Sunday
August 7
1. CHRIST CALLED IT “MY REST”
a. For whom did Christ, who brought all things into existence (John 1:3), make the Sabbath—only for the Jews or for humanity in general? Genesis 2:1–3; Mark 2:27.
“The Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for the world. It had been made known to man in Eden.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 283.
“Because the Sabbath was made for man, it is the Lord’s day. It belongs to Christ. For ‘all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made’ (John 1:3). Since He made all things, He made the Sabbath. By Him it was set apart as a memorial of the work of creation. It points to Him as both the Creator and the Sanctifier.”—Ibid., p. 288.
b. What did Christ call the Sabbath rest? Hebrews 4:3–5. Besides the 24-hour cessation of labor, what does Jesus offer us? Matthew 11:28–30; Isaiah 11:10.
“As through Jesus we enter into rest, heaven begins here. We respond to His invitation, Come, learn of Me, and in thus coming we begin the life eternal. Heaven is a ceaseless approaching to God through Christ. The longer we are in the heaven of bliss, the more and still more of glory will be opened to us; and the more we know of God, the more intense will be our happiness. As we walk with Jesus in this life, we may be filled with His love, satisfied with His presence.”—Ibid., p. 331.
Monday
August 8
2. WHAT IS CHRIST’S REST?
a. What is the yoke of Christ (Matthew 11:29) that gives us true rest? Jeremiah 6:l6; Isaiah 48:16–18.
“If you will seek the Lord and be converted every day; if you will of your own spiritual choice be free and joyous in God; if with gladsome consent of heart to His gracious call you come wearing the yoke of Christ—the yoke of obedience and service—all your murmurings will be stilled, all your difficulties will be removed, all the perplexing problems that now confront you will be solved.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 101.
“He who walks in the way of God’s commandments is walking in company with Christ, and in His love the heart is at rest.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 331.
b. Baptism is an inward experience of the new birth confirmed by an outward sign of immersion in water (1 Peter 3:21). The Lord’s Sabbath rest is also an inward experience of sanctification confirmed by an outward sign of observing the seventh-day Sabbath (Ezekiel 20:12). In both cases, the two things go together. Without the inward experience, what does the outward sign mean? Exodus 31:13; 1 Peter 1:15, 16.
“The Sabbath is a sign of Christ’s power to make us holy. And it is given to all whom Christ makes holy. As a sign of His sanctifying power, the Sabbath is given to all who through Christ become a part of the Israel of God.”—Ibid., p. 288.
c. How does the Lord sanctify us (with our consent and coope ration) that we may partake of His yoke and His rest? John 8:32.
“Those who learn of Jesus His meekness and lowliness find rest in the experience of practicing His lessons [of faithful, earnest, loving service].”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 928.
“Those who take Christ at His word, and surrender their souls to His keeping, their lives to His ordering, will find peace and quietude. Nothing of the world can make them sad when Jesus makes them glad by His presence. In perfect acquiescence there is perfect rest.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 331.
Tuesday
August 9
3. REST—A DAILY INVITATION
a. How does Paul emphasize sanctification in connection with Christ’s Sabbath rest? Hebrews 4:3–12. “So, then, there remains a Sabbath rest (Greek, sabbatismos) for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9, RSV). What characterizes this experience? Isaiah 26:3.
“The Saviour’s life on earth, though lived in the midst of conflict, was a life of peace. While angry enemies were constantly pursuing Him, He said, ‘He that sent me is with me; the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him’ (John 8:29). No storm of human or satanic wrath could disturb the calm of that perfect communion with God. And He says to us, ‘My peace I give unto you’ (John 14:27).
“It is the love of self that destroys our peace. While self is all alive, we stand ready continually to guard it from mortification and insult; but when we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God, we shall not take neglects or slights to heart. We shall be deaf to reproach and blind to scorn and insult.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 15, 16.
“Our lives may seem a tangle; but as we commit ourselves to the wise Master Worker, He will bring out the pattern of life and character that will be to His own glory. And that character which expresses the glory—character—of Christ will be received into the Paradise of God. A renovated race shall walk with Him in white, for they are worthy.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 331.
b. Why did the rebellious generation of Jews who provoked God in the wilderness forfeit God’s rest? Psalm 95:7–11. How does Paul admonish us not to repeat their example? Hebrews 3:7–13.
c. How does Paul explain the meaning of the “other day,” called “today,” on which the Lord, in His mercy, is giving us another opportunity to turn to Him and enjoy His rest? Hebrews 4:7, 8.
Wednesday
August 10
4. A SIGN OF IDENTIFICATION
a. What sign is to identify God’s people as worshippers of the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth? Exodus 31:13–17; Ezekiel 20:19, 20.
“No other institution which was committed to the Jews tended so fully to distinguish them from surrounding nations as did the Sabbath. God designed that its observance should designate them as His worshipers. It was to be a token of their separation from idolatry, and their connection with the true God. But in order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must themselves be holy. Through faith they must become partakers of the righteousness of Christ. When the command was given to Israel, ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,’ the Lord said also to them, ‘Ye shall be holy men unto Me’ (Exodus 20:8; 22:31). Only thus could the Sabbath distinguish Israel as the worshipers of God.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 283.
“The Sabbath is the sign between God and His people; and we are to make visible our conformity to the law of God by observing the Sabbath. It is to be the mark of distinction between God’s chosen people and the world.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 7, p. 949.
b. What evidence do we have that this sign or seal is found in God’s law? Isaiah 8:l6 (compare Deuteronomy 6:6–8; 28:45, 46). How does this verse involve a call to action to all who are entrusted with present truth?
“The word of the Lord to His people is that we lift the standard higher and still higher. If we obey His voice, He will work with us, and our efforts will be crowned with success. In our work we shall receive rich blessings from on high and shall lay up treasure beside the throne of God.
“If we only knew what is before us we would not be so dilatory in the work of the Lord. We are in the shaking time, the time when everything that can be shaken will be shaken. The Lord will not excuse those who know the truth if they do not in word and deed obey His commands. If we make no effort to win souls to Christ we shall be held responsible for the work we might have done, but did not do because of our spiritual indolence. Those who belong to the Lord’s kingdom must work earnestly for the saving of souls. They must do their part to bind up the law and seal it among the disciples.”—Testimonies, vol. 6, pp. 331, 332.
Thursday
August 11
5. THE RESTORATION OF CHRIST’S SABBATH PREDICTED
a. How do we know that the prophecy of Isaiah 56 points to the Christian era? When was the Lord’s salvation revealed? 1 Peter 1:5, 10–12. When was God’s righteousness revealed? Romans 3:21 (compare Isaiah 56:1).
b. What promise did Christ make to all Gentiles who would turn to Him and keep the Sabbath? Isaiah 56:3–8.
“[Isaiah 56:1, 2, 6, 7 quoted.] These words apply in the Christian age, as shown by the context: ‘The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him’ (Verse 8). Here is foreshadowed the gathering in of the Gentiles by the gospel. And upon those who then honor the Sabbath, a blessing is pronounced. Thus the obligation of the fourth commandment extends past the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, to the time when His servants should preach to all nations the message of glad tidings.”—The Great Controversy, p. 451.
c. What else did Christ say, through Isaiah, about His Sabbath in the Christian age? Isaiah 58:12–14 (compare Isaiah 6l:l–4).
“[Isaiah 58:12–14 quoted.] This prophecy also applies in our time. The breach was made in the law of God when the Sabbath was changed by the Roman power. But the time has come for that divine institution to be restored. The breach is to be repaired and the foundation of many generations to be raised up.”—Ibid., p. 453.
Friday
August 12
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How are we to receive the blessings of the rest Christ has instituted?
2. Define the internal and external aspects of Christ’s rest. Why must both aspects go together? Explain why a formal cessation of secular work on the seventh day is not enough for anyone to enter Christ’s rest.
3. Why did the strict Sabbathkeeping Jews fail to enter Christ’s rest?
4. What is the seal of God, and how is it a distinct sign of identification?
5. How do we know that Isaiah 56:1–7 and 58:13 apply today?