Introduction: Jesus healed a sick man on the Sabbath day, and told him to take up his bed and walk home. The healed man was immediately criticized for profaning the sabbath day, for working on the sabbath, by carrying his bed. God’s people have disagreed for thousands of years about the correct way to keep the Sabbath day. Why? Because we merely express our personal opinions, and we do not study and live by the Bible. Jesus said to His critics: “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures.” What does the Bible tell us about the Sabbath day?

I. It is for all people, in all ages of the world.

A. There are some who teach that Sabbath keeping was only for the Jews in the Old Testament, and is no longer binding on Christians in this age.

B. But the Sabbath did not begin with the Mosaic Covenant and Israel. It began at the creation of the world, long before Israel and Moses existed (Exodus 20:8-11).

C. Sabbath keeping is not some detail of the law, as for example, what to do about an ox that falls in the ditch. Rather, the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments, which are the eternal moral law of God.

D. Jesus made it clear that His followers were to live by the Law of God, and that it did not come to an end in the Christian era (Matthew 5:17-19). We know that we are not saved by keeping the Law. But we also know that a saved person delights to keep the Laws of God.

II. Sabbath keeping has been mis-understood and twisted out of shape for thousands of years (John 5:10).

A. The Jews who criticized the man for carrying his bed were not quoting Scripture. They were imposing on him one of the 39 sabbath stipulations of Judaism. That’s why Joe Liebermann walks to the synagogue on Sabbath, instead of riding in his limo.

B. It is important for Christians to realize that Judaism is not the Old Testament religion of the Bible, which requires a temple in Jerusalem, a priesthood, and many animal sacrifices. Judaism is based on the traditions of the elders, and the Talmud, a written record and explanation of those traditions. (See the Encyclopedia article about the Talmud.) Jesus condemned the Jews for living by their traditions rather than by the Word of God (Mark 7:5-13). A Christian who honors a man for living by Judaism (or any other religion of good works and rituals), is contradicting Jesus.

III. God made the sabbath to benefit mankind, not to be a burden on mankind (Mark 2:23-28). It is perfectly fine with God for people to do works of necessity, and works of mercy on the Sabbath day. This does not break the Law of God. God gave us the Sabbath in order that we might rest, and that we might have time to worship.
IV. The Sabbath DID have a special meaning for the nation of Israel that it had for no other nation. It was a sign of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:16). This is a key thought for the Christian today who seeks to understand how to keep the Sabbath. It may be summarized as:

A. Keep the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship.

B. But do not keep the Sabbath as it pertained to Israel in particular. The religious ceremonial aspects of Old Testament law are no longer binding on Christians today. The Old Testament religion is over. There is no more temple, no more high priest, no more sacrifices, no more special holy days, and so on. What remains to us of the Sabbath is rest and worship as a general commandment. Christians today are not required to cook Sunday meals a day ahead of time. We are not required to execute people who work on Sunday. We are not required to observe the many sabbath holy days of the Old Testament (Colossians 2:16-17).

Conclusion: We need to address our real problems with Sabbath keeping. Are Christians today erring on the side of being too strict? Or are we erring on the side of being too lax? I think the latter. For many Christians, Sunday has become a strenuous day of work and frantic activity. We are so busy traveling, running the kids to sports contests and practices, mowing the grass, building a project, shopping for this and that, that sometimes we welcome the work routine of Monday as a rest from our Sunday activities! Remember what Jesus said, the Sabbath was made for man. God has given you a day for worship and rest, and we NEED a day like that. Let’s slow down. Let’s cool off. Let’s schedule fewer activities. Let’s make it a stay at home and play monopoly kind of day. Let’s go to church and worship the Lord. Let’s take naps on the sofa. Let’s go for walks around the neighborhood. May the Lord bless you all, and give you a blessed restful Sabbath.