God's Blessing and the Sabbath

Sabbath Day Worship

God’s greatest desire is to give us the blessing of eternal life and lead us to the kingdom of heaven. God distinguishes His people that are to be saved as those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. If we want to receive God’s blessings, we must know what it means to worship in spirit and in truth.

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
John 4:24

God seeks true worshipers—that is, those who worship in spirit and in truth. So what does worshiping in spirit and in truth refer to?

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
John 17:17

God makes us holy by His word, which is the truth. This means we must worship God according to the words of the Bible. As long as we worship according to God’s word, we can be sure that the Holy Spirit is present at our worship. This is worshiping in spirit and in truth.

Understanding this, when does the Bible say to worship God? It’s important to know this to be qualified as those who worship in spirit and in truth.

Blessings on the Sabbath Day

We can worship in spirit and in truth when we worship God on the biblical Sabbath. God established the Sabbath day as a day to keep holy and made it the fourth commandment in the Ten Commandments.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.”
Exodus 20:8-9

God emphasized that we must remember to keep the Sabbath holy. This indicates that we must worship God on this day. Since this is one of the Ten Commandments, as believers in God, we should make every effort to obey it.

The Sabbath day is the seventh day of the week. It is a blessed and holy day that God set aside from the beginning.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Genesis 2:2-3

God rested on the seventh day, and then He blessed and made it holy. He did this to show us that we will be blessed, made holy and receive rest when we worship Him on the seventh day. To receive all of the blessings God has in store for us, we must know which day of the week is the seventh day Sabbath.

Which Day of the Week Is the Sabbath?

The calendar and dictionary both say that the seventh day is Saturday. The Bible also clearly emphasizes this fact through the Gospel of Mark.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise… When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week…
Mark 16:1-2, 9

The Bible states that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. All Christians agree this is Sunday. Since the Bible says the Sabbath ended before the first day of the week, the Sabbath cannot be Sunday. In other words, Saturday is definitely the Sabbath day and the correct day to worship God, according to the Bible.

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

Jesus set the example of worshiping on the Sabbath day 2,000 years ago.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me.”
Luke 4:16-18

By reading from the Scriptures on the Sabbath day, Jesus showed us how to worship in spirit and in truth. Later, He revealed who is the Lord of the Sabbath.

“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12:8

The Son of Man is Jesus Himself. Since He is the Lord of the Sabbath, we must commemorate this day in honor of Him. In this way, God will acknowledge us as His people and will pour down blessings upon us. Additionally, God said the Sabbath is the sign showing that we know Him.

‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.’
Exodus 31:13 (NLT)

The Disciples of Christ Kept the Sabbath Day

Jesus’ followers kept the Sabbath day, even after the crucifixion.

It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
Luke 23:54-56

Long after Jesus Christ ascended, Apostle Paul faithfully observed the Sabbath.

As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures…
Acts 17:2

Apostle Paul did not become a Christian until several years after Jesus left this world. Still, he kept the Sabbath day holy just like Jesus Christ. Since the early followers of Jesus Christ consistently kept the Sabbath day, they were able to receive numerous blessings from God. They are examples of the worshipers God seeks.

We, too, should follow in their footsteps and worship God on the Sabbath day. In turn, we will become the true worshipers God is looking for. God will bless us, give our souls rest and make us holy. Ultimately, we will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The World Mission Society Church of God keeps the Sabbath day in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Visit your local Church of God and receive God’s blessings of the holy Sabbath day.