God's Special Day | Sabbath Truth

God's Special Day. A London street preacher was preaching to a large crowd. Then a heckler came by and said, "Watch me have some fun out of this preacher. I'm going to stop him from preaching." It was at the time of the Shamrock Races, and so he said, "Mr. Preacher, what do you know about the Shamrock?" The minister ignored him and exalted Christ in his word. The heckler said, "Mr. Preacher, now you know you hear me. What do you know about the Shamrock?"

Again, he ignored him, telling people to keep their minds upon Christ, to live Godly for there is a reward for living uprightly. Again, he said, "Now Mr. Preacher, you may as well answer me because you hear me. What do you know about the Shamrock?" The minister stopped. He paused a second. Everything was still, and he said, "On Christ, the solid rock I stand, all other rocks are Shamrocks."

Friends, tonight, if you are basing your faith upon the teachings and doctrines of men, if you're not basing your faith upon Jesus, the mighty rock, if you're not willing to adhere to His holy word, whatever He commands, then you are on a shamrock. Jesus said in the seventh chapter of the Book of Matthew, verses 24 to 27. "Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock.

The rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand, and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell. And great was the fall of it."

Friends, tonight, you and I must take God's word and let it lead us into the Kingdom of God. Too many times, we listen to what people would say. The verse I'm using that talks about the Lord's Day is Revelation 1:10. John, on the Isle of Patmos, there not because of ungodliness but because of the word of God. Brother and sister, when you begin to living a Godly life, don't worry if people talk about you. Don't worry if they snub you. The bible says, "Yea and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

2 Peter 3:12. Don't worry about that, friends, that's going to happen. I want you to know, God says in Revelation 1:10 that John did through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet." Now John doesn't say which day this is, but modern Christendom says it's the first day of the week. Friends, lend me your ears. Nothing could be further from the truth. Are you listening?

You know, it doesn't matter what people say. In the final analysis, we want what God says. In order to find truth, you have to go here and there, and go throughout God's word and let the spirit of God be its own [unintelligible 00:04:18]. In 1 Corinthians 2:13 it says, "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

In other words, if you want to have the Bible really explained to you, you have to let the Holy Spirit do it through the Word. What He says in one place must be compared with what He has mentioned in another and let the Word of God be its own expositive. Now let's find out which day is the Lord's Day. Matthew 12:8. Jesus Christ is speaking these words, "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath Day." Of which day does he say He is Lord?

I prefer to believe God rather than man, don't you? In fact, the very middle verse of the Bible says, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." Yet the whole world is following teachings and doctrines of man. Friends, it's high time in times like these that we trust in the Savior and in the Word of God which will take you and me to the City of God. Friends, that's not all. You say, "Spears, that was pretty simple but I want a little more." I'll give you a little more.

I'm reading from the book of Exodus 20:8-11. Remember, God knew that mankind would forget this command. It's the only command in the Decalogue that says remember. "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." I'm stopping right there. I'm stopping right there. In verse 10, those first 12 words answers, "but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God."

Now I know you've been taught that the Sabbath was the old Jewish Sabbath. Friends, there is no place in the Bible that says anything about a Jewish Sabbath. Whenever you hear a preacher, a teacher, or anyone using that statement, you know they're ignorant concerning the Word of God. That's just the word for it, ignorant. You say, "Spears, you're pretty hard." I want to make it hard. Friends, we're intelligent.

We can go to the moon and come back, but we haven't got sense enough to know how to count from one to seven and know which day God calls His holy day. The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. If you have something against the Jews, remember, unless you ask God to cleanse your heart, you're not going to make it into the City of God because God loves everyone irrespective of their nationality or race.

Because some people reject Christ, it doesn't mean that they all -- there are Godly Jewish people just like there are Godly Gentiles. There are devils among the Jews just like there are devils among the Gentiles. Am I really making it plain? Let me go a little bit deeper. I am reading from Isaiah 58:13-14. We're trying to ascertain which day is the Lord's Day.

Do you have your Bibles open? "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day," say, "My holy day."

That "my" is a possessive pronoun, isn't it? That's what I was taught. Let me tell you something, friends. You can't get any clearer than that, can you? If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing my pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honorable and shalt honor 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 has spoken it."

Spears didn't say this, brothers and sisters. This is God telling you this. Which day is the Lord's Day? Do you know, I know a man who would give anybody $1,000 if they could find one verse in the Bible that says that Sunday is the Lord's Day. Now if you have any friends that have the verse, bring them here, we'll read it out. Fair enough? Nobody would offer that kind of an offering. Nobody would be willing to throw money away that way.

The person who makes that kind of an offering knows that there's no Bible for it. Friends, it brings me to this question. Who made the Sabbath? Everything that was made had to have a maker. I turn to St. John 1:1-3, verse 10, and verse 14 if you're taking references. Do you have it? St John 1:1-3, verse 10, and verse 14. Now if I go too quickly, just say, "Calm down a little, Spears," I'll go slowly. I can go slower but you'll get more if I go faster.

If I don't, you're going to have to stay longer. If you're as warm as I am, it's pretty miserable, so follow me careful. "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 anything made that was made." Since the Sabbath was made and without Him was not anything made, Jesus Christ is the author of the seventh day Sabbath.

Am I making it plain? Anything with which Christ has to do is Christian. So the Sabbath is the Christian Sabbath. Verse 10, "He was in the world and the world was made by Him, and the world knew him not." Verse 14, "And the word was made flesh and brought among us, and we beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." If you want full of grace, if you want to have much grace in your life, then go to Jesus. He's full of grace and He's full of truth. Am I really making it plain?

Then friends, just for good measure, I'll go to Colossians. John said this under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. How many witnesses do I generally give you? At least two or three. I'm going to give you two tonight because I've got lots to talk about. Follow me carefully. I'm reading from Colossians 1:14-17 inclusive, "In whom we have redemption through His blood." Now in whose blood do you and I have redemption? Understandable then, isn't it?

"In whom we have redemption through His blood even the forgiveness of sins. Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by Him were all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether there be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him, all things consist."

In other words, everything holds together by the mighty words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This desk is made of atoms, you are made of atoms. Why don't we fly into pieces? It's because it is in Him that we live and move and have our being. He keeps us together. He causes us to breathe. He causes us the faith. He gives us power to worship Him. Friends, we ought to give Him the glory and the honor. If you're a real child of God and you really love Him, you'll do what He asks you to do.

Love is the test, my friends. I perhaps should have said that obedience really is the test of love. If you love God, you'll do what he asks you to do. He said that. "If you love me, keep my commands." St. John 15:14. Follow me very carefully now. My next question is, when was the Sabbath made? Some people entertain the thought that when Jesus Christ was here on earth, that they didn't know anything about the law of God back there in the old dispensation. That's what they call the old dispensation.

Old Testament. I want New Testament. Friends, are you listening? I want you to know before there was ever a Jew, to whom they love to give the Sabbath, before there was ever a Jew. In fact, nearly 2,500 years before there was a Jew, God made the Sabbath. Jesus Christ is God. He's the maker of everything. Am I making it plain? Jesus Christ and the Father work in unison. God the Father is the planning power. Jesus Christ is called the Word because He speaks. He said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Am I making it plain?

Listen, friends of mine, I want you to know that the Lord Jesus Christ is not only the maker of the Sabbath, but when this Sabbath came to an existence, he was with God. There are a lot of people think that Jesus Christ came into existence when he came to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus Christ has been from days of Eternity. If you had listened to that first verse I read to you, "In the beginning," you have to start there. "In the beginning was the word."

The word was always been. Am I making it plain? "The word was with God," he was with God the Father, "and the word was God." Jesus is God, the Father is God, and so is the Holy Spirit God. For there are three that bear record in heaven. The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. These three are one. Three separate and distinct personalities, but one in character, one in purpose, all working for the salvation of man.

When Jesus left here and ascended on high, He sent His Holy Spirit here as His vicar. The Holy Spirit is the vicar of the Son of God. He is His personal representative on earth. Is this understandable? Now follow me, friends. The question is, "When was the Sabbath made?" You see, after the creation of six days, the first day, what did God create? Come on, class. Light. The second day, what did he create? Did you know it says though, in the fifth verse of Genesis 1, "And the evening and the morning were the first day."

I want you to know when a day begins, it begins with evening, with the setting of the sun. Is that understandable? Mark 1:32 says that, "And at evening when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased and then that were possessed with devils." Friends, evening is when the sun sets. Bible makes that very evident. Is that clear? I can give you more if you want it. You want another one? Well, I'll give it to you. Ephesians 4:26.

It says, "Be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." In other words, if you have a squabble with somebody, don't carry it over until the next day. Make the thing right because you don't have tomorrow. Today is our only time. Am I making it plain? "Be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon wrath." In other words, don't take it from one day to the other. Is that clear enough? Well, what shall I more say?

Then after, what did God make on the second day of creation? The firmament, yes. He made the firmament, didn't he? That's the atmospheric heaven. Then the third day, he severed the water from the land, didn't he? He created vegetation. The fourth day, he made the sun, moon, and stars. Did you know, friends, after each of those days, it says, "And the evening and the morning were the second day. And the evening and the morning were the third day?"

After he made the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day, he said, "And the evening and morning were the fourth day." This is all understandable. You can read this in the first chapter of Genesis. Then on the fifth day, he made all the air animals and all the water animals. He said, "And the evening and the morning were the fifth day." Now that's verse 23. If you want the others, I can give them to you also but follow me. The crowning work of creation was Man.

God, on the sixth day, made the beast of the field and Man. We were made in his image. After the labor of six days, we go to chapter two, verses one to three. Notice what is says. This is when the Sabbath was made. "Thus the Heavens and the earth was finished and all the host of them. And on the seventh day, God ended his work which he had made. And he rested on the seventh day from all this work which he had made.

God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because that in it, he had rested from all his work which God created and made." Now are you listening carefully? When was it made? At the end of creation. After He had made the world and everything therein in six days, He then made the Sabbath. There wasn't a Jew born at that time. Am I making it plain? You ought to not give the Jew God's honor. The Sabbath is a memorial of the great work of Creation. The Jew didn't create the world, brothers and sisters.

That shows the folly of mankind. Now let me go a little further here. I'm going back now to Exodus, the twentieth chapter. You folks thought I would just stop at that tenth verse, first part, and thought I was going to stop. Well, I'm coming back because I've got something I want to bring to you. You know just as dangerous today is the evolutionary theory that each day was 500 million years.

They look at you, "Are you simple enough to believe that God did all these in just six literal days? Don't you know, man, that it took each day meant 500 million years?" You go to a school and get your degree and say, 'Yes, I am prepared for the world." You are prepared for anything because you're being told a lot of lies and they call that science, that science falsely so called. Science means to know. God's work doesn't guess. You can know when you come here. He is the creator of all things.

Now notice what he says here, I am reading again. I am reading Exodus 20:8-11, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it, thou shall not do any work, nor thy son nor, thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates".

Did you get that stranger? A stranger is a Gentile. Anyone who isn't a Jew is a Gentile. Haven't you heard people say, "Well, the Sabbath was made for the Jews. If you just use a little of your intelligence when you read the commandments, you'll see that it's all-inclusive. It takes in everyone, the stranger that is within thy gates, "for in six days," not in 600 million days for each one. You know it's dangerous business to add to God's word, do you know that?

Do you know it's dangerous for any living creature to be adding, saying that the Lord's Day is Sunday? You want to know why I am saying that? I am coming back to this verse, don't worry. As these thoughts come to my mind, this where you get it, am I making it plain? The Bible says, in the 22nd chapter of the book of Revelation, verses 18 and 19, I want you to read it and you'll wonder because you perhaps say, "That man is picky. He's just too picky. He's too particular. I want you to notice what God says in this.

Do you have your Bibles open? Revelation 22:18-19. What does it say? Wait a minute, justify and -- to whom? "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add," what? "God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the prophecy of this book, God shall take away his part out of," what?

Say, brother, if your name is in the book of life, you're lost and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Brother and sister, it's encumbered upon me as a minister of God to give you what God says no more no less. You can say, "He is so particular," and that's the reason. God says I am not to do anything like this. If I say that Sunday is the Lord's Day and can't give you even a piece of a verse to verify it, then I am adding my own words.

Proverbs 30:6 says, "Add thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Say, that is strong language. That's so strong that I'm going to let you look at that.

I want you to look at Proverbs 30:6. Now you think, these people are nitpicky. The Lord isn't that particular." Well, friends, if I am reading the book right, He is that particular. Do you have it? Read it, read it. What does it say? That's strong language.

If I didn't let you read it, you'd say, "The only thing about Spears, he comes right up and says that people are liars?" Well, the Bible says so. Whatever God says, I am not afraid to say. That's why you see the holy [unintelligible 00:24:56] in old man Spears. If God says it, because I know I am giving you what God says. "He tells me to cry aloud, stand up, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins." Isaiah 58:1, if you're taking references.

I can't wait for you to find all these verses, friends. I have to go on but follow me. I am back now to the Exodus where you thought I wasn't coming back to. See, I go out on the left field but come right back to the bean. For in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that's in the midst, and rested in the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath and hallowed it.

Friends, how long is a day anyway? Well, of course, I could respectfully disagree. You see, when the Lord set this earth into motion and the earth began to revolve from west to east, a complete revolution is 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.09 seconds. Am I making it plain? What shall I more say? Now follow me. I just want you to know what a solar day is. That's a solar day. Now follow me very carefully. People have the idea that these days are 500 million years each. I am doing this just to give you the shortcut.

The bible says, "And all the days that Adam lived were 930 years and he died." Genesis 5:5. Now if each day, and there are -- they use the lunar month, 30 days to the month. If Adam lived 930 years and each day was 500 million years, brother and sister, that's too old. You figure it out when you go home. You know how old he would be? 167 trillion years old, and that is too old. Now you can talk about your evolutionary theory.

Then friends, God made vegetation on the third day. If you had to have 250 million years of darkness, how could anything grow? The whole thing is absurd. Any way you take it is absurd, but let me go on. I want you to get the point God says about the seventh day. Maybe you don't know which day is the seventh day, so I'm going to have Mr. Webster to come up here and read it.

Come on up here, brother, and read what Mr. Webster says about. Which day is according to the world? When you have a hard word, you go to Webster's, don't you? When you have some word you don't know want it means, you go to Webster. Now what does he say there, brother? You don't have your glasses on you?

Congregant: Not yet.

Spears: All right.

Congregant: First of all, we are reading from the consolidated Webster Encyclopedia Dictionary. This is the 1958 edition. It says, "Sabbath. The Bible name for the seventh day of the week, designated as the day of rest in the fourth commandment. It corresponds with Saturday in the modern calendar. The Christian Sunday is the first day of the week, though this day is nowhere in the scripture called the Sabbath."

[applause]

Spears: Thank you, brother. Friends, I don't need Mr. Webster. Mr. Webster has only confirmed what I already know. I know it because of what God's word says. Somebody says, "Well, Spears, now you know we've had all these tangled history. Nations have risen and fallen. How do you know that the day that we call Saturday is really the seventh day?" Well, I can show you from both Old Testament and New Testament if you wanted.

You don't mind me taking my time? All right, I'll do it. I'll take my time, friends. I'll take my time, I want you to turn to the 16th chapter of the book of Exodus, verse one. "They took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel," did what? Came to where? Which is between where? When? Now this is a specific time, isn't it, telling you the dates and all? You see, the evolutionary theory says they didn't keep time and periods back then, but they did according to the word.

Am I making it plain? Listen, notice the fourth verse. "Then said The Lord unto Moses. Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day that I may prove them whether they will," do what? Do what? Do you know, this is 33 days before God proclaimed the 10 Commandments that He's talking about, His law? People said, "You don't know nothing about the law. This is for the Jews. Say, brother and sister, if you don't have law, you can't have sin.

We found that out last night, didn't we? Where would you find it? Come on, tell me where to look. I'm not a good teacher, let me tell you. Romans 4:15 says, "Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." You see, the law inflicts punishment upon the violator, but you are not punished if there is no law. There has to be a law against what you're doing wrong, is that right? What shall I say more?

You guys have your Bibles? I better give you like the Bible says it, and what shall I more say? You folks know that's the Bible too, don't you? Who is asking where is it? You don't know where that is? Hebrews 11:32. I was not going to make you search for it but that's all right. Follow me carefully. Follow me carefully, friends. God says, "I'm going to pour out manna that I can prove whether these folks are going to walk in my law or no." You may say, "Spears, how did they know about God's law?

Well, remember, Adam lived 930 years and he spoke face to face with God. He kept the Sabbath, brother and sister, before sin interposed. Marriage was on the sixth day. He married Adam and Eve, and on the seventh day, that was the first Sabbath. No sin had ever entered the world. These are two institutions that comes from the Garden of Eden. Am I making it plain? Yet people don't say that marriage has been -- Yes, I guess they are saying that too because a lot of folks are just living together, but it's still one of God's command.

Just as fairly as marriage is honorable and all, so the Sabbath is honorable and all. Now listen what the command is. Go to verse 26. "Six days shall ye gather it but on the seventh day which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be," what? All right. Now this ought to be understandable. Six days, they were to go out to gather manna but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there should be none.

You got hard-headed people back there just like they are today, and it came to pass that some of them went out on the seventh day to gather and they found none. "The Lord said unto Moses," what? What did he say unto Moses? "How long," what? "Refuse you to keep my commandments and my laws. See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath." What? You mean before God ever said, "Remember the Sabbath," and to keep it holy, he'd already given them the Sabbath?

How did they know about it? Let me tell you, friends, how they knew about it. Adam talked face to face with God. He was 243 years, with Methuselah who lived 969 years, and Methuselah talked 600 years with Noah, and he talked 500 years with his son Shem. Shem talked 150 years with Abraham. They knew by hand and mouth. Wouldn't you know it for four generations? It doesn't take a genius to see that. It wasn't essential that they did.

Those men that [unintelligible 00:34:50], they certainly knew about sin and they knew about when God made the Sabbath. "See, for the Lord has given you this earth. Therefore, you give me beyond the sixth day the bread of two days. Every man in this place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day," so the people rested on the seventh day. Now do you have verse 35? I read through the 30th verse for you. You didn't know when I picked it up but I'm picking it up.

Now verse 35, let's read it together. "And the children of Israel did eat manna 40 years until they came to a land inhabited. They did eat manna until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan." Do you know how many Sabbaths they are in 40 years? 2080 Sabbaths in 40 years. On the seventh day, there was no manna so they knew which day was the Sabbath. On the sixth day, God poured out a double portion so they knew the day before the Sabbath. Am I making it plain?

Well, what shall I more say? Somebody says, "Spears, that's Old Testament." Mark 15:42, "And now when the evening has come because it was the preparation that is the day before the Sabbath." Now when is the preparation? "Spears said that, didn't he?" This is God's word, am I making it plain? Now which day is the Sabbath? Where would you find that? Exodus 20:10, those first 12 words, "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," is that clear?

Then the preparation is the day before the Sabbath or the sixth day. Is this understandable? Remember, the Bible doesn't name Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. These are all pagan names from the sun god and the moon god, et cetera, but God names them the first day, the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, preparation day, and the Sabbath. That's the way that the Bible names the days. All right. Now follow me very carefully.

We found out that Christ was crucified on the day before the Sabbath. Go right back in Luke 23. I'll cut you off in the middle of verse 54. It says, "And that day was the preparation and the Sabbath drew on." You would know from the phraseology that the next day is the Sabbath, "And the women also which came with him from Galilee followed after and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid, and they returned and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day," according to Spears?

They rested at the Sabbath day according to the commandment. The commandment that says, Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Work six days but you rest the seventh day." We've established two days now, the preparation when Christ was crucified and he rested. Let me give you the picture here. You see Christ hung on the cross from nine o'clock in the morning on the day we commonly call Friday, which is the sixth day of the week from nine o'clock until 3:00.

They took his body down because it was unlawful for anyone to hang on the cross on the Sabbath according to the Jews. They went to Pontius Pilate, begged the body of Jesus and said, "We want you to break their legs so they won't escape," but don't worry, I'll take care of that one night too. I'll get into that. Don't worry, anything I overlooked now, I'm doing it intentionally. Jesus died on a Friday. Now, friends, they went home, prepared spices and ointments, and they rested at the Sabbath day according to the commandment.

Luke 23:56. Now do you have the 24th chapter? You see, originally, there were no division in chapter and verses, so this is the next reading on the scroll. Do you have it? Let's read it together. "Now up on the first day of the week very early in the morning, they came into the sepulchre bringing the spices which they had prepared and certain others with them. They found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre and they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. We read verses one to three there. We've established three days. The preparation, Verse 54. Luke 23:54. The Sabbath day according to the commandment, Luke 23:56. And the first day of the week, Luke 24:1. Am I making it plain? "And when they got there Jesus wasn't there" Why? Why did he say that? You're telling me of the Bible that's a pretty big book, the 31,173 verses you can't just tell me anything.

Verse 6 says he was risen but doesn't tell you when. You see why I'm doing this? I want you to be intelligent so if somebody's challenging you, you've got Bible for it. Mark 16:9 "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week. He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." Jesus Christ was crucified on Friday and rose on Sunday morning. Am I making it plain?

That's how I know I wouldn't need a calendar. He was crucified on the sixth day of the preparation, rested in the tomb, the disciples rested according to the commandments, which is the seventh day and the first day of the week when they went there embalm him He wasn't there, He was risen. That was the first day of the week. Did you know this is exactly what Jesus prophesied?

It says in the olden Galilee Jesus said unto them, "The son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men and they shall kill him, but on the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceedingly sorrowful." Mathew 17:22, 23. Now friend let me go a little further. "For whom was the Sabbath made?" Ask your bible for that? I've got some good students round there I'm hearing this now, I like it. Mark 2:27, let’s read it. "And He said unto them, the Sabbath was made for the Jews."

Well you'd think it were true by the way you hear it, isn't that right? But that isn't what the Bible says. The Bible says. "And he said unto them, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath." He is the Lord of it because that’s the Lord’s Day. Am I making it plain? Listen, friends, this word man comes from the Greek word Anthropos, irrespective of nationality or race. It was made for all mankind. Am I really making it plain?

We’ve been taught that's the old Jewish Sabbath and that was under the old covenant. I want you to know friends that the Sabbath runs all the way through this blessed Book the only day and when sin has completely been eliminated, the Sabbath will be maintained throughout eternity. If you expect to live with God throughout eternity, you'd better start practicing it now because you all know what it's all about.

I'm not through, for what purpose was it made? Now we're getting into something. For what purpose was the Sabbath made? Well, I'll give you Bible, you folks are giving me too many straight answers. Don't give me an answer because I may challenge and ask you where you can find it. This makes you afraid, doesn't it? I know I'm a terrible preacher. I know no preacher on earth would give messages like I'm giving, but I'll tell you when I finish if you've been seeking, you're going to know something.

When you go home you won't say, "Oh didn’t he preach?" "No child." "He did, but what did he say?" "I don't know."

[laughter]

You know we're a great people that love emotion. If a man can get your emotions stirred up, he's preached. Well, it takes a little more than emotion brothers and sisters. Am I making it plain?

Where would you find one passage to tell the Church of the living God that you're to come together on the first day of the week and it's a holy day and we're coming there to worship him? Where would you find it? It isn't in the bible. Now ask me the same question about the Sabbath. Where does it say that we're to come together on the Sabbath and for what purpose was it made?

Here's the Bible, Leviticus 23:3. Somebody said, Isaiah. I guess he was going over there to Isaiah 58 but that isn't what will help you brother. I don't know what you were thinking, whoever said it, I don't know who said it, but I can tell you this, I'm giving you the shortcuts and hitting right in the beam. You have it? "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest and holy convocation. You shall do no work therein; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings." You know what the convocation is? It is a publicly assembled congregation. God commands his people to come together on his holy day. Listen, a convocation is an assembly of any sort.

He said six days shall work be done but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest and holy convocation. It is a gathering for Holy purposes. Am I making it plain? Now let me give you another one. Psalms 42:4, "When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me or I had gone with the multitude. I went with them to the house of God with the voice of Joy and praise."

With a multitude that kept holy day. So it's a time for joy and praise when you come before God - am I making it plain? - On God's holy day. I'm giving you the purpose of which. St John 4:24 says, "And Jesus spoke these words, Jesus said, "God is a spirit and they that worship him--" Does that say should, ought, maybe? No. This is what it says, "God is a spirit, and they which worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Some of you folks say, "That's his interpretation." I'm giving you what God says if you are going worship him you must worship him in spirit and in truth.

In other words you've got to worship him according to what God's word says because John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth." And then friends, Psalms 119:142 says, "Thy Righteousness is an Everlasting Righteousness. And thy law is the truth." So brother, sister, you’ve got to worship God according to the Word of God and the law of God. He didn’t say you might. God is a spirit, and they which worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Is this understandable preaching?

Friends follow me carefully, I'm not through. It's a time to come together to hear God's words. I'm opening the book of Acts the 13th Chapter, I'm in the New Testament now friends, Acts 13:42-44. By the way, this was written in AD 45, 14 years after Jesus Christ had gone to heaven. I've heard preachers even say you can’t show me anywhere in the New Testament where a Gentile ever kept the Sabbath. Well, I respectfully disagree.

Let’s read it, "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." Now if the Sabbath had been nailed to the cross. It couldn't have been- -hearing the word of God on the Sabbath 14 years after Jesus had gone to the cross and ascended to heaven. Am I making it plain?

"And when the Jews had gone out of the Synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up many of the Jews, and religious proselyte followed Paul and Barnabas who, speaking of them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. Say brother and sister Sabbath keeping is in harmony with the Grace of God so don’t let anybody tell you we're living under grace. If you are, then you are to keep Gods Sabbath. Because when they were keeping it, they told him to continue in the Grace of God. Am I making it plain?

You know what a proselyte is? A proselyte is an alien or a new convert. These new converts were idolaters, sun worshipers, until they accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and when they accepted Christ, they began keeping the Sabbath, that's why they're asking Paul, to preach to them the next Sabbath. Now, notice what he said, "And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together," for what purpose? "To hear the word of God." That's the purpose for which God has given the Sabbath. Not only is it a memorial of God's creation when the evolutionary theory is trying to rule God out as the creator, telling you things evolved and ignoring the creator, that's why God has a seventh day. Every seventh day, your mind's pointed back to the Great Creator that made heaven and earth and made you and me.

It's also a day of spiritual rest and a physical rest. It's a day to come together to hear God's word. It's a day to honor him. You know I read it in Isaiah 58:13-14, "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, honorable and shalt honor 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 you with the heritage of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Am I making it plain?

I hope you got the points there. On the Sabbath you're not to do your own pleasures, you're not to even speak your own word, you're not supposed to talk about your business. It's a time to devote it to God and give him the honor and glory. I hope you're getting this friend.

My next question is, which day did Jesus keep? Which day did the apostles keep? I'm going to bring it a close. I don't want to ask you folk where these verses are, I hear answers out there. I hate to tell you to find it for me, but don't worry that's what I'm up here for. Here it is, Luke 4:14-16. If you call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ, don't you think you ought to walk, and live, and worship like Jesus lived and worshiped? He says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." You find this in Philippians 2:5. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."

Now, do you have Luke 4:14-16? Follow me as I read it, "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up and as his custom was--" and as his custom was, so Jesus Christ customarily did this. "And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read." Jesus Christ was a Sabbath keeper brother, sister. It may not be popular today, but I rather be popular with God, and meet his divine requirements, and have his divine approbation than to follow the way of the world.

Now, which day did the apostles keep? Acts 17 starting with verse one, "Now when they had passed to Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews, and Paul as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures. Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus, whom I preached unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few."

Did you get there in the second verse that it was Paul's manner to keep the Sabbath? Am I making it plain? This was in AD 53, 22 years after Jesus Christ had sealed the New Covenant. Am I really making it plain?

Acts 18, this tells you which day the apostles kept. Friends, there isn't any place in the Bible that tells us to keep the first day of the week for any purpose whatsoever. Did you hear what I said? And the next time somebody tells you we're keeping the Lord's Day in honor of the resurrection, just politely say, "Could you give me the verse and chapter that says that?" Friends, we have to ask, you only have one time for eternal life.

Remember, if I were preaching you something improperly, my name is not going to be in the Lamb's Book of Life, I will be cast into the lake of fire, I will suffer the wrath of God, the seven last plagues. It's imperative that I tell you the truth. It may not sound good to you. Sometimes if we've done a thing a long time, it just hurts to change. Friends, we don't have a horse and buggy. We advance in every field of endeavor until light comes to our mind and then we act like a snail. You ought to praise God that somebody is bold enough, to bark at the world, and to tell the truth about it. You ought to say thank God for sending a man with holy boulders that will tell us the truth. You've been listening to lies.

Now, follow me carefully. "After these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth, and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome, and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought for by their occupation they were what?"

Now, remember Paul was a tent maker. He's a good preacher too brother and sister. Now, the question is on which day did he attend divine service? Which day did Paul keep? What does it say in the next verse? "And he reasoned in the synagogue every first day of the week." Thank you. "And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks." Greeks were Gentiles. Paul preached the Jews and Gentiles on God's holy day, the Lord's Day. Am I making it plain?

Now, friends, do you realize dear people, if you and I turn our eyes away from what God is saying and say, "Well, I don't steal, I don't lie, and if I do everything else but keeping that Sabbath, I think the Lord will save me." I want you to turn to James 2:8-12 inclusive. "If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well. But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever--" This whosoever is not inclusive, it means, you, me or anybody else, is this clear?

"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." Brother and sister, though you don't steal, you don't lie, you don't have another God before the Creator, if you keep breaking God's holy Sabbath after God's revealed this truth to you, you can't say, "Well, Lord, I didn't know." "Yes, you did know because I sent that old man down there to Stockton to tell you."

God says in James 4:17, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, it is sin." You can't say, "Lord, I was innocent." No, you were sinning. Moreover, brother, back to James 2:12, it says, "So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." You're going to be judged by the Ten Commandments so you better start obeying them. What shall I more say? You've asked for me to go on.

Let me go a step further. When you know now that there's no Bible authority for Sunday and the Lord's Day is the Sabbath which is the seventh day and you certainly know the difference between one and seven. If you continue on worshiping, you're worshiping God in vain if you keep the first day of the week when God hasn't told you to do it. You have Bible for that don't you, Matthew 15:9, "But in vain they do worship Me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Vain worship. Am I really making it plain?

Now you say, "Spears what about all these people that have died if they kept Sunday." Listen carefully to what I'm saying, there are thousands probably hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, who have kept Sunday living up to all the life that they knew they will be saved in God's kingdom. Friends, if we don't know God's a merciful God, He doesn't hold them accountable but when we know--

And friends I don't care with whom you talk. You might talk to any Minister, you say, "Tell me from the Bible which day is the Sabbath?" They say, "Well, the seventh-day, Saturday, is the Sabbath." Well, you say, "Why then are we keeping it." Well, we keep Sunday in honor of the resurrection. Now, remember when a person does that he's adding to God's Word isn't he. Deuteronomy 4:2 says, "Ye shall not add under the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Do you want me to continue? I haven't got you warm yet.

I want to tell you something friends, it's a shame when you have worshiped God in vain and we ought to stop and investigate. We investigate if we're going to buy property, we'll search around and look if we're going to buy an automobile but when it comes to our eternal salvation just anything the preacher says, well he's a preacher and say he's got his degree, he's been to this University. You better take God's Word here for it, you've got a lot of folk that's leading people to hell and there in this work not because they really want to save souls. They're in it because of prestige.

And by the way, don't call Him Reverend either. He sent Redemption unto his people, He hath commanded his covenant forever. Holy and Reverend is his name. It's a divine attribute of God and no human being should ever take it on his lips to call Himself a reverend. Blasphemy almost against God. The Bible calls them pastors, elders, bishops, evangelists, but never, never reverend.

Psalms 111:9, "He sent redemption unto his people, He hath commanded His covenant forever. Holy and reverend is His name." And by the way, it shows your ignorance anyway, whenever you call a man reverend, reverend is a noun and when you use it as an adjective it shows your ignorance. Need I say any more? Friends, tonight I couldn't close this message, see I've gone over 10 minutes. I couldn't close this message tonight unless I gave someone in this congregation an opportunity to take an advanced step in the religious experience.

Now remember this doesn't mean when you start obeying light and walking in the light, God doesn't shed light all at once. The Bible says, "But the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Your blessing and my blessing is when God reveals light, walk in it. That was Proverbs 4:18 I just read. But the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

1 John 1:7 says, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." If you don't walk in the light, His blood doesn't cleanse. Is this understandable? As I make this appeal, I'm asking the second evangelist to come up and if there are those here who would like to take an advanced step in their religious experience, "By the Grace of God Lord I didn't know these things but from the day onward, I'm going to obey you. I'll start keeping all of your Commandments."

Is there one in here who has that much courage to say, "By God's Grace, I will take my stand on the work of God, I will take my stand on the teachings of Jesus, I will take my stand on the way He lives." If you're here just stand where you are quietly. God bless you brother, continue brother with a song. Are there others who would like to stand and say, I will take an advanced step in my religious experience. He's calling you tonight.

[singing]

Maybe I'm not making myself clearly understood. Surely someone in this congregation hasn't been obeying God as the Bible commands, do you love Him enough to do what God has asked you to do, just stand and all you do this doesn't mean that you're joining a church. This means that I'm going to keep God's holy Sabbath like he asked me to keep it. Are you willing to do it and if there is those who don't wish to stand-- God bless you sister and God bless you.

If there are others here who would like to say-- God bless you brother. I know there must be honest people here. Take the card that's given you place your name, your address, and the city or where you reside and your telephone number. If you need my assistance, I'm happy to talk with you. Place your name, your address, the city where you reside, and your telephone number.

I'm waiting and seeking for the sincere in heart, just to quietly stand. God bless you brother. Are there still others? God is looking for honesty, for sincerity. God wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. If you're willing to worship Him in truth just stand where you are. Now maybe you haven't stood but you've got a card in your hand, you've got a quiz card I think. If you're willing to go all the way with God and make a full commitment, make a cross on the back of that card and the cross will mean, "Lord you went to Calvary for me. I'm willing to follow you whatever you ask me to do in your Holy Word. By thy Grace, Lord God, I'm willing to obey."

Some years ago in Scotland, a visitor was going over the plains and valleys - God bless you, little lady. There's a little lady standing - and as he was going over, he walked by a water, a beautiful lake and there four shepherds were watering their flock, he chatted with them a while. One of the old shepherds said, "Well, I'm sorry but I must be going," and he made the shepherd call and out from the flock, hundreds of sheep followed him as he led them to the fold.

The second shepherd said, "I too must be going," and he made the Shepherd call. Hundreds of more sheep came forth as he led them to their fold. Well, the third man said, "Nice talking with you, but I too must go." He made the shepherd call. Sheep began to follow him and the man was startled and he said to the last shepherd who sat there, "You know this is the most marvelous thing I've ever seen. Do sheep ever get mixed up and follow the wrong shepherd?" The old man said, "Oh, no." Then almost apologetically he said, "Only when they are sick."

Only sick people follow a stranger. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them. And they follow me. A stranger will they not follow. But they'll flee from them for they know not the voice of strangers." Friends, Jesus is calling you. He is calling you tonight. As this last stanza is being sung, aren't there others who would say "Yes, Lord, I know he's taught the truth tonight. He's given us a verse and a chapter. We've read it. I see it. I understand it. And by faith I am not going to worry what the church will think what I've done." I want to know what God thinks about what I'm doing. Don't worry about what your wife, mother, sister, brother or relative will say--

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