1-13-11 Lesson Summary: Sabbath Day

 Gospel Principles Manual

“Sabbath Day”

Lesson 24 p. 138-143

Sister Pickett

Meaning of the Sabbath Day What is the Sabbath day?

• The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word meaning rest. 
• Before the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Sabbath day commemorated God’s day of rest after He finished the Creation. 
• It was a sign of the covenant between God and His people. 
• Now the Sabbath also commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Purpose of the Sabbath Day 

• Jesus taught that the Sabbath day was made for our benefit.
• Mark 2:27: And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. 
• The purpose of the Sabbath is to give us a certain day of the week on which to direct our thoughts and actions toward God. 

History of the Sabbath 

Beginning of the earth:

Genesis 2:2-3: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had crested from all his work which God created and made.

Israelites:

God renewed a commandment concerning this day to the Israelites, saying, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

Nephites:

Jarom 1:5: And now, behold, two hundred years had passed away, and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the land. They observed to keep the law of Moses and the sabbath day holy unto the Lord. And they profaned not; neither did they blaspheme. And the laws of the land were exceedingly strict.

Modern Day:

D&C 68:29: And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 

President Spencer W. Kimball: “The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important, but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, writing letters to missionaries, taking a nap, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day at which he is expected.”

Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy 

In deciding what other activities we could properly engage in on the Sabbath, we could ask ourselves: Will it uplift and inspire me? Does it show respect for the Lord? Does it direct my thoughts to Him?

Blessings for Observing the Sabbath 

 “The fulness of the earth is yours, ... whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul” (D&C 59:16–19).

Challenges

• Think about something you can do to improve in your efforts to keep the Sabbath day holy.
• If you are a parent or grandparent, think about something you can do to help your children or grandchildren understand the meaning of the Sabbath.