Bible Exploration ToolPreview
Open in TheBrain

Notes from a Sermon about the Sabbath

From Christ Our Hope Bible Church- Oct 2016

  1. Intro: Obedience to God is defined by heart attitude, not external rules
  2. "Sabbath"
    1. From the Greek "sabbaton", meaning "to cease" (Me: H7676 shabbāt, “shab-bawth’, meaning intermission)
    2. All the Jewish rules were about externals, none were about the heart
  1. A heart for what is right, Mk 2.23-28
    1. Mk 2.23-24, Jesus & disciples walking through grain fields and picking and eating grain
      1. Allowed by Dt 23.25
      2. Disallowed by Pharisees who accused them of breaking the Sabbath law.
        1. Mt 23.4, Jesus critiqued the Phariseees' hypocrisy, "they tie up heavy burdens ...".
        2. Mt 12.7 -- Matthew wrote about this same event, and added Christ's words that God values compassion over law-keeping.  His point was that if God set aside the ceremonial law in favor of meeting needs, how much more should the Pharisees' fabricated law be set aside.
    2. Mk 2.25-26, Christ's answer to the Pharisees on this occasion: He cited the case where David and his men ate the consecrated bread.  Jesus affirmed the righteousness of Priest Abiathar's decision to let the hunger of David and his men overrule the ritual law.
    3. Mk 2.28, Christ's conclusion:  He is Lord of all, even over the Sabbath.  What did He do on the Sabbath?  Whatever He wanted to do.
    4. Mk 3.6, After this exchange the Pharisees went out and began to comspire with the Herodians on how they could destroy Jesus.  Ironically to them it was wrong to do good on the Sabbath but right to plot a murder.
  1. More about the Sabbath:
    1. Gen 2.1-3, God's example and sanctification of the 7th day.  No evidence any patriarch observed or kept a Sabbath
    2. Ex 20.8-10, Next Scriptural mention of the Sabbath:  a law for the Jews.
    3. Ex 31.12-13, The purpose of the 4th commandment:  a weekly sign of God's covenant with Israel.
    4. Mark 2.28, Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath; not the Pharisees, scribes, or lawyers, who all thought they were the "Sabbath police."
    5. Mark 16.1-2, Jesus arose from the dead on Sunday, not on Saturday.
    6. Col 2.16-17, No one is to judge a Christian as to a Sabbath.
    7. Heb 4.8-10, Salvation in Christ is the final "sabbath rest".
    8. Rev 1.10, Should Sunday be any different than any other day?  In Rev 1.10 John calls Sunday, "the Lord's Day," the day of the week when Christ was raised, when traditionally the Church has chosen to assemble and enjoy the grace gift of God to His people to rest and spiritually rejuvenate, including normally assembling together for mutual edification and encouragement and enjoyment of each others' company.
      1. Ac 2, At Pentecost  the first Holy Spirit indwelling of New Testament believers occurred not on a Saturday but a Sunday.
  2. Circling back to the first point: Obedience to God is defined by heart attitude, not external rules: 2 Chron 16.9, The Lord wants those whose hearts are completely His.  This is also seen in Jesus' parable about the prodigal, in how the Father welcomed and fellowshipped with the son with the repentant heart, while the outwardly obedient brother was left out of the party, alone with his bitter heart.