BIBLE BASED CHURCHES IN MELBOURNE
Bible based Churches in Melbourne
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BIBLE BASED CHURCHES IN MELBOURNE
The Orchard Melbourne Central City Church is a friendly welcoming inner city church meeting every Saturday morning on Flinders Street opposite the Melbourne Aquarium. We have cheap onsite car parking and the trams and train link is directly opposite us. Group Bible study commences at 10am and the Main Church Service at 11:20am. We always conclude our time together with a delicious lunch and discussion.
A question you may ask is, “what are some of the Bible’s key teachings and why the Ten Commandments are still important today!” It is quite extraordinary that people who are not Christians yet have Anglo Saxon heritage and lived in Western cultures their entire lives, when asked, “Are the Ten Commandments important to Christians?” They would reply “Of course Christians believe this, everyone knows that!” But many are staggered even shocked to discover that when they become connected to a church they are taught they don’t have to worry about the Ten Commandments any longer, they are old hat, out dated, anachronistic etc. This is a quandary much to be lamented of, it is unbelievable the Ten Commandments are no longer a priority held by Christians, even worse they claim they are no longer relevant, but how can this be?
Our policy for accurate Bible study is we allow the Bible to explain itself, in fact when we turn back to the book of Isaiah which was written 700 years before the time of Jesus Christ we find this instruction in chapter 28:10
For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”
A precept is a principle, a doctrine, a teaching, a subject, and the Bible says precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little. In other words you compare subject with subject and you see what the entire Bible has to say on that topic, and as you gather the accumulated wisdom of God’s Word the Bible on any one subject, the result being we then have a full understanding of what God wants us to understand on any subject. So allowing the Bible to interpret itself is the golden rule as we study the Bible.
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In the book of Matthew 28:18-20 we read the mission statement Jesus gave His disciples.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go £therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” £Amen.
In these two verses Jesus not only gave the disciples their work, but gave them their message. “Teach the people” He said, “to observe all things that I have commanded you.” The disciples were to teach what Jesus taught. That which He had spoke, not only in person but through all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament. Human teaching is shut out. There is no place for tradition, for man’s theories and conclusions, or for church legislation and laws ordained by ecclesiastical authority. But sadly that is the case today with many churches embracing teachings that do not have any support in the Bible.
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Throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation God presents his Law, the Ten Commandments, as that which will bring societies moral compass pointing in the correct direction again. The Ten Commandments are like a wall of defense for every individual, a wall of defense for every family and a wall of defense for society as well.
With that in mind let’s turn to Exodus 20 , and we will go through each one of the Ten Commandments, because, it is here I believe we have the remedy for our societies problems. Before we commence though, many people believe the Ten Commandments are all negative and remove the enjoyment from life, but that is absolutely false as we shall see, because God wants you to have full, successful, happy and wholesome lives which are the very reasons God gave us the Ten Commandments. Let’s begin in verse one of chapter twenty
(Exo 20:1-3 KJV) And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
God wants us to know Him, He wants us to see Him as our closest, dearest and most reliable Friend. The One who loves us with a love so deep, that by comparison a parents love for their child is but a faint reflection. God wants us to know we can rely on Him above all others, so the first commandment reflects His desire that we would know and trust Him, and that there would be nothing or no one which would interfere in our relationship with Him.
(Exo 20:4-6 KJV) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:
What we see here is a portrait of God who jealously longs to preserve and protect His friendship with us, who wants nothing to get in the way of us knowing and delighting in Him. He wants us to understand that He is not made by human hands from stick or stone, but He lives, He is a corporeal Being, who hears and answers our prayers, who cares when we are hurting and gives hope for the future.
(Exo 20:7 KJV) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
God is concerned about His name and the way it is used. He is just not another person the road, but He is the Creator of the Universe, He is God Almighty who answers prayer, because He loves us , He wants to protect us, He wants us to be happy and wants us to know Him as our truest and trusted friend. He wants us to be careful the way His name is used and not use it as a swear word or common slang. Furthermore this commandment challenges all followers of the one true God not to take His name in vain. In other words by your behavior, by your actions by your attitude do not bring shame to the name of Christ, don’t publically declare yourself as a Christian if in so doing you cause others to scorn Christianity and to mock God. Let’s move on to the fourth commandment.
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(Exo 20:8-11 KJV) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
What a beautiful picture of God in this commandment, because in this commandment God is saying, “I want to be with you so much so that I have set aside one day of the week. A full 24 hour block of time so that you can get to know me better”. Oh yes we meet and pray with God every other day of the week, but the Sabbath is His special day. The fourth commandment also explains to us why we should worship God and it is because He is our Creator and the Sabbath is the memorial to Creation. That is why it is the only commandment that begins with the word remember, because God knew it would be forgotten or ignored all together.
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There you have it the first four commandments and you notice that each one of them deals with our relationship with God. In these four commandments we see how we as followers of God can protect, preserve and prioritize our relationship with Him. Now lets look at the last six, and interestingly these deal with our relationship with those around us, family, friends, work companions and strangers. As you will see there is no one who values human relationships more than God.
(Exo 20:12 KJV) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
God’s law protects the human family, because children are asked to give honor to their parents, but by their behaviour parents must be by their behavior be worthy of that honor. Nevertheless because God values the family, He asks us too honour our parents.
(Exo 20:13 KJV) Thou shalt not kill.
God’s law protects human life, we are all of value, we have not simply evolved billions of years ago when lightening struck a muddy lake bed as evolutionists would have us believe, no no we are made in the image of God, and God asks us to value those to whom He has given life too.
(Exo 20:14 KJV) Thou shalt not commit adultery.
God’s law protects the sacred and intimate relationship between a husband and a wife, and in so doing protects the health of the family and ultimately society. The health or problems of a society can be revealed by the health or problems in that societies families. God’s law protects the family unit asking each of us to respect the institution of marriage given by God as recorded in Genesis chapter 2, and affirmed by Jesus Christ in the New Testament in Matthew 19:4-6.
(Exo 20:15 KJV) Thou shalt not steal.
The eighth commandment deals with our material relationships, God’s law protects human ownership, we are not free to take from someone else, just because they have something you want.
(Exo 20:16 KJV) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
The ninth commandment deals with our ethical relationships, nothing else stabilizes our relationships more than trust. When trust is broken the relationship is forever marred. No matter who you are and where you are from, you shall not bear false witness, God’s law upholds peoples reputations the corollary being, a person’s integrity.
(Exo 20:17 KJV) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
The tenth commandment deals with our relationship with ourselves. You see long before any of the previous nine commandments could be broken the act is always preceded by the thought. This commandment says guard even your thoughts. Do not covet, be content with what you have. Do not desire what is owned by another man or woman.
As we consider the Ten Commandments we see clearly there is no one in the universe more deeply and totally committed to preserving relationships than God. The Ten Commandments begin by prioritizing and protecting our relationship with Him, and then He shows us how to prioritize and protect our relationships with others. He says to you and me, make Me first in your life and all the other relationships will fall into place.
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Some of you may not know, but the Ten Commandments are the only part of the entire Bible which God wrote Himself, and He wrote them in stone signifying there perpetuity, that they were never to be done away with, as it says in Exodus 31:18
(Exo 31:18 KJV) And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
The Ten Commandments written by God Himself in tablets of stone. They weren’t written on the sand to be washed away. They were written on stone. Permanent. Everlasting. Eternal. Of course that is exactly what Jesus taught of the Ten Commandments emphasizing their supreme value throughout the entire history of this earth.Lets look at Matthew 5:17-19.
(Mat 5:17-19 KJV)
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. (Mat 5:18 KJV) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Jesus specifically asserted that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill (or keep) it, it means to live it to the full. Then Jesus tells us how long the law the Ten Commandments were to stay in force by saying “till heaven and earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from law.” Now in the Hebrew alphabet a jot is the smallest letter in the alphabet, and the tittle refers to the crossing of a ‘t’ and the dotting of an ‘i’ in the English, and Jesus said that not even those things the smallest letter, the tiniest identifying character would be removed from God’s law. In fact Jesus said “till heaven and earth pass away” nothing could be removed from the law. That means as long as you go outside, and you can kick the ground, and see the sky, God’s law is still in force, and we know that Jesus was talking about the Ten Commandments there He quotes from the Ten Commandments in the following verses, therefore the Ten Commandments are the context.
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There was an occasion when a man asked, what he must do to have eternal life, lets pick up the story in Matthew 19:16-19
(Mat 19:16 KJV) And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?(Mat 19:17 KJV) And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
(Mat 19:18 KJV) He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,(Mat 19:19 KJV) Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Jesus said it simply, if you want to have eternal life keep the commandments, which ones? Well Jesus is clearly quoting from the Ten Commandments because He says, do not commit adultery, honour your mother and father etc. And the truth is that the Ten Commandments are just as important to us today as they were in Jesus ‘ time, no matter what some men and women try to teach you!
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As we study Jesus’ life we know that the religious leaders and authorities were continually trying to trap Jesus to say something that they could use against Him. In Matthew 22:36-40, a lawyer comes to Jesus trying to trick him and asked Him, “what is the most important commandment in the law?” Lets read it now.
Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
This lawyer asked Jesus what is the most important commandment, why? Because if Jesus had said “remember the Sabbath day”, the Jews would have accused Him of neglecting one of the other nine commandments. If Jesus had said “do not make unto thee any graven image, or thou shalt not commit adultery”, they would have tried to defame and embarrass Jesus by saying, so “thou shalt not kill” is not important or it is ok to slander the names of others. You see if Jesus had of identified one particular commandment they would have attacked Him, but what Jesus simply did was summarize all of the Ten Commandments by saying “Love God with all of your heart mind and soul” which encompasses the first four commandments which deal with our relationship with God, and “love your neighbor as yourself” which summarizes the last six commandments which focus on our relationships with those around us. To put it another way the first four commandments deal with our vertical relationship with God, the last six commandments deal with our horizontal relationships of those around us.
Many churches today teach that these are two new commandments that Jesus gave, and replaces the Ten Commandments, but solid Bible students know these were not new they were simply old commandments that had been forgotten by the Jews. Turning back to Deuteronomy 6:5 we read this,
(Deu 6:5 KJV) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
You see when Jesus said” love the Lord your God with all of your heart mind and soul” He was quoting from the writings of Moses in the Old Testament, turning now to Leviticus 19:18
(Lev 19:18 KJV) Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.
Love your neighbor as yourself was nothing new when Jesus said it to the lawyer ,He was merely repeating what had been recorded by Moses in the Old Testament, 1500 years earlier by God in the book of Leviticus. The thing you need to understand is that these two commandment actually summarize all of the Ten Commandments, If you love God …..If you love your neighbor as yourself………
You see that is why Jesus said in Matthew 22:40, “Upon these two commandments hang the all law”, because in these two commandments we find the Ten Commandments summarized. All of New Testament writers believed that the Ten Commandments should still be kept even after the death of Jesus.
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Lets read from the Apostle Paul in Romans 13 :8-10
(Rom 13:8 KJV) Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.(Rom 13:9 KJV) For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.(Rom 13:10 KJV) Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
The references to the Ten Commandments indicates that the Apostle Paul saw the validity of God’s Ten Commandments in His day, in fact there are many references to the keeping of the Ten Commandments throughout the New Testament. Further to that, the letter to the Romans probably written around 56AD, that is 25 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ (31AD), and the disciples are still underscoring the importance of God’s Ten Commandments, turning now to John 14:15.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
That’s clear isn’t it, Jesus said if you love me keep my commandments, and can I tell you love always leads to obedience. Jesus didn’t say wave if you love Him, Jesus didn’t say smile if you love Him, Jesus didn’t say toot your car horn if you Him. Jesus said “if you love me keep my commandments”, this idea that you can please God by waving or smiling is absolute nonsense. You see love is a verb, it is an action word and Jesus said if you love me keep my commandments, be obedient. Let’s go to the last book in the Bible Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints; here [are] those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
This passage projects us forward into the last days just before the Second Coming of Christ and here God’s people are identified as those “who keep the Commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.” Please understand these people are not keeping the Ten Commandments to be saved, but because they are saved. You see while they are obedient to God’s law, they understand that salvation can only happen by faith in Jesus Christ, because we are saved by grace not by works. It is the loving response to Jesus Christ for all He has done for them, and being prompted and led by the Holy Spirit, being convicted of that Biblical truth that God’s law is still in place even till the end of this world as we know it, they demonstrate their loyalty to Jesus Christ by their obedience to God’s law of Ten Commandments.
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In fact in the last chapter of the Bible we see that obedience is rewarded with eternal life, in Revelation 22:14
Blessed those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
Heaven is going to be filled with commandment keepers, and God’s law the Ten Commandments offers you and your family a wall of protection, that if embraced will be the glue that keeps your family from disintegrating in this lawless society. God’s laws, the Ten Commandments are not based on rules but are bathed in relationships. The greatest mistake in Christianity has been to replace the teachings of the Bible with the ideas of men, and so weaken the authority of the Bible in people’s minds. But listen, Jesus said in Matthew 15:9 Matthew 15:9, But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Jesus is warning everyone, when a person replaces the clear teachings of the Bible with the traditions of man, or accepts the traditions of men in preference for the Bible – their worship of God is in vain, the word vain means useless, producing no result. Therefore if a person intentionally ignores the truth and continues in willful disobedience, their worship means nothing in the sight of God. Remember these are not my words these are the words of Jesus Himself.
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God has given us the Ten Commandments not to restrict us, not to remove fun out of lives, but so that you would have a better life, a happier, more satisfying life as you live according to God’s plan for you. You see He loves you and wants the best for you. He is the God who forgives you your mistakes when you ask Him, and as you reflect on all that Jesus Christ has achieved for you, He ask you to be obedient to Him, but more than that, He gives you power to obey, no matter how insurmountable the problems may appear when you first commence a life of faithful obedience, God helps you through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Stretched out on that cross, –Jesus told the whole universe what He thought of you, and how will respond to that love of Christ.
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Why are we one of the Sabbath Keeping Melbourne Churches – There are many Christians today who believe that what they label Christian doctrines, are what the first century disciples taught and first century Christians believed and can be supported in the Bible, but that is just not the case. In Matthew 28:19,20
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
In these two verses Jesus not only gave the disciples their work, but gave them their message. Teach the people He said, to observe all things that I have commanded you. The disciples were to teach what Jesus taught. That which He had spoken, not only in person, but through all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament. Human teaching is shut out. There is no place for tradition, for man’s theories and conclusions, or for church legislation and laws ordained by ecclesiastical authority, but sadly that is what happened, ., and we see that after the death of the apostles in the first century when new ideas came forth and false teachings entered the church. At times the motives were good, to build bridges into pagan society to make the gospel of Christianity more appealing, at other times it was just rank apostasy when pagan teachings were given a Christian form and name and became a part of church tradition.
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For example many false teachings, unscriptural doctrines have entered the church like prayers for the dead, infant baptism that might surprise some but it is not in the Bible, a literal hell where people are burning now – it just does not exist, the sign of the cross after the completion of a prayer is not in the Bible, the secret coming of Jesus and a plethora of others.
But the one that strikes most boldly against God’s government is the teaching pervading Christianity that the Ten Commandments finished at the cross. However, all of the disciples continued to teach and preach the Ten Commandments while they were alive, and even in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation there are numerous verses which highlight that in the last days God’s people will still be faithful to Jesus Christ and keep God’s Ten Commandments. In Revelation 14:12 we read this
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
The Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20, are not just cold hard rules, filled with “thou shall not,” but give us wonderful insights on the type of relationship that God wants with us, and the sort of relationships He wants us to have with those around us.
In the gospel of Matthew that Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments with the following
(Mat 22:34-40 KJV) Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Jesus did not dismiss the Ten Commandments, because He was asked which of them was the most important and instead elevating one to the detriment of the other nine Jesus said, love God with all of your heart and mind. Jesus said “mind” it shows us true Christianity is the thinking man’s religion, and then Jesus went on to says love your neighbor as yourself, these two commandments also found in the Old Testatment in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, summarize the Ten Commandments.
Further to that the Ten Commandments show us that there is no one in the universe more deeply and totally committed to preserving relationships than God Himself. The Ten Commandments begin by prioritizing and protecting our relationship with Him, and then He shows us how to prioritize and protect our relationships with others around us. The Ten Commandments cover both the vertical and horizontal aspect revealing our duty to God and our duty to our fellow men. And it is for those reasons that every minister of every denomination, should be advocating strong and loud for the Ten Commandments to be re-established into every family of our great nation.
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In the first chapter of Genesis we are told that God created the world in six twenty-four-hour days. Now, when God had finished His work of Creation, we read in chapter 2 that God gave mankind a special gift;
(Gen 2:1 KJV) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. (Gen 2:2 KJV) And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. (Gen 2:3 KJV) And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
It says that on the seventh day, after He ended His work, that God rested, God blessed the seventh day and God sanctified the seventh day. The resting of God was not because he was tired because in the book of Psalms we are told that God never slumbers or sleeps, and in Isaiah 40:28, that He fainteth not, neither is weary. So He was not tired, but rather God’s “resting” served as a Divine example to mankind that we should do likewise, that we need a full 24 hour block of time to be refreshed.
This passage says that God blessed the Seventh day. So not only did God rest, but He placed His special blessing on the Seventh day. In 1Chronicles 17 we read that when God blesses something it remains blessed forever. The blessing on the seventh day implied that it is a special object of Divine favor and a day that would bring blessing to mankind. No other day has received the blessing of God. But let’s keep studying, because it says that God sanctified the Seventh-day. That word sanctify means to “set aside for Holy Use”. In other words this is a special day, and has spiritual significance. God never sanctified any of the other days, he did not set any of them apart for Holy use, only one, the Seventh day of the week. So we see that God rested, blessed and sanctified the seventh-day. It is a special day that God has set aside for a particular purpose and no other day can take its place. Well let’s find out what day is the Seventh day.
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Let’s turn to the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20
(Exo 20:8 KJV) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Exo 20:9 KJV) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:(Exo 20:10 KJV) But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: (Exo 20:11 KJV) For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The fourth commandment tells us very clearly that the Seventh-day is the Sabbath. This commandment begins with the word “remember”. All of the other commandments begin with “Thou Shall Not”, except the fifth, which begins with “Honour”, but the fourth commandment begins with that word Remember. Obviously as God looked down through the pages of history into the future, He could see in this fourth commandment, the Sabbath would be forgotten, even forgotten by the very people who claimed to follow and serve Him.
Now we ask the question: “Why Lord, should we remember Your day, the Seventh day, the Sabbath day? Why can’t I rest and worship corporately on some other day?” Well, if we look at this commandment, it clearly tells us that we are to remember His day because God is our Creator, and it is because He created us that we are to worship Him on His appointed day. The fact is, the Sabbath is the memorial to Creation.
Jesus remembered the Sabbath Day, and both the Apostle Peter and Apostle John tell us we should walk as Jesus walked. In other words Jesus is our model, he is our example.
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Let’s read from Luke 4:16,
(Luke 4:16 KJV) And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
This is a very important verse in our study, because we learn that Jesus went to the Synagogue. Stop; -what’s a synagogue? It is a Jewish Church right? Yes, so Jesus went to church on the Sabbath day and it says that it was His custom. What is a custom? It is something we do regularly, in other words Jesus went to church regularly on the Sabbath day. Now let’s find out for sure what day Jesus went to church, what day is the Sabbath day.
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When we observe Easter what day do we say Jesus died? Yes, Good Friday. What day we say that Jesus rose? Yes, Easter Sunday. The whole of Christendom knows that, it is common knowledge. Every denomination agrees with this record. Let’s turn in our Bibles to Luke chapter 23.
(Luke 23:50 KJV) And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counseller; and he was a good man, and a just: (Luke 23:51 KJV) (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.(Luke 23:52 KJV) This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.(Luke 23:53 KJV) And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.(Luke 23:54 KJV) And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.
Pausing here for a moment. What day are we told that Joseph asked for the body of Jesus? Yes, the Preparation day, and that is the day we call Good Friday, because it is the day that Jesus died. Let’s continue on;
(Luke 23:55 KJV) And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
(Luke 23:56 KJV) And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.
Again let’s pause, what have we learnt? Jesus died on the Friday. The Bible calls the day the Preparation day. Then the women rested on the Sabbath Day according to the commandment. What commandment is that? Yes the fourth commandment of God’s Ten Commandments. Let’s read on now in chapter 24 verse 1
(Luke 24:1 KJV) Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. (Luke 24:2 KJV) And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. (Luke 24:3 KJV) And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
What day are we told that Jesus rose? That’s it, -the first day of the week, which we call Easter Sunday. Therefore Jesus died on the Preparation day which we call good Friday, He rose on the first day of the week, the day we call Easter Sunday, and according to the verses we have just read the Sabbath is the day in between Friday and Sunday, the day we call Saturday. It is so clear even a young child could work that out! Saturday is the Sabbath of the Bible, Saturday is the day that God rested, blessed and sanctified. Saturday is the day that God has called us to remember. Saturday is the day that Jesus went to church.
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If you go to the Mirriam Websters International Dictionary and look up Saturday, you would see that it identifies Saturday as the Seventh day of the week, the day that follows Friday. Go to a wall calendar, the evidence is just too compelling to ignore, Saturday is the seventh day of the week, the Bible Sabbath.
Furthermore anyone who has even the smallest knowledge regarding the Jews, knows that they would not make a mistake regarding the correct day to worship. Here is a whole nation – millions of individuals – who have been counting off time meticulously, week after week, since the time of Jesus. Could they have lost track? Impossible. Oh yes, Saturday is definitely the Bible Sabbath.
Actually this leads on to our next point because some people will say that Saturday is a Jewish day, and defend Sunday keeping by the fallacious and puerile declaration “we are not Jews so we don’t have to keep the Sabbath.” But how did Jesus address this very subject in Mark 2:27.28.
(Mark 2:27 KJV) And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: (Mark 2:28 KJV) Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was made for man! That sure is a funny way to spell Jew isn’t it? Before a Jew even stepped foot on the earth, it was made for all of mankind right back at Creation as we have already seen. God never intended that only one nation would receive the blessings which comes from keeping the Sabbath, He intended the whole world should keep the Sabbath, because Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for man, for every man woman and child.
Jesus said that “the Son of Man…….”, Who is the “Son of Man”? …….Yes, Jesus. Jesus said that He was “Lord also of the Sabbath” in verse 28. So my question to you is “what day is the Lord’s day?” You know I have heard people tell me that Sunday is the Lord’s day.
Have any of you ever heard such a thing? Jesus Himself makes it very clear in this passage, that the Lord’s day is the Sabbath, the seventh day, the day we call Saturday.
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It is amazing in all of the three and a half years of Jesus ministry He never talks about any change of the Sabbath, and it is highly significant that during the 40 days after His resurrection when He taught and instructed the disciples till His ascension, not once, not a word, is mentioned about any c+hange of the day of worship. In fact all of Jesus’ disciples continued to worship on the Sabbath day (Saturday) their entire lives.
Before we continue, -what year was Jesus crucified and rose again? 31AD, that is a very important date, lets remember that as we turn to a few texts in the book of Acts beginning with Acts 13:14
(Acts 13:14 KJV) But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down. (Acts 13:15 KJV) And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
This event happened about 45 ad, 14 years after Jesus death and resurrection, and still the Apostle Paul and His companions are worshipping on the Sabbath day, turning now to Acts 17:1,2
(Acts 17:1 KJV) Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: (Acts 17:2 KJV) And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures,
We have now moved to 53 ad, 22 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and what does the Bible say Paul’s custom or manner was? Yes to go to church on what day, yes the Sabbath.
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In Acts chapter 18 we read this account from the journal of Doctor Luke
(Acts 18:1 KJV) After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; (Acts 18:2 KJV) .(Acts 18:4 KJV) And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. (Acts 18:11 KJV) And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
The year now is 54 ad, 23 years after Jesus death, and again we read that Sabbath is still the preferred day for corporate worship, nothing has changed after 23 years. Now that is clear isn’t it?
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All right let’s change our tact and examine Bible prophecy. In Matthew chapter 24 Jesus announces a prophecy which warns of the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple and this is highly significant for our study tonight. Remember Jesus died in 31AD, and Jerusalem wasn’t destroyed until 70ad by the Romans, 39 years after the death and resurrection of Christ. Matthew 24:15-20
(Mat 24:15 KJV) When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)(Mat 24:16 KJV) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:(Mat 24:17 KJV) Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:(Mat 24:18 KJV) Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.(Mat 24:19 KJV)
And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!(Mat 24:20 KJV) But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:
Jesus said, when you see those desolating Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem, don’t run back into your homes but flee into the mountains, as I said this event didn’t happen until 39 years after Jesus death and resurrection, but in verse 20 Jesus said “pray that your flight be not in winter,” why? Because it would be difficult to travel, but He also adds “nor on the Sabbath day!” Why, because the gates of Jerusalem were locked on the Sabbath day and none could escape, therefore it is quite clear that Jesus still expected His followers to be keeping the Sabbath after His death. The point is, that Jesus never intended that the day of worship would be altered and that was also the view of the Apostles after His death. Turn to Revelation 1:10
(Rev 1:10 KJV) I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
What day was the Apostle John in the Spirit? On the Lord’s day, what have we found to be the Lord’s day in the Bible? That’s right the Sabbath, Saturday, but did you know that the book of Revelation was written around 95ad by John, when he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos by Emperor Domitian, nevertheless despite the passing years, the Apostle John is recognizing the authority of the fourth commandment the Sabbath Commandment, 64 years after the death of Jesus Christ.
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The Sabbath, God’s own day is so precious to God, should it not be precious to us? In an age of false gods, of atheistic evolution, and traditions of men, the world needs the Sabbath more than ever, and it is a test of our loyalty to the great Creator-God. And my experience and the experience of multitudes of others is I have never known anyone who has been loyal to the Sabbath to be disadvantaged in the long run.
This is not only about one day in preference for another, this is about loyalty and our commitment to Jesus Christ. It reflects our love for Jesus Christ and our appreciation of His great sacrifice for us. In John 15:10, Jesus said
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
Jesus commanded us to keep His Commandments as He kept His Father’s commandments the corollary of which they are one and the same thing. Jesus commandments are the same as His Father’s Commandments, the Ten Commandments including the fourth the Sabbath, which begins with the word “remember.”
Remember the Sabbath Commandment is one of the Ten Commandments written by God’s own finger on tablets of stone. He gave them to us for our benefit, so that we would live happier more satisfying lives. And He wants us to get the most out of our time in this life, for He who made us knows that if we ignore God’s laws, only brings unhappiness to the family and discontent with the life.
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Our lives pass away so quickly, why play games with God, if you want to be truly faithful God, then demonstrate it by your obedience to His commands. Please listen to this final statement I am going to make.
“In the Judgment men and women will not be condemned because they conscientiously believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, neglecting the opportunity of learning what is truth.”
Please join us and you will be blessed. Click to view our location and service times.
Access is through Highlander Lane to the Orchard Melbourne Central City Church
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