"Torah Truth Revealed in Yeshua the Messiah"

A Messianic Sermon by Rabbi Reuben

Main Texts:

Genesis 2:2–3 Exodus 20:8–11 Matthew 12:8 Jubilees 2:18–33

Introduction: A Day Set Apart Before Sin

Shalom, beloved in Messiah. Today I bring a word that many modern believers need to hear—the commandment to keep the Shabbat (שַׁבָּת) is not only for Jews, not just for ancient times, and certainly not optional.

Shabbat was sanctified before sin, before the fall, before there was Jew or Gentile. Genesis 2:2–3 tells us:

“And on the seventh day Elohim ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day… And Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work…”

This is not a Jewish institution—it is a divine institution, a covenant of rest, holiness, and identification with the Creator. If Elohim needed no rest but still set the seventh day apart, what excuse do we have?

I. The Shabbat Is a Sign of Covenant for All Generations

Exodus 31:16–17 says:

“Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath… for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever.”

Yes, this was spoken to Israel. But we must ask: Who is Israel?

Romans 11 and Ephesians 2 show that Gentile believers are grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel. If you are in Messiah, then you are part of Israel, and the sign of the covenant applies to you. Why would a grafted-in branch reject the very sign of the tree it was attached to?

II. Yahusha Our Messiah Kept Shabbat – and So Did His Followers

Some say Yahusha “broke” the Shabbat. That is false. Yahusha clarified how to keep it lawfully—not by tradition but by Torah:

“For the Son of Man is Master of the Shabbat.” (Matthew 12:8)

Did He use that as license to abolish it? No! He used it to restore its true meaning: healing, restoration, rest, and divine connection. Every time He healed on Shabbat, He fulfilled the prophetic purpose of rest: to bring shalom (wholeness).

His disciples continued to keep Shabbat after the resurrection. Acts 17:2 says:

“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures…”

This was decades after Messiah’s ascension. Nothing changed. The rhythm of holiness remained.

III. The Book of Jubilees Confirms Shabbat as an Eternal Law in Heaven

Let us now turn to the Book of Jubilees, a sacred text highly regarded in the Second Temple period and among the Ethiopian Jewish and Christian communities.

In Jubilees 2:18–19, it says:

“And I have chosen the seed of Jacob from amongst all that I have seen, and have written him down as My firstborn son, and have sanctified him unto Myself forever and ever… And the seventh day I will command the children of Israel that they observe it…”

But here’s the key part:

Jubilees 2:30–31:

“…the Creator of all things blessed it, but He did not sanctify all peoples and nations to keep Shabbat with Him. Only Israel He sanctified…”

Yet now through Messiah, the Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens (Eph. 2:19). Through the blood of Yahusha, you are part of the sanctified people.

Jubilees 2:33 warns:

“Whoever profanes it shall surely die… and the children of Israel shall observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, and not be uprooted from the land…”

Isn’t this what we see? Every time Israel, spiritual or physical, forgets the Shabbat, exile and disconnection follow. The Shabbat keeps us grounded in the Edenic rhythm of Elohim.

IV. Today’s Church Has Lost Its Roots – and Power

Many believers say, “I rest in Jesus every day.” But that’s not what the command says. The Word does not say, “Remember to rest in Me.” It says:

“Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8)

To rest in Messiah is spiritual; to keep the seventh day is obedience. You can’t substitute one for the other. We are not called to be lawless lovers but covenant-keepers. 1 John 5:3 says:

“For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.”

V. A Prophetic Restoration Is at Hand

Isaiah 66:22–23 declares that even in the new heavens and earth, Shabbat will still be kept:

“And it shall come to pass… from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith YHWH.”

Did you catch that? All flesh, not just Jews. If Shabbat was kept before sin, throughout Scripture, and will be kept after the resurrection, why wouldn’t we keep it now?

Conclusion: Return to the Ancient Paths

Beloved, we live in a time of confusion, noise, and disobedience. The world is spinning faster, morality is vanishing, and the Church has grown weary. The Shabbat is not a burden—it is a gift. It is the Father’s invitation into His time, His order, His presence.

As Jeremiah 6:16 says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Return to the ancient path. Return to the Shabbat. Return to the covenant.

✡ Call to Action:

If you haven’t kept the Shabbat, start this week. Turn off your phone. Light the candles. Read the Torah. Break the bread. And most importantly, meet with your Creator in His holy time.

The fire is coming. But those who rest in Him on His terms will not be consumed—they will walk through fire and not be burned.

Shabbat Shalom.