HOW Does One Keep the Sabbath?

[sunlover1]

I was an SDA for 35 years and an SDA pastor for 10 of those years.

The fact is nobody keeps it the way it was commanded, for if they did nobody within the gates of the city would work and they would stone those who did. Neither should they start a fire (drive their car, turn on their lights, have heat to the building, etc.), or cause anyone to work on their behalf (as they would be causing others to break the Sabbath). Israel tried to keep the Sabbath all those years and never entered the rest.

Thank you Freeindeed.
I was hoping that this would be noted.
That's the reason I started the thread.
God killed that one guy for gathering
sticks on the Sabbath.
I don't imagine showering or cooking
would be allowed either.

Blessings,
sunlover

 

[Steve Petersen]

There is not vigilante justice in the Torah.

If you have a problem with the Law, you have a problem with the Law Giver.

 

[sunlover1]

There is not vigilante justice in the Torah.

If you have a problem with the Law, you have a problem with the Law Giver.

I have no problem with the Law or the Giver,
I am showing that keeping the Sabbath
God's way means doing nothing,
including picking up sticks, preparing
food etc.

 

[Robskiwarrior]

So would you all say you celebrate the Sabbath as a more of a family thing instead of a Church thing?
tulc(which actually sounds kind of cool)

Yes - I would say this.

BUT

I would love a to beable to attend somewhere that they end the Sabbath with a service. I know a place but its too far for me to go lol

 

[Mathetes the kerux]

What is it, rest or be in church?

Can't do both.
They couldn't even travel from
their home on the Sabbath,
at least not far enough to get to
a church (if I remember right)

How do we keep the Sabbath,
according to the Bible naturally.

thanks in advance,
sunlover

The answer is that the Sabbath rest is the person of Christ (Hebrews 4).

No one can keep the Law . . . otherwise Jesus would have not had to die . . . He kept the Law perfectly. So when we enter into Christ . . . we vicariously keep the Law as well, for we are in Him who kept the Law perfectly.

This extends to the Sabbath.

Interesting is that this is the concept Paul fleshes out in Romans 11 . . . we (Gentiles) have been grafted into the tree of Israel . . . we partake in the covenant of the OT (which has really been expanded) by becoming one with Christ. We become Jews spiritually . . . and abide by the Law by being in Christ.

 

[Wags]

Originally Posted by tulc
So would you all say you celebrate the Sabbath as a more of a family thing instead of a Church thing?
tulc(which actually sounds kind of cool)

A little of both actually. Erev Shabbat (friday night - the start of the Sabbath) tends to be family oriented, although some congregations do hold short worship services then. Daytime on saturday usually involves an assembly of like minded believers.

There is nothing in scripture that says any part of the 10 commandments have been done away with. The 7th day sabbath is still the 4th commandment and it is just as applicable as the commands not to murder or commit adultry, etc....

 

[Wags]

We are not obligated to keep the old covenant/10 commandments and neither are we under its sign, the Sabbath. And gentiles were never even given the law or the sign of the old covenant, and there is no instruction teaching gentiles how it should be observed.

Really? Gentiles were never a part of the covenant? Then perhaps you can expalin this passage of scripture:

[FONT=Arial, Geneva, Helvetica]Isaiah 56: 3 And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree." Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say, "The Lord will surely exclude me from his people."4 For this is what the Lord says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-- 5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. 6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-- 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."[/FONT]

 

[tulc]

Interesting. Uhmmm I was under the impression eunichs couldn't become part of the Jewish congregation?
tulc(Deut. 23:1)

 

[Gwenyfur]

So would you all say you celebrate the Sabbath as a more of a family thing instead of a Church thing?
tulc(which actually sounds kind of cool)

Most definitely! We do get out and attend Shul now and again, it's such a drive, that we tend to stay home and spend the day together.

Every week it's the highlight of my week to spend that day with my family worshipping together, spending time as a family, finding out what's been going on with hubby and my daughter's week at school..and all those little moments that stick in a mom's memory...

The hardest letter I've gotten from my oldest is how she misses the Shabbats at home and the quiet time with her family. So lately I've taken to over-nighting her some bit of our dessert and a couple of candles every week so she can have a "piece" of the family Shabbat.

anyhow...now I'm rambling

(where's the coffee?)

 

[ContentInHim]

So would you all say you celebrate the Sabbath as a more of a family thing instead of a Church thing?
tulc(which actually sounds kind of cool)

Generally both. I know people who use Friday evening for lighting candles, nice dinner with the family and Saturday for fellowship and other people who do it the other way around with fellowship on Friday evenings and family on Saturday.

It really is wonderful to fully devote the whole 24+ hour period to the Lord. It takes some discipline to exclude all the things of the world - some Sabbaths I'm more successful than others!

 

[ContentInHim]

I have no problem with the Law or the Giver,
I am showing that keeping the Sabbath
God's way means doing nothing,
including picking up sticks, preparing
food etc.

But there are so many other things that CAN be done! It's truly a glass-half-full rather than just negative!

 

[ContentInHim]

Interesting. Uhmmm I was under the impression eunichs couldn't become part of the Jewish congregation?
tulc(Deut. 23:1)

They could be part of the congregation but they couldn't serve in any priestly role at the Temple.

 

[freeindeed2]

Really? Gentiles were never a part of the covenant? Then perhaps you can expalin this passage of scripture:

They were never under the covenant (the law) God made with Israel. The fact is, God gave Israel the law to set them apart from all other nations. However, there were 'strangers and foreigners' that joined themselves to Israel, in which case they came under the covenant. But the covenant was never commanded of all nations.

Are you trying to say that the Sabbath was commanded of all people, not just those rescued from bondage in Egypt?

 

[Ivy]

I guess we can murder and commit adultery all we want to, then?

 

[tulc]

I guess we can murder and commit adultery all we want to, then?

Well...as long as it's not on the Sabbath I guess it will be ok.
tulc(or not)

 

[Ivy]

Tsk tsk.

 

[Eila]

I guess we can murder and commit adultery all we want to, then?

No, we are not commandless:

1 John 3 "1Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."

The law of love goes far beyond the 10 commandment laws of adultery and murder.

 

[Gwenyfur]

Well...as long as it's not on the Sabbath I guess it will be ok.
tulc(or not)

 

[Ivy]

Right you are, Eila.

And even though some of my Messianic buddy-pals wouldn't necessarily agree with me....love you guys heaps, though ......I don't think the sabbath is necessarily obligatory for Gentiles.

Back in the Roman world, for instance, many of the people who came to believe in Yeshua were slaves, had employers, etc.......and their masters or employers were not exactly going to give them the day off.

But on the other hand, celebrating the sabbath is more like a privilege than an obligation.......it's like getting a million dollars! And I never heard of anyone saying resentfully, "A million dollars? Well, I'm not OBLIGATED to take it, am I?"

 

[ContentInHim]

Privilege, indeed, Ivy! And I didn't know what I was missing until I began celebrating the Sabbath. No I agree that no one MUST celebrate THE Sabbath, but I can safely say that I would not give it up for anything!