Lord of the Sabbath
Bible Text: Luke 6:1-11 | Preacher: Andrew Love | Series: Luke’s Gospel | Introduction
A legalistic Christianity leads to a joyless and judgmental life
There will be a great ache and a void
You may start to judge and criticise others
It is all about trying to please God by yourselves and always failing
The pharisees were legalistic
They couldn’t accept that Jesus did not fit in with their laws and rules
They criticised about fasting – Jesus gave them a wonderful answer
They criticised about prayer – this was a misunderstanding
The criticism was based on the fact that Jesus would not fit into their box
Chapter 6
We will see a similar contrast
Look at v1-11: two Sabbath day scenarios
The Sabbath is for the blessing of men
Jesus was unpopular because He spoke the truth
Looking at:
The positive use of the Lord’s day
Have we fallen into the trap of legalism?
Overview:
The great danger of legalism
Jesus’ approach to the Sabbath
Keeping the Lord’s day
The great danger of legalism
Jesus was caught up in many Sabbath Day controversies
The Sabbath was so important to the Jews
Part of the reason they were sent into exile was because they failed to keep the Sabbath
There was punishment for breaking the Sabbath law
God said to work for 6 days and rest on the Sabbath
The Jews interpreted this law in their own way
They went to extremes – examples
24 chapters in the Talmud
Jesus always kept the Sabbath
He always rested and worshiped
He didn’t break the Sabbath
He fulfilled the law
The Sabbath for many Jews was not a day of joy and liberty but an oppressive day
The pharisees had made it a day of oppression
Jesus pronounced woes upon the pharisees
Jesus offered an easy joke and a light burden
Legalism takes you away from God and is damming
What about us?
Consider the Galatians – explanation
Continue in the Spirit and faith – not the works of the law
We are accepted in the beloved solely because of Jesus
Celebrating the Sabbath
Switching off from the world
Not doing chores
To be free of inhibition to worship
English Puritanism
Helpful things vs unhelpful things
We need to avoid extremes
Fictional Example – legalism can lead to judgmentalism
Col 2:16
Personal Example
A day of resting from our labours and a day of refreshment
Jesus’ approach to the Sabbath
He was always found in the synagogue
He was not bound by the laws of men
He does not quote the laws
He speaks about the spirit of the law and the heart of God
He speaks about David – He speaks about mercy and not sacrifice
“The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (v5)
Jesus teaches them about the Sabbath
Keeping the Lord’s day
v6-11
The pharisees only came to criticise
They were full of rage (v11)
They were not keeping the Sabbath day
They were not honouring God
They were not loving God or their neighbour
Jesus’ response:
He taught
He healed
He did good
Our response:
Works of kindness and necessity
Let us be full of worship for our God
The Sabbath was given for our rest
There is a difference between the Jewish Sabbath and the Lord’s Day
There are transferable principles
It is part of the Ten Commandments
There should always be one day of rest
You need to work this out for yourself and seek to please God
Closing Remarks