Jesus - King of the Jews, Lord of the Sabbath

Title: The Only Option - Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath, King of Everyone

OUTLINE:

Good morning GracePointe! Glad to be here with you today as we continue our series on Big Questions and uncover insight on how best to orient our lives with Christ as the foundation. If you have missed the weeks prior, you can check out all of our sermons from this series and others at www.gpointe.com/sermons.

Today, we continue our journey through God's Word as we look at questions you wrote in about big subjects and areas that are not always easy to answer. Right after our service today at 12:15 we will gather together Certainly, not wanting to set ourselves up to be the answer men but rather, in humility as a family discuss what the bible has to say regarding these subjects.

This week, i was reflecting on just how many options we have in life. Take for example breakfast cereal. In the average grocery store, there are 250 different varieties of breakfast cereal. A whole aisle with different kinds of sugary, grainy, deliciousness that really is one of the best starts to any day

The marketing for each cereal brand would tell you.....our cereal is the best way to have the thriving life you crave. Some of them do it by marketing that this will give you the most energy....this will satisfy you the longest....this one is a huge cookie chopped up into little pieces and you add milk to it....we eat it in the morning so we call it breakfast.

Or think of apps on your smart phone. Studies show that the average iphone user has 80 apps downloaded to their device. I am helping raise that average as I checked my phone and I have 177 but clearly, I am an oddball who is always downloading and never deleting. An app hoarder! A quick look at the app store shows that each app is marketed to provide a tool to help you have a thriving life....through ease of use, productivity, time management, escape and enjoyment just to name a few. All kinds of things around us showcase this immense amount of choice…immense amount of options.

You and I both know that, just like the ads for the cereals and the apps on our phones and all of the other options that surround us....everything is vying for our attention and time. Attention and time is the offering that everyone seeks.

Attention and time is the currency of life. Monetary attention, power attention, attention with our talent…and time. the years, months, weeks, hours and minutes that we give to something. All the options are asking for not just some but all of our attention and time.

My hope is that after looking at how Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and King over all, we would find that he alone is worthy of our time and attention. That while we may be lured by other options, I would stress today that when it comes to a thriving life, we must cling to the one option…the only option..and that is Jesus Christ. He alone deserves our attention and time as the true King of all things.

Present Questions

Our first big question today helps us to see God in the proper place as King. The question is Why did God start out as the king of Jews? And then become king of the Gentiles?

We must first begin with the fact that God is king of all things. Not just jews but people humanity....and not only people but the land as well. All Creation. The heavens, the earth....all things.

1 Chronicles 29:11 NIV

11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

Before time, there was God. He is the alpha and omega…the beginning and the end. A king of all kings and lord of all lords.

Daniel 2:21 NIV

21 He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

From the very beginning in Genesis we are introduced to God who is creator and ruler of all. Starting with Abraham, God gives a promise or a covenant that Israel was to be a universal blessing to all the nations. That God would rule over His people and that the nations would be blessed because of this. This goes on to Moses where God gives the law. Israel’s allegiance to Yahweh will be outwardly reflected in the way that they live, keeping the commands and, most notably, observing weekly Sabbath rest (Exod. 31:12-18). More on that in just a bit.

Israel was ruled by God, the great and magnificent king. Prophetically, Moses outlined that when Israel entered the promised land, they would be ruled by an earthly king. Dr. Frank Barker outlines how Moses gives 4 qualifications for a king to rule over Israel out of Deuteronomy 17:14-19

First, he said that Israel's king had to be chosen by God. The people were not qualified to choose a king that would lead them in the way that God demanded. And they didn't have the right to vest a person with God's delegated authority. Only God could delegate his own authority. And he would only give it to a person of his choosing.

Secondly, the king had to be an Israelite or a native of God's chosen nation. This was to fulfill the covenant promise in Genesis 17:1-8, where he swore that Abraham's heirs would be kings over their people.

Thirdly, the king was to depend on God rather than on human strategies for securing peace and prosperity. Moses explains this by saying that the King must not acquire large amounts of horses rather trust in God. He must not submit to a larger entity like Egypt for protection..rather trust in God. Moses writes that the king must not acquire many wives....this was in relation to politically arranged marriages in which now a foreign nation has vested interest due to the kings marriage. Instead, the king was to trust and depend on God.

The fourth thing Moses stressed in Deuteronomy 17 was that the king was required to demonstrate covenant fidelity to God by receiving, copying and meditating on God's covenant law. This helped cultivate personal reverence, appropriate humility and faithful rule on the Kings behalf in relation to God and the people of God.

These four ways were to help the Kings of Israel ideally live out their rule by administering God’s law, providing justice and mercy and faithfulness. We see that the first King that Israel appoints, they fail to let God appoint the king. They grew impatient as we see in 1 Samuel 8:5-20 and thus God judges Israel by appointing Saul. But after Saul came David, a man after God’s own heart. A man with mighty flaws and mighty strengths. God worked through him to unite the nation, defeat their enemies, and bring security and prosperity to Israel. After David, came Solomon, a King who did somethings really well but in others, came up woefully short. Many other kings failed mightily to follow those 4 aspects outlined by Moses.

God made a covenant with the people of Israel, promising a Messiah, who would come from among them. The prophecies pointed to a mighty King, a descendant of David, who would reign forever in administering or perhaps fulfilling the law. This promise was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.

JESUS AS KING OF THE JEWS

This question, Why did God start out as the king of Jews? And then become king of the Gentiles? phrasing is referred to in Romans 1:16

Romans 1:16 NIV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

First to the Jews:

Jews experienced the salvation of God first in that they were chosen by God freely. Deuteronomy 14:2 says in relation to all of the Jewish people, “The Lord has chosen you to be a people for his own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” As ruler of all things, God can choose who he wants. He did this out of love and the Promises he made.

The Jews first experience salvation because it originates from the Jews. Jesus himself a descendent of David as we see in the lineage in Matthew 1:1 fitting the qualifications for a king.

John 4:22 sums this up as John Piper writes regarding his commentary on the passage. “They are the chosen nation, the nation with God’s special revelation (that is the Old Testament), the nation with the Messiah, the Savior in their midst.” Jesus was a native of God’s chosen nation.

JESUS AS KING OF ALL PEOPLE

Going back to how Jesus, a descendent of David, fits the qualifications of a king appointed by God. We see this in Phil 2:9-11

Philippians 2:9–11 NIV

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The people didn’t exalt him. God exalted him. God appointed him and raised him up. Just as Moses pointed out that king over God’s people should.

And notice here....Bowing, as one would do before royalty, before the Lord, the King of all Kings, Jesus Christ for the glory of the father.

I would point out that it is not just jewish folks bowing and acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord. Every knee, Every tongue. This points to the promise of the blessing the nations. This verse reminds us that Jesus is the King not only of the Jews but also of the Gentiles. His Lordship extends over all nations and peoples. In Him, we find unity and hope for the entire world.

In 1 Peter, the author explains how those not of Jewish descent are now part of the family of God.

1 Peter 2:10 NIV

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

He is quoting Hosea and is in essence saying Gentiles were once not a people of God, and now through Christ, they have become a people of God. But John 3:16 is not only for Jews. It is for all who put their trust in Christ, to not perish but have ever lasting life. The Gospel is not limited to a specific group; it is for everyone. It is the power of God for salvation, extending to both Jews and Gentiles. In Christ, there is no distinction.

Jesus' earthly ministry primarily focused on the Jewish people, but His mission extended beyond national boundaries. As we transition from the Gospels to the Epistles, we witness the Apostle Paul and others proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Acts 1:8 NIV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Your people in Jerusalem, outside your people in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Jesus is King and His kingdom spreads to all the places. He truly is KING OVER ALL.

Jesus Trusted

Jesus trusted in the power of God over anything else. He didn’t consider equality with God but rather made himself a servant and trusted God. What did he say in the garden…not my will but yours be done. When tempted in the desert to submit to the Satan, Jesus instead chose to remind the evil one....that there is only one King who gets submission, who gets worship, only one king we should bend the knee too. Again, fulfilling that role of King that Moses listed. Putting full trust in God alone.

Finally.....Jesus helped administer and fulfill the law....He did not come to abolish the law but fulfill it.

THE LAW:

Throughout the scriptures, the Law is known by many names, which means multiple passages reference the Ten Commandments without using what we regard as its most recognizable term. It is amazing to see how much the content of scripture relies on the information given in this short passage of Exodus 20.

Here is a list in my own paraphrased way

Do not worship other gods

Don’t make idols

Don’t use the name of the Lord for any reason…other than calling on and exalting God.

Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy

Honor your mom and dad

Don’t murder

Don’t commit adultery

Don’t Steal

Don’t lie

. Don’t want what belongs to someone else

As we look at this list, I was reminded this week from Pastor Paul…that this is a good list. This list reflects an way of living that honors God. That is markedly different than those without God.

This doesn’t change with Christ. In Christ, we are told the two greatest commandments are to Love God and love our neighbor. In these commandments, the whole law and prophets rest. Not done away with but these commandments rest and are found in Loving God with all we are and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Without Christ, sin would lead us to violate one or more of these. And remember, Christ came to fulfill, to explain the heart of these. As King, he is to administer the law.

Our second big question is oriented around the Sabbath.

“Why do we Christians worship on Sunday? Are we disobeying the 10 Commandments especially the 4th? Is Sunday to be considered the new sabbath?”

To get a handle on the origin of the Sabbath, lets first look at Genesis 2:2-3

Genesis 2:2–3 NIV

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

God finished his work, and on the Seventh day, he rested from all his work. He blessed the seventh day and and made it holy because he rested.

The word there for rest is shah-baht. It means to cease, stop, be absent, come to an end, to rest. God, the ultimate creator is stopping, ceasing coming to an end in his creating.

So right off, we see that a part of resting is stopping. But just a little bit later we see another word tied to this. Genesis 2:15

Genesis 2:15 NIV

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

The phrase “put him” is actually meaning “rested him”. It is a ‘rested him’. The hebrew word is noo-khaw. It means to settle in, to remain.

Imagine the moment you have created something amazing. It can be as silly as a toy on a Christmas or epic as your dream home that you have built with your own two hands....the moment where you stop building because it is done. You now play with the toy you got and built for Christmas. You lean back on the chair that sits on the deck you built. You stair at the fire in the fireplace in the hope you are done building. You settle in and remain. You abide in the creation.

We two aspects of rest here in Genesis....exemplified by God. We stop and we abide. Tim Mackie writes that "the concepts of shabbat and nuakh—they are connected. God leads by example as he rests from work (shabbat), and then he dwells (nuakh) with his people.”

The Lord goes on in Exodus 20:8–10 to point out that this stopping and abiding is a sign of the covenant between Israel and God. That is, it is a sign that Israel follows the Lord. That she is the Lord’s people. The Lord tells them in Exodus 31:12-17 that they must observe the times of rest. The do this to know that the Lord is God and He sets them apart. If you desecrate it, you will be put to death. Work 6 days but the seventh day is Sabbath (stop working) and rest, abide. Do this just as the Lord made the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day rested and was refreshed. This is also referenced in Leviticus 23:3

In this way, the Sabbath is a sign of God's Lordship over their lives and an invitation to stop producing and rest or abide in the Lord.

Saturday or Sunday?

The Sabbath day that the bible speaks about here was Saturday or more accurately Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset.

This is not the same day as the Lord’s Day, Sunday, which the early church connected with Christ’s resurrection. Jesus arose from the dead on the first day of the week, Sunday, those early Christians called it the "Lord's Day" (Revelation 1:10), and also regularly met for their Christian worship on Sunday as we see in Acts 20:7, and 1 Corinthians 16:2

This is true for us today, every Sunday the church gathers, then, it remembers and celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. When Christians understand who Jesus is and what the resurrection means–every Sunday is Easter Sunday.

The Sabbath was a time set aside for ceasing work and abiding in the Lord. The Sabbath day for Israel and modern day jews was and is Saturday and the Lord’s Day, after the resurrection of Christ, became the day, Sunday, in which followers of Christ gathered, assembled to worship the Lord.

While there have been aims through out history to make these days the same day, biblically, they are two different things.

Sabbath fulfilled in Christ

So where does that leave the question of…is the Sabbath required for followers of Christ. Are we breaking the commandment by not abiding by it?

Let us remember that Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. This fulfillment is acknowledging the true intent of the law. Earlier in Matthew, in chapter 5, we see Jesus describing this fulfillment. You have heard it said that you shall not murder but I tell you…if you are angry with your brother or sister…you are guilty of murder. It is the root, the heart of what the commandment was set up to protect from.

In the case of the Sabbath, I believe it is the same. The sabbath commandment is fulfilled in Christ. We find our true rest in Christ. Look at just a little later in Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28–30 NIV

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Contrast this with how the Pharisees approach to the Sabbath and their interactions with Christ. In Matthew 12 verses 1–8, the Pharisees objected to the disciples of Jesus plucking and eating heads of grain as they walked through the grain fields on a Sabbath. According to their oral tradition, plucking the heads of grain and eating them was work — a violation of the Sabbath. But Jesus could work on the Sabbath because He was the Son of God. (John 5:16-17), One greater than the temple (Matthew 12:6), and greater than David—Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8).

Not long after, Jesus enters a synagogue and heals a man’s withered hand. The pharisees get upset and accuse Jesus of sinning by not keeping the Sabbath. Before healing the man, Jesus answers their question by asking which of them, if his sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath, would not lift it out. If, it is lawful to help the sheep, how much more lawful is it to help a fellow man? We see glimpses of the true purpose of Sabbath, to reflect on the mercy of God but engaging in acts of mercy if called for.

Christ is instructing them and us that the Spirit of the Law is grander than you can imagine. Anger in our hearts towards another image bearer of GOd originates from the same Sin that brings murder.

Modern Day Sabbath

Jesus instructs them and gives us a foundational aspect of what the Sabbath means for us. Mark 2:27-28

Mark 2:27–28 NIV

27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

In the case of the Sabbath, it is meant as a gift. God intended for it to take care of us. God intended that the day of rest would not be a burden for us, but we would embrace its practice and see its value in restoring our minds, bodies, and souls. Why?

So that we would delight in the work of God, in all that He has done....to remember that it truly God under, in, and above all things in the Universe. As King, Jesus is our focus.

Remember that the currency of the world is attention and time. What if there was a moment, a practice in your week in which you intentionally, purposefully gave God your attention…gave God your time to remember that God holds all things in his hand. That you will come up woefully short but that God holds you in the palm of his hand.

I do not believe it is a salvation issue. But I do wonder at one point do we acknowledge that the kickback to prescribed time of resting and abiding in the Lord says more about our priorities than it does on the spiritual practice of the Sabbath.

This week, I found myself kicking back against a recommendation to Sabbath. Because I don’t want a puritan, hardline mode to my walk with Christ. That doesn’t sound like the rest Christ promises.

The heavy reaction to the Sabbath

As King in our lives, He rules our schedule.

2 Timothy 3:6–7 NIV

6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Loaded down with sins and evil desires. Always learning. That describes our day pretty well. Endless amounts of activity. Work is often more than 40 hours. Kids need their own google calendars to sort out all the schedules and appointments they require. And hear me, many of the things we engage in are good. We are not, generally, running around saying yes to debauchery. The options to spend our time and attention seem endless and exhausting. And then we need productivity apps on our phones to keep track of it all!

The turn from God is often not in the content of what we are saying yes to. It is in what we are giving up for it. When our weekly rhythm shows more about our pleasures than the pleasure of the King…that is Jesus. It is no wonder that we don’t feel rested.

The Invitation of Rest:

A time of giving time and attention to God alone in the spiritual practice of Sabbath is a gift from the Lord to not just check off a spiritual to do list item. But instead to live out the current and future promise of true rest found in Christ, the King who is lord over our attention and time.

In his book on the Sabbath, Erest Palen writes the fofllowing: “Our madly rushing, neurotic society needs the therapy of the silence and quietness that flows from a day kept holy, really holy. A day when our thoughts are of God, our actions are tempered by a desire to serve God and our families, a day that is so different from other days that it could make us different in our relationship to God and to our fellow men”

In scripture, we see Isaiah 58:13-14

Isaiah 58:13–14 NIV

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 14 then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

The purpose of the Sabbath is not to only do the things that bring you happiness, or fulfillment. The purpose of the Sabbath is to delight in the Lord, and in the things He has done.

With the time I have left, here are 4 ways to live out a spiritual practice of Sabbath that is fulfilled in Christ. The first way is to

1. Release (Isaiah 26:3)

Pause the busyness of your daily life for a set amount of time. Don’t rush into a 24 hour period. Try 3 hours first! Set aside your work, deadlines, and distractions. Find rest in God's promise in Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you”. Take a moment to release the demands for your attention and time for, event just a little bit to start.

2. Renew (Psalm 51:10)

Engage in activities that renew your delight in the Lord. There is a ton of freedom here but search your heart to find the things that help renew a right spirit. Is there something that you can engage in that directs your attention to giving God praise for who he is and what he has done? As the Psalmist prayed, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). Be mindful of those things that serve your desires or pleasures but don’t have any connection to the Lord.

3. Rejoice (Philippians 4:4)

Discover joy in the knowledge that Jesus fulfills all our needs. As Paul encourages us, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4). Let this truth fill your hearts with happiness, for our Savior reigns. I find it difficult to be on a hike and look up at the blue skie with the tall trees and not find wonder in my heart at how good God is.

4. Reflect (Psalm 139:23-24)

Set aside time for personal reflection on your relationship with God. Follow the Psalmist's plea, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). Reflect on His presence and grace in your lives. After time spent on a spiritual practice of the Sabbath, look for what the Lord is doing in you. Are you more restful? Is your life looking more like Jesus.

Finally, don’t only do this alone! I guess I would add a 5th piece and say RECRUIT. How can you bring your family along in a time to do Sabbath....so that they too could release the demands for their attention and time and instead give that to the Lord. Renew their spirits in the Lord. Rejoice with you about the goodness and greatness of God.

What I desire is for each and everyone of us to live lives oriented toward the one who is mighty to save.

AJ Swoboda writes this. “Theology cannot save anyone. It can only point us to the One who saves. Theology as such is only useful to the degree that it delivers us into formed people who know how to worship God and love people.”

May we engage in a practice of resting and abiding as we worship God and love others just as He has loved us.

Let us Pray -

Let us live out lives that reflect that Jesus is our King. May our time and attention be given to the one true King as an offering for all that He has done to save us!