How should we keep the Sabbath day Holy

[kokokolo]

So I was listening on the radio, and the speaker was speaking on the holyness of God, And he basically said that holy meant "seperate" in the original language. So How does that make sense for sunday's ?

Also how are we really expected to follow this commandment? What exactly are we supposed to be doing? I Mean where I work, someone has to work everyday of the week. I sometimes have to work, and if I didnt I would just be making someone else work , and thus make them sin ...

And what other ways are there to keep the Sabbath day Holy ?

The reason I asked is because I dont see any ways whatsoever, that we are following this commandement. Or even what it means to do this, except to attend a church on sunday.

[Visionbuilder]

But then if you attend church wouldn't you be makeing the Pastor work? Which is a sin.
I belive that as long as we keep the focus on Christ every day we are keeping them all holy. To me it's far more holy to spend Sundays playing with my kids , watching them skateboard, ride their bikes, swing on the swings than to spend the day at Church, where the kids are loathing every second. Just my thoughts.
Vision

[kokokolo]

so nowadays, we dont really need to worry about this commandment? /forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

can anyone tell me exaclty what is meant by "keep the sabbath day holy" anyway

[CanadianMuscle]

Is it wrong for me to go to the gym on a sunday?

[Adam Knowlden]

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The reason I asked is because I dont see any ways whatsoever, that we are following this commandement. Or even what it means to do this, except to attend a church on sunday.

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There are a lot of different opinions you will hear about this.

First its vital to understand what the Sabbath day is.

<font color="red"> "And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day." (Deuteronomy 5:15)
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It was for rememberance of deliverance from Egypt.

This is commandment that was specific for Israel, not Christians.

Also as you noted, due to American culture, its impossible to really follow like Israel does.

<font color="red"> "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it" (Romans 14:5–6a). " </font>

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Technically, the Ten Commandments are not even applicable to Christians. However, 9 of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament (all except the command to observe the Sabbath day). Obviously, if we are loving God we won't be worshipping other gods or worshipping idols. If we are loving our neighbors, we won't be murdering them, lying to them, committing adultery against them, or coveting what belongs to them. So, we are not under any of the requirements of the Old Testament law. We are to love God and love our neighbors. If we do those two things faithfully, everything else will fall into place.
J. Laney

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We are held to a higher law than the law of "sin and death". God has given us a new heart, and written a greater law in us. A law, that when walked in, will cause us to literally be the express image of God on earth!

<font color="blue">Jeremiah 31:33
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. </font>

Before you just did not committ adultery, now you can not look with lust.

Before you were not to murder, now hating someone in your heart is murder.

Before you could not steal, now when someone steals from you, you pray for them.

And the list goes on.

We are called to a higher level than the old Law. Remember Christ was the express image of God. We are to be like Christ, ie a Christian. Therefore we are to be the representation of God on earth.

What you have to remember is the Holy Spirit was not given in the Old Testament nor was Christ's blood shed ( a lot of the law was based on sacrifical rituals which prophecied Christ in very minute ways, obviously these are fulfilled now that Christ has come).

<font color="red"> The Fulfillment of the Law
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. </font>

That does not mean the Old Testament is void at all. The nature of God and how He operates never changes. We can learn a enormous amount about living a Godly life, and the principles of God, by studying the Old Testament.

Is the "Sabbath concept" worthless then? I think it is vital for many reasons.

One of the biggest issues in America is stress. Why? Non-stop work and "go, go, go" lifestyle.

<font color="blue"> Mark 2:27
Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
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I think a day to go to church, be with family, rest from what your normal schedule, is not only anabolic physically but spiritually as well. /forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

<font color="red"> 38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
</font>

So is the law worthless? No! It was a prophetic shadow of greater things to come.

<font color="green">12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.</font>

<font color="brown"> 16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. </font>

Hope that helps buddy. Like I said, this issue splits denominations. I think you should adhere to Romans 14 if you are strict about this day. I also believe Godly wisdom necessitates a day of rest, not "for God" but for our own good.

[kokokolo]

awesome response man. So basically whenever there is confusion of what the right thing to do is, concerning the ten commandments, Refer to the 2 greatest commandments.

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29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

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of course I know there is more in your response, just so you dont think im oversimplifying it.

btw that pic in your signature is beyond awesome. where you find these things?

[Adam Knowlden]

Yep, you nailed it right on the head!

Also all the New Testament is clear about what is right and what is wrong. See Gal. 5 in particular.

I just found that pic on accident and I agree its pretty sweet /forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[shtanga]

Do you ever get tired just thinking of what you've got to do? Do you ever find yourself just as tired on Monday morning as you were on Friday afternoon? Do you ever bring home work on the weekend and use the weekend to catch up on work you haven't got done? Do you ever feel guilty when you relax?

Today we're going to look at what God has to say about taking a day off. Would you agree that workaholism hurts families? It does. The fourth commandment is all about taking a day off.

It's interesting to me that God has more to say about taking a day off than He does about either murder or adultery. It's the longest of the ten commandments. It's as if He's saying, "I want you to take this serious, this is not a suggestion. I am commanding you to take a day off every week."

Exodus 20:8-9 "Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. You have six days in which to do your work but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work." That's pretty clear. No one is to work.


I. THE SABBATH: ANTIDOTE TO BURNOUT

What is He talking about here? What does the word Sabbath mean? Sabbath means "Day of rest". God says every seventh day you are to take a day of rest.

Why? Mark 2:27, Jesus said "The Sabbath was made to benefit man, and not man to benefit the Sabbath."

God says "I'm doing this for your benefit." The purpose is to prevent burnout. Every seven days you need to get physically, emotionally, and spiritually recharged because your batteries run down every few days. So He says, I'm doing this for your benefit. It's to help you in the stress-filled world we live in.

When is it? Saturday, Sunday, Friday. It doesn't matter. The answer is once a week. God doesn't care when you do it as long as you do it once a week.

It was law in the old Testament. We are no longer under law, so this remains principle for us. The principle is: TAKE A DAY OFF!!!!!. But not one place in the Bible does God command you to worship on Sunday. Then why are we here?

In the New Testament the first Christians took the Jewish Sabbath and began to celebrate it on Sunday in honor of Jesus' resurrection. That’s why most churches have church on Sunday.In the book of Revelation, John calls it the Lord's Day.

Law removed:


Col 2:16-17 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (NIV)


II. WHAT TO DO ON YOUR SABBATH

How do I "keep it holy"?

Do you think having a regular day off would do some good for your family? For you? God says, "keep it holy".

What does it mean to be holy? Holy means "set apart", different. God says, I want you to set one day a week apart to do something different than you do the other six days of the week. On the seventh day, you're to have a change of pace. That's what it means -- unique, reserved, special.

How do I keep the day holy? By using it the way God intended.
how do I do that? God wants you to use the Sabbath, your day, at least once a week, to rest, recharge and refocus.


1. God says use the day to rest my body.

Psalm 127:2 "God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest." God says I want you to be rested, your body needs rest.

This is so important that God used Himself as an example. When he created the world, it says he took six days to create the world and on the seventh He rested. Was God tired? No, God does not get tired. So why did God rest on the seventh day? He was modeling something

God says is an important principal of life -- every seven days you take a day off.
Now you have a Biblical basis for a Sunday afternoon nap. It's interesting to me that terre are now more work saving devices than ever before yet people are working harder than ever before and longer hours. There's more stress, pressure and burnout

Because people are ignoring God’s principle.

You need to take a day off and rest. You can be consumed by your career. There are a lot of tempting things that pull you toward your work -- more money, more recognition, more promotion, more sense of fulfillment, achievement and accomplishment. All the powerful forces that say "work more", but our bodies were not built for non stop work.

Whatever you do for a living, you need to stop it one day a week. Don't bring home your briefcase. We think we get more done by keeping on driving. But actually what we do is put a kink in the system that throws us out of kilter. Efficiency experts now say that they've discovered that reasonably spaced rest periods increase productivity over the person who works continually and constantly.

The old Indian parable says, "You break the bow if it's always bent."

The first principle, the first thing you do, you rest your body on the Sabbath.

Ps. 23 "The Lord is my shepherd. He makes me lie down in green pasture

Many people who never observe this fourth commandment, end up getting a long rest later in life due to health problems.

You say, "When I relax, I feel guilty." You don't need to feel guilty. Jesus relaxed and He never felt guilty about it. He took a day off every week. Nobody accomplished more than He did in the 3 1/2 years of His public ministry. Even God took a day off after creation. Who are you?

God says "I don't care about the deadline. Every seventh day, you don't work."

But that's not all you do. You're not just physically tired. You're emotionally tired.

There are two kinds of fatigue: physical fatigue when your muscles get tired and spiritual fatigue when your emotions get tired. You do things that drain your emotions.

You can take the whole week end off and sleep the whole week end and still go back to work on Monday and still be emotionally drained even if you slept away the whole week end.

Why? Because rest is not enough. Rest will take care of physical fatigue but it will not take care of emotional fatigue. That's why God says you do two other things on the Sabbath than just rest.


2. God wants me to recharge my emotions.

I use the day to recharge my emotions because work's stress drains you. Muscuvites are always in a hurry and we need regular doses of inspiration and encouragement.

In the French Revolution they were trying to throw out all the old laws. One of the old laws was the Sunday day off. They said every day will now be a day of work. Within months they had to rescind that law to establish again one day off a week. The health of the French people collapsed. It didn't work.

How do you do it? There are three things that are universal that you need to build into every Sunday (or whatever):

1. Include time for quietness.

Ps. 23:3 "He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul."

Quietness and soul restoration go together. We are in a world of noise pollution. It's really hard to find a place where you can be totally quiet.

The Bible says, "Be still and know that I am God." You need to schedule quiet periods in your life and God says part of your Sabbath needs to be a quiet time. Get alone with God and you get quiet. Many people use the whole week end to relax and recreate but they never have any quiet and they don't know why they're still stressed out when they go back to work.


Mark 6:31 "There were so many people coming and going Jesus said to His disciples, `Let's go off by ourselves where we will be alone and you can rest for awhile." He says, there's so much going on in your life you need to get alone, get by yourself, you need a time of quietness.

2. Include time for family.

God wants you to plan some special time with your family, to do thing with them that draw your family together.

Eccl. 9:9 "Enjoy life with your wife whom you love..."


"Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It's a slow death to be gloomy all the time." Proverbs 17:22

Most churches have Sunday night service – we never will. Rather than you coming back for another Bible study on Sunday night I'd rather you stay home with your family and work on that.

Men, go home, talk to your wife and play with your kids or ... play with your wife and talk to your kids.


3. Include time for fellowship

You need time with other believers. We draw strength from being together.

Heb. 10:25 "Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, instead let us encourage one another." When we get together we encourage each other.

That's why David says in Ps. 122, "I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the House of the Lord." He said I look forward to it. Why? There's a rejuvenation that comes by getting together with other believers. It's tough being a believer out there in the world. We need each other to encourage and uplift each other and inspire each other and challenge each other.

Have you ever thought about not coming to church, but after you did you were so glad.

You get rejuvenated, recharged, rebuilt by being around other people. In the New Testament it says the New Testament Christians ate their meals together; Christians ate with other Christians.

The Bible says "He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."



3. USE THE SABBATH TO REFOCUS MY SPIRIT.

Tune in to God. This is the most important part. Ps. 95:6 "Come let us bow down in worship [circle the word "worship"] before the Lord our Maker." Sunday is preeminently a day to worship, get a focus on God, a time to remember what's important ( God – Family ) a time to get a spiritual tune up.

The tragedy is many people take the day off. They use it to take care of their physical needs and they rest and their emotional needs, they have recreation and relationships, and they ignore their most important need -- your spirit is empty and it needs to be refilled with God's presence and power and love and awareness that He's with you all the time.

Most people don't worship God on Sunday, they worship the sun on Sunday.

They go down to the beach for the ceremonial baptisms. They anoint their body with oil. Then they lay prostrate before the sun god. That's their worship.

The problem is if all you ever do is work and play then work and play, pretty soon you start think that all there is to life is work and play and there's a lot more to life than just work and play.

Mark 8:36 "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? What can a man give in exchange for his soul?" God wants you to ask that question every seven days, "What am I exchanging my life for? What did I give the last 7 days, the last 168 hours of my life for?" He wants you to stop and re examine your priorities, re evaluate, regroup, relax, tune into God, listen to Him, get your perspective right, get your priorities rebalanced and refocus on God. You need that every seven days.

I'm saying this third thing, Refocus My Spirit -- Worship, is the first thing you ought to do on your day off before you do the others. It is by far the most important.

Fathers, if you want a practical way of being the spiritual leader in your home, it's real simple. Your faithfulness at worship is a good example that you can model to your kids. Of course, we're going to go to church, even when we're on vacation. we don't take a vacation from God. ( girls in Furmanov )

You need to understand, you don't teach values to your kids, you model them. They catch them automatically. Every time you say, "We're not going to go to church this week end. Let's go up to the cabin. We're tired today, we've got some extra work so we're not going to go today." You are modeling inconsistency to your family. God says every seven days, you rest, recharge and refocus. Is my work or is my worship the most important thing in my life?

When you buy a car they give you a book that has a maintenance schedule in it. That maintenance schedule says if you do certain things at certain times then that car will last you a long time. The owner's manual for your life is the Bible. God says the maintenance schedule for living is every seventh day you slow down, stop, regroup, and you spend time in worship, and in things that recharge you emotionally and in physical rest. You do that you will be far more successful and you will last far longer than any other way.

The life style that Jesus offers is not a difficult life style. It's the most logical life style. He knows how you are made. He says, "I came that you might have life." When you do it God's way, you benefit -- physically, emotionally, spiritually, in every way.

When you don't follow God's principles and you didn't have Christ as the center of your life, the manager, calling the shots one of the clearest signs of that, that your priorities are out of order, is that you are chronically fatigued. I'm not talking about a physical ailment but an emotionally, physically fatigue all the time. You're out of balance.

What do I do when I'm that way? You come to Jesus Christ. Ask Him to help you. Say, take all of these parts of my life that are loading me down and help me to sort out what's really important. Become the manager of my life. Jesus said, "I will give you rest."

Matthew 11 "Come to me, all you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest! For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Jesus said if you're carrying a heavy burden today, you're carrying one that I don't want you carrying. You're trying to be God. Let God be God and you be you. Life will be a whole lot easier.

I want to challenge you to start taking this commandment seriously. It is not an option "I don't have time this week for church and recreation and for a day off." You're going to pay for it eventually. Do this for your own benefit. The Sabbath was made for man.

[kokokolo]

wow thanks brotha !

[Adam Knowlden]

Great post!

Can you provide a source for the article? /forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[shtanga]

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Great post!

Can you provide a source for the article? /forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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Mervin Strother ( Me )
River of Life church
2000

[shtanga]

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Great post!

Can you provide a source for the article? /forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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Mervin Strother ( Me )
River of Life church
2000

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I did glean a lot of information from Rick Warren for that message.

[Adam Knowlden]

I thought if it came from a website, I'd like to check out the website because the article was fantastic!

Thanks so much for sharing!