Today you can stop making bricks.

Service Notes:

Tonight we have a time and commissioning for our AWANA workers

No announcements at the end of the service / after a time of prayer we will end today with a song

Levi Luau / stage team

Choir will meet at 4 pm

Brief: Jail Ministry Meeting at 4:45 pm

Corban Miller / Mark 7 / a gift

Introduction:

Review of the last few weeks.

Ended last week understanding Jesus is bringing something new.

Luke 5:39 (AV)

39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

Review

The Catching of a Fish v.1-11

The Cleaning of Leprosy v.12-26

The Curing of Paralysis v.17-26

The Calling of Matthew v.27-32

The Criticizing of Christ v.33-39

Luke 6:1–11 (AV)

1 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;

4 How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?

5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

6 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

7 And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

The Sabbath was unique distinctive for Israel

Given by God

A. Before the 10 Commandments

Exodus 16:23 AV

23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

B. Blessing to those who lived in forced servitude.

1. God gave them seven and a half weeks of mandatory vacation every year and one day out of every seven.

2. God showed them that there labor in 6 days would provide for their needs in all seven days. (Truitt Cathey’s favorite verse)

3. Told to rest the land every 7 years.

C. Had a holy, distinct purpose

1. Separated them from the lifestyle of the pagans nations around them

2. Day was given to the worship of God.

Isaiah 58:13 AV

13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

D. Ignored by the children of Israel.

1. The land was not given it’s rest but finds it during the 70 years of captivity.

2 Chronicles 36:20–21 AV

20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

2. After the captivity the priests begina making a fence around the laws to try to prevent this from happening again.

a. We all know the results of trying to get a heart decision by demand outward conformity.

b. By Jesus’ time there was an entire book of rabbinic teaching on what they were not to do on the Sabbath Day

b. The heart always finds away around man made rules unless they have a God given conviction not to.

Jeremiah 17:9 AV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

It is with this understanding we understand the problem between the disciples and the pharisees in the cornfield. This story doesn’t only reveal the Pharisee’s heart toward the Sabbath but can also help us see our hearts toward the Lord of the Sabbath.

Luke 6:1–2 AV

1 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

Absurd Rules & an Audacious Claim

Many examples of the absurdity of man’s attempt at obedience

“Tailors did not carry a needle with them on the Sabbath for fear they might be tempted to mend a garment and thereby perform work. Nothing could be bought or sold, and clothing could not be dyed or washed. A letter could not be dispatched, even if by the hand of a Gentile. No fire could be lit or extinguished-including fire for a lamp-although a fire already lit could be used within certain limits. For that reason, some orthodox Jews today use automatic timers to turn on lights in their homes well before the Sabbath begins. Otherwise they might forget to turn them on in time and have to spend the night in the dark. Baths could not be taken for fear some of the water might spill onto the floor and “wash” it. Chairs could not be moved because dragging them might make a furrow in the ground, and a woman was not to look in a mirror lest she see a gray hair and be tempted to pull it out.”

A. Two cases examples

1. Disciples rubbed the corn in their hands.

a. The accusation was not about stealing.

Deuteronomy 23:25 AV

25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn.

b. Disciples took it a step further. According to their book of rule the disciples broke 4 of 5 laws.

2. Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath.

a. No where in the OT does it forbid this.

b. Book of laws(s) said they couldn’t make a person better on the Sabbath. Only palliative care.

B. Pharisee had a fundamentally flawed way of seeing the Sabbath

1. God rested on the seventh day not because He needed to rest, but because we needed to rest. So the Sabbath was intended to be a blessing to God's people.

Mark 2:27 AV

27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

2. When we think about God giving the Sabbath we should not think about a list of unbearable rules but the blessing that God was giving to His children.

C. Sabbath was always an expression of worship to God.

1. Declared who your allegiance was to God.

2. Expressed trust in God.

3. Declared that God was more important to them than anything in this world, even food.

We need to leave the flaw view of the burden of rest held by the Pharisees in the cornfield and follow the other disciples as they move forward with the Lord of the Sabbath.

Audacious claim by Jesus

A. Like King David we needed the food.

1. This falls in line with Jesus saying he could tear down the Temple and rebuild in 3 days.

2. Jesus said basically said “Just as there were clear exceptions for working on the Sabbath in the presence of God, so it is permissible to work on the Sabbath in the presence of me.”

B. Jesus lays claim to be the Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 6:5 AV

5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

1. We are seeing more of what was discussed in about “new wine going into old bottles”

2. If syncretism were possible, Judaism would be the best candidate but God is the fulfillment of the Sabbath, not just someone who wants to make modifications.

C.

1. The way of Sabbath went the way of sacrifices. They were fulfilled by Christ upon the cross.

Fully persuaded in your own mind

A. A decision needs to be made.

1. It certainly is a big deal and for a good reason

Exodus 31:14 AV

14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

2. A change had been made.

a. The only times the Sabbath is mentioned from Acts through Revelation, the occasion is Jewish evangelism, and the setting is usually a synagogue (Acts chapters 13–18).

b. Paul did not go to the synagogue to fellowship with and edify the saints, but to convict and save the lost.

1 Corinthians 9:20 AV

20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

c. After Paul states, “henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6), the Sabbath is never again mentioned.

d. Instead of suggesting adherence to the Sabbath day, the remainder of the New Testament implies the opposite.

3. How will you esteem this day.

Romans 14:5 AV

5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

a. There is obviously a change. Paul who would have stoned a man for disobeying the Sabbath laws would be used of God to say this.

b. Paul evidently felt no need to impose the Sabbath command on his Gentile converts.

Galatians 4:9–11 AV

9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

c. Paul was concerned that their conversations about a calendar would take them back into bondage.

d. Paul had already made it clear that works could not be added to faith as grounds for either justification or sanctification.

4. What was the purpose?

a. Shadow of things to come.

Colossians 2:16–17 AV

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

b. Now our focus should be on the rest found in the resurrection.

Luke 24:38 AV

38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

B. Believing brings you into rest.

1. How do we enter into this rest? Not mainly by putting aside our weekly labors for one day in seven, but by believing:

Hebrews 4:3 AV

3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

2. There is a rest for believing people.

Hebrews 4:9 AV

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

3. It is unbelief that kept the children of Israel from entering into the land and rest.

Hebrews 3:19 AV

19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

4. Today is a day to be encouraged to believe.

Hebrews 3:12–13 AV

12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

C. The Lord’s Day

1. No New Testament writer ever refers to Sunday as the Sabbath. But that doesn’t mean Sunday held no special place in the early church. Scripture suggests that it did, only under a different name: the Lord’s Day.

Revelation 1:10 AV

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

Acts 20:7 AV

7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

1 Corinthians 16:2 AV

2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

2. A focus on the resurrection.

a. None of these passages shows the early church resting, as if they considered Sunday their new Sabbath.

b. When the stone rolled away from Jesus’s tomb on Easter morning, true Sabbath rest arrived, and a new day dawned.

John 20:19 AV

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

3. Sundays will be an important day for my family to worship.

a. Reasons I love two services on Sunday. (Challies)

It Begins and Ends the Day With God

It Sanctifies the Time Between

It Provides Another Opportunity to Learn

It Provides Another Opportunity to Worship

It Provides Another Opportunity to Serve

It Gives More Time With People I Love

It Is Countercultural

b. Yes, all days belong to the Lord but we esteem this day and have it set aside for a specific purpose in our lives.

c. The principle of resting one day a week comes before the law. It is found all the way back at creation.

D. Rest past Sunday

“The world and the devil would have us work even while we rest. But Jesus would have us rest even while we work.” - Scott Hubbard

1. Neither the sluggard (who works for the weekend) nor the workaholic (who has no weekend) has yet learned to enjoy the rest of the true Sabbath.

2. Our lives should demonstrate a dependency upon God.

Matthew 11:28–29 AV

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Conclusion

What is all this talk about rest?

Unless you have found what we are talking about in Christ you do not know but you may not even know what it is that we need rest from.

The message of rest has come but some will not accept the rest being offered.

Hebrews 4:2 AV

2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

Today you can stop making bricks.

Exodus 20:2 AV

2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.