Communion 23.11.25

As we have been going through the Gospel of Luke this year, we’ve been also reading quite a few passages from the Old Testament alongside to shed a light on the depth of Jesus ministry on Earth, though it’s just a little glimpse and there is so much more to learn, I’m sure. This week I was reading in Hebrews about Jesus being a Priest in the rank of Melchizedek and I thought it would make a good Communion today.

Hebrews 7:17

For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

This is a quote from Psalm 110:4.

We’ve probably all been in services in other churches where you have to go to the front to receive Communion from a priest. We don’t do that at PCC. When you take Communion here it’s a private moment between you and Lord directly. Elders don’t hand you the elements and speak words over you. It is not the intention that Elders stand between you and the Lord. Elders are at the front only to pray for the sick.

James 5:14-15

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Here is more from the passage I read in Hebrews this week;

Hebrews 7:22-28

by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

Jesus is our High Priest in Heaven, his sacrifice was perfect, he did not sin, so his sacrifice was not for himself, it was entirely for us. So, his sacrifice on the Cross is perfect forever!

Continuing into 

Hebrews 8:1-6

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

We are under a much better Covenant. Our confidence is in Christ’s perfect sacrifice who prays for us in Heaven. So we can go to the Father directly because of Him.

The only other place Melchizedek is only mentioned in the entire Old Testament is

Genesis14:17-20

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.

The bread and the wine show that we have a meal with the Lord, because we are in fellowship with him. Meals together are what friends do. But we have something even better that is something holy, perfect, with our sins washed away, nothing between us and the Lord. Let’s pray.

Luke 6:27-36

Good morning everybody. I’ve been busy over this last week or so preparing the floor for sanding and varnishing. It is really hard work getting rid of the old glue and lino and it’s creating a lot of dust in the flat. I’ll be really happy when this process is done! At least it’s keeping me warm as the cold nights of winter draw closer.

Recapping from last week we began the Sermon on the Mount and learned the difference between a disciple and an apostle.

The Greek word for “disciple” simply refers to a learner and is used throughout the New Testament to refer to people who believed in Jesus and followed Him.

The Greek word for “apostle” literally means “one who is sent” and can refer to an ambassador or anyone sent on a mission. An apostle is given the authority of the one who sent him. All of the apostles were disciples—they were among the many believers in Jesus—but only a select group of disciples were chosen as the Twelve Apostles as described in this passage.

Luke 6:20-23

Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

We noted that Jesus lifted his eyes towards his disciples when he said this. This Sermon on the Mount was primarily directed at you and me in Church today.

Jesus was emphasising to his disciples in his sermon that a life following him would not be easy. They would suffer, some poor, some hungry, some sad, some hated and persecuted. And he indicated that a life without any trouble may in fact mean we remain in the World no different to the unbelievers. So yes, belonging to the Lord means we have enemies in the World. Firstly, we are a threat to the Kingdom of Darkness and because of that we find opposition in this World. Secondly, we are not liked because we challenge people in their sin. They want to suppress the knowledge of God, but our faith shines a light on darkness. But Jesus said, that if we do suffer persecution for his sake, then we should rejoice because we truly belong to Heaven and there is a great reward waiting for us there just like all the other believers who have suffered persecution throughout history.

Our natural response to persecution is fight or flight. The first natural response is to strike back and hurt the enemy. The second natural response is to run away. But Jesus calls us to do something completely different as we shall read today. The message today is short but hits hard.

Luke 6:27-29a

“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.

Some of us have been victim of a crime, that person is as an obvious enemy. But it’s not always easy to spot an enemy, they quite often wear camouflage or a disguise. In New Zealand we are more likely to encounter someone who keeps their hatred hidden. It might only surface when we hear to our surprise of criticism behind our backs.

Maybe at work or school is where we will most likely encounter someone who we don’t get along with. Sometimes it might be a relative who turns hostile.

Can you think of someone who talks behind your back, who opposes you in some way at work, who is unfriendly for no good reason, who swears at you, who takes advantage of you, who even hits you. We don’t tend to keep people like that in our lives. We cut them off.

But Jesus taught a different response. To do good to them in return, to bless them and pray for them. To treat them as we would a friend. To not fight back with violence or fly away from the situation but to respond with a positive action.

In fact Jesus taught non violent resistance. In the first example of turning the other cheek, we avoid both extremes of violently retaliating and passively permitting others to do whatever they want to us.

In Matthew’s version of the Sermon on the Mount, it says if someone strikes you on the right cheek. To strike you on the right cheek with the right hand is actually a back handed slap and was considered a real insult. Has anyone publicly insulted you? I think we can think of some occasions like that. Last week we spoke about going into the marketplace and speaking the Gospel, speaking from the Bible. Then you will definitely encounter hostility and insults. Jesus was teaching not to insult back or to passively accept it but to offer the other cheek. How can I respond differently next time? That’s something to reflect on. What would I do or say differently if I were treating them as a friend?

Luke 6:29b-30

And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.

Here Jesus is teaching the response to greed is another positive action, generosity. By doing this, you are letting them know that you know what they did, forgive them and are treating them like your friend by giving them something else. If they have a heart, if God is working in their life, your kind gesture won’t go unnoticed. Often it won’t be gratefully received, that’s very hard to take. Perhaps it’s hard to think of a situation in your life when this would have applied. Maybe it happened with a relative once who took from you way more than they should have. How would could you have responded in a way that was even more generous to them? These are not easy questions! But Jesus helps us with his next statement.

Luke 6:31

And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

Well you might say, I wouldn’t steal from them in the first place, that’s how I treat others how I want to be treated! But having already crossed that line, Jesus is teaching us what can I do that would show generosity to the offender. Erica Kirk did this when she publicly forgave her husband’s murderer.

Luke 6:32-36

“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

It’s easy to love people who are nice to us and who are a pleasure to be around.

Jesus said the the 2 most important commandments are to love the Lord Our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and to love our neighbour as ourself. The Pharisees had classified neighbours as fellow Jews, they did not include people they didn’t like like the Samaritans. When they heard the parable of the Good Samaritan to love even our enemies they were shocked and even offended. Loving someone like us is easy, loving someone who hates us is not our normal human response.

Here’s the point of what Jesus was teaching. To love our enemies is to show we are like God our Father. He is kind to the unthankful, the evil, he shows mercy to the undeserving. We quickly forget that we are underserving also. We don’t deserve God’s kindness to us, but he forgave us at a time when we barely gave him a second thought when we were living only for ourselves.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Anyone need to pray for an enemy today?

Luke 6:12-26

Last week we looked at the Sabbath law and its true purpose to benefit us with life and health so we are free to love the Lord and not be bund up with legalistic rules about what we can and cannot do on those holy days. Mankind has a way of extending God’s Law beyond its original intention and this has happened from the very beginning. Do you recall how God told Adam not to eat from the fruit of the tree at the centre of the Garden but Eve later told the Serpent that they were not only not to eat it but not to even to touch it. I’m sure that extension of the Law was made up by Adam! Man’s interpretation of God’s Law is what leads to oppressive slavery and punishment as we see in the time of Jesus and notably in Islam today. Let’s move to the next passage in Luke 6.

Luke 6:12-16

Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

Jesus was about to make a very important decision, one that would determine whether his mission on Earth would be a success or not. He needed to find the right men who would take his message and lay the foundations of the Church after he was gone. If he picked the wrong men, we would not be gathered here today. This was not something that could be done on a whim. Jesus prayed all night to his Father.

Often we make important decisions after a 5 minute prayer to the Lord. It’s not that we haven’t thought about it for some time. It’s that I haven’t prayed about it for any length of time as Jesus did. One night of prayer to determine 2 thousand years of church history to date. This was a critical night.

Jesus had quite a lot of disciples or followers at this stage. Every person who believes in Jesus is called His disciple. All were good, earnest people who loved the Lord. But not all were qualified for the mission Jesus would commission the apostles for.

Every apostle he would choose was a disciple, but not every disciple was an apostle.

The Greek word for “disciple” simply refers to a learner and is used throughout the New Testament to refer to people who believed in Jesus and followed Him.

The Greek word for “apostle” literally means “one who is sent” and can refer to an ambassador or anyone sent on a mission. An apostle is given the authority of the one who sent him. All of the apostles were disciples—they were among the many believers in Jesus—but only a select group of disciples were chosen as the Twelve Apostles as described in this passage.

That there is a select group of twelve apostles is seen in the foundations of the walls of the New Jerusalem as mentioned in Revelation: twelve foundations, each inscribed with a name of an apostle.

Revelation 21:14

Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Other men who are named “apostles” in the New Testament—although not members of the Twelve—include Matthias, Barnabas, Apollos, Timothy and Silas, Epaphroditus and two unnamed apostles in 2 Corinthians 8:23, possibly already included in the previous list). These men were “sent ones” in that they were chosen for specific work on behalf of the church, but they were not part of the Twelve who were hand-picked by Jesus. Jesus is also called an “apostle” in Hebrews 3:1 indicating that He was sent by and had the authority of His Father.

Who are the 12 apostles assuming Judas is excluded from this picture of the 12 foundations. I can only think Paul is the 12th man or substitute, I suspect that is where the term comes from in football and cricket!

Ephesians 4:11-16 speaks of apostles along with other church leaders whose role was to equip the believers for works of service. 

This is an important point. I recently saw a video by J Warner Wallace, the Cold Case Detective who converted to Christianity after being an atheist for many years. He said that we need to stop teaching in Churches and start training. In other words, to equip people so they can defend their faith and preach the Gospel in the marketplace. Almost all we do at PCC is teaching which helps us in day to day living but doesn’t really equip is to defend the Faith. To equip involves structured training, testing and practical application and regrouping when things don’t go to well in the battle.

The qualifications back then for being an apostle included 

1. having been with Christ during His ministry
2. having personally witnessed Jesus after His resurrection
3. having been empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform miracles or signs. 

Paul was an exception to part of the qualifications. Although he did not accompany Jesus on His earthly journeys, Jesus made a special appearance to him on the road to Damascus and set him apart as an apostle to the Gentiles. This is why Paul compared his place among the other apostles as “one born at the wrong time” in 1 Corinthians 15:8. 

Some denominations teach there are no apostles in our World today on the basis there is no one who meets all the qualifications above. My position is I disagree with that even though I can’t think of an individual in our World today who meets all of those criteria. Maybe you can. Don’t tell me Brian Tamaki!

I disagree on the basis of the body of Christ and that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Don’t forget, some are gifted in prophecy and some in preaching and some are gifted in healing. So, I think a mission calling from the Lord to establish a church needs to have a combination of these gifts to be successful. It is a true saying that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, however. If no one person meets all the qualifications to be an apostle, Mission teams are needed, that’s why I believe Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs. PCC can do that in Papatoetoe today. It is possible that by using our individual gifts together to have success. One mission headed by Jesus, one body working together, these are our core values in fact;

CORE VALUES OF PCC

1. We emphasise the “Body of Christ” Ministry and Mission with Jesus Christ as the Head.....
2.  .....each member exercising individual spiritual gift/s for the building of the Body and the Communication of the Gospel

But we need to be more organised than we have been if we are to go out into our community and have success. I agree with J Warner Wallace that the way we can do is by shifting from teaching to training and working more closely with the other groups we share this building with but that is something for discussion in the Leadership Team. But we also need to be sent out in the power of the Holy Spirit as the disciples were.

Luke 9:1-2

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

We are called together to preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick and he sent them out in pairs not as individuals. It needs a team approach as I don’t think any of us individually have all the qualifications of an apostle as outlined before. The Gospel message needs to be delivered in power and with authority to defeat the devil in our community.

Back to today’s passage from Luke.

Luke 6:17-19

And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

See how there were 3 types of people in the crowd who came to Jesus;

1. The 12 apostles
2. A crowd of his disciples 
3. A great multitude of other followers of Jesus

Which category would you place yourself in today? Are you here to receive power from the Holy Spirit to go out into the Community like the apostles. Or to be taught like the disciples. Or to see the miracles like the followers, or maybe it’s just the company, the music and the food! 

Jesus delivered the full Gospel in power. That’s why we want to see for our churches to be full today. 

Luke 6:20-23

Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

Note this, Jesus lifted his eyes towards his disciples when he said this. There were many others in the crowd, but he was speaking directly to his disciples when he started this message, the famous Sermon on the Mount which you can also find in more detail in Matthew 5-7. Have you ever been in a service when everything the Preacher says seems to be about you. That’s the Lord speaking directly to you and you need to respond to his call straightaway. 

This Sermon on the Mount was primarily directed at the disciples; that’s you and me in Church today. We often think of so and so would hear this message it would be good. We need to hear it!

His disciples were blessed if they were poor. Isn’t this the very opposite of the Prosperity Gospel we hear today. 

Some of his disciples had left everything to follow Jesus. They were without regular jobs and sometimes they would go hungry. Jesus called them blessed.

Some of his disciples were weeping. Sad at their lost family and friends, sad because of the sin all around them, sad because of things that happened in their lives that seemed unjust and God was not present. Jesus called them blessed, God has not forgotten you either. The Bible says he will wipe away every tear from your eyes, joy and laughter are coming promises from the Lord.

And any disciple who is suffering persecution on whatever scale whether it be revulsion or exclusion or even facing death is going to be rewarded in the same way as the prophets and saints of old and what a crown awaits them. But remember Jesus was primarily speaking to his disciples when he went on to say.

Luke 6:24-26

“But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

This warning is not in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 but it’s in Luke so it’s an important detail. We miss this part, don’t we? At least I do.

This is a direct warning to those who receive the prosperity message of your best life now without balancing that with the message Jesus later gives in

Luke 9:23-27

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

If we are his disciples, it will cost us, there will be difficulties, it won’t be a life of luxury. There will be a cross we need to bear. We are following in the footsteps of Jesus who went to the Cross.

If we are ambitious to be apostles, to be sent out into the World to preach the Gospel and heal the sick it is a good desire. But we do well to soberly remember that all the apostles were martyred for the message they preached except for John and Judas of course. We need to count the cost.

This is the journey we have been on this year to step out, to leave our comfort zone and go into the World. Stepping out means letting go but it also means being equipped for success. That will happen before you leave, but it will also happen as you step out.

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go 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, teaching 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.

Luke 6:1-11

While looking at the next passage from Luke, I must admit that I thought this might be difficult to relate to as it pertained to details on the Old Testament law on the Sabbath which have vanished in Christianity. I mean, as Christians we know to keep Sunday as a special day for the Lord but that’s about it. It seems to me that very little thought is given to the Sabbath in New Zealand. Not many Christians make any noise about the day being business as usual, few will take a stand when David Seymour tries again to open all business on Easter and Christmas Day. Former All Black Michael Jones brought the Sabbath to the attention of of the nation when he refused to play on Sunday’s and as Christians, we were happy he made this stand. But week to week the Sabbath is just not something we give priority to. So, passages like today about keeping the Sabbath don’t draw our attention. 

If New Zealand is at one of the scales on where it stands on the Sabbath, religion in Israel is at the other even to this day. While preparing for this week’s passage, I found this which is being taught by Orthodox Jews today.

These are the 39 categories of Sabbath Work prohibited by law.

1. Carrying	14. Ploughing	27. Chain-stitching
2. Burning	15. Planting	28. Warping
3. Extinguishing	16. Reaping	29. Weaving
4. Finishing	17. Harvesting	30. Unravelling
5. Writing	18. Threshing	31. Building
6. Erasing	19. Winnowing	32. Demolishing
7. Cooking	20. Selecting	33. Trapping
8. Washing	21. Sifting	34. Shearing
9. Sewing	22. Grinding	35. Slaughtering
10. Tearing	23. Kneading	36. Skinning
11. Knotting	24. Combing	37. Tanning
12. Untying	25. Spinning	38. Smoothing
13. Shaping	26. Dyeing	39. Marking

Just taking the 1st of the 39, the law on carrying. To understand how oppressive this law is, it states amongst other things

« This category absolutely forbids all carrying in the street. Even such trivial things as a key or a handkerchief must be left at home. Certainly, pocketbooks, purses, wallets and key-chains may not be carried. The only thing one may carry outdoors are things that are actually worn. »

It goes on to say

« Carrying in a private home is permitted on the Sabbath. It is only in a public domain that it is forbidden. The spirit of the law, however, forbids the carrying or handling of unnecessary objects, even indoors. The Sanhedrin therefore legislated the categories of Muktza, things which may not be handled on the Sabbath. These include such useless things as pebbles and stones. They also include things which may not be used on the Sabbath, such as pencils, candles and money. »

What do they know about the spirit of the law? Now I get it if the doctor tells you, you need complete rest to get well. Then life stops. But the spirit of the law is not to kill life but to promote life and health.

The Sabbath issue Jesus confronted was Religion on steroids, what we can see in these 39 laws. The Pharisees had invented so many laws about what was classed as work that the people were having to spend so much effort superstitiously avoiding the cracks in the pavement that they had no time to really love the Lord or anyone else, the 2 most important commandments.

• Suppose you wanted to cook a meal and drive your car to deliver it to a sick relative. Forbidden on both counts, law 2 on burning.
• Suppose you wanted to take notes in your quiet time with the Lord. Not allowed, law 5 on writing.
• Suppose you to make a cup of tea and a piece of toast to have while you had your quiet time with the Lord. Not allowed, law 7 on cooking.

Their religion tied you in knots.

How did this mess of confusion come about, remember all God had told Moses was;

Exodus 20:10-11

but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

The principle was that even the Lord rested from his work, so being made in his image, we also need to rest from our work. It is unhealthy to keep working day in, day out, not trusting the Lord that he will provide even on the days when there is lack. They had turned what was intended for blessing into a curse.

Exodus 16:29-30

See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day.

Being made in his image, we also need to rest from our work. It is unhealthy to keep working day in, day out, not trusting the Lord that he will provide even on the days when there is lack.

The Lord provided enough bread on the 6th day for 2 days so the people of Israel did not need to work on the 7th day, they could keep it holy for the Lord. The truth is the Lord provides all we need; we should have learned this by now but some of us still struggle (I put myself in this category). As we heard earlier with the 39 laws, they continue in the way of the Pharisees and Sanhedrin to this day, having completely lost sight of what the law of the Sabbath was for which is for our benefit not detriment.

Now we come to our passage today.

Luke 6:1-2

Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

The “second Sabbath after the first” is the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Luke clearly records that Jesus and the disciples went through the grain fields on the second Sabbath which was the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, ie., just after Passover on the 14th of the 1st month (April).

Now the Pharisees had a real problem with the disciples breaking their Sabbath laws. Yes, they have a law for that. 

Law 17 of the 39 is on harvesting on the Sabbath and says.

« This includes all harvesting operations such as binding grain into sheaves or bales. Gathering fallen fruit into piles or placing them into baskets also falls under this heading. This is even true in a private enclosed yard where carrying is permitted. »

They classed harvesting as work, which I suppose is fine if it’s your paid job, but here they were applying it to the disciples picking some grain to feed themselves because they were hungry. It was very pedantic to the point of being ridiculous. On this basis, you couldn’t even go and pick fruit, herbs and vegetables from your own garden! In truth, the disciples were like priests, reliant on the donations and good will of others, no longer being in paid work.

Luke 6:3-5

But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus in fact likened the disciples to priests.

What a powerful and provocative statement Jesus made when he said he was Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is Lord of all which is something we should all be glad about. He has the final say on the Sabbath! It was not breaking the spirit of the law to eat something when they were hungry! If we understand that the law of the Sabbath is for our good, we know it is important to eat. The original commandment said that there would be enough manna on the 6th day for the 7th day as well. The Lord did not intend to force us to go hungry! He wanted us to learn by faith that the Lord will provide. We don’t need to work 24/7, it is very unhealthy to do that, every doctor agrees!

Luke 6:6-7

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.

Here comes the rule book again.

Law 22 of the 39 on Grinding says

« Its spirit also forbids the grating of cheeses and vegetables and the grinding of fish and meat, as well as herbs used for medicine. The Sanhedrin therefore legislated to forbid the use of all nonvital medicines and treatments except for a sick person. An initial exception, however, was made in cases of acute pain and actual illness, where necessary medical treatments may be used. Where life is actually in danger, the Sabbath may be violated in any necessary manner. Our sages teach us that it is better to violate one Sabbath in order that another may live to keep many. »

So, they had a problem with Jesus healing a man whose right hand was withered. His life wasn’t in danger, he wasn’t in pain, and they probably thought it’s not urgent and could wait for another day. They were completely indifferent to his lifetime of suffering. But God is not like that, he is not indifferent to our pain just because of a law! The Sabbath is the perfect day for healing to happen, but the Pharisees were so bound by the law, they couldn’t see it. Frowns came on their faces as they watched and waited to ambush Jesus.

Luke 6:8-9

But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?”

Jesus knows our thoughts as we’ve highlighted before. He knows if we are hostile in our hearts towards him and he knew the Pharisees were hostile. So, he gave them a question asking about the spirit of the law, whether it was ultimately to do good and to save life or not. Not one of them could say a word.

Luke 6:10-11

And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

They were filled with rage because they had made up a God who is extremely harsh and judgmental, beyond anything taught by Scripture, not reflecting the everlasting love and mercy of the Lord in any way.

What we observe throughout history is that religious zeal without the grace of God leads to violence. This was true of the Pharisees, it is true of Islam, it is true in Hinduism, it is true even in Christianity as we saw in Northern Ireland. The devil is the accuser of the Brethren, and he uses the law to condemn us and justify violence, remember he is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. The word Hamas itself means violence.

The law brings only punishment and death.

But Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, and he gives us grace and mercy, healing and life in him.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Praise the Lord! We are the ministers of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant is passed away! This should give us a lot of pause to reflect. Are there any rules I have introduced that go beyond what Scripture intended? Am I more concerned with doctrine than with people’s wellbeing?

It doesn’t matter to me which day of the week is your Sabbath day as long as it’s set aside as a holy day. Pastors work on Sundays, they often rest on Mondays. Most of us can rest on Sundays because a few people work then. 

What does a holy day look like? Peaceful. Joyful. Reflective. Restful. It is a good day to be in church with other believers. Just make sure you keep it as a holy day for the Lord though. It’s too easy to open the laptop, scroll through the news, stress about life like we tend to do on every other day of the week! The Sabbath is for rest from our work and relaxing in the Lord’s presence.

True Christianity is markedly different to all religions in blessing us with freedom from the law. Saul was a zealous religious Jew until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus who asked him why he was persecuting him, that is Jesus. 

Galatians 3:13-14

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Islam is a big threat to peace in our World today. Muslims follow very strict laws and claim Islam to be a religion of peace even though it acts violently against Christians and Jews and feels justified in doing so. Today is an international day of prayer for the persecuted church who are suffering because of this same spirit of violence that uses the law to kill. You will have heard of the terrible murder of Christians that is going on in Nigeria and in other parts of Africa. Do remember and pray for brothers and sisters everywhere who are suffering, we are going to see more of this in the end times. But also pray for the enemies who are in Islam killing Jews and Christians because they believe they are doing the right thing by Allah. Pray they will have their eyes opened to the truth, so they will repent and come to Jesus and find real life.

Nehemiah 7v73 - 8

There has recently been a prophecy from a prophet named Pastor Joshua Mhlakela that Jesus will return at the close of the Feast of Tabernacles on September 23rd or possibly the 24th. September 23rd coincided with the Jewish feast of Rosh Hashanah and a week of high-stakes diplomatic meetings at the United Nations. The timing felt loaded with prophetic potential, possibly marking the rapture, the start of the tribulation or the signing of the Daniel 9:27 covenant. He pointed to the UN’s push for a two-state solution with Israel as one of the key developments in play. “We know that Sept. 23 is part of the week where these meetings are happening at the United Nations where they’re going to try to twist Israel’s arm into accepting a two-state solution,” he said.

Many people have predicted the date of Jesus return before even though Jesus himself said in 

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” 

He did however go on to say 

“ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Matthew 24:36-39 

What we can see is that our days are very similar to the days of Noah and alongside many other things said by Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and the prophets of the Old Testament, we can see that we are very close to His return.

I do want to remind you that we are watching closely for something to happen first before Jesus comes (which hasn’t happened yet). 

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Do keep an eye out for this first and if it does happen at the UN this week then do prepare yourself!

The reason I share this is because we are living in a time of many conflicting voices and Jesus did in fact warn us that the time leading up to his return would see many false prophets and False Christ’s emerge. We are also seeing a rise in aggressive demonic activity against Christians as we see in Nigeria and with the murder of Charlie Kirk. Jesus specifically warned us about this. We are definitely seeing that in this World today.

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.

Matthew 24:21-25

Does this mean we should sit on our hands and just wait? No, we are in a spiritual war that is increasing globally, and we need the armour of God and the Sword of the Spirit and to be strong together to engage in the fight more than ever at this time. 

This week the Lord spoke to me through a passage in Nehemiah which got my attention because it made mention of the Feast of Tabernacles that was specifically mentioned in the false prophecy. Now I think it’s worth recapping the 7 Feasts of the Lord which you can read of in Leviticus 23 because they are observations followed by Israel to this day, but unbeknownst to the Old Testament Israelites, also prophetic. These are very well known to Christians because Jesus has already fulfilled the first 4 of the 7 Feasts.

You will read of the Sabbath in Leviticus 23 which is in addition to the 7 feasts of the Lord. Even so the Sabbath has also been fulfilled because Christ is our rest, no more work (under the law).

The 7 Feasts of Leviticus 23

1. The Passover - Jesus died as the Lamb of God as an offering for our sins on the 14th of the 1st month
2. Unleavened Bread - On the 15th of the 1st month, Jesus was buried in the tomb
3. The Feast of Firstfruits - Jesus was raised from the dead, the first fruit is on the day after the Sabbath. He is the first fruit and all other believers will follow and partake in his resurrection.
4. The Feast of Weeks - 50 days after the Resurrection, Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on the believers in Acts 2.

Still to be fulfilled are the remaining 3. They are a prophetic picture of what Jesus will one day also fulfil.
      5. The Feast of Trumpets (v. 23–25) – a picture of the return of Christ.

      6. The Day of Atonement (vv. 26–32) – a picture of the final judgement, the day when eternal salvation is formally granted to the believer
      7. The Feast of Tabernacles (vv. 33–43) – a picture of the wedding feast after the return of Christ of great celebration that will continue !

Let’s talk about each of the 3.

First of all, the Feast of Trumpets.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ” 

Leviticus 23:23-25 

Interestingly, Rosh Hashanah or The Feast of Trumpets is the only commanded feast day that the Lord does not give a specific reason for its celebration, only that it is to be observed as a holy day. There are many speculations about what the observance of this day represents, but scripture only tells us it is a “memorial of blowing of trumpets.”  For Israel, it’s true purpose and meaning are a mystery only known to God. But for us Christians, that mystery has been revealed. Remember Paul said;

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Every other Feast date was determined by the counting of days between the Feasts, but the Feast of Trumpets was unique. This is the only Feast determined by observing the appearance of the New Moon in the month of Tishri (September). Watchmen were traditionally set on the wall to watch for the moon to become visible, blowing their trumpets at the first sign of its sighting, signifying the start of this feast day. Because the possibility of atmospheric conditions or human error could make it difficult to identify the appearance of the New Moon, it was often referred to as the day and hour unknown or hidden.

In Israel, the first day of the new month begins with the appearance of the new moon. For September it was the 21st and for October it will be the 21st. The full moon is at the halfway point (so the 7th October).

The new moon appears, the trumpets are blown and there is a day of Sabbath rest. That all takes time. This year, the Feast of Trumpets took place from the evening of Monday, September 22, 2025, until Wednesday, September 24, 2025.

We are the watchmen for Christ’s return. The Church is to loudly sound the trumpet that Jesus is coming soon as the sign of his appearing begins. This is the time we are in. Just this week the UK announced that all its citizens must have a digital ID in order to work in the UK, a move that many other countries are implementing in a move towards global government.  At the same time, the hostility towards Israel is increasing just as it was prophesied it would at the time of the end. I was relieved this week at the declaration Winston Peters made about Palestine at the UN. Despite what Helen Clark says, New Zealand will on the right side of history if it is careful to conserve its friendly relations with Israel.

We see these and many other signs rapidly unfolding like the fresh buds of Spring. Even though Jesus said no one knows the date, he went on to say.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”

Matthew 24:42

Second of all, the Day of Atonement.

The Feast of Trumpets is also the beginning of the 10 Days of Repentance (also known as the 10 Days of Awe), ending on Yom Kippur known as the Day of Atonement. Jewish tradition asserts that God writes every person’s words, deeds, and thoughts in the Books of Life or Death, which He opens and examines on this day (Rosh Hashanah). If their good deeds outnumber the sinful ones for the year, that person’s name will be inscribed in the Book of Life for another year on The Day of Atonement. For this reason, Rosh Hashana is also known as the “Day of Judgement” or Yom Hadin.

For the Jewish people, it is a time of introspection, personal growth, and spiritual rebirth. This is accomplished through forgiveness: apologising, forgiving, and receiving forgiveness. Many use this time to make amends with loved ones and heal broken relationships. By the time Yom Kippur arrives, they are ready to begin the new year with clean hearts.

In the same way, at the Final Judgement the Book of Life is opened.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11-15

Finally, the Feast of Tabernacles.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. ‘These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord. ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days.  All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ” So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

Leviticus 23:33-44

Having read about the Feasts, let’s set the scene for the situation at the time of Nehemiah.

Israel had been punished for forsaking the Lord and following other gods and been in captivity in Babylon for 70 years. And now they were free and allowed to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the walls of the city. It’s a wonderful thing to be set free, and in that moment, you never want to go back to captivity again. 

The temptation is that after a while we start looking back when things get tough when we remember the old days with rose tinted glasses as if they were better than they actually were. Just like the captivity in Egypt, it is probable that the captives had gotten comfortable in Babylon, having established their lives there. So, they had a new freedom, but they were going back to ruins, to start again. Often it is like that starting again. It’s not easy, there’s a lot of work to be done to rebuild, clearing the rubble, creating a design and executing a plan!

But we must never look back.

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62

The people had been set free, and they were repentant in that moment never wanting to go back into captivity again. So, they were ready to listen to Nehemiah, the priests and leaders of Israel.

So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim, and all Israel dwelt in their cities. When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities. Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 

Nehemiah 7:73-8:2

As we’ve just read, the first day of the seventh month was the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets.

The people were thirsty to hear God’s Word. Can you relate to a period in your life (I hope it’s now as well) reading chapter after chapter in the Bible, going to Church to drink in what the preacher has to say and churning through Christian books in record time as you learn new things every day?

So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place.

Nehemiah 8:4-7

A good teacher doesn’t just read the Bible, they help the people to understand it. I had a lecturer at university who never stopped to explain anything, he just spent the hour reading from the notes of his paper in monotone. Needless to say, it was very difficult to learn anything and I quit the course. How many people are going to a Church where the priest just reads a liturgy and the people sit there bored out of their brains. The Word of God is very exciting if only the Preacher takes the time to explain it.

So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.

Nehemiah 8:8-12

Once we know the truth, Jesus said, it sets us free. That is what the end of a church service should look like. Joy, talking, discussion, eating together. I love those days when we have a meal together after Church and most of all when we learn something new about the Lord.

Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.” Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.

Nehemiah 8:13-18

As we read earlier, this is describing the Feast of Tabernacles which lasted 7 days with the holy convocation on the 8th day.

Recall from what we read earlier that the Feast of Tabernacles required that only native Israelites dwelt in the booths, not foreigners.

But what stunned me was that they hadn’t followed the part that said to dwell in booths for the period of the feast since the days of Joshua. How long had it been from the time of Joshua to the time of Nehemiah? About 1000 years. Once they were in the Promised Land, they had forgotten to do what the Lord said. Living in a temporary construction like a booth is not easy. We might go camping for a few days but look forward to going back to the comforts of home. When we get too comfortable in life, it is easy to ignore the inconvenient parts of the Bible, what affect our comfort. In New Zealand, we have been blessed for so many years that we can easily forget to honour the Lord and just go about our own business day to day not giving the Lord much of our time.

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.

Nehemiah 9:1

There they were on the 24th day of the month same as us on the 24th September this year being the date of the Feast of Trumpets that the modern prophet is linking to the rapture of the Church. It is a day of mourning for Israel and indeed it will be when they realise they have missed their Messiah.

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

Zechariah 12:10

When Israel realises its error in rejecting Christ, there will be a special time when the Lord will deal with Israel in his mercy. In that time, Israel will recall how good and faithful the Lord had been to them throughout their history and in sorrow they will repent of their unfaithfulness to Him, just as the people of Nehemiah’s time did as we read in the final part of the passage.

With the 10 days leading up to the Day of Atonement from the day of the new moon on September 21st, Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the Jewish year and is observed with strict fasting and ceremonial repentance. Begins October 1, 2025 at sundown; ends at nightfall on October 2, 2025.

This year, the Feast of Tabernacles runs from Evening of Mon, Oct 6, 2025 – Mon, Oct 13, 2025

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, is the third great annual pilgrimage festival when the Jewish people gather together in Jerusalem not only to remember God's provision in the Wilderness but also to look ahead to that promised Messianic age when all nations will flow to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. It is a time of great celebration and feasting, just as it will be at the Great Wedding Feast.

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

Revelation 21:2-3

So, this is what the people in Nehemiah’s time were celebrating at the Feast of Tabernacles, the end of their captivity and their restoration of fellowship with the Lord. What a great celebration and theme of thankfulness that will be when Jesus returns, hallelujah!