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The Ten Commandments
By: David M. Curtis
Audio Sermon: The Ten Commandments Part 1 (November 23, 2004)
Audio Sermon: The Ten Commandments Part 2 (November 23, 2004)
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Rock of all Ages. He is the Alpha and the Omega, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. “For I am the LORD, I change not.” Malachi 3:6. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. During all three of those generations He remained the same. Age to age He is still the same man He was in Palestine as He healed the sick and fed the multitudes. Today Jesus is the same One who Angels adored and worshipped before the worlds were made. For all eternity in the New Heavens and the New Earth He will always be the One who is the Love of His Father manifest in the flesh. His character is eternal.
Today we are going to take a look at the glorious character of Christ, and as we do the scriptures promise that we will be changed to be like Him. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18. In this chapter we will be looking at Christ yesterday, today and forever, with hopes that we will no longer be the man or woman we were yesterday or today, instead becoming more like Christ forever.
The Lord has blessed me over the years by granting me grace to write more than 70 articles. This article I am now writing is perhaps the most important one I have ever written. I first presented this message on my radio broadcast here in Oregon. In this article we will be discussing this subject in much more depth, than in that radio message. Since I first discovered these truths I have had the privilege to sit across the table from numerous ministers from various denominations to study this message. The overwhelming endorsement I have received unanimously from these men of faith I now leave to your appraisal as you continue reading.
Christ is the creator of the heavens and earth. He is the future Creator of the coming New Heavens and the New Earth. He is the builder of the New Jerusalem, our future home. He is the King of this City. For all eternity He will reign on the throne of His Father. In the City that Jesus is King there is no more crying and no more death. There is no pain or suffering. In that City there is no crime. No one breaks the Law of God in the New Jerusalem. There is eternal peace and security. The reasons for all this eternal joy is because every citizen in the Kingdom of God has been transformed in his or her characters and have the Spirit of God living in their hearts. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17.
Jesus is “the Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 Those who obey Him follow in a path that leads to eternal peace. On the other hand, “There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.” Isaiah 48:22. Therefore “Let him seek peace, and ensue it.” 1 Peter 3:11. How do we seek this peace that reigns in the Kingdom of God? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22,23. In Heaven there is no law against kindness, and love.
“God is love.” 1 John 4:8. All those who live in God’s kingdom have received His love and freely give His love to others. Jesus came to this world to reveal the love of God, and gave commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12. The example of Jesus in the Bible is given so that we may become like Him. “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” John 13:15. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” John 15:12.
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He obeyed the first commandment refusing to worship any god before except His Father. Through His life of poverty He obeyed the second commandment when He refused to worship the idol of money. He obeyed the third commandment when He reverenced the name of God calling Him by the endearing name Father. Upon the cross Jesus comforted His mother thus obeying the fifth commandment to honor His father and mother. As the Roman soldiers crucified Him, He forgave them, obeying the sixth commandment, Thou shalt not murder. According to Christ if He had hated these men He would have broken that commandment. As beautiful women worshipped Him He had only pure thoughts towards them. Had Christ lusted after them in His heart He would of broken the seventh commandment of Thou shalt not commit adultery. When the Pharisee’s asked Him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar Jesus obeyed eighth commandment Thou shall not steal when He said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar‘s; and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. He always told the truth, and never broke the ninth commandment of bearing false witness against His neighbor. When offered all the kingdoms of the world after fasting forty days and forty nights Christ obeyed the tenth commandment “Thou shall not covet.”
Christ fulfilled the holy requirements of the Ten Commandments. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” He did this so “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” Romans 8:4. He lived a righteous life so that all that have faith in Him could change their lives. The greedy can be free from covetousness. The liar can be set free by the truth. The thief can learn to give freely. The adulterer can become faithful. Those who hold grudges can forgive. The disobedient can learn to respect and honor authority. The blasphemous can learn to reverence the name of God. The idolater can turn to “the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God” 1 Timothy 1:17. The heathen can serve the One who says “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” Isaiah 44:6.
“As the Son of man, He gave us an example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey.” Desire of Ages p. 24. The Bible says that adultery is one of the “works of the flesh… they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19- 21. Through the power of the Son of God those who commit adultery can rest from their “works” and be saved from their sins. To all in bondage to the works of the flesh Christ invites, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. We must learn through the power of the gospel to rest for our sinful works, which violate the law of God.
Only those who learn to “rest” from our sinful “works” by grace through faith in the power of the Son of God will become citizens of the Kingdom of God. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14. The rich young ruler asked Jesus, “what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him…if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Matthew 19:17-19.
People that truly love their neighbors, forgive their neighbors, are honest with their neighbors, respect the elderly. They would never commit adultery with their neighbor’s spouse. They are content with what they own and are happy when their neighbors prosper, or has a lovely wife. The golden rule is, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12. That is what it means to love thy neighbour as thyself. The Bible says, “in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Philippians 2:3,4. Allow me to borrow the next paragraph from another chapter I wrote called, “How to love a woman.”
What were Christ’s thoughts as He gave Himself? Were His thoughts about Himself or for the ones whom He gave Himself? Ponder the last words of Christ with me. From the moment Jesus was crucified to the moment He died Jesus spoke seven times. The first time He spoke was to ask forgiveness for the Roman soldier. The second time was to promise Heaven to a dying thief. The third was to comfort His agonizing mother. The fourth was to comfort His disciple, the fifth was to express His eternal love and desire for His Father when He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me!” The sixth time was to fulfill Scripture when He spoke of His thirst. The seventh and final time Jesus spoke He was thinking of all that He came to save when He cried out with a loud voice, “IT IS FINISHED!” Think about this, the unredeemed thief was thinking of himself. “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” Luke 23:39. He was a self-centered man thinking only of saving himself. This was not the attitude of Christ in His agony, He was thinking of everyone but Himself. Praise His name! Let us take another look at this section of scripture describing the mind of Christ. “In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
“Notice that it was after the disciples had come into perfect unity, when they were no longer striving for the highest place, that the Spirit was poured out. They were of one accord. All differences had been put away. And the testimony borne of them after the Spirit had been given is the same. Mark the word: "The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4:32). The Spirit of Him who died that sinners might live animated the entire congregation of believers.” Ye Shall Receive Power p. 287.
“One interest prevailed. One subject of emulation swallowed up all others. The only ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ's character and to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom.” Ye Shall Receive Power p. 314.
Selfless love transformed the early church and caused the outpouring of the early rain of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. It was selfless love that motivated Christ on the Cross. Those in the Kingdom of God posses in their hearts selfless love which fulfills this scripture, “in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Philippians 2:3,4.
Love places the needs of the other before your self. We all love stories that have a hero a villain and woman caught between the two. The reason we love stories where a hero needs to rescue the woman he loves is because those stories bring to life the meaning of love. The hero has no thoughts for himself, only of his love for the woman he must rescue. No matter what the sacrifice or the price the hero is willing to do anything to save the woman he loves.
Imagine with me a scene where there is a ruthless villain who has taken a woman. The hero confronts the villain and after a tremendous battle defeats him. There the hero is alone looking down at his mortal enemy who is now unable to defend himself. At that moment a sinister secret is revealed to our hero. The woman is in grave danger. Her life is in the clutches of the villain’s snare. The hero takes the villain by the throat, and the villain says to him, "Do you want her to live or die?" The hero is helpless to save her. The villain offers to let the woman go if the hero will take a vile of poison and swallow it. Once the woman is released she would be able to leave safely and would be out of harm. So what does our hero do?
A story similar to this one really did happen. Satan the villain had Christ’s bride in the clutches of sin. Christ came to this world and after an agonizing life of confrontation against the villain He at last had him defeated. Christ's bride was still in the clutches of Satan's snares and was facing certain death. Satan held out the poison cup of a death on the Cross. So what did our Hero do? He said, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." Matthew 26:42.
Is there someone near you who you love? Have you ever said, “I love you?” Would you be willing to endure all that Christ did from fasting forty days and nights right up to the scourging, and the bitter crucifixion for the one you love? You might be hesitating right now. I hope you are. John was too quick to say he would drink the cup Christ drank. Jesus told that young disciple, “Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink…They say unto him, We are able. He saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup. “ Matthew 20:22,23. How much would you sacrifice for the one you love? Be careful before you answer. Do not answer based solely on your feelings. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” It is at the moment of trial and crisis that true character is revealed to be gold or dross. One thing is certain, the Cross forever proves that Jesus love is the purest gold, and he is the same yesterday today and forever. His love at every moment is willing to give His all for the one He loves.
Everything about the Ten Commandments fulfills this principal. The first four commandments teach us how to love God supremely above all things. The last six commandments teach us how to love our neighbor. Through all eternity Jesus has had this principal of love in His heart. On the cross He forever silenced the doubts Lucifer raised about the character of Christ. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. The early disciples revealed the character of Christ to the world proving that we may become like Christ. Millions of Christian martyrs sealed their fate with blood proving that it is possible to love God and obey Him in the face of the bitterest trials and temptations. Here at the end of the world we are the final hope of Heaven to reveal the love and character of Jesus to a lost and perishing world hopelessly bound in transgression to the works of the flesh, violating the Ten Commandments. Praise God that Jesus gave us an example of obedience. Praise God that faith in Christ’s power and grace can save us from our sins! “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.
A criminal is someone who breaks the law. “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. Jesus has paid the wages of our crimes against the Law. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. Is it unfair of a King to require the loyal obedience of His citizens to His law? Is it too much to ask for the people in His kingdom to be honest, loyal, trustworthy, by not stealing, killing, or lying? Not if the King offers you eternal life in the most wonderful Kingdom the universe has ever seen! “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” Romans 7:12
Peter’s appeal was to “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” Acts 3:19. Repent of what? Be converted to what? “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul… the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes” Psalms 19:7,8. We must repent of the crimes we have committed against Heaven and be converted to obedience to the commandments of the Lord. The first words of Christ’s public ministry were, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17. Every Kingdom has laws. Christ longs for us to be citizens in His coming Kingdom. In order to receive eternal life we must accept Him as King and become law-abiding citizens to the Laws of His Kingdom. For every past transgression Christ blood was shed to pay the price for our crimes against the Kingdom of God. His blood cleanses away our guilty record leaving us pronounced innocent as though we had never sinned. To make provision for us to be converted from our sins Christ promised to give us the Holy Spirit so that we may be made new born again children of God.
On the Day of Pentecost there were men that learned these truths and were convicted of their sins. Take a look at their response and the question their conviction of guilt manifested. “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:37-39.
A church that teaches that it is no longer important to obey the Ten Commandments is not a threat to Satan. “The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:17. Notice the description of those who keep the pure faith of Jesus. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. A church that teaches that the faith of Jesus winks at disobedience to the commandments of God is going to be found in the judgment to be in apostasy against the government of Heaven. The truth is at “the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” Acts 17:30.
There are solid grounds, which Jesus has in His person that endears all men to be loyal and obedient to Him. One such claim of Christ is that He is our Creator. In speaking of God’s “dear Son” (verse 13) it is written, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible… all things were created by him, and for him” Colossians 1:16. According to this verse Christ is the One who in the beginning created the heavens and earth in Genesis 1:1.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:1-3.
The Bible makes this claim absolute, and unequivocal. “All things were made by him.” “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth” “Without him was not any thing made that was made.” With this in mind let’s return to the first chapter of the Bible. I sat across the table from a minister of the Assemblies of God and Pentecostal church of God of 45 years. After looking at the above verses I asked Pastor Ron who is a dear friend of mine to read the entire first chapter of Genesis and asked that he say the name of Jesus every time he saw the word “God” or “Lord.” Pastor Ron agreed like many other ministers’ when asked to do the same that this was true to scripture because “All things were made by Him.”
Since “by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth.” Let’s now read Genesis 1:1 replacing the name “God” with the name of Jesus. “In the beginning Jesus created the heaven and the earth.” Let’s take a look at a beautiful lesson I learned from this verse while taking a Hebrew class a few years ago. My Hebrew teacher pointed out that the word “created” comes from the Hebrew word “bara,” and that the root word of “bara” is “bar.” The Hebrew word ‘bar’ means “son, and heir to the throne.” Using the entire beauty of the Hebrew language the first verse in the Bible would read, “In the beginning God the Son, heir to the throne created the heavens and the earth.”
We only have time to investigate one more scripture in Genesis chapter one. So let us continue in verse 3 replacing the name “God” with the name of Jesus.
“And Jesus said, Let there be light: and there was light. And Jesus saw the light, that it was good: and Jesus divided the light from the darkness. And Jesus called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:3-5.
As we begin to study this section of scripture let’s begin with the question, what was the source of this light? The sun, moon, and stars were made on the fourth day (see Genesis 1:14-19). Since the sun was not made until a few days later, when Jesus said “Let there be light” that light could not be the sun. So again let’s ask the question, what was the source of this light on the first day of the week? “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5 “For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29.
Christ prayed, “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:5. Peter, James, and John had a glimpse of the magnificent glory of Jesus. “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” Matthew 17:1,2. At the Second Coming the wicked are described as saying, “to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the FACE of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” Jesus Christ will return “with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
Is the language that “His face did shine as the sun” merely symbolic? When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” was that merely a metaphor? We are about to read a prophecy regarding what Isaiah was shown about Heaven. “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.” Isaiah 60:19,20. Turn with me to the final book of the Bible to the closing scenes of what inspiration shares with us about our eternal future home. “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Revelation 21:23. Jesus is the light of the world revealing the truth of Heaven to our dark sin filled planet. More than this Jesus the Lamb is the literal light of the New Heavens and the New Earth replacing all need for a sun.
On the first day of creation light was given to this world. Not the light of the sun, rather the light of the Son. Before God gave us air to breath, or land to grow food on, or plants, trees, or animals or even a marriage partner, God gave to this world His only begotten Son. Jesus the light of the world was the very first gift ever given to this world. This reveals to us that Jesus is more important to our very existence than the air we breathe or the water we drink or the food we eat. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
Now if you would like please stop reading this long enough to read Genesis chapter 1 replacing the name “God” or “Lord” with the name of Jesus. When you return we will continue doing this in chapter 2. In chapter 2 the Lord rests from His work of creating. Keep in mind, that Jesus made everything. “All things were made by him.” “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth” “Without him was not any thing made that was made.” So when the Lord rested it was Jesus who rested.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day Jesus ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And Jesus blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which Jesus created and made.” Genesis 2:1-3.
When Jesus finished the 6th day of creation “Jesus saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” Genesis 1:31. Marriage and the Sabbath are the only two institutions created by God that still exist past the Garden of Eden. Both marriage and the Sabbath were made for man to be a blessing to him. God said both were, “very good.” Jesus Himself is “is Lord also of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28) because it was Jesus that made the Sabbath on the 7th day of creation. Just as a baby does not have its birthday until it is completely out of the birth canal, so the earth did not have its birthday until it was completely finished being made. The Sabbath is the birthday of our world. It points us back in time reminding us of our Creator and how everything He made for us was “very good.”
Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. He is the one who first rested on the seventh day yesterday at creation.
Audio Sermon: The Ten Commandments Part 2 (November 23, 2004)
Lets take a journey to a time more than 4000 years later and ask did He continue to rest on the seventh day when He came to earth as a man? “As His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” Luke 4:16. What day is the Sabbath, that Jesus Christ kept as His custom? We will find this answer in the Ten commandments.
“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
Since we have already identified Jesus as the one who made everything and rested on the 7th day. Lets look at this commandment again replacing the name “LORD” with the name of Jesus Christ.
“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 Jesus Christ. 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 Jesus Christ made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jesus Christ blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11.
The Sabbath Jesus rested on as He walked this earth was the same seventh day He rested on at creation. The fourth commandment honors Jesus Christ and reminds us that Jesus made the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The fourth commandment says that resting on the seventh day follows the example Jesus gave when He rested the seventh day at creation. The fourth commandment is the only one of the ten that declares we ought to follow the example of Jesus. “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” John 13:15.
Yesterday at creation Jesus rested on the seventh day, Today in this present world Christ repeated his example of resting the seventh day, in fact it was “His custom.” What about in the New Heavens and the New Earth? Is Jesus the same yesterday today and forever when it comes to His custom of resting on the seventh day Sabbath? As we read this next verse lets remember “All things were made by him (Jesus); and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:3.
“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD (Jesus Christ), so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD (Jesus Christ).” Isaiah 66:22,23.
“All flesh” will worship Jesus Christ and “honor” Him every Sabbath in heaven. Everyone who goes to Heaven will be keeping the seventh day Sabbath forever. Jesus kept the seventh day Sabbath yesterday at creation. He continued this custom today in this present world as he walked in Palestine. Forever in the New Heavens and the New Earth Jesus and all the saints will always remember to rest on the seventh day Sabbath. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” “Hebrews 13:8. “For I am the LORD, I change not.” Malachi 3:6.
As we already discussed earlier all Ten Commandments are a call to rest from the “works of the flesh.” Keeping the Sabbath does require rest from manual labor, but to truly rest on the Sabbath man must rest from all the works of sin. The Sabbath is a weekly reminder to take inventory of our souls to make sure we have repented of all sin. Earlier we also discussed how all Ten Commandments are a call to love God supremely and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The Sabbath is no exception. Notice how the Sabbath is designed by the Lord to change our selfish hearts and take our eyes off ourselves. “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, honourable; 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 the 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.
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24. The Sabbath is a special day for us to learn self-denial “from doing thy pleasure on my holy day… not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words.” The Sabbath is set apart to do what gives Jesus pleasure, for doing His ways, and speaking His words. Of course we are to do this 7 days a week. The Sabbath is the one day we are asked to put aside our own pursuits, and business. “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.” Exodus 20:9.
Jesus spent His Sabbaths honoring His Father and loving His neighbor. He gave us the perfect example of how to keep the Sabbath. It was Christ custom to go to the synagogue or church and read the Bible. He visited the sick and healed them. The Sabbath is a day for families to be together, a day to worship God at church and help those with infirmities. The Sabbath is a day for us to learn more of what it means to Love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
The religious leaders accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath in the WAY He kept it. In the final days religious leaders will accuse those who keep the commandments of breaking the Sabbath because of the DAY they keep it. Was the way Jesus kept the Sabbath unlawfully violating the Ten commandments?
“And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.” Luke 14:13-17.
On another occasion Jesus healed “a man there which had a withered hand.” Mark 3:1. Jesus defended His actions declaring what He had done was lawful and right saying, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?” verse 4. The religious leaders who accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath accused Him falsely. The way Jesus kept the Sabbath according to scripture led the religious leaders to seek to have the government put Him to death for the very first time. Jesus believed that His example of how to keep the Sabbath was so important to us that this did not detour His actions.
“And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.” Mark 3:4-6.
The Herodians were a group of Jews mixed up in politics. They were friends of Herod the King. The Pharisees bitterly hated the Herodians because they aligned themselves with the Romans. Just as the Dragon is wroth with those who keep the commandments of God (Rev 12:17), the Pharisee’s felt enmity against Christ for the WAY He kept the fourth commandment. So much so that they went to the Herodians and allied themselves with them to work toward the destruction of Christ. The Church and State united against Christ seeking a death penalty because He kept the Sabbath in a different way than the religious leaders taught how to keep the Sabbath.
To settle the question did Jesus break the Sabbath the answer is yes and no. Did He violate the commandments of the religious leaders regarding the Sabbath? Yes! Did He violate the Commandments of God? No! Had Jesus truly broken the Sabbath He would of sinned and become unfit to be the Savior of the world. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10-12.
Lets repeat that last verse, “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” Jesus also taught men to both speak and do all things in the “Law of Liberty.” He upheld every letter of the Ten of the Commandments, and condemned changing them in anyway. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:19.
Some may teach that Jesus broke the Sabbath and because of this it is no longer binding to keep the Sabbath commandment. This teaching according to the above verse actually accuses Jesus of being called the least in the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus is the greatest man in Heaven because He did both DO and TEACH men to keep all Ten of the Commandments. Jesus said, “whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
One cannot read the four gospels with out recognizing that the life and teachings of Jesus caused serious conflict with the religious leaders of His day. Nothing stirred up controversy between Christ and these religious leaders more than the way Jesus kept the Sabbath. Jesus could not change who He is concerning the Sabbath, because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. The majority of the Jews kept the Sabbath according to the teachings of the leading men of the church of Israel. Through the way Jesus Christ kept the Sabbath, He taught, “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” Exodus 23:2.
“Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men… Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition… Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.” Mark 7:7-9,13. Worshipping God according to the teachings of men and disregarding the Ten Commandments is a “vain” worship and makes “the word of God of none effect through your tradition.” Jesus was faithful to the commandments of God in spite of going against the crowd, and the teachings of respected religious leaders. Truth is not always popular.
We are going to look at some quotes now that strike a blow at long standing traditions revered by multitudes of people and religious leaders regarding the Sabbath. I have many more such quotes that will not be shared in this article. I ask everyone reading this article to visit the web site at the end of this article and listen to a radio sermon I preached called “Authoritative Quotations.” Quotes from every main stream church Catholic and Protestant, as well as dictionary and encyclopedia sources are used. Quotes from Martin Luther, John Wesley, and many other great men of faith are also quoted. During that message one quote after another and the sources for those quotes are shared for more than 30 minutes. I have enough authoritative quotations to make that message over an hour. Due to the time of my radio broadcast I could only share half of them. Every church recognizes the truth of what you are about to read. The question we are faced with is the same one Jesus was faced with. What will we choose, Church tradition or the Commandments of God? May we have courage to do what Jesus did!
Sunday worship does not have Christian roots.
"The first observance of Sunday that history records is in the fourth century, when Constantine issued an edict reading, ‘let all the judges and people of the town rest and all the various trades be suspended on the venerable day of the sun.' At the time of the issue of this edict, Constantine was a sun worshipper; therefore it could have had no relation whatever to Christianity." Henry M. Taber, Faith or Fact p. 112. (Note: Henry M. Taber is an infidel and has no bias towards any Christian beliefs).
15 years later the Catholic Church changes the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.
"Question‑Which is the Sabbath day?
"Answer‑Saturday is the Sabbath day.
"Question‑Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
"Answer‑ We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the council of Laodicea (AD 336) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." Rev. Peter Geierman, C.S.S.R. The Converts Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, page 50, 2nd edition, 1910.
"The Catholic Church for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday." The Catholic Mirror September 23, 1893
"It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe the commandment of the Catholic Church." Priest Brady, in an address, reported in “The Elizabeth, New Jersey News" of March 18, 1903
"Sunday is a Catholic institution, and its claims to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles...From beginning to the end of the scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week, to the first." Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, August 1900.
"Protestantism, in disregarding the authority of the (Roman Catholic) Church, has no good reasons for its Sunday theory, and ought logically to keep Saturday as the Sabbath." American Catholic Quarterly Review, January 1883.
"The Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. This fourth commandment begins with the word ‘remember,’ showing that the Sabbath already existed when God wrote the Law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding? I honestly believe that this commandment is just as binding today as it ever was. Saturday is my day of rest" Dwight L. Moody (Founder of the Moody Bible Institute), Weighed and wanting, p.46-48.
*Saturday in over 160 languages means Sabbath. Shabbot in Israeli; Sabbato in Spanish; etc.
*"Saturday, the Seventh and last day of the week” Webster’s Dictionary.
*"Sabbath, the period of time from Friday evening to Saturday evening, kept as a day of rest and worship by the Jews and some Christians." Webster’s Dictionary.
Upon the first day of creation, Jesus said, “Let there be light.” That light was His own presence. The sun was not created until the fourth day, so logically the day we now call Wednesday should be the one we call Sunday. However the Bible had nothing to do with naming the days of the week. Idolatry and astrology dominated this process. From ancient Egypt to Babylon and from Greece to Rome the heathen nations surrounding the people of God worshipped the sun as a god. They believed the sun was the giver of all life. It was the largest object in the heavens. Any common farmer could see that all plant life grew or did not grow based on how much sunlight it received.
In the time of Christ the heathen people worshipped the sun on the first day of the week. Thus the name Sun Day. The worshippers of the Greek sun god, Mithra (lord) were calling Sunday "the lord’s day” long before Christ was born. Constantine a sun-worshipper made the first law that all mankind was to worship “on the venerable day of the sun”. 15 years later the church changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday to win the favor of Roman Politicians, and popular heathen religions.
136 years earlier Pope Victor started the first annual observance of Sunday. In the year 200 AD Pope Victor changed the observance of the resurrection from three days after Passover to the annual observance of the goddess of fertility named Ishtar which in English we pronounce Easter. The Christians in the time of this change protested this edict of Pope Victor. Over a long period of time these changes became accepted traditions. These traditions over hundreds of years brought together the combination of church and state, making the mammoth system we know now as the Roman Catholic Church. History records that at the fall of the Roman Empire there arose a new power called the Holy Roman Empire. All of this would of never happened had the church not made concessions over long periods of time to the customs of the pagan citizens and emperors of Rome.
It is not my purpose in this already lengthy article to divulge the rest of our time here together discussing the history of the compromises of Rome, of which endless books have been written and will no doubt continue to be written, based on historical facts. As a long time student of history, I would highly recommend reading a book called “The Great Controversy” to learn more about the things we just discussed. If you would like to know how you could obtain a copy of this book please contact me. You can find an audio version of this book on my web site, www.loudcry.org. I will repeat that site at the end of this article. The information in The Great Controversy was written from sources from over 800 historical quotations from over 80 respected and authoritative historians and contains over 1,200 scriptures from the Bible, revealing all the prophecies about this super power of the Dark Ages, as well as the end of the age.
My purpose in sharing the above quotes and information is to establish that the holy day Moses, King David, the prophets and Jesus Christ Himself kept as the Sabbath is not the same day Christians observe today. Not because Jesus or the Apostles changed the Sabbath to Sunday, rather because the religious leaders in the church did 305 years after Jesus died on the Cross. Just as the religious leaders in the time of Christ thought their teachings about the Sabbath were binding, so the religious leaders in the church three hundred years later thought and still think the same. Today we are faced with a long-standing tradition that rivals the commandments of God based merely on the authority of man.
"Protestants accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change. But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that in observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope." Our Sunday Visitor February 5, 1950.
A Christian is not a follower of churches or of religious leaders. A Christian is a follower of one man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has always and will always keep the seventh day Sabbath, as it is written in the Ten Commandments. On the other hand we have to look carefully at the claims of Rome, "The Pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ." Decretal De Translat. Episcop. Cap. The Bible prophecy warns us he shall, “think to change times and laws” Daniel 7:25. The Roman Church may THINK it possesses the AUTHORITY to change the times and the laws of God and also the teachings of Jesus Christ, but this is a grave mistake with eternal consequences.
"Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act. And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things." H. F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons.
Whose authority do you accept, the religious leaders of the Church or the authority of the Ten Commandments, the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ? When Jesus was faced with deciding between the Ten Commandments and the authority of church leaders he agreed with Peter who said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29. Whose authority did the Apostles follow? What day did they keep as the Sabbath? Let’s look again at what day Christ custom was to keep holy. What day did He keep, where did He go on that day, what did He do on the Sabbath? “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” Luke 4:16. Did the Apostle Paul do the same things go to the same places and keep the same day as Christ? “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures.” Acts 17:2. Both Paul and Jesus custom was to attend church and read the Bible on the Sabbath.
“And he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue EVERY Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” Acts 18:4,11. Paul attended the Corinthian Church every Sabbath for a year and six months. That is 78 Sabbaths Paul kept faithfully just like Jesus did!
The Bible records a time when Paul attended the church in Antioch. He, “went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.” Acts 13:14. After presenting a heart felt message, the Jews left the church and all the Gentiles approached Paul. “And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.” Acts 13:42. Paul was all alone with the Gentiles, and as the Apostle especially sent to the Gentiles he had the perfect opportunity to tell these Gentiles, “return tomorrow on Sunday and I will share this same message then, in honor of the Lord’s resurrection.” There is no scripture in the Bible that supports the tradition that keeping Sunday was instituted to honor the resurrection. Baptism is what Paul taught was instituted to honor the resurrection (see Romans 6:1-3). Paul did not offer a special Sunday service for the gentile Christians. Instead he had them wait until the next Sabbath to repeat the message to them. “And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” Acts 13:44.
The early disciples, “rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56), whether there was a church to attend or not. “And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.” Acts 16:13. Brothers and sister we have just witnessed 84 times Paul and the early church met together on the Sabbath day to worship God and read the scriptures after the same manner Christ did. That included the apostles, both Jewish and Gentile Christians, and people who had no church to attend.
Jesus Christ is our Lord, He is our example of the ONLY WAY to eternal life. The religious leaders disagreed with the way Jesus observed the commandments of God. Today religious leaders disagree with keeping the same day that Jesus and the apostles kept because it is not as popular as the tradition made by religious leaders in the Church long ago. Two decisions stand before you, the commandments of man or the Commandments of God. What difference does a day make? In the Garden of Eden the test was a simple tree, what difference does a tree make? Obeying God makes all the difference in the world, even in the simple things. Eve learned that lesson, have we?
Yesterday you may not have known the truth. Today you do. Your family may have kept Sunday for hundreds of years, because the truth had been lost sight of through years of Church tradition. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:” Acts 17:30. Remember the warning of Christ if we choose to honor traditions made by religious leaders above the commandments of God. “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men… Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition… Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” Mark 7:7-9,13.
The Sabbath is so important that God considers it equal to the other Ten Commandments, which prohibit lying, stealing, murder, and adultery. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James 2:10. Today Bibles and prayer are not allowed in our schools and evolution is taught in class. We need a day that reminds us that Jesus Christ made everything in Heaven and Earth! That is what the Sabbath was designed to help us remember. In this day of atheistic thinking this is the only one of the Ten Commandments we want to forget although it begins with the word “Remember.”
Jesus kept all Ten Commandments overcoming temptations of greed, gluttony, hate, and bigotry, He was honest and truthful, faithful and giving. In every word and deed He exemplified a character which gave a shining example of obedience to the commandments of God. WWJD what would Jesus do? When in doubt do it just the way Jesus did. “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” 1 John 2:6.
Jesus was quoting the last six words of the second commandment “love me, and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:6), when He said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15. When it all comes down to it either we are following His example or we are not. Either we know Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with Him or we do not. Those who know Him also love Him, and those who love Him also keep His commandments. “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:3,4. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
Earlier I gave reference to a message I preached on the radio titled “Authoritative Quotations.” Please visit www.loudcry.org scroll down to my name “David M. Curtis,” click on it. One of the messages at the top is “Authoritative Quotations. Scrolling down past my name will help you find the book “The Great Controversy” I recommended earlier. I would like to also invite everyone reading this to attend your local Seventh Day Adventist Church this Saturday at 9:30 AM for Sabbath School and 11:00 for Church. While there ask for more information about the Sabbath. If you do please write me and let me know ok? Most of the SDA churches would be happy to give you a free copy of “The Great Controversy” if you request it. Please feel free to write me with any questions or comments. God Bless you.
I am sure there are many who have many questions about what you just read. Please Listen to Doug Bachelor's The Sabbath - Questions, Objections, Arguments & Answers
David M. Curtis
Director/Speaker of
The Loud Cry Ministries
