So many write our office and request information or clarification or support for their own views... "Do you believe in the 7th-day Sabbath?" or "When do you people worship?" or such.
I pondered this question and my usual answer again this evening as I looked through these photos of our trip to Adelaide last year. What a great time we had. You can see them on Bob Photos
One of the ones that made me smile was this one of Stacey, the young woman who led the service (SDA folks title her role 'hostess') that morning in May 2009. She did a great job that morning.
Back in Washington, DC, where I worked for 7 years in the 90s, I first found the SDA denomination. Seventh-day Adventists and one of its leaders Cliff Goldstein. Here's the link for Cliff's wikipedia information, Goldstein
So I was challenged to read and did read a lot.
All the while I ran all this information through the grid of the Bible and my own experience and my background as an Orthodox Jew.
Then I kept finding people who could never settle into a church, and packaged their frustrations and mis-trust of churches in the wrapping of Sabbath observance.
So when and how do we worship? And what day is the right day to observe/ keep/ follow the Sabbath?
The reality is Saturday is the Sabbath. Even the latin 'Sabbatum' translates to the Spanish 'Sabado' (the word for Saturday!). That's not the real question is it?
The real question is how do people observe it and why? What's the motivation? If our answer is God wants me to take a day off; He loves me and wants me to rest once a week, then you are on the right track. If your answer is God requires me to do it, and if I do it then he will reward me with x or y, then you are missing it. If you say that it's required because Y'shua said, if you love me you will keep my commandments, and leave it there, then there's something missing.
If you are trying to earn points with God, you will only fail and that's not what Sabbath is about.
Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2.27)
I cannot find any verse in the Bible where both worship and rest(sabbath) are used. Not one in the same verse. Did I miss anything? Then why do we say Sabbath is the day of worship?
Point gathering is not what Sabbath or any Torah observance is about. Keep your eyes on Y'shua, not on any other prize. Love God; love your neighbour. And that means those who don't observe the same day, or who think a different way about Sabbath at all. Read Romans 14 and believe it.
"Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God." (14.4-6)
The key phrase is 'for the Lord.' Do what you do unto the Lord. Don't do what you don't do, because of what you believe God wants. And don't lay your trip on another.
Moishe Rosen taught me to ask SDA folks and others who asked me about my own Sabbath observance the following: There are two kinds of SDA; which are you? Those who believe in Jesus and those who believe in the Sabbath. Stacey quickly answered that she believed in Jesus.
I guess that's what I liked in Adelaide that day in November 2008. And still appreciate about so many SDA and other folks.
Get your priorities and motivations right, and everything else falls into place.
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11 comments:
Try Isaiah 58:13-14 see what you come up with.
I believe Jesus and the sabbath are two different things. Jesus is who we say He is and the sabbath (Shabbat) is a monument to the creation. to remember God as our creator. I don't believe the "statue of Liberty" will be coming down anytime soon as long as USA exists or the "Eiffel tower", or "the Obelisk" even less the kingdom of God would sees to be. I don't think the Orthodox Jewish people would ever change shabbat for any other day. it is a blessed day, kind of like the place were Moses was standing in presence of the burning bush, the sabbath is holly and we don't find the blessing of this day being holly in any other ground (day). any other day would be man decree but the shabbat... only by God and for us to remember Him as our creator eternally. Isa 66:23
I believe that every kingdom, every nation have flags and monuments, we are very familiar with the monument to "liberty" in New york city. the fourth of July we remember Independence. the Shabbat is exactly that. A monument to creation by the kingdom of God. It was established before any law was ever written. the law was then in the hart of Abraham and others.
this day have a special blessing in it because the day has been declared holly by the King. We know the experience of Moses in front of the burning bush, that ground was holly, there was no manna for the Israelite s but a double portion on Friday.
I don't think the Orthodox Jewish people would ever trade the shabbat for any other man made monument to creation. Every day is a day to consider God in every step of our life's but on the shabbat day we should meet together to rest from our labor and remember God our creator.
Mathew 12:12-it The Sabbath is a good day, so only do good on the Sabbath.
Jesus = savior, redeemer, son of God...
shabbat = Flagg of God 's kingdom on earth.
I was taught that in the B.C.E (before common Era) that when a king took over a city or a country, to proclaim that the territory was his he would put a statue (image) of himself in the middle of the city. So when God created man in his image he also did the same with humans, thus him being the King us his image (at least the good looking ones) here on earth; He probably looks at us now and says "I hope I don't look like that." So if we represent him and he is in us, by keeping the Sabbath and living under who He Was, Is and will Be, each Christian is a portrayal of who he is here on earth, and the Hebrew Sabbath should be the Flag in our individual hearts as well as in the community of Belivers (Christians and Messianics of course).
So I do agree keeping the Sabbath is Key in wholly Loving and believing in God as well as representing who he really is. I think that Hebrew Sabbath Observance is must be the Flagg in the community of believers worldwide as well as in everyones individual heart. Will it ever be Observed correctly by all Christians? I don't think so, not by force at least. It can only be preached to and Adopted by our
Sunday worshiping brothers out of love.
comments Welcome-
Hi, in your post above you said: "I cannot find any verse in the Bible where both worship and rest(sabbath) are used. Not one in the same verse. Did I miss anything? Then why do we say Sabbath is the day of worship?"
However Isaiah 66:22-23 says the following: "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me," says the LORD."
This seems to link the Sabbath with worship.
Thanks Anonymous. I see what you say in Isaiah 66. Unfortunately, I don't see it the way you do. I see the 'Sabbath" reference as a one week identifier, not necessarily an indicator of worship on Sabbath. But I see your point.
>>so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,">>
This is a great forum for all Christians! Restore Saturday as the Lord's Day. Uphold the 4th Commandment of God now! Remember to keep holy His Sabbath day! Let us acknowledge the True God on the true Day of His Rest and reject Satan's m...anipulation of the times & the law. The devil has cause us to disobey God's 4th Commandment simply by telling us a half-truth lie that we are "under Grace" & not "under the Law" anymore on account of Jesus. It's true that we are no longer "under the law" but does that mean we can steal, kill & commit aultery because we are "under Grace" now? Of course not! Does this mean we get to keep all other 9 commandments except the 4th? Jesus even being THE LORD OF THE SABBATH set the perfect example of keeping it while rebuking the pharisees of their hypocritical ways of observing it. It wasn't even an issue between the Jew & Gentile Christians after Jesus' resurrection & ascension. His followers--as accounted in the Bible--never change the day and has kept it the way our Lord & Saviour kept it. This remained since the time of the apostles in the early Christian church until Constantine decided to change the Saturday Sabbath to Sunday when he converted to become a "christian" himself. Being a former sun-worshiper, this powerful Roman emperor just couldn't shake off his pagan ways. He played his authority well and decided to take it up a notch by playing god---changing God's times & law then voila! Sunday worship caught on and Christians never looked back! It was downhill from there as Satan officially entered the churches to sow dogmatic & doctrinal lies one after another including tons and tons of man-made traditions not in line with God's Word & abhorent to the Almighty. The devil sowed weeds and weeds of lies among the wheats of God's Truth! These lies are the very "yeast of the pharisees" Jesus detested & forwarned us about. Christians should go back to be "the Unleavened Bread" Jesus called us to be---pure and undefiled by Satan's lies & half-truths! In these last days before His Second Coming, the Lord is calling all His children to set themselves apart & to get back to the pure wisdom & knowledge of His Word---"Come out of her My people so you will not partake of her sins!"See More
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I found that the vatican changed the law to Sunday so its Saturday. But i wonder how this works the word is round right and Australia is 20 hours ahead of Jerusalem time so how is it that we startour Sabbath 20 hours before was Australia made 20 hours before Jerusalem i cannot for the life of me work it out
I found that the vatican changed the law to Sunday so its Saturday. But i wonder how this works the word is round right and Australia is 20 hours ahead of Jerusalem time so how is it that we startour Sabbath 20 hours before was Australia made 20 hours before Jerusalem i cannot for the life of me work it out
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