

We're not rushing around

and trying to get ready for it.

(Tricia Lee) True. In the seventh year,

they were not to do any of that.

That sounds a little scary to me.

I'm not a farmer, but it sounds

a little scary that for a whole year

I'm not going to go out

and do all those things.

I'm sorry, I don't know what all
those things are,

but I'm not going to be digging
and planting and fertilizing

and making sure I'm pruning

and making sure everything is growing.

But God says what's going to happen

in that seventh year?

(Team) Land rests.

(Tricia Lee) But what will
happen for them?

Will the food stop?

(Team) No.

(Tricia Lee) Whatever the land
would produce on its own

would still be able to support
their needs.

Now we know and understand

from science and from other places,

like agricultural societies,

that this model actually

is very good for the land.

You do not over-cultivate it,

like, you're able to allow

the minerals to replenish in the soil.

All sorts of things happen

in that seventh year

that are very beneficial

for the fertility of the plants,

a fertile soil and all these things.

I'm talking about things

I don't understand fully,

but I understand that this

is supposed to work.

What kind of lesson do you think

God was teaching them?

Again, this is mostly

an agricultural society.

What lessons do you think you learn

when you don't go out into your field

and do all those things

you're used to doing for six years?

(Evelyn) That it's not

just for people to keep the Sabbath,

but it's for all living creatures,

all living creation on Earth,

to rest on that day.

(Tricia Lee) Even a reminder

that God is the Creator.

He's the One that's making
these plants grow.

Yes, you're doing your part,

but at the end of the day, He put life

in that seed so that it could
produce a crop. Eric?

(Eric) On that seventh year,

if you're not planting,

if can bring anxiety for you.

"If I'm not working, now what am I

supposed to be doing?"

or, "How am I supposed to feed myself?"

It brings us back to God, to rely on Him,

to rely solely on Him

because He is our Creator,
He is our provider.

(Tricia Lee) Praise God. Let's keep
looking it over.

Let's got to Exodus, chapter 21,

and the same concept

of this seventh year

being a special type of Sabbath,

something special would happen

on this seventh year

that would also promote equity
among the people.

Alex, would you read for us

Exodus 21, verses 1 through 3?

(Alex) Sure, and I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Tricia Lee) Wow. If you have

a servant or a slave, they are free.

Now, in that context,

I believe there are different ways

that people could become slaves.

One of them was through indebtedness.

If you owed somebody money,

or you have nothing to pay,

you would have to pay them

with your work, with labor.

And so possibly you, yourself,

or maybe if you had an even greater debt,

your whole family might have

to come into servitude

to whoever you owe money to.

But what is this telling us, Joshua?

(Joshua) Even in the case

of someone's freedom,

He ties in this aspect of the Sabbath.

Now, wow, when I look at this...

I mean, if someone worked for six years,

and then, it says, in the seventh year

he shall go out free and pay nothing,

that God wanted to signify liberty

in that individual's life with something

that we're supposed

to experience liberty with,
every single week.

(Tricia Lee) Amen. Remember, God

freed them from slavery.

God has freed us from spiritual slavery,

from being slaves to sin.

God did not want the practice

of prolonged indebtedness,

prolonged servitude and bondage

to be like a cycle repeated
among His people.

if we read in other parts of Deuteronomy,

being freed from servitude

also included the cancellation of debts.

That would be so great,

especially those of us

that have a student loan.

You know, I pay for six years;

in seven years it's gone.

God was trying to give an example

that we are not to follow greediness.

We're not to follow the example
of other nations.

And just like He could provide the bread

and the manna on all those days

and bless on the seventh,

He wanted His people to realize

you don't have to be greedy

and enslave each other to get ahead.

You don't have to collect debts forever.

But realize what it would do
for the people

if every seven years

your debts are forgiven,

your family's freed.

There aren't haves and have-nots.

There's going to be a society

where people are able to live in harmony

and do what? Bless each other,

and serve each other. Jason.

(Jason) You bring up a great point there.

And also I was reminded that we say

the Sabbath is a blessing to us,
which is true,

and to other people,

but how much of a blessing

it is for God to actually see

these works being done,

people being obedient and loving Him.

And I know it just does

His heart great joy to see such a thing.

(Tricia Lee) Wow. God is amazing.

There is something extra special.

There is called the Year of Jubilee,

and this happened every 50 years.

There's something special

about the number seven to the Lord,

and He uses so many ways

to remind the people.

Every seven days there was

the spiritual Sabbath, a physical Sabbath

they would rest from their labors

and bless other people.

Every seven years the land would rest,

debts would be forgiven, slaves set free.

But now after seven sets of seven,

after [seven] series of these seven years,

on the fiftieth, there would be
a Year of Jubilee,

and the same thing would happen.

Debts would be forgiven,

the land would be allowed to rest,

all these amazing things would happen

so that the people would remember

that God is in control and will provide.

But think about this,

if every six years you plant

and then you wait one year

on the seventh year,

whenever you get to the Year of Jubilee,

that means there are two years

you're not planting.

You're not going to plant

on the forty-ninth year,

but then you're also not going to plant

on the fiftieth year because it's Jubilee.

So now it's two years

that you are not sowing in your fields.

So if you were nervous before

about not getting your crops,

this is really like testing the Lord.

So I'm setting my slaves free,

I'm cancelling debts,

I'm not sowing in the fields,

and we're supposed to be happy?

Let's look at God's miracle

that He would perform,

that He tells them He'll perform for them.

Laurel, would you read for us

Leviticus, chapter 25, verses 20 and 22?

And this is the promise

that God made to them

about celebrating that fiftieth year.

(Laurel) I'll be reading

from the New American Standard Bible,

Leviticus 25:20-22:

(Tricia Lee) Praise God, what a miracle.

So they would sow in the forty-eighth year

and God would give them a triple blessing,

enough to last them the forty-ninth,

the fiftieth, and obviously
the fifty-first

because they weren't planting
the year before,

so they still have to be eating something

from three years prior.

What a blessing, again, God reminding them

that He is the Creator, He is in charge,

He is the Redeemer, He's a Provider,

and that they can focus
on blessing others.

As we close, how is the Sabbath

a time for us to be a blessing for others?

(Adrien) I think it's a time for us

to think about people's spiritual needs

and their physical needs

and to be open to whoever God brings
across our paths.

(Tricia Lee) Praise God.

Adison, how is the Sabbath

a blessing for others?

(Adison) There are so many blessings.

For me personally, I love

to have the ability to spend time

with my friends and my family.

It's a long week, and on Sabbath

you can talk to them

and draw closer to each other,

and to hopefully make a difference

in their lives.

(Tricia Lee) Jason, how is the Sabbath

a time to be a blessing for others?

(Jason) For me it's a time

to worship with other people,

and so, praising God

while also connecting with my fellow man.

(Tricia Lee) Amen. Eric.

(Eric) Growing up, I liked being
out in nature,

and I didn't get enough of that
on the Sabbath.

Now that I'm grown up,

and I'm able to do it myself,

on the Sabbath, when it's nice and warm,

it's easy to go out and enjoy the outside.

I feel, you know, just to see the beauty

that is a creation of God, outside,

to enjoy the quiet and the stillness.

(Tricia Lee) Praise God!
God has given us, every week,

24 hours for us to be blessed.

He will take care of all

of our physical needs

so that we can be free

to bless others around us.

And I pray that we will each enjoy

all the blessings of the Sabbath,

physical, spiritual and
in every other way.

Thanks for studying with me.

(Derek) Thanks so much,

and what a great reminder

that the Sabbath is not just about us.

It's about letting His love
flow through us.

I don't know what next Sabbath

has planned for you,

but just be thinking, "God, let it be

a time that Your love

can flow through me,

a time of freedom, not just for me,

maybe sharing the truth

about a God who loves us

with someone who doesn't know yet."

Let's pray that can be

a special experience for us each week.

Father in Heaven, we're reminded again

the Sabbath is not just

a religious obligation,

it is a gift from a loving Creator
and Redeemer,

and a time for us to show

Your love to others.

And I pray that we would

remember that each week.

May it be a time of healing

and blessing and rejoicing,

not only for us but for those around us,

and we thank You.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) I don't know what's happening

this Sabbath for you,

but like I said, think about others,
not yourself.

Go out, take the love of Jesus,

which He pours into your heart,

and be a blessing to those around you.

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