Saint Paul United Methodist Church of San Diego, California, United States Sunday School Lesson "The Sabbath Day" for Sunday, 6 December 2015 - Devotional Reading: Hebrews 4:1-11 - Background Scripture" Exodus 16:23; 20:8-11; 31:12-18
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Hebrews 4: When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith
4 1-3 For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God’s goal for us, we need to be careful that we’re not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we’ll experience that state of resting. But not if we don’t have faith. Remember that God said,
Exasperated, I vowed,
“They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.”
3-7 God made that vow, even though he’d finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it’s written, “God rested the seventh day, having completed his work,” but in this other text he says, “They’ll never be able to sit down and rest.” So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David’s psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:
Today, please listen,
don’t turn a deaf ear . . .
8-11 And so this is still a live promise. It wasn’t canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn’t keep renewing the appointment for “today.” The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.[The Message]
Exodus 16:23-24 Moses said, “This is what God was talking about: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to God. Whatever you plan to bake, bake today; and whatever you plan to boil, boil today. Then set aside the leftovers until morning.” They set aside what was left until morning, as Moses had commanded. It didn’t smell bad and there were no worms in it.; 20:8-11 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to God, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days God made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore God blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.; 31: Sabbath
12-17 God spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites, ‘Above all, keep my Sabbaths, the sign between me and you, generation after generation, to keep the knowledge alive that I am the God who makes you holy. Keep the Sabbath; it’s holy to you. Whoever profanes it will most certainly be put to death. Whoever works on it will be excommunicated from the people. There are six days for work but the seventh day is Sabbath, pure rest, holy to God. Anyone who works on the Sabbath will most certainly be put to death. The Israelites will keep the Sabbath, observe Sabbath-keeping down through the generations, as a standing covenant. It’s a fixed sign between me and the Israelites. Yes, because in six days God made the Heavens and the Earth and on the seventh day he stopped and took a long, deep breath.’”
18 When he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave Moses two tablets of Testimony, slabs of stone, written with the finger of God.[The Message]
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Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, let us be terrified of the possibility that, even though the promise of entering his rest remains, any one of you might be judged to have fallen short of it; 2 for Good News has also been proclaimed to us, just as it was to them. But the message they heard didn’t do them any good, because those who heard it did not combine it with trust. 3 For it is we who have trusted who enter the rest.
It is just as he said,
“And in my anger, I swore
that they would not enter my rest.”[Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11]
He swore this even though his works have been in existence since the founding of the universe. 4 For there is a place where it is said, concerning the seventh day,
“And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”[Hebrews 4:4 Genesis 2:2]
5 And once more, our present text says,
“They will not enter my rest.”[Hebrews 4:5 Psalm 95:11]
6 Therefore, since it still remains for some to enter it, and those who received the Good News earlier did not enter, 7 he again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David, so long afterwards, in the text already given,
“Today, if you hear God’s voice, don’t harden your hearts.”[Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7–8]
8 For if Y’hoshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later of another “day.”
9 So there remains a Shabbat-keeping for God’s people. 10 For the one who has entered God’s rest has also rested from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Therefore, let us do our best to enter that rest; so that no one will fall short because of the same kind of disobedience.[Complete Jewish Bible]
Exodus 16:23 He told them, “This is what Adonai has said: ‘Tomorrow is a holy Shabbat for Adonai. Bake what you want to bake; boil what you want to boil; and whatever is left over, set aside and keep for the morning.’”; 20:8 “Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. 9 You have six days to labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. 11 For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.; 31:12 Adonai said to Moshe, 13 “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are to observe my Shabbats; for this is a sign between me and you through all your generations; so that you will know that I am Adonai, who sets you apart for me. 14 Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set apart for you. Everyone who treats it as ordinary must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people. 15 On six days work will get done; but the seventh day is Shabbat, for complete rest, set apart for Adonai. Whoever does any work on the day of Shabbat must be put to death. 16 The people of Isra’el are to keep the Shabbat, to observe Shabbat through all their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the people of Isra’el forever; for in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and rested.’”
(ii) 18 When he had finished speaking with Moshe on Mount Sinai, Adonai gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.[Complete Jewish Bible]
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India Benediction
May the Lord ditrub you and trouble you,
May the Lord set an impossible task before you,
And dare you to meet it.
May the Lord give you strength to do your best,
And then, but only then,
May you be granted the Lord's peace.
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"Don't Forget The Sabbath" by Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)
1. Don’t forget the Sabbath,
The Lord our God hath blest,
Of all the week the brightest,
Of all the week the best;
It brings repose from labor,
It tells of joy divine,
Its beams of light descending,
With heav’nly beauty shine.
Refrain:
Welcome, welcome, ever welcome,
Blessèd Sabbath day,
Welcome, welcome, ever welcome,
Blessèd Sabbath day.
2. Keep the Sabbath holy,
And worship Him today,
Who said to His disciples,
“I am the living Way”;
And if we meekly follow
Our Savior here below,
He’ll give us of the fountain
Whose streams eternal flow.
Refrain:
Welcome, welcome, ever welcome,
Blessèd Sabbath day,
Welcome, welcome, ever welcome,
Blessèd Sabbath day.
3. Day of sacred pleasure!
Its golden hours we’ll spend
In thankful hymns to Jesus,
The children’s dearest Friend;
O gentle, loving, Savior,
How good and kind Thou art,
How precious is Thy promise
To dwell in every heart!
Refrain:
Welcome, welcome, ever welcome,
Blessèd Sabbath day,
Welcome, welcome, ever welcome,
Blessèd Sabbath day.
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"We Delight In Your Shabbat" by Aviad Cohen
Avinu Malkeynu our Father our King
Lord we Delight in Your Shabbat!
We enter Your rest and Your praises we sing!
Lord we Delight in Your Shabbat!
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
In six days You painted the face of the earth
And carved out a day when You'd rest from Your work
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
You brought forth a nation from Abraham
And spared his son Isaac providing the ram
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
The prophets foretold that Messiah would come
Sh'ma Yisrael the Lord God is one!
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
And just as You rested when Your work was done
We enter Your rest by the Work of Your Son
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
The lilies You dress and the sparrows You feed
You Elohim provide every need!
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
We delight, we delight, we delight in Your Shabbat!
Your people will enter Your rest when we cry
"Baruch ha ba b'Shem Adonai!"
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Scripture Verse Begin With The Letter "I":
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[Complete Jewish Bible]
Genesis 1: Heaven and Earth
1-2 First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.[The Message]
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