The Sabbath

Memory Verse

“Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 TNIV

Intro

Question: What is one of your favourite gifts you have received?

My Story: Share a personal story about receiving a great gift.

Bible Story | The gift of the Sabbath

In your own words, tell the story of the creation (Genesis 1 & 2). Focus on the creation of Adam and Eve (rather than all the details of what was created on each day) and explain how one of the very first things that God did was give them a gift—the Sabbath.

Genesis 2:3 | What three things did God do on the Sabbath?

exploring the bible

Mark 2:27 | What might it have meant for God to bless the seventh day?

Isaiah 40:28 | If God doesn’t grow tired or weary, why might he have rested on the seventh day?

Exodus 3:1-6 | What might it have meant for God to make the seventh day holy?

Exodus 20:8-11 | What instructions did God give us about the Sabbath?

If God’s law is all about love, what does the Sabbath have to do with love?

Luke 4:16; Matthew 12:9-14 | What did Jesus do on the Sabbath?

What you do on the Sabbath is more important than what you don’t do!

Fun Facts

The Bible teaches that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. But which day of the week is that today? One way to figure out which day of the week is the seventh-day is to read Luke 23:52-24:3 and compare it to the days of Easter. Every year, Christians around the world remember that Jesus died on Good Friday (the sixth day), rested in the tomb on Easter Saturday (the seventh day), and rose again on Easter Sunday (the first day). So Saturday is the seventh day. Also, in Bible times people didn’t have clocks. So, instead of starting a new day at midnight, a day began at sunset. We see this in Mark 1:32 (Mark 1:21 shows that this was a Sabbath – which is why people waited till sunset to be healed). So the Sabbath, the seventh day, begins at sunset on Friday night and ends at sunset on Saturday.

LIVING IT

Discuss: Why did God give us the Sabbath?

Discuss: Is there anything you find hard about keeping the Sabbath?

Decide: Is the Sabbath something that you want to live-out in your life?