Participants: Charissa Fong
Series Code: FGW
Program Code: FGW000019
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00:26 Our subject tonight: "Created for Something Better."
00:30 I hope we have something very exciting in store 00:33 and I... I already know what we do... but I hope you find it 00:35 exciting too. Let's open with a word of prayer. 00:38 Our Father in heaven, as we open the Word of God again tonight 00:42 we pray that Your Holy Spirit will be our silent teacher. 00:46 May He speak to our hearts and may we indeed find 00:49 more treasure and truth in Your Word tonight. 00:52 Please, may the teaching be clear because we ask it 00:55 in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:58 I think you would agree with me tonight 01:02 that today we are living in one of the fastest-paced societies 01:06 our world has ever known. Everything is instantaneous. 01:10 Everything happens at the push of a button or in the blink 01:13 of an eye. And if things don't happen fast enough for us 01:17 well we set about trying to make them happen faster. 01:20 We've got two-minute noodles. Instant mash. 01:23 Quick oats. Meals on Wheels. 01:26 When I'm hungry I can go down to the fast food store. 01:29 I can drive through and order my food 01:32 and the food is ready before I am. 01:35 Or if I want to talk to someone on the other side of the world 01:39 I pick up a device called a mobile phone 01:42 or an iPhone and I press a few buttons or a screen 01:46 and within a couple of seconds I can hear another person's 01:49 voice on the other side of the world. 01:52 Everything is instantaneous; everything is happening so fast. 01:56 But friends, it has had its consequences because 01:59 even though technology has advanced and we are going 02:03 much faster than we ever have before 02:05 it is also true that technology has increased our workload 02:10 and hence our stress load as well. 02:13 We're doing more because we can do more 02:15 and it's increased our stress load as well. 02:18 In fact, statistics tell us that the average father... 02:22 he spends roughly 37 seconds of quality time 02:27 with his children every single day. 02:30 That's not very much at all. 02:32 And we can imagine what this does to family life 02:36 and particularly to the children involved in homes like that. 02:39 And so it's no wonder that Margaret Fuller... she said: 02:48 And how true is that. 02:50 I think George Carlin, a comedian of the late 1970's, 02:56 he expressed our current situation the best 02:59 when he put it this way. He said: 03:37 And how true is that. We are just like Thomas Huxley 03:42 the biologist. He lived many years ago 03:44 and one day he was late one night for an appointment 03:47 and so he hailed a taxi. And in those days 03:50 a taxi was a horse-drawn buggy. 03:53 He hailed a taxi. The taxi stopped and he jumped on board 03:56 and he yelled at the driver: "Top speed!" 03:59 And so the driver took off. 04:01 And as Thomas Huxley sat down in the back of the cab 04:04 he realized he hadn't told the man where he was going. 04:07 So he stuck his head out the window and he said: "Hey, 04:10 do you know where I'm going? 04:11 Do you know where you're supposed to be taking me? " 04:13 And the man said: "Nope, but I'm going as fast as I can! " 04:16 Friends, we are going so fast today we don't even know 04:20 where we're going any more. 04:22 And I think that it's fair enough to say that we're 04:24 flat out, stressed out, and worn out. We need time out! 04:30 We need to take time for each other and time 04:34 to spend with God as well. 04:36 Because Jennifer Yane once said. She said: 04:44 And I think you and I can all feel a little bit like Jennifer 04:48 some days, don't you think? 04:49 Well friends, the good news tonight is that God never 04:52 intended for this to be the case for our lives. 04:55 He never intended for you and I to be stressed and suppressed 04:59 by the cares of this life. No friends, 05:02 we were created for something better than stress. 05:06 Can you say "Amen?" Amen. 05:08 And so well you say: "Charissa, if that's the case 05:11 then what is it that we're missing in our lives 05:14 if this isn't the way that God designed it to be? " 05:17 Well tonight we are going to probe God's very own strategy 05:21 for stress relief found in the Bible. 05:25 Friends, this strategy has been practiced by millions 05:28 of people ever since the creation of the world. 05:31 And you'll be pleased to note it doesn't cost a cent 05:35 and it doesn't involve meditation or yoga. 05:38 Friends, God's love has placed a limit on the demands of toil. 05:44 In fact, Jesus Himself... notice what He said: 06:03 Friends, Jesus is the God of rest. 06:05 He offers to you and I rest tonight. 06:08 How can we have the rest that Jesus offers? He said: 06:11 "Come to Me. Spend quality time with Me. 06:15 Learn of Me and make Me your highest priority in life. " 06:19 And sure, friends, the Bible says "take up your bed 06:22 and walk. "But friends, it also says: "Be still 06:26 and know that I am God. " 06:28 And God wants us to stop and revive and survive. 06:32 He wants us to learn how to get through this world 06:36 and not be so stressed about it. Amen? 06:39 Because by the way, not all stress is bad. 06:41 I don't know about you, but when I'm under a little bit of 06:44 pressure that's when I perform my best. 06:46 And so tonight, how can we find God's strategy 06:50 for stress relief? Well, we must go back to the very beginning 06:54 because that is a very good place to start. 06:56 Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 says: 07:05 Friends, here we find the Godhead: 07:07 the three great dignitaries of heaven. 07:10 The Bible tells us they are at work creating our planet. 07:13 And when they started how was the planet? 07:16 What did it look like? 07:17 The Bible tells us that it was "without form and void 07:22 and darkness covered the face of the earth. " 07:25 So what was the first thing that God in His creation process? 07:29 Well, He turned the light on. Notice what happens 07:32 in Genesis chapter 1 verses 3 to 5. 07:36 The Bible says: 07:57 Now we thought Benjamin Franklin was great when he 08:01 invented the electric light bulb. 08:02 Friends, this is God! He turned the light on for the planet. 08:06 And friends, God continued to work His creative power 08:10 for the next five days. 08:12 Six days God is creating this world. 08:15 And by the way, it says: "And evening and morning 08:18 were the first day. " So when did the day begin 08:21 according to the Bible? In the evening. 08:23 In the evening. So we could say that a Biblical day 08:26 really operates from sunset to sunset. 08:29 Because they didn't have watches back then 08:32 and so they kept time by the movements of the sun. 08:36 And so for the next five days God is creating. 08:39 He speaks and dry land appears and the stars come in the sky 08:44 and there's the moon and the sun and vegetation 08:47 and land animals. 08:48 And then of course having saved His best for last 08:51 He made woman. Amen? No Amens? All right. 08:56 I'm just teasing you tonight. 08:58 But yes, God made everything. 09:00 He made man and then when He had made man 09:02 the Bible tells us that God stood back and He looked 09:05 at everything that He had made 09:07 and in Genesis 1 and verse 31 He said: 09:13 God had done a good thing. 09:14 And now friends, there are many people in our world today 09:17 who find this fact: that God created the heavens and 09:21 the earth... that very first verse of the Bible... 09:24 they just find it so hard to believe. 09:27 And they call themselves atheists or evolutionists. 09:32 And thanks to two men - Darwin and Karl Marx - 09:36 who bequeathed to human society two Creatorless theories 09:40 for the reason why we are here - 09:42 there are now millions of people in our world today 09:45 who believe that you and I are just the result of billions 09:49 of years of evolutionary luck. 09:51 You and I are just "over event spongi" they say. 09:54 We are just hurtling through cold and meaningless space. 09:58 That's what they say. 10:00 But friends, if there was no God there would be no atheists. 10:04 The Bible tells us that you and I were created by 10:07 and in the image of a divine triune of almighty power 10:10 that said: "Let Us make man in Our image. " 10:14 You could say an "Amen" to that. There was one Amen. 10:16 God said: "Let Us make man in Our image. " 10:19 Amen? Amen. We are made in the image of God. 10:22 Now there are some parents and children 10:26 and you look at them and you just know that... you can 10:29 tell they're related, can't you? You can almost play snap. 10:32 You look at that one and look at that one and say: 10:33 "Yes, they are definitely from the same family. " 10:38 But friends, in my case I haven't always been able 10:40 to say that. Because, you see, I have brown hair; 10:44 my sister has brown hair. But my mum has auburn hair 10:47 and my dad has black hair. 10:50 This was very puzzling to my sister and I growing up. 10:53 And so we discussed this fascinating "thing" 10:58 of our lives. Can't think of a better word than that. 11:01 We discussed this; we couldn't quite understand it. 11:03 And so after much discussion we concluded one day 11:06 many years ago that we must have been adopted 11:09 because we didn't look like our parents. 11:11 And you can't help this kind of confusion when you have a dad 11:15 who when you ask him: "Dad, where did I come from? " 11:17 he says: "I found you on special in Grace Brothers. " 11:21 But friends, you and I... the Bible tells us 11:24 we are made in God's image! 11:27 That is something to be excited about 11:29 because it tells us where we came from. 11:30 And we... when it says we are made in His image 11:33 it doesn't mean we have deity. It means we have dignity 11:38 and there's a very big difference. 11:39 We are made in the image of God. We are the children of God. 11:43 And friends, the great artist Leonardo da Vinci... 11:46 he is known for his famous art works. But not only that 11:50 for his detailed drawings of the human body. 11:53 And Leonardo da Vinci... he said an incredible thing. 11:57 This is what he said: 12:06 That's amazing what he said. 12:09 "If the only evidence of God was the thumb alone," 12:12 he said, "I would believe." 12:14 And so friends, I don't know about you 12:15 but I believe that God created this world. 12:18 I believe He is big enough and powerful enough to do it. 12:21 "With God all things are possible. " 12:24 And I believe that you really can't call yourself a Christian 12:27 if you don't believe in creation. 12:30 But creation week wasn't yet over. 12:32 Six days? Yes, they passed but creation week wasn't yet over 12:37 because watch what happens next: 13:04 This is amazing, friends. 13:06 After a busy week of exercising His creative power 13:10 the Bible tells us that God rested on the seventh day. 13:14 But not only that, it tells us He did two other things 13:18 as well. He blessed it and He sanctified it. 13:23 That's a big word. What does the word sanctified mean? 13:26 It means to set apart for a holy purpose. 13:29 And so friends, these 3 things - blessed, rest, sanctified - 13:34 God did not do on any other day of the week. 13:37 He did not rest on the seventh day, 13:39 bless the sixth day, and sanctify the third day. 13:43 He did it all on the seventh day of the week. 13:46 And by the way, have you ever wondered where we get our 13:49 seven-day week from? 13:51 From creation! 13:52 You get the month from the moon. 13:54 You get the year from our movement around the sun. 13:57 But people can't really explain where we get a 7-day week from. 14:01 It's an odd number. We have to go back to Genesis. 14:04 That's where it comes from. 14:06 And friends, the word here that God uses 14:09 in the Bible - the word here where it says He rested - 14:12 that in Hebrew really says "He Sabbath." 14:15 It comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat 14:17 and elsewhere in the Bible it simply appears as the word 14:22 Sabbath. And friends, the Sabbath will forever be 14:25 a sign and celebration of God's creative, redemptive, 14:31 sanctifying power. 14:32 And friends, it points to God as the source of all knowledge 14:36 and power and creative power as well. 14:38 And in the Bible notice what else it says. 14:41 In Mark chapter 2 verses 27 and 28 it says: 14:56 Friends, the Sabbath was God's gift to mankind 14:59 and He gave it to mankind 2,300 years before the Jewish 15:04 race even existed as a memorial of creation. 15:09 Now, was the Sabbath - God's strategy for stress relief - 15:13 meant only for the Jews? 15:15 Clearly no, because they're not the only ones who need rest. 15:18 Amen? We all need rest. 15:21 And so God... He gave it to everybody. 15:24 The Sabbath was made for man. 15:25 Ezekiel chapter 20 verse 12 says: 15:42 Friends, God didn't make the Sabbath and then look around 15:45 and say: "OK, now we have the Sabbath. 15:47 We may as well make some humans to accompany it. " 15:50 Friends, it's just the opposite because you see 15:53 we serve a wonderful God who actually wants 15:58 to know you intimately. 16:01 He wants to get on a personal level with you. 16:04 He wants to have a personal relationship with you. 16:08 I think of the story... I love this story 16:10 of an elderly couple. They were sitting on their back porch 16:14 in their rocking chairs watching the sun go down. 16:16 And as they were sitting there the husband... he looked over 16:20 at his wife, and they'd been married for 60 years. 16:22 They'd weathered life's storms together. He looked over 16:25 at his wife and he remembered all the happy days that 16:29 they had shared together. 16:31 And so he said to his wife... he said: "Honey," 16:33 he said, "I'm proud of you." 16:35 And she was kind of hard of hearing so she said: 16:38 "What did you say, dear?" 16:39 He said a bit louder, he said: "Honey, I said I was 16:42 proud of you. " She still couldn't hear him 16:45 so she said: "What did you say, dear? " 16:47 So finally he raised his voice kind of loud and he said: 16:51 "Honey, I said I was proud of you. " 16:53 And she stopped and she said: 16:55 "Yes, well I'm kind of tired of you too. " 16:59 Friends, praise God He's not tired of us. Amen? 17:03 He actually wants to spend time with us... 17:06 and spend time with us on a weekly basis. 17:10 He wants to get to know you. 17:11 And anybody who has ever been in a relationship before 17:15 if you have a friendship with somebody 17:17 all good friendships, all good relationships... 17:21 they are developed within the crucible of time. 17:24 You want to get to know somebody? 17:26 You want to grow close to somebody? 17:27 You spend time with that person. And so friends, 17:30 God... He has set aside a weekly date with you. 17:35 Now... rest. OK. God says "I want you to rest 17:39 on the Sabbath day. " 17:40 I have to tell you that rest hasn't always been attractive 17:43 to me. When I was a kid I couldn't sleep very well. 17:47 I never wanted to go to sleep. 17:49 Life was too exciting. In fact, my nickname growing up 17:52 was Robot... because dad said I never went to sleep. 17:56 I just couldn't stop. I was like a robot... I just kept going. 17:59 But friends, when I've grown up a little bit more 18:01 if there is one thing that I look forward to it is 18:05 a good night's sleep. 18:07 Because life is so much sweeter when you've had a good rest. 18:11 And friends, we live in a world today where people spend 18:14 billions of dollars on stress-relieving drugs 18:17 when all they really need to do 18:19 is just stop, revive, and survive. 18:22 They just need to stop and: 18:29 Friends, God is so serious... so serious about this strategy 18:33 for stress relief that He has gone ahead and He has placed it 18:37 in the very heart of His Ten Commandment law. 18:41 Because the fourth commandment begins... this is how it begins: 18:48 Now they say that everybody has a photographic memory 18:52 just some people don't have film. 18:54 And when I was growing up and going to school 18:57 I prided myself in having an impeccable memory. 19:01 I had no detention. No homework warnings. 19:04 No uniform warnings. I was try- ing to be the perfect student. 19:09 Until one day in my third year in high school 19:12 I forgot to do my homework. 19:15 The next year the same thing happened. 19:17 And then the third last year of my life in high school 19:20 something terrible happened. The classes ended 19:23 and the bell went and I thought it was lunch time. 19:26 So I went outside and I went to my bag 19:29 and I got my lunch out and I went and I sat down 19:32 in the courtyard where we always went and ate lunch. 19:35 And I noticed that all the other kids just kept going 19:37 to their classes. So I thought: "Oh, it's not lunch time." 19:40 So I went back, grabbed my bag, looked at my diary 19:42 and realized I was meant to be in another class. 19:45 Ran to class, got there, opened the door and the 19:48 teacher said: "Ah-ha, why are you late? " 19:50 I said: "I thought it was lunch time. " 19:51 And of course you can imagine that didn't go down so well. 19:54 But friends, God knew we would have a tendency 19:58 to forget things. And so friend, this is why 20:02 this is the only commandment that begins with the word 20:06 remember. 20:07 And it is a haunting confirmation of the Word of God 20:10 today to realize that only 0.29% 20:15 of the whole world's population... 20:18 Only 0.29% of the world's population 20:21 are keeping the Sabbath today. 20:24 The Sabbath is THE MOST forgotten commandment 20:27 in our world today. The fourth commandment... 20:30 it begins with the word remember because if you remember 20:33 back in Genesis that was when God actually established 20:36 the commandment. He was writing the Ten Commandments 20:39 there in Exodus 20, giving them to the children of Israel. 20:42 But He said remember because He had already established 20:45 it back in Eden. We only read that a moment ago. 20:47 Do you remember? Good... just checking. 20:50 Furthermore, the Ten Command- ments were written not on paper 20:54 which could burn or on parchment 20:57 which might rot, but friends they were written with the 21:00 finger of God and they were inscribed in stone. 21:05 That was symbolic of their permanent nature. 21:08 And by the way, there are only three recorded instances 21:12 in all the Bible where God writes with His finger 21:15 and this was one of them. 21:17 Now the Bible tells us also in Exodus 20 21:21 that we are to keep the Sabbath holy. 21:24 So what does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy? 21:28 The Bibles says... Exodus 20 verse 10: 21:48 Now, for all the students in the room tonight 21:51 how would you like it if Kevin Rudd instituted a law 21:55 which said you didn't have to do any homework. 21:58 Ah, look at the smiles on your faces. 22:01 It's be pretty good, wouldn't it? 22:02 Well friends, this is sort of what God is doing here 22:05 in the Ten Commandments. God is saying to all 22:07 of humanity - not just students... 22:09 He wants us to lay aside a 24-hour period every week 22:15 where we leave aside the cares of our weekly life. 22:18 We don't go to work. We just... 22:20 We don't do school work or house work. We just stop 22:24 and spend time with God. 22:27 Now I recognize that God wants us to spend time with Him 22:30 24/7. That is, every single day of the week. 22:33 But friends, God specifically asks that on the seventh day 22:38 we lay aside an entire day for Him. 22:42 Why? Because lest we forget where we came from. 22:46 And I don't know about you but when I was growing up 22:49 we used to sing a song. One, two, three, four, five, 22:52 six for us. One, two, three, four, five, six for us. 22:56 One, two, three, four, five, six for us... 22:58 the seventh is for Jesus. 23:02 Did you know that one? 23:03 Ah, you just let me sing it by myself. 23:06 That's OK. I know... we can all sing together. 23:09 And so friends, God doesn't want us to keep every day holy. 23:15 He doesn't want you to keep seven days holy. 23:17 He says: "Work six days and rest the seventh. " 23:19 Because if you keep seven days holy that's not being holy 23:23 that's being lazy... 'cause God wants you to work and then rest. 23:27 And you know, a lot of people say: "Well how can you keep 23:30 the Sabbath? I mean, surely that would be boring just stopping 23:33 and giving God time. I mean, what can you do if you can't 23:36 work on the Sabbath day? " 23:38 I remember seeing a show on a current affair... 23:41 an episode, a story... about some young people 23:44 who dropped out of school. They started living on benefits 23:47 and you know what they did all day long? 23:49 They played on their X- Box and Play Station. 23:52 They just played computer games all day long. 23:55 But friends, there's a lot more to life than computer games. 23:58 And friends, notice what Jesus did. 24:00 We should always ask "What should we do on the Sabbath? 24:03 What did Jesus do? " Let's see what He did. 24:06 Luke chapter 4 and verse 16 the Bible says: 24:26 Friends, Jesus went to church on the Sabbath. 24:30 And what a wonderful way to spend the Sabbath: 24:32 to come together and meet with like-minded people 24:35 who love Jesus and fellowship with them 24:38 and sing songs of praise to Him. 24:41 Moreover Jesus did more on the Sabbath. 24:43 What else did Jesus do on the Sabbath? 24:45 Matthew chapter 12 and verse 12 says: 24:56 And friends, Jesus went about doing good on the Sabbath. 25:00 The Bible tells us that He healed the sick 25:03 and He showed kindness to all who He encountered. 25:07 The Sabbath was a blessing to humanity when it was shared 25:11 with Jesus Christ. And friends, kindness is the oil 25:14 that takes the friction out of life, 25:17 and Jesus showed kindness to people on the Sabbath day. 25:20 The Sabbath is a wonderful time to help people. 25:23 It's a time to stop and smell the roses along the way. 25:27 Well let's return back to Exodus 20 for just a moment. 25:33 You know, few Christians really understand what this means. 25:36 Many Christians believe that when we keep the Sabbath holy 25:40 it means we go to church for three or four hours... 25:43 have a potluck maybe. And then after that 25:45 they're off to the football or they're off to the shopping 25:49 center and off to clean the house. 25:51 But friends listen and listen very carefully: 25:53 the Sabbath is not a holiday 25:56 it's a holy day. 25:59 It's not just free time... it's God's time as well. 26:04 Isaiah chapter 58 verses 13-14 puts it this way: 26:39 The story is told of a Christian man 26:42 who was once urged by his employee to work on the Sabbath. 26:46 And the employer said... sorry, about his employer... 26:49 the employer said to him: "Doesn't your Bible say 26:52 that if your ox falls into a ditch you can pull him up 26:54 on the Sabbath day? " The Christian thought about it 26:57 and he said: "Yes, that's what the Bible says. 26:59 But if my ox had a habit of falling into the ditch 27:02 every Sabbath I'd either fill up the ditch or sell the ox. " 27:05 We need to put God first. 27:07 We need to keep His Sabbath holy by making Him the priority 27:11 in our lives. Amen? Amen. 27:13 And for me personally, the Sabbath was always something 27:16 extra special growing up. 27:19 When my mum took me to church and she'd come home 27:22 she had a lovely meal for the family. 27:24 And I loved Sabbath when I was young for the food. 27:28 But friends, as I've grown up 27:30 I love it for much more than that. I love it for the 27:32 family time, for the time we can share talking about Jesus, 27:37 spending time with fellow believers. 27:39 And so well, we need to ask the next most logical question: 27:44 "If this Sabbath delight is so special, 27:47 so exciting, Charissa, well then which day of the week 27:51 is the Sabbath day and should it really matter? 27:55 Isn't one day just as good as another? " 27:58 Well for one thing, one day is not just as good as another. 28:01 Because of all the days God could have blessed, rested, 28:04 and sanctified He only did it on the seventh day. 28:08 And so perhaps I should put it this way: 28:10 imagine for a moment that your birthday was on the 7th 28:14 of September... because mine is. 28:17 And supposing that your best friend decided to celebrate 28:22 your birthday on the 8th of September. 28:25 Would that go down well with you? 28:28 I can tell you, it would not go down well with me. 28:31 And friends, those of you who are married... 28:33 if you have every forgotten your anniversary 28:36 and your spouse... were they happy when you did that? 28:40 Oh, there's a whole lot of shaking heads in this audience 28:42 tonight. No... because another day is not just as good 28:46 as another. It's a bit like this. 28:47 Supposing you were getting married, OK? 28:50 And your spouse was one of... had six other siblings, OK? 28:55 But you're going to marry just one of them. 28:57 Your wife, ah... or your husband, OK? 28:59 So you get married but after you get married 29:03 one of your sisters-in-law says: "Look, why don't I go 29:06 and be your wife? " Is that OK? 29:09 No! I hope not. Come on... NO! 29:13 Say no! 29:15 Because when you are married you are set apart. 29:18 You became one. That's another illustration. 29:21 And so friends, the Sabbath is much more important than 29:24 any birthday, yes? 29:25 Because it's not just any day it is God's day. 29:30 It is not just a matter of days 29:34 it is a matter of masters. 29:37 So OK... the day is important but which day is the Sabbath? 29:41 Well to find out, I think one of the clearest ways 29:43 for us to see it is back at the cross. 29:46 Because you see the Bible tells us that Jesus 29:49 died on Good Friday, didn't He? 29:51 And when He did, the Bible says in Luke 23:54. It says: 30:01 Very, very interesting. 30:04 Not only that, it goes on further to tell us 30:06 that when the women were preparing spices 30:11 to come and embalm the body of Jesus - 30:13 watch this, this is fascinating - 30:15 they stopped. Why? Because they: 30:35 Friends, they were so conscious of the importance of the Sabbath 30:40 that they weren't even willing to embalm the body of Jesus 30:45 Christ on the Sabbath day. 30:47 That is powerful... very powerful stuff. 30:50 The Bible then goes on in Luke 24:1... it says: 31:10 And so friends, after resting on the Sabbath 31:12 we know that Jesus rises on Easter Sunday. 31:16 Now this fact is something which virtually the whole of the 31:21 Christian world is united on. 31:23 Everybody believes that Jesus died on Good Friday, 31:26 He rested on the Sabbath, and then He rose 31:29 on Easter Sunday or which the Bible describes 31:33 as the first day of the week. 31:36 That is powerful evidence to tell us that really 31:40 the Sabbath day falls on our Saturday. 31:44 Is that clear to you tonight? 31:46 Good. Furthermore, the Bible tells us 31:49 that Paul and all the disciples... guess what? 31:53 They were Sabbath keepers as well. 31:56 Notice what the Bible says in Acts chapter 18 and verse 4. 32:00 It says: 32:07 Friends, Paul was a Sabbath keeper. 32:10 And by the way, there are countless other verses... 32:13 There are some other verses here in the book of Acts: 32:15 Acts 13:14; Acts 16:13; Acts 17:2. 32:20 All of these tell us that Paul and the disciples... 32:23 they kept the Sabbath as well. 32:25 But if that's not good enough evidence for you tonight 32:28 then there's more evidence as well. 32:30 Because not only do these verses clearly point 32:34 to Saturday as being the seventh day of the week 32:37 but you take Saturday in the various languages of the world 32:41 and watch what you have. 32:56 Friend, this is the same thing in all of these languages. 33:00 The Sabbath is the seventh day. 33:02 And friends, there's absolutely no question about it. 33:05 In fact, you follow these languages and you do some more 33:08 research and you discover that in over 140 languages 33:13 around the world today the word for the seventh day 33:17 which we call Saturday translates as the word Sabbath. 33:22 Can you say "Amen" to that? I think that's wonderful. 33:25 Furthermore, the leading astronomers in our world today 33:28 they testify to the fact that the weekly cycle... 33:32 it has never been changed. 33:34 You can go to the Royal Naval Observatory in the US 33:37 or the Royal Greenwich Observatory in England 33:40 and they will tell you that. 33:41 But there are a good many people out there that say: 33:43 "Look, Charissa, I don't know about this. How can we truly 33:47 be sure that the weekly cycle hasn't changed? 33:50 How can you truly know that the seventh-day Sabbath 33:54 which you celebrate as God's day is truly the same seventh day 33:59 that God made years ago? " 34:00 Well friends, we forget that the Jews have been keeping 34:05 the Sabbath faithfully for over 4,000 years. 34:10 And it's highly unlikely that one Sabbath morning 34:14 the whole Jewish nation woke up and forgot it was the 7th day. 34:18 So friends, let's summarize what we have said so far. 34:22 The Sabbath is placed in the heart of God's eternal law 34:26 of love and it was created by God for us to be a blessing. 34:32 Can you say "Amen" to that? Amen. 34:34 It is all about a love relationship with Jesus Christ. 34:38 It is all about God wanting to get down and personal 34:42 with His people. 34:43 And friends, many Christian leaders from many denominations 34:48 they know this to be the case. 34:51 I'd like to share some fascinating quotes with you. 34:53 They know that the Sabbath day is Saturday. 34:56 Watch what the Congregationalist says. 35:15 Fascinating. 35:17 The Church of England... this is what it says: 35:42 That was the Anglican church. The Catholic church: 36:11 What about the Baptists? 36:45 Fascinating, isn't it? 36:47 And one last one from the St. Catherine Catholic Church 36:51 Sentinel, May 21, 1995: 37:23 Friends, "Is Sabbath keeping really all that important? " 37:27 you may ask. "I mean, OK. So Saturday is the seventh day. " 37:31 But friends, let me answer that this way. 37:33 The way in which you value the Sabbath will depend on 37:37 the way in which you value your relationship with Jesus Christ. 37:40 He is the Lord of the Sabbath. If you love Jesus, 37:45 you will love the Sabbath as well. 37:47 How do I know that? Because the Bible says: 38:13 Why then do so many people keep Sunday when God has 38:18 asked us to keep the seventh-day Sabbath, Saturday, holy? 38:23 Well I wonder myself sometimes because it seems to me 38:27 to be so clear from scripture. 38:29 And friends, by the way... You can search your Bibles 38:32 through from Genesis to Revelation... I know because 38:35 I was talking with a friend and I challenged her to find... 38:38 find a single verse that says that Saturday is no longer 38:42 the seventh day and that Sunday is the day that God wants us 38:45 to worship on. I said: "Find me that verse 38:47 and I will give up Sabbath keeping all together. " 38:49 Well I gave her that challenge and she could not bring me 38:52 a verse because there is none. 38:54 There's a website... I don't know where it is and what 38:56 the website is, but it is offering a million dollars 38:58 to anybody who can find that verse. 39:01 But friends, it's not in the Bible and they still have 39:03 their million dollars. 39:05 So friends, where did Sunday worship originate? 39:08 Well, the change from Saturday to Sunday was one that came 39:13 very gradually. You see, up until the second century 39:16 after Christ there was really no mention... 39:20 there is really no record of Sunday observance. 39:23 However, over the next three centuries the church in Rome 39:28 slowly began to favor Sunday over the Sabbath day 39:33 as a worship day. And they did this 39:36 for two primary reasons. The first reason was 39:39 the Roman church was attempting to separate itself 39:43 from the Jews who crucified Christ. 39:46 And because the Jews were Sabbath keepers 39:49 well, Sunday wasn't their day. 39:51 So they thought: "Well that's a good idea... 39:52 we should keep Sunday. " 39:54 The second reason why the church 39:59 slowly began to favor Sunday instead of Saturday 40:02 is because Sunday fitted in really well with the secular 40:06 Romans whose culture was steeped in sun worship. 40:10 And today you can go to their temples and to their churches 40:14 and you can see evidences of sun worship in sculptures 40:17 and in paintings and in the architecture 40:20 of these Roman churches. 40:22 And so by the time the Roman emperor Constantine... 40:26 he came upon the scene 40:28 he saw the trend in Christendom 40:31 that was moving toward Sunday and so he decided 40:35 to take advantage of it. 40:37 He thought to himself: "Well, if we make Sunday 40:40 a holiday and also double it as a worship day 40:44 then it would be politically advantageous to himself. " 40:48 And so friends, on the 7th of March, 321 AD, 40:52 this is what he did... he made this law. He said: 41:14 And friends tonight, since... from that time to this 41:19 tonight there are over 1 billion people 41:23 who keep Sunday holy. 41:26 "Holy... " Supposedly. 41:28 Not because of any scriptural evidence they find in the Bible 41:33 because there's not a shred of scriptural evidence 41:35 for that in the Bible but because like we read earlier 41:38 the Roman Catholic church... it transferred the solemnity 41:42 of Sabbath to Sunday and it's just become a tradition. 41:46 And by the way, friends, do you think Satan is happy about this? 41:50 He is. He... For every truth of God there is a counterfeit 41:55 that he has. But can man change God's law? 41:58 Can man take a holy day and make it not a holy day 42:01 and put a holiday somewhere else? 42:03 Friends, no they can't. 42:05 The Bible says that God... He says: 42:09 Jesus says He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 42:13 And this verse right here - Ecclesiastes 3:14- says: 42:34 So friends, can the Sabbath memorial be changed? 42:37 No... because it points back to an established fact. 42:40 July 4 was Independence Day. Why? 42:43 Because the Declaration of Independence was signed on 42:45 July 4 in 1776. 42:48 Can they change? Can they celebrate Independence Day 42:51 on another day? Well, they could... but 42:53 it really won't mean anything 42:55 because the declaration was signed on the 4th of July. 42:59 People can celebrate your birthday on another day 43:02 but it doesn't really change the fact that you were born 43:05 on the particular day that you were born on! 43:07 And so friend, if we were to change the day 43:10 it would mean we would have to rewind history 43:13 to rewrite it so it would read a certain way. 43:15 Does that make sense? 43:17 And friends, as long as the facts are facts 43:19 you can't change a fact. And that's a fact 43:21 because the facts don't change. 43:24 Now to illustrate my point a little bit more... 43:26 Supposing I had here tonight 43:29 three pieces of cloth. 43:32 I had a white piece of cloth, and I held it up to you all 43:36 tonight and then I dropped it on the ground 43:38 and I started putting my shoes all over it 43:41 and stamping on it and rubbing my shoes on it. 43:43 And you think: "Oh, she doesn't like white. " 43:46 You'd think it's a bit strange but you probably wouldn't 43:48 get too upset. And I took a red piece of cloth 43:52 and a blue piece of cloth and I dropped them on the ground 43:55 and I started walking all over them. Maybe put them 43:57 in the dirt and made them all dirty. 44:00 And then perhaps I picked them up and took a match 44:03 and lighted it and burnt those pieces of cloth. 44:06 Would that upset you? 44:07 No. You'd think I had a problem but it wouldn't upset you. 44:11 But friends, if I took those three pieces of cloth 44:14 and I put them together to make something that looked like this 44:18 and I took this on the ground 44:21 and I put it on the ground and I began to walk all over it 44:23 and then I lifted it up and took a match and lighted it, 44:27 I probably wouldn't still be standing here because somebody 44:30 would have grabbed me and taken me down. 44:31 Why? 44:34 Because this stands for something. 44:38 And friends, the Sabbath stands for something. 44:42 It is a memorial of creation. 44:44 It is a reminder to humanity who can't remember 44:47 where they came from that God made them. 44:49 That God loved them enough that He is going to come back 44:52 for them. He redeemed them. It is a reminder from God to us 44:55 that He loves us. 44:58 There are some people tonight that say: "OK, well... 45:01 we are now under... We are not under the law any more, 45:03 Charissa, we're under grace. 45:05 Don't you remember we are saved by grace? " 45:07 Yes, I'm so glad that we are. 45:10 The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2 and verse 8: 45:19 But does this mean that you and I can go ahead 45:22 and break God's law? No. 45:25 Friends, the purpose of God's law is like a mirror. 45:28 It shows us... As we look into the law of God 45:31 it shows us where sin is in our lives. 45:34 That's what the law of God is. 45:36 And friends, as we look into God's law and we see the defects 45:39 on our lives and the sins in our lives 45:42 it is then that we turn to Jesus and say: "Lord, I need 45:45 Your forgiveness. " We confess our sins. 45:48 God forgives us of our sin. 45:50 He cleanses us and frees us from it 45:53 because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. 45:56 And friends, without the law we wouldn't know where sin is 45:59 in our lives. And for that reason Jesus says... He says: 46:06 He didn't say: "If you love Me, change them. " 46:09 Said: "If you love Me, keep them... 46:11 keep My commandments. " 46:13 Friends, the God of heaven... He will not force anyone to keep 46:16 the Sabbath. He doesn't force anyone to keep His commandments 46:20 because it's out of love that we follow them 46:23 and that we keep them. 46:24 And like I said earlier, the Sabbath is not a matter 46:26 of days... it is a matter of masters. 46:30 And the devil, Satan, the arch enemy of God... 46:33 he hates everyone who keeps the seventh-day Sabbath holy. 46:38 Because listen, if he can get humanity to forget 46:43 where they came from, if he can keep you stressed 46:46 and searching for answers in this life and you forget God, 46:49 then he has caused you to lose your eternal life. 46:53 And he doesn't want you to go to heaven. 46:55 He doesn't want you to call heaven home. 46:57 You know why? Because he's been there. 46:59 He knows how wonderful it is 47:01 and he doesn't want you to get where he can never go. 47:05 And so friends, tonight he will do anything to stop you 47:08 from keeping the Sabbath. 47:10 He will provide for you all kinds of excuses. 47:14 "Your spouse won't like it. They'll leave. " 47:17 Or "You'll lose your job." 47:18 Or "How could the majority possibly be wrong? " 47:22 But friends, the Sabbath is like a link in the chain to God. 47:26 It is like a link in our relationship to God. 47:29 And when one link in the chain is broken 47:31 the relationship... it is broken as well. 47:34 Friend, you think to yourself: "Will God keep me out of heaven 47:39 for neglecting to obey one commandment? " 47:42 Well... the Bible says this: 47:55 Friends, tonight you and I have a choice to make. 47:58 We can choose two roads. 48:02 One is the road of truth and the other is the road of error. 48:06 One is the road of the Bible. 48:08 The other is the road of tradition. 48:10 One is the road of the true Sabbath. 48:12 The other is the road of the false Sabbath. 48:14 One is the road of Satan... 48:17 the other is the road of Jesus Christ. 48:19 And tonight you can choose the road which you will travel. 48:23 I pray that tonight you choose God's road 48:26 because listen: if you get to heaven 48:28 and God comes up to you and He says: 48:30 "Why did you keep the seventh-day Sabbath holy? " 48:33 well you can look Him straight in the eye and you can say 48:35 "Well Lord, I kept the Sabbath holy because way back in Genesis 48:39 You rested on the seventh day. Then, Lord, 48:42 Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph... 48:46 they all kept the Sabbath holy as well. 48:49 Then when You were leading Your children out of Egypt 48:52 You gave them the Sabbath. And it's in the Ten Commandment 48:55 law that You gave them. Nehemiah... he kept it. 48:59 And God, You kept the Sabbath day as well. 49:03 Jesus... You kept it! Peter and Paul and all Your 49:05 disciples... they kept the Sabbath as well. 49:08 And then not only that, in Isaiah - Isaiah chapter 66- 49:11 You told us that we would be keeping the Sabbath up here 49:14 as well. The Jews have kept it, and Lord, 49:17 all I can see right throughout the Bible is that we were to 49:20 keep the Sabbath holy because that is what the followers 49:22 of God did. "That's what you could say to God. 49:26 But supposing God asks you this question: 49:29 "Why did you go to church on Sunday? " 49:32 Who in the Bible can we look to as an example 49:37 that we followed? Friends, there is none. 49:40 And so tonight I ask you: are we going to wait 49:43 for the truth to become popular 49:45 or will we follow the Lamb wherever He goes? 49:48 Will we do what's right? Because, friends, what's popular 49:51 is not always right. 49:53 Sometimes the majority just means that all the fools 49:56 are on the one side. And friends tonight, God has 49:58 shown you this truth... not because He wants to burden you 50:02 but because He truly loves you. 50:06 He wants you to know that you were created 50:09 for something better. 50:11 He doesn't want you to be stressed and suppressed 50:13 by the cares of this life 50:15 and He pleads with you tonight: "Remember My Sabbath. 50:19 Keep it holy. Enter into a love relationship with Me 50:23 and I will bless you. 50:25 You will have the right to the Tree of Life. " 50:28 Oh friends, I plead with you tonight to make your decision 50:31 not based on what others have said or how you feel. 50:34 I recognize it is a confronting truth tonight, 50:37 but I earnestly, sincerely beg of you tonight 50:41 to make your decision based on the Word of God... 50:44 on the Bible and the Bible only. 50:46 Search it out; see the whole story; 50:49 and then make your decision for Jesus Christ. 50:53 Would you bow your heads with me as we close with prayer? 50:57 Oh Lord God in heaven, 50:59 thank you tonight for the Sabbath. 51:02 You who are the Lord of the Sabbath, we come before You 51:05 in these, the Sabbath hours 51:07 and we ask you, Lord, to help us to keep it holy. 51:10 Lord tonight for some of us here tonight 51:12 this has been a fresh, confronting truth. 51:15 But Lord I pray that You would strengthen us to follow Jesus. 51:19 It is so hard to follow You in a world that is going 51:22 a different way, but Lord, help us to follow Your way 51:26 because You are the only way. 51:27 Lord, I thank you that Your Holy Spirit is here tonight. 51:30 For those who are battling and wrestling, please Lord, 51:32 give them courage to make the stand and to choose Jesus. 51:36 Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayer tonight. 51:39 In Jesus' wonderful name, Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17