Pastor Doug: See everyone here tonight, want to welcome those who are studying with us on our TV programs at home. We're covering a lesson tonight and you can order these at the end of the broadcast. Don't be fooled, things are not always what they appear to be.
There have been a lot of very popular beliefs that even scientists embraced that we found out later were way off. When Columbus said, "I’m going to go east by sailing west." They said, "You're crazy. That's not scientific." The church said you can't do it, the religious leaders, the scientists all assailed him, but he was convinced, then you know what? The minority was right. Sometimes the majority is wrong. You're listening, friends? Matter of fact, Moses tells us, be careful not to follow a multitude to do evil because sometimes the multitude doesn't think clear. Like lemmings, they all follow the leader right off a precipice.
We're going to talk, in our presentation today, about the Sabbath Truth. Now, this is a sensitive area and I’m going to say some things that maybe you have not heard before. I hope if I say anything that offends you, you'll forgive me. I don't ever want to do that. I get excited when I do this presentation because I remember when I first heard it, I have not always known these things. I was angry when I first heard this. I think I was angry because I felt like I had been tricked. I also did not want to discover that I had been following the crowd and been wrong and that's a little bit embarrassing.
Tonight I’d like to invite you, to make your decisions based on what does the Bible say? A Christian as a follower of Christ, his example, his word, his teaching, amen. Not what does the crowd do?
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Pastor Doug: Do you want me to tell you the truth from the Bible tonight? I assume that's why everybody's here. That's what I’m going to do. You pray for me as I preach. I want to make it as clear as it can be.
Question number one: On what day did Jesus customarily worship? Answer: He came to Nazareth where he had been brought up and as his custom was. Now, is a custom something you do once or twice or is it a pattern of behavior? His pattern his custom was he went into the synagogue, that was the same word for church on the Sabbath day and stood up read. Christ from his infancy with his parents along with all of God's people that had God's law kept the seventh day, the Sabbath as a holy day.
Nowhere through any of the teachings of Jesus does he say, that it has been done away with. This is a very important issue because it's one of God's commandments. Now, someone's going to say, "Pastor Doug, you're making a big deal. You're focusing on just one of the commandments." Well, how important is it? I mean if there is a doctrine that needs to be dwelt upon. Suppose that the Christian church at large was telling its constituents, it's okay to commit adultery. You'd hear me stand up against that. You bet I would.
If the Christian church at large were saying, "It's okay to use God's name in vain, or it's okay to steal," you think I’d be talking about that? You bet. Because sin is the transgression of God's law. Jesus came to save us from our sins. There's a lot of very dear people that have been confused on this truth.
Before I go any farther, let me reiterate. Listening, everybody? There are going to be millions of people in heaven who went to church and worshipped on the first day of the week. You hear me say that? Some people say, "Well, you tell us that everybody who ever went to church on Sunday that didn't know that the seventh day was really the Sabbath, they're all lost?" "No, I’m not saying that." I believe God judges us according to the light we have.
Furthermore, there's going to be people in heaven that had more than one wife at a time. Was that God's will? Isn't that disobeying the seventh commandment? But they lived in an age of great darkness. The Bible is very clear every man should just have one wife at a time. Benjamin Franklin said there's a Scripture that says, "No man can serve two masters."
Now, whenever you're in doubt about what to do, do what Jesus did and you're safe. Am I right? I am a Sabbath keeping Christian. Not because of a denomination but because of the Bible. I’m a Sabbath keeping Christian because I follow Jesus and that was his example, and I see nothing else in history or any of the writings of history.
I know that in the judgment day, when I stand before the Lord, God Almighty, he's not going to say, “Dough you're in big trouble.” "How come father?" “Well, you went to church on the seventh day of the week.” I’ll say but Lord you wrote it with your finger in stone. You think I’m going to be in trouble for doing what Jesus did? Whenever you're in doubt, follow him and you know you'll be safe.
Question number two: But which day of the week is the Sabbath? Answer: The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God. That's in Exodus 20:10, and when the Sabbath was passed very early in the morning, the first day of the week they came to the tomb. Now, there's no question about which day is the seventh day of the week. It's commonly what we call Saturday. You do not find the word Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, anywhere in the Bible.
The Jews did not use Roman names. The jews used what God had, a numbering system for the weekly cycle. Each day had a specific particular number. First, second, third, fourth, fifth, the sixth day was sometimes called the preparation, and then the seventh day was always called the Sabbath day, capital s, part of the 10 Commandments. God established it before sin. It's part of his perfect plan. Okay?
If you have a question about which day is the seventh day of the week, look in the dictionary, it'll say Saturday seventh day of the week, look in the encyclopedia, and if you still don't trust that, look in the Bible. The Bible tells us that Jesus was crucified on the sixth day of the week just before the Sabbath began, that was Friday. That's why people call it good Friday. He kept the Sabbath even in his death, he rested in the tomb on the Sabbath day. He rose the first day of the week after the Sabbath was passed early in the morning on the first day of the week, commonly thought of as Easter what? Sunday.
There's no question. If you don't believe the Bible, use common sense. There's a whole nation of my relatives all around the world, they're called Jews. I did tell you I’m half Jewish, right? You might convince me that there was a little group of Jews somewhere that lost track of time. They were stranded on a deserted island with Gilligan, and they just forgot what day of the week it was, but you're going to have a hard time convincing me that this race of people that is all over the surface of the earth all simultaneously forgot what day was their Sabbath.
It's still the seventh day of the week as it has been all the way from the beginning. The US naval observatory will tell you there has been no change in the calendar that has affected the weekly cycle since long before the era of Christ. It's been 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, all the way along.
Number three: Who made the Sabbath and when? Who made it? God did. When? In the beginning. It's right there in the beginning of the Bible there in Genesis chapter 2, the Lord says, "And on the seventh day, God ended his work which he had made. And he rested on the seventh day from all of his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it."
Now, does it matter what day it is? Some people say, "As long as it's a seventh day." How many of you heard that argument before? "It doesn't matter if it's the seventh day, Saturday as long as it's a seventh day." I’ve never heard a preacher accept that. I mean, can you imagine a congregation say, “Pastor I’ll be here Wednesday as long as it's a seventh day for me." "I’ll be here Tuesday.” Did God bless a seventh day?
Let's read question number four: What does God say about Sabbath keeping? In the 10 Commandments, which he wrote with his own finger. In the commandment, it's the longest of the 10 Commandments, it's the only commandment that begins with the word remember. It's in the very middle of God's law. Here's what it says, "Remember, could it be God knew people would forget? Why does God want us to remember? Why is the Sabbath commandment there? It's so different from the other commandments." Very simply, friends, Jesus wants us to have a love relationship with him and in order to preserve love relationships, you need quality time. Without quality time, the relationship deteriorates.
The devil knows, by destroying our sacred time with God he destroys the relationship. How many of you have seen this happen in families where the husband and the wife stopped spending time together? What happens to the relationship? If you want to keep your children close to you, spend time with them. God loves us and he says he knows the devil is going to try to distract us in order to preserve that time, he's made a firm appointment. Every Sabbath day. Not only that, he says, "I promise to bless that time." I didn't bless any day I bless the day I’ve picked. I’m going to be there waiting for you.
If we pick our own day, that's not what he's telling us to do. For one thing, God's particular, he expects us to obey, amen. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, six days thou shalt labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Jews. Seventh day is the Sabbath of Moses. It's the Sabbath who? The Lord, thy God. Now, all things that were made were made by Jesus. You believe that? Who wrote the 10 Commandments? Christ, it's the Sabbath of the Lord.
That's why Jesus said, I am Lord also of the Sabbath day. I made it for you. That's what he's telling us. "Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord. In it, thou shalt not do any work. Thou, nor thy son, nor daughter, nor thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor the stranger that is within thy gates." Some people say, "Well, the Sabbath is really, we don't need it anymore. All we need is the spiritual rest that comes to Jesus. We now live under the spirit of the law."
Do we still need physical rest? Doesn't God know that you just work away like that and you have stress and a heart attack? Not only is the Sabbath there to protect you, it's to protect people that work with you, to protect even the animals of labor. God knows we need physical rest and yes, we do need the spirit of the law. That's why Jesus said, "Come on to me and I’ll give you rest." That's the spirit of the law, but does the spirit of the law negate the letter?
Follow me. You're going to hear all these arguments. I’m trying to head them off in advance. Isn't there a commandment that says, don't commit adultery? That's the letter of the law. The spirit of the law says if you look on the opposite sex to lust in your heart you're guilty. That's the spirit. Do we all agree? It's not only an action, it's an attitude. Can a person say, "Well, I’m just going to keep the spirit of the law and I’m not going to think it in my mind, but I’m going to break the letter and I’m going to be rapist."
Can you keep the spirit and break the letter? Or suppose a person -- The letter says, "Thou shalt not kill, commit murder." Right? That's the letter of the law. Jesus said, "The spirit of the law is do not be angry with your brother without cause." Right? That's the spirit.
The person is going to say, "I just keep the spirit of the law. I’m a New Testament Christian, I’m just not going to be angry. I’m going to be a serial killer, but I’m not going to be angry when I do it." Can you keep the spirit of the law while you're breaking the letter? No, it's absurd when people tell you that. He goes on to say, "I'm finishing this commandment. For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is and he rested the seventh, where for the Lord bless the Sabbath day and hallowed it." Says the seventh day. Does it say a seventh day?
Now, if I tell you, "Can you bring me a book?" Well, you might grab a hymnbook, you might bring me a Bible, you might bring me anything, right? A book is very nondescript, but when I say, "Bring me the book." Well, you know somewhere in this building is a specific book. The term "the" implies a definite article. When God says, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord." You can't be any more definite than that. He blessed a certain day, not any day. Who are we as his creatures to say, “Well, I know you're going to be there waiting for me on that day, but I want to be over here instead of on this day.” I think things like that do matter, amen.
Number five: But haven't the 10 Commandments been changed? Why would God change it? Did he make a mistake? He wrote it in stone. How many of you heard that they've raised the speed limit on interstate 80 to 80 miles an hour? Did you hear that? A couple of people heard that. I hadn't heard it. How many of you believe me if I tell you that they've done that? We got one person with faith, I appreciate that. Love is blind, a couple of people believe me. Well, they haven't.
You know why you don't believe me? Because you know that a government is responsible to very carefully educate its people in regard to a law change that would have such a wide effect. Isn't that right? If suddenly you found out they had changed which side of the road you're supposed to drive on and the government doesn't tell anybody, we have chaos.
You think God Almighty is going to speak his law with his voice? He's going to write it with his finger. He's going to give it to his people in stone. Then he's going to change the very middle of it and nothing's in the Bible about it? Come on friends, what kind of a wishy-washy God do we have? He says, "I am the Lord I change not." The Sabbath has not been changed. Something did change and we're going to show you where that happened in history, but God didn't do it.
Question six: Did the apostles keep the Sabbath? Answer: And Paul as his manner was went into them three Sabbath days and reason with him out of the Scriptures, Acts 17:2. "Paul and his company went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down." The Bible tells us also that in Acts 18:4. He reasoned every Sabbath, persuading Jews and Greeks. Paul went to the church every Saturday. He was a tent maker, he worked six days a week making tents. He was kind of a self-supporting missionary. Every Sabbath, he would go and he preached to anybody that would listen. Even if they were not in a synagogue he would go on out by a river on the Sabbath day.
There there's nothing through the whole New Testament where Paul says, "Don't keep the Sabbath anymore." Now, he does address certain ceremonial Sabbaths that the Jews kept and this is where people get confused. You realize that there was not only the seventh day Sabbath of the 10 Commandments but much later after sin, on paper, God wrote some ceremonial Sabbaths. They were laws that related to the temple and its services. The Passover was a yearly Sabbath, an annual date. It was not a part of the weekly cycle. Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, Feast of Trumpets so forth.
There were a lot of Jewish holidays that were Sabbath days that came once a year, but the weekly Sabbath of the 10 Commandments was completely distinct from that. The Jewish Sabbath days are -- they're not mandatory now. If you want to keep those, Paul says if you want to regard the day under the Lord, regard the day. Do you want to keep the resurrection time and celebrate his resurrection? That's up to you, there's no command to do it, but when it comes to one of the 10 Commandments that's not optional friends, amen.
Whoever breaks the law in one point he is guilty of all. The Bible tells us that at one time, one of the children of Israel broke the Sabbath day by going out and working and Moses asked the Lord, “What do we do?” God said, "The penalty is death." Do you think God's going to say the penalty is death back there, and then you get to the New Testament and say, "If you want to go ahead it's up to you." Is God like that? No, my god is more consistent than that, friends.
Number seven: Did the Gentiles also worship on the Sabbath day? The Bible tells us they did. You read there in Isaiah 56:2, "Also the sons of the stranger that joined themselves to the Lord. Everyone that keeps the Sabbath from polluting it and takes hold of my covenant, even them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful." How many of you want to be joyful? "In my house of prayer for my how shall be called the house of prayer for all people." Jesus quoted that during his ministry.
Then, of course, you read there in your lesson where it tells us in Acts 16:13, "They went out on the Sabbath day and sat down by a river to speak to the women that resorted thither." That was written by Luke, a Gentile. It would have been a good place for him to say, "Well, they don't keep it anymore."
Number eight: But wasn't the Sabbath changed to Sunday at Christ's death or resurrection? How many of you have heard that we keep Sunday in honor of the resurrection? Have you heard that before? Where's the Scripture that tells us to do that? Now, I’m glad he rose, and the Bible says God gave us baptism to remember his death, burial, and resurrection, but there is no Scripture anywhere from Genesis to Revelation that tells us keep Sunday in honor of the resurrection, nowhere.
Is it important that Jesus died for us on Friday? Does he tell us it's a new Sabbath? No. Is it important that he established the New Testament covenant on Thursday evening? Yes, we're all glad for that too. Does that mean that that's a new Sabbath? When you think about Jesus even kept the Sabbath in his death.
He seized from his work. He said it is finished Friday afternoon and he went to sleep. He rested through the Sabbath from his work of saving the human race and then he rose again Sunday to continue his work for you and me as our high priest. Nowhere does it tell us that we're supposed to now keep Sunday. That came hundreds of years after Jesus, Peter, James, and John. Will prove that to you from the history, the encyclopedia, every way that we can. It's very clear. Friends, if you want to know the truth, you'll know it's just as plain as it can be.
Furthermore, why would God change it? He made it in the garden of Eden before there was sin. Did he make a booboo? Was there something wrong with the seventh day? It wasn't going to work anymore? No. The very purpose for the seventh day was more needed than ever after the ministry of Christ to help us remember he not only created the world, but he can recreate you and me, it's a sign of that, amen. Every Sabbath day you're celebrating the fact that God is your creator and sustainer.
Number nine: Some people say the Sabbath will be kept in the new earth. Is this correct? Sure. Keep something in mind, friends, the devil messed up a plan that God had. God had a perfect plan for a perfect world where we lived in a garden and ate from a tree of life. Is God going to ultimately accomplish His perfect plan? You bet. Are we someday going to live in that garden, in a perfect world and eat from that tree? That's right, we're going to live forever. Was the Sabbath part of his perfect plan in the garden of Eden? Sure.
Why would he get rid of it? It's going to be part of the perfect plan in the new earth, Isaiah 66 tells us. Number 10: But isn’t Sunday the Lord's day? Where in the Bible does it call the first day of the week the Lord's Day? Nowhere. Some assume in Revelation 1:10, John says, "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day," and people just are assuming that was Sunday. There's not a shred of evidence that says it was the first of the week. On the contrary, everything else in the Bible tells us the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord. Jesus said, "I am Lord of the Sabbath day."
Isaiah tells us, "My holy day, God calls it." It's his day. The idea that there's another day that’s the Sabbath is just not biblical. Question number 11: Should I keep Sunday in honor of Christ's resurrection? Well, once again friends, I told you that sounds really nice, but there's no Scripture to do that, that tells us to do that. You know what I think is really peculiar? Now, when I first learned the Sabbath truth, I was upset. I went to church on Sunday. I used to go to church on Sunday like a lot of you and some of you who are viewing right now.
First thing I did, I did not want to go to church on the seventh day because I was already different enough. Thought, "I don't want to be that peculiar." I went to some of my friends that were Sunday ministers and I said, "Why do we go to church on Sunday? Give me some evidence." I didn't want to believe it. One pastor, I went to about five or six pastors, I got seven or eight different answers. One of them said, "We keep Sunday in honor of the resurrection." I said, "Okay, where's the Scripture?" He said, "Well there is no Scripture, but we have a longstanding tradition."
Then, I remember what Jesus said, "You set aside the commandment of God in order to observe your tradition." I went to another Minister he said, "We're not under the law anymore. We're under grace." I said, "Does that mean that we're supposed to break the 10 Commandments?" He said, "No we're supposed to keep nine of them." I said, "So the one commandment we're supposed to break is the one that begins with the word remember?" That didn't set very well.
Then I went to another Minister, he was very creative. He said, "Back in the days of Joshua, the son stood still, Saturday turned into Sunday." I said, "That's clever." I said, "Then why did Jesus still do it on the seventh day and everyone after that time?" You know what friends? Little by little, I had to ask myself a very sobering question, "Am I going to follow Jesus and be a real Christian or am I going to follow what's popular? Am I going to follow the world and its traditions or am I going to follow God's word?"
Very few real Bible Christians in the world today that say, "No matter what everyone does, even in my denomination, I don't follow what's popular. I want to follow what the Bible says because I will answer to God someday, not the pastor." God's word is very clear and the Sabbath is one of his commandments. Question number 12: Well, if Sunday keeping isn't in the Bible whose idea was it anyway? Do you know we're going to be getting into some of the prophecies about the beast and the mark of the beast and what was going to happen?
One of the prophecies in Daniel speaking about the Dark Ages said, "This religious power would think to change times and laws," Daniel 7:25. Well, there's only one commandment friends that is both a time in the law, it's the fourth commandment, amen. That's exactly what happened. God foretold it was going to happen. You know what I also thought was really suspicious?
I could go to any church in Michigan most any Christian church and I could preach and incidentally, friends, I have preached in Assembly of God many, many Assembly of God churches, Nazarene churches. I used to teach Methodist Sunday school, multiple Baptist churches. I’ve even shared in Episcopal churches. I mean, I could go down the line. I’ve been in stores of different denominations and I've had the privilege of preaching to these people. I know there are lovely spirit filled people and many different persuasions, amen.
I believe that they're following what they've been taught. That's why the light is going forth in the last days. I could stand up in those churches and I can preach a sermon on all of your father and mother and they'd all go, "Amen, praise the Lord, Hallelujah." I could preach a sermon on do not steal, amen. Don't worship other gods, amen. Thou shall not commit adultery, they’d agree, but they’d all be real quiet.
Then, I stand up in the same church and I say, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy the seventh day. Saturday is the Sabbath of the Lord." They jumped to their feet and say, "We're not under the law, we're under grace." Something's peculiar, pastor in these churches could make an altar call. Young men come forward crying and saying, "Pastor I’ve decided to accept Jesus and I'm not going to kill anymore." Pastor say, "I'm glad to hear that."
Or they could come forward say, "Pastor, I’ve decided, I'm not going to steal anymore." "Praise the Lord, God's working with you. That's the spirit of God." "I’m not going to lie anymore." "Praise the Lord, I'm glad to hear that young man." "Pastor, I’ve decided to keep the fourth commandment and go to church on the Sabbath day." "No, you fallen from grace, don't do that." What's the matter with us? Something is very strange when ministers are telling people not to keep one of God's commandments. The Bible tells us that this would happen.
Number 13: Isn't it very dangerous to tamper with God's law? Friends, we're not working in cooperation with God and His Spirit when we push aside one of the commandments. Jesus said, "Whosoever shall teach men to break them will be spoken of as least in the kingdom of heaven." Number 14: Why did God make the Sabbath anyway? Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy for in six days made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that in them is.
If you go to Revelation chapter 14, the first angel's message challenges us to fear God and worship him that made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. Now, in Revelation, we're going to have a study, it's coming later, on the seal of God. Are you aware that everybody gets a mark? Everyone says I'm just not going to get the mark of the beast and I'm going to make it.
If you read Revelation, friends, you're going to find that everybody gets marked one way or the other in the last days. One group is marked in the forehead with the mark of the beast, in the forehead of the hand. Another group is marked with the seal of God. Now, I hope it's clear that folks aren't going to all be running around tattooed in the forehead in the last days. This is symbolic of something. What is a seal? A seal represents three things: territory, title, and position.
The name, president gives a speech and Bill Clinton, for instance, would say. President Clinton, president's his title, Bill Clinton's his name, the United States of America is the territory. Nebuchadnezzar had a seal. Nebuchadnezzar his name, King his title, Babylon territory. In God's law, in the longest of the commandments in the middle of his law, you find for in six days the Lord, that's his name created, made that's his job, he's a creator and the sustainer, the heavens and the earth.
The identifying characteristic of who God is in the Sabbath commandment. How many countries of the world have laws that say you're not supposed to perjury and lie? You're not supposed to kill. You're not supposed to steal. You've got to honor your parents. All kinds of these laws the 10 Commandments are the best foundation for any government but the Sabbath separates you as a Christian from just governmental law. It tells that you are worshipping your creator when you keep the Sabbath. You're not just a citizen of a kingdom here you're a citizen of a kingdom there, amen. It does make a difference, friends.
Number 15: How important is Sabbath keeping? Well, God only did a few things in the beginning. When he made man, he made food for man. He made the Sabbath. The Bible says the Sabbath was made for man. Everything God made, in the beginning, was good, good, very good. Why would you do away with or change something that is so good? Everything God established in the garden was perfect, never needed changing.
Number 16: How does God feel about religious leaders who ignore the Sabbath? Very dangerous. You read there in Ezekiel 22, her priest, speaking of his people have violated my law and profane my holy things. They put no difference between the holy and the profane. It doesn't matter what day you keep. I heard about a minister who said for the communion service, Bible says you're supposed to use unleavened bread and grape juice.
He said they're just symbols so it doesn't really matter. Why don't we use hamburgers and Coca-Cola? Well, that's blasphemy, putting no difference between sacred and profane. When someone says it doesn't matter whether it's a day God picked it or the day we pick. Well, who's God anyway? Is he your Lord? Is he your king? Does he give the orders, or do we make up our own religion? It says, "And they have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths and I am profaned among them. Therefore, I have poured out my indignation upon them."
I did a national TV debate not -- I'm sorry, I wasn't national. It was in northern California. It was a Network TV in the area out there, on the subject of the Sabbath. There were three ministers that went to church on Sunday, good men. Their first argument was they were going to prove Sunday was the Sabbath. Well, in about five minutes I asked them to produce the Scripture and they didn't have any. Then they instantly changed gears and they said, "We're not supposed to keep any of the law because we're not under law." They tried to get rid of the whole law just because the Sabbath was irritating them.
Mark Twain said something pretty profound, "A person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still." You're asking how come the religious leaders haven't noticed these things? How come the religious leaders in the time of Christ did not recognize he was the Messiah? If you're waiting for all of them to find out, you'll wait until it never happens. I had a friend when I lived in New York City that was a Christian. She wasn't real bright. When they were getting ready to make a moon shot. She said, "God's not going to let them go to the moon." I didn't believe in God back then. I was, "I think they're going to make it." She's, "No, Bible says he's not going to let them go to the moon."
Well, of course, I've never found that Scripture. Millicent, I remember. Then of course after they landed on the moon and they got all the photographs then they got all the evidence and they showed it to the whole world and you can hear them talking from the moon, they bring back moon rocks and she said, "It's a hoax it never happened." I ran into some Neo-Nazis that tell me that the Holocaust in World War II is a big hoax it never happened. They don't want to believe it happened as they say it never happened. They cover their eyes and they blind themselves.
Now, I've been to the Holocaust museum twice over there in Israel and I've got news for you, friends, it happened. My Jewish grandparents have got friends that have tattoos and stories that will just make your blood curdle. It happened. The evidence is overwhelming but some people I've discovered, just choose to believe what they want to believe and it doesn't matter how much evidence you give them, they say, "I refuse to see it because I don't want to believe it." It's an inconvenient for me. Well, friends to do your soul some good. Make up your mind to do what's right, to believe what's true. Can you say amen? Do not go by what's popular. Do not even go by what's going to be easy.
Something I've discovered, when you present a lot of Bible doctrines, some of the doctrines involve a change in the thinking. It's a lot easier to accept those doctrines, but when I present the savage truth, I can hear the wheels turning. Just listen right now. You know what people are thinking? This makes sense, but if I believe this what will it mean for me? What kind of changes? If that's the Sabbath day, that's going to mean adjusting. I don't know if I can afford to believe it. You hear that?
Some people are making very dangerous decisions. Friends, let me challenge you. Don't worry right now about how you're going to deal with those things, if you're here it's because God brought you. If it's true it's because he loves you and he wants you to know. Worry about that later, but be honest with your own soul. Look at the Bible, look at the Lord and say, "Lord it's true. Now, what do I do?" Amen. Be honest with yourself. Don't lie to yourself. Lie to the whole world but don't lie to yourself. No, don't lie to the whole world, either. I'm just saying it's more dangerous to lie to yourself.
Question number 17: Does Sabbath keeping really affect me personally? God says he blessed and sanctified a period of time. I can tell you testimony after testimony of how something separate and distinct happens every Sabbath day when by faith you acknowledge it is the Sabbath day. Some people walked into Jesus and bumped into him and walked away and nothing happened but when people touch Jesus in faith they were healed. They received a very real blessing.
If you enter into the Sabbath knowing it's the Sabbath, you're going to get a blessing. It's sanctified, it's holy. It'll mean something for you. God will reveal himself to you in a special precious way. Jesus said, "Come on to me and I'll give you rest." The Sabbath is a reminder of the rest and the peace we have as Christians. Every week, we can rest from the cares of life. Can you say, amen? So many people are missing mountains of blessings. They're losing a lot of joy because they're missing this commandment and all that it encompasses. I'd like to invite you, friends, to pray about how God would have you respond to this truth.
Voice-over: Friends, find a pen and take down our 800 number and mailing address. We have a wonderful free gift that goes right along with what you're seeing and hearing today. It's the beautifully illustrated complimentary study guide. Our operators are standing by for your call at 800-835-6906. Make certain you give the title of today's study when you phone. By all means, write us at Amazing Facts, P.O. Box 909, Roseville, CA 95678. Look for this address again at the end of today's telecast. Offer good in the US, Canada, and US territories.
Pastor Doug: Friends, I think you know that a camera lens is a little impersonal. That's why I want to hear from you. I treasure each one of your cards, your letters, your words of encouragement and your comments. We also appreciate your prayer requests. Our office staff gathers every day to pray over each one of them. The address is Amazing Facts, P.O. Box 909, Roseville, CA 95678. God bless you and I thank you in advance.