Exodus 31:12 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
True sanctification cannot take place while consciously violating any of God's laws, and any doctrine which divorces obedience from righteousness is false. The Sabbath therefore is a sign that the same God who created the heavens and the earth, is the same God who is exercising His creative power to renew us after His image. The command says that we should rest on the seventh day, as evidence that the restorative work in our hearts has begun and continues.
When a person goes in for surgery to have a dangerous piece of cancerous tissue removed, they must "rest" as the operation to restore them to health is performed. They cannot be out window shopping or at the grocery store while the work of restoration is taking place, for the surgeon wouldn't be able to perform his delicate work. Similarly, we cannot be out shopping or attending to the secular duties of life whilst the Great physician tells us to rest. Even though the work of salvation continues in our hearts every day of the week, on the Sabbath we are given extra rest to commemorate the good work that God has performed all week.
It's worthy of note that the Sabbath rest is not optional nor subject to change. We do not presume to change a doctor's prescription while we are recovering from surgery, do we? If God had made the Sabbath commandment optional or subject to change, we would be working seven days of the week, given our busy, hectic schedules.
True sanctification therefore takes place as we walk in obedience to God's wise prescriptions. The Bible explicitly states that sanctification is accomplished through the "truth" and the power of God working in and through us. Let's read:
1st Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
2nd Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
In these verses we can clearly see that obedience and the truth are integral aspects of the process of sanctification. The question then is, what is the "truth" here being referred to? We let the Bible explain itself. Let's read:
Psalms 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
We all need to be careful lest a wanton disregard of the Sabbath commandment put us at odds with the recovery process of sanctification. God who knows best, gave us the seventh day Sabbath as being necessary to our survival and longevity, and if God rested on the seventh day, then we too should follow His example by resting also. May God grant us His grace to add obedience to the study of His word, for His laws are always given for our best good. God bless!