Second Sunday After Pentecost

Good morning and welcome to the second Sunday of Pentecost. We have officially entered summer after memorial day weekend and in the church calendar we have officially entered “ordinary time.” After Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Eastertide, Pentecost, and last week Trinity Sunday, we are in ordinary time. The “ordinary” of ordinary time comes from the Latin root “ordo” which means to arrange, put together, order. The question of this season is, how do we order our live in light of the coming of Christ and the Holy Spirit?

This “life ordering” is something we all do all the time anyway. You have a desire for something, or someone, or some experience or sensation, and you order your life to fulfill that desire. They say as a man, once you turn 30 you get one hobby and you have two choices: You can begin smoking meats or become a WWII history snob. I chose smoking meats as my desired hobby, let me tell you there’s a lot of order that goes into smoking that meat perfectly. From selecting the cut to brine and the rub you choose, to the temperature, how many hours…it’s a lot, but it’s so worth it for the delicious taste I’m after. Maybe your desire is beauty, so you have an ordered skin routine at night. Maybe it’s achievement, so you have an ordered study plan. Now a recipe, a routine, a plan could just be another word for law. We make or follow a law to achieve our desired ends. In society we want justice, equality, freedom, so we make laws to help us reach those ends.

If God is the object of our desire, how do we order our life around him? For him? What is the law for God? Our scripture readings take us on a journey on answering this question. We’re

The law leads to relationship with God not itself

Jesus as the Lord of the law and us gives us rest

The gospel ordered life is the glorious life

I. The law leads to relationship with God not itself

Mark 2: 27a

The law is an end in and of itself - Ven diargram, God, man, between the law.

They are emphasizing the law

Helpful hints for hurtful habits

Soured religion

Self criticism and outward self righteous judgement

Deut 5:6 “I am the Lord Your God The law is in a covenant relationship the intentions of a lawgiver bring hands together

, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

The law giver is the deliverer. Savior. Redeemer. This prologue is the view of the law.

In this sense, the commands are drawing us in, not pushing us away. Imagine reading scripture as drawing you in. Imagine obeying God in school and workplace which may at times push you away from others, but it’s always drawing you in to deeper relationship with our savior.

II. Jesus as the Lord of the law and us gives us rest

Mark 2:27b

The sabbath is not made for man but man for sabbath, and the Son of man is Lord over both man and sabbath and is staring you in the face.

The Lord of the sabbath / rest is here. If the pharisees would receive him, he would give them rest from the law.

The law is crushing. Have you ever experienced the orders you established in life feel like they’re crushing you?

With God, the law is good but our sinfulness we can stay. As Paul concludes in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Jesus, the Lord of rest says Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Hands: Jesus come to our side, brings lives it perfectly and fellowship.

For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

III. The gospel life is the glorious life

Running life through the gospel