People Keeping vs. Rule Keeping

HEART BEHIND THE HABIT

IMAGE//INTRO:

Who loves thanksgiving? What is your favorite part? (Take answers)

Thanksgiving is always pretty memorable in my family. We have a large family, I have 3 older sisters and an older brother and all of us have children. There are a total of 21 nieces and nephews between the 5 of us. Now, not everyone can always make it but it’s not uncommon for us to have 30-35 people at our Thanksgiving and that is just my brothers and sisters, no cousins or anything.

Well this past year will always be significant, because its the last time I had a real conversation with my dad. His diabetes was causing him to have seizures, he couldn’t feel his feet so he kept falling, he hit his head a few times and had bleeding on his brain...just really bad stuff. And he no longer looked like my dad. He was old and frail. He was 69 years old at the time, I’m 34.

I realized that I had as much time as I have already had on earth before I am his age, and if i didn’t change, I was walking the same path that lead him to that debilitated state.

The next morning I woke up and cooked 2.5 pounds of bacon. I had been researching and thinking about starting an eating plan or diet for about 2 years and that morning I made up my mind to just try it out...you know, see what happens.

And it has worked out well, I’ve lost over 60 pounds in 104 days (yes, I counted) that is less than 4 months. I feel better than I have in years. And because it has worked so well for me I have decided to impose my dietary restrictions on each of you. You see gluttony is a sin, and I want to keep you far far away from sinning. So please turn your attention to the screen and I will now show you what you are no longer permitted to eat.

[FOOD PICTURES, CALL OUT AS THEY APPEAR]

Rice

Tortillas

Chips

Donuts

Cake

Ice cream

You get the idea...If I catch you or even hear about you eating more than 20 carbs a day or eating anything with complex carbs you will be judged harshly, by me...and oh by the way, I also intermittent fast so you are not allowed to eat between the hours of 7pm - 11am daily. Sound good?

Now why wouldn’t that work? Because I don’t have any authority over your diet. (POSSIBLE ‘FRIENDS’ CLIP HERE?) It reminds me of a few phrases: you’re not the boss of me…you’re not my real mom…you’re not my real dad…

It reminds me of a few phrases: you’re not the boss of me…you’re not my real mom…you’re not my real dad…

How many of you have thought about saying one of those to someone…how many of you actually said it out loud? How many of you have said that out loud and the object of your frustration actually heard you? Probably did not go well for you that day.

Why do we do what is right? Are we submitting to His authority or just trying to keep from making Him mad at us? Is it because we want to obey and honor God, or is it because we want something from Him in return? How do we know the difference?

Tonight we are continuing our study of Mark.

Mark starts - “The beginning of the Gospel”

Jesus first words- “The time has come, repent and believe”

Jesus calls - “follow me and become like me, I’ll make you fishers of people in a world of calamity”

Jesus shows - “power demonstrated of the inbreaking kingdom. Demons, Mothers, and Lepors”

Jesus explains - that our real problem is sin “Man of a mat with a desperate faith. The most fundamental problem is the one of sin”

Last week we talked about what? Who remembers? Jesus is a friend of sinners. Pastor Drey’s big idea was that there are people in our lives that we don’t like and don’t want to be around but Jesus loves those people and we should too. We should NOT participate in their destructive and/or dangerous behavior…but we should love them.

Tonight:

We are going to read a passage with three different parts or episodes. And they all have to do with the issue of Jesus’ authority and His mission. We are going to see Jesus’ concern for people and His questionable interpretations of the law.

By all accounts it looks as if Jesus has broken the law…and the pharisees don’t like it, we will see them go from being annoyed to full out scheming to murder Jesus…thats right…we are still in and Jesus is already being plotted against…they’re out for blood.

I want to read the passage and then we will dive in.

Mark 2:18–3:6 NIV

18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” 19 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. 21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” 23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 25 He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 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.” 1 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” 4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. 5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Fasting:

The first issue is fasting or lack thereof. John the baptist’s disciples were fasting but Jesus’ disciples were not. I think the point they are trying to make is that Jesus talks a big game but His disciples don’t even disciple the right way.

The truth is, ritual fasting was not required by the law except for the day of atonement and certain festivals. Fasting was sometimes seen as a way to seek God’s blessing or a response to great mourning but the way the Pharisees fasted was to flex their religious muscles, they were better than you and they wanted you to know it.

The Pharisees made up a bunch of extra rules to help them keep God’s law…we’ll get back to that but it’s important to note that they are accusing Jesus of violating their traditions at this point. And Jesus won’t play their game. There is not a person who has ever lived that knows the law better than Jesus does.

And Jesus is just brilliant in His response. Weddings were like a week long party in that culture and no one would even think of fasting, you don’t fast at a party! (Story of Noah riding his bike and me not eating cake - he was sad because I was present but I did not join in the celebration)

Jesus reminds the pharisees that John the baptist is in jail. He has been taken from his disciples, maybe their fasting was because of mourning or to intercede for John. Basically Jesus says they (His disciples) aren’t fasting because I am still with them…their time for fasting will come but it is not here yet. He hints at His future…

Then He gives a few examples. You don’t mend old cloths with new cloths. All that accomplishes is making sure that both are ruined. One is already messed up and you just cut a hole in you new shirt to patch your old one…makes no sense. In the same way you wouldn’t ferment new wine in an old wine skin. Both of these examples were obvious to His audience. His point was that something new has begun and your old way of doing things won’t work.

Sabbath eating:

The next section we see our boys rolling through a field and having a snack on the way. What’s the problem? (Briefly explain process of rolling the wheat and chaff falling off) Is that work? The question that is raised in the text is whether or not it is lawful, doesn’t really matter if it is ‘work’ or not, is it lawful.

What’s the problem? (Briefly explain process of rolling the wheat and chaff falling off) Is that work?

The truth is, it doesn’t really matter, the Pharisees didn’t really care, they just want to trap Jesus. What the disciples were doing was eating because they were hungry. Should this simple act be considered harvesting? I don’t know.

But what I do know is that God’s whole purpose for the Sabbath was to show the whole world that God’s people didn’t need to work everyday in order to flourish - He would sustain them, He would give them all they needed if they would just stop working one day a week and trust Him! It also gives them a whole day to reflect on their God and worship Him without worrying about all the day-to-day stresses of life. The Sabbath is Saturday BTW...but that is a whole other discussion.

Then Jesus brings up Israel’s hero, the great and mighty king David. David broke God’s law by consuming the bread meant for the priests and oh by the way, the Priest is the one who gave it to him to eat! But the Pharisees didn’t seem to mind that, but if Jesus violates one of their rules then He had better have a really good reason for it! In love, Jesus is exposing their hypocrisy and their double mindedness.

Sabbath healing:

Finally we come to our last section. Jesus goes into the synagogue, possibly to teach, and He sees a man with a withered hand. And there is so much beauty in this exchange. This guy wasn’t looking for trouble he was just an innocent by stander - but he had a problem, a big problem. His hand was all jacked up. Now a days if you have what we might consider a minor handicap like that there are plenty of jobs for you...back then if you were weak you didn’t eat unless you had someone who would care for you. I don’t know this man’s story...but Jesus did.

He calls Him up in front of everyone and says stretch out your hand - reveal to me what is hidden and I can make you whole - and as the man stretches out his hand he is healed and restored. But the Pharisees didn’t like that, this guy wasn’t in any danger. Jesus could’ve waited a day to heal this guy, why did He have to do it then? Because Jesus is making a point.

Did you catch what Jesus said? Is it lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath? Jesus does good and what is their response? To go and plot against Him...do you think plotting to kill someone was cool on the sabbath? Or nah? And what’s worse is they were plotting with the people who were loyal to an opposing government! God meant the sabbath to be for human flourishing and they had distorted it so badly that they couldn’t celebrate a broken man being made whole.

The Pharisees hardheartedness drove them further from God and towards their own evil desires. And I think that is our answer to our big question today. “How do we know if our good deeds are for the right reason?”

Well, how do you respond to those around you who are not as good at obeying? Do you get angry and judge them for not meeting your standards? Of do you recognize that we are all on a journey and some of us are not as far along? Do you want to help them or hurt them? How you answer those questions will go a long way in helping you determine if your motives are pure or not.

And if you think that you can earn God’s favor just because you follow some rules you are mistaken. God gives grace and mercy to His children, it is not earned. If you can’t earn grace they why obey God? We show God our love for Him by obeying Him. It shows that we understand the grace we have been given and we don’t take it lightly. Because it cost Jesus His life...

RE-IMAGE//WRAPUP:

Going back to my diet, I have a very distinct goal, don’t get diabetes. I believe that is a good goal and God is pleased with me wanting to live a healthier lifestyle.

What does not please Him is for me to force my convictions on you. And I don’t think God would be pleased if my goal was to look better for swimsuit season. Not that looking good is wrong in and of itself, but being consumed with how you look leads you to have unhealthy expectations and in most cases an unhealthy view of yourself.

God wants me to stop being a glutton, He wants me to be ready for what He has for me when it’s time. But I really don’t think He cares what size pants I wear or if I eat 21 carbs instead of 20 carbs one day...

In the same way, God gave the law to help us understand that we will never measure up. But His intent was not to impose harsh regulations on people, His intent was to increase human flourishing, to give us freedom to thrive within His good design. And Jesus came and fulfilled the law and released us from it’s judgement. (Rescued from the curse of the law, Gal 3:13)

If you are a follower of Jesus the law is not meant for you. Can you follow it? Sure, it’s not sinful to obey the Jewish law (certain parts of it are against our laws as a nation, and just plain weird but hey, you do you...) but the truth is God is much more interested in your heart behind your actions.

BIG IDEA: God cares more about people keeping than He does rule keeping.

The reason the Pharisees got it wrong was not because they practiced self control, their problem was they decided that anyone who didn’t do as they said was wrong and a sinner...even if they were obeying God’s law if it wasn’t up to their standard or tradition then it was wrong and you should be judged. That is so far from God’s heart for His people.

I don’t have any authority over you, all I can do is give you suggestions and let you know where I missed the mark so you don’t have to. The reason the Pharisees hated Jesus so much is because he challenged their authority and they could never get the best of Him. He was too good and always outsmarted them.

Jesus came to increase flourishing not diminish it. Look back on the text walking with Jesus consist of fellowship with Him, nourishment, and being made whole...who wouldn’t want that?

What is more important, rules or people? Why?

Why do we sometimes struggle with authority figures in our lives?

Have you fully submitted your life to Jesus’ authority?

Are you holding back broken parts of your life from Jesus? Why?

What affect does your submission to Jesus have on your friends and family?