Question: How does
the Sabbath Day function for members of the Restored Church?
“And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself
unspotted from the world, thou shalt go
to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day.”
Doctrine and Covenants 59:9
Members of the Restored Church believe the
Sabbath Day is a day of purification.
The seventh day of
creation was sanctified by God and made the Sabbath.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all
the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made;
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and
sanctified it: because that in it he had created from all his work which
God created and made.” Genesis 2:1-3
God commanded
ancient Israel through Moses to keep the Sabbath holy and make it a day of
rest.
“Remember the
sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy
work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt
not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy
maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in
six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and
hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11
Ancient Israel was commanded to bear
no burdens on the Sabbath.
“Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, not
bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your
houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath
day, as I commanded your fathers.” Jeremiah 17:21-22
Not bearing burdens
and turning away from the burdens of the world is a very good start for Sabbath
observance. But the Sabbath was not made just so man can have a day off from
work. What more is the Sabbath made for? The answer is in our Messiah. Jesus Christ
is Lord of the Sabbath.
“For the Son of man is Lord even of the
sabbath day.” Matthew 12:8
He taught that the Sabbath is made
for the benefit of man.
“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.” Mark
2:27
God commanded us to
keep the Sabbath as a day to observe His ways, not our own. We must seek God’s will, not our own. The
Sabbath is the day to learn of God, and to approach God. It is to be a day of
delight.
“Ye shall keep
my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. If ye walk in my
statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them.” Leviticus 26:2-3
“If thou turn
away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and
call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt
honour him, not doing thine own ways,
nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD;
and I will cause thee to ride upon thy high places of the earth, and feed thee
with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken
it.” Isaiah 58:13-14
We should make the
Sabbath a delight by seeking the ways of God, and delighting in them. Most
particularly on the Sabbath turning our whole attention to God, but growing out
into every day also.
“Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and
forsook not the ordinances of their God; they ask of me the ordinances of
justice; they take delight in approaching
to God.” Isaiah 58:2
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of
the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful. But his delight is in the law
of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in
his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth
away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous:
but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” Psalms 1:1-6
Just as we are to
not bear physical burdens on the Sabbath, we must also take off our spiritual
burdens on the Sabbath, by seeking to learn and know God’s ways through keeping
His commandments. When we do this, then we find true rest. This is the rest in
the Lord, because the Lord has already born our griefs for us.
“For on that
day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins
before the LORD. It shall be a
Sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for
ever.” Leviticus 16:30-31
“He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the
spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he
was numbered with the transgressors; and
he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:11-12
“Cast thy burden
upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the
righteous to be moved.” Psalms 55:22
“Surely he hath
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. …” Isaiah 53:4
Through Christ we
can cast off the burden of sin, learn righteousness, and find rest.
“Whom shall he
teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that
are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon
precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little,
and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak
to this people. To whom he said, This is
the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing.
…” Isaiah 28:9-12
The Sabbath Day is
supposed to be a sign to God. The sign is that you are learning to know God,
that you begin to understand your sanctification and by whom it happens. This
is truly the knowledge of God.
“Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you
throughout your generations; that ye may
know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.” Exodus 31:13
We must delight in
the God’s law. In His law we find His
ways. The Sabbath is a specific day to put off the cares vanities of the world,
and to seek only God and His healing.
“Seek the LORD
while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways
my ways, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 55:6-8
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,
and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore
do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which
satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and
let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline
your ear, and come unto me: hear and your soul shall live. …” Isaiah 55:1-3
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let his
that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will,
let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17
When you delight in
God, God will delight in you.
“But let him that glorieth
glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD
which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the
LORD.” Jeremiah 9:24
“Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”
Proverbs 29:17
We should seek the
Lord Jesus Christ and allow Him to heal us. He has provided us a Spirit-guided priesthood
so that we might find Him, His fulness, and His rest.
“And this greater priesthood adminstereth the gospel
and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances
thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances
thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not
manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God,
even the Father, and live. Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of
Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that
they might behold the face of God; But they hardened their hearts and could not
endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was
kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in
the wilderness, which rest is the fulness
of his glory. Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy
Priesthood also; And the lesser priesthood continued. …” Doctrine and Covenants
84:19-26
“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5
“And to know the love of Christ,
which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Ephesians 3:19
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13
"Come
unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
The Sabbath is a
gift from God, to seek Him, His ways, and His healing. It is the day to entirely
dedicate ourselves to our search for God. The Sabbath Day is the day to devote
to gaining the truth of the knowledge of God.
“And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay,
and opened his eyes.” John 9:14
Watch- The Sabbath Is a Delight