Genesis 2:1-3

¹ “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

² “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

³ So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”

As the LORD allows, we will continue through the first eleven Chapters of Genesis this coming Sunday morning with a sermon from 2:1-3 on the subject, “Understanding the Sabbath.”

Christians are not exempt from the inclination to disagree and even divide over deeply held opinions! Biblical doctrine is often an area of passionate disagreement. I have often said, “Doctrine does not cause division among Christians, doctrinal error is the cause of division among Christians!” When two or more Christians disagree about doctrine, both cannot be right – they may both be wrong – but, both cannot be right!

One area of disagreement is “The Sabbath.”

Christians disagree over which day is the appropriate day for worship;

Christians disagree over what they must do (or not do) on whatever day they set aside for their “Sabbath”;

Christians disagree over what they may do (or not do) on whatever day they set aside for their “Sabbath.”

I will endeavor to use this sermon to help you understand what day is the Sabbath; what we “must” do on the Sabbath; and, what we “may” do on the Sabbath. One of the great tragedies about this disagreement is that while many have a traditional view of this issue, they miss the true intent of the Sabbath in the life of Christians and the Church.

Southern Baptists have adopted an “Official” Doctrinal Statement that we call “The Baptist Faith and Message” (2000) and in that statement we take the following doctrinal stand of the issue of the Sabbath:

Article VIII: The Lord’s Day

“The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private.

Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.”

Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10.

No statement, including this one, will satisfy all Southern Baptists. In this last update, (2000) the second paragraph was re-worded and was, in my opinion, watered down from previous statements. Christians usually fall into one of two philosophies about worship and ministry including the issue of the Sabbath. Those two competing philosophies are called:

1. The Regulative Principle: “We may do only on the Sabbath that which is explicitly prescribed in Scripture on the Lord’s Day.”

2. The Normative Principle: “We may do anything on the Sabbath that is not explicitly prohibited in the Scripture.”

I plan to conclude the sermon with an application of why God cares what we do on the Sabbath (Lord’s Day) and how that works out in our daily living. I hope you will read over, think over, and pray over these verses as you prepare your mind to hear the sermon on Sunday.

I hope to see you Sunday morning with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!