Lord of the Sabbath / Rest for Your Souls (10/22/2023)

Let's once again open to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 12, Gospel of Matthew chapter 12 and the title of this message is Jesus provides rest for your souls. So rest for your souls or the Lord of the Sabbath and of course in this passage Jesus does claim to be Lord of the Sabbath.

The Sabbath day was a day of not only worship but a day of rest and Jesus came to give us that ultimate rest and that we rest in him for salvation. If you remember the last time we ended with chapter 11 here's what Jesus said in verses 28 through 30.

He said come to me all you 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.

What's Jesus saying there? Well the light burden that Christ speaks of it's the simple command to believe the gospel. This isn't some burdensome religion where you have to do this and that and this and that in order to gain God's acceptance.

This isn't a burden even the Sabbath day was never meant to be a burden it was meant to be a blessing that you rest and we rest in God and God has given us rest for our souls in that salvation is as simple as turning to Christ by grace through faith.

So that's part of what we're going to be talking about today in relation to the Sabbath day because that's what God meant be a day of rest but what did the Pharisees do? Christ's burden was light but their burden was what?

Heavy and they just wanted to pile up more and more rules and commandments and traditions and really it got to a point where nobody could follow it and when somebody misunderstands and they they realize they're not living up they feel like I have to earn God's love and I can never really get there.

So Jesus is coming to wipe away all of the the unbiblical traditions and try to get back to what was intended originally. So starting in Matthew chapter 12 we see the light burden of Christ contrasted with the heavy burden of the Pharisees and nothing pictured that heavy burden better than their distortion of the Sabbath day.

So let's start reading Matthew 12 beginning in verse 1. At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath and his disciples were hungry and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat and when the Pharisees saw it they said to him look your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath but he said to them have you not read what David did when he was hungry and those who were with him how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who are with them but for the priests only.

Have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath that is they're working on the Sabbath and yet they are blameless. Yet I say to you that in this place referring to himself Jesus says there is one greater than the temple.

But if you have known what this means if you had known what this means I desire mercy and not sacrifice you would have not condemned the guiltless for the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. So were the disciples guilty because the Pharisees were pointing to them and they're saying they're breaking the law they're violating the Sabbath.

Was that true. No it's not true. But they were violating the Pharisees and their traditions and the teachings of the rabbi. So there's two different things going on. There's what the Word of God says and then there's what the Pharisees were teaching.

So these two statements look at verse seven. Jesus talks about how I desire mercy and not sacrifice. What does that mean. It means God cares more about the heart the moral law written on the heart. Right.

This is what Paul says in Romans 2. The God's law is written on our heart. He cares more about that than external adherences to the law or to these traditions. And the statement about Jesus being Lord even of the Sabbath.

Before we go any further we need to figure out what this means understand the weightiness of this claim. So Jesus refers to himself as Lord of the Sabbath. In other words this is a claim to deity. Also in verse six this is a claim to deity as well where Jesus claimed to be greater than what greater than the temple.

No Jews not even a rabbi would ever claim to be greater than the temple. I mean this was a bold claim. And this is Jesus's way of saying I am God in the flesh. Now did they believe that. No they didn't believe it.

They didn't want to believe it. So this statement about Jesus being Lord even of the Sabbath we have to understand this claim all. Right. Let's turn to Daniel chapter 7. And because the Pharisees didn't believe him and because he is making such claims about himself and because they think he is violating the Sabbath which he wasn't because of all of that at the end of this section it says that they're gonna go and they're gonna plot how to destroy him.

And you just think about this for a moment. Jesus is really telling them I am I am God in the flesh. And their reaction was okay. We we need to kill this guy we need to get rid of this guy. Because here's the thing if Jesus wasn't divine then he was guilty of violating God's law that if Jesus claims to be God and he wasn't that would be blasphemy.

Can you imagine a Christian teacher today standing up in front of the congregation and basically saying I am I am divine I am God. Like I mean yeah. Well and of course some people have done that some cult leaders have done that and some people actually locally have been doing that lately.

But that's another story for another day. But that is such an audacious claim. If anyone said that according to the law of Moses I mean this was a penalty worthy of of death. So that's why they're seeking to destroy him.

But of course Jesus proves who he is again and again. Okay so we're in Daniel chapter 7 and basically this is gonna explain this term son of man. Because when you hear Jesus refer to himself as the son of man what does it sound like.

He's saying as it sounds like he's talking about his humanity. I'm the son of man. Well actually it's a lot more than that. Daniel 7 starting in verse 13 the prophet writes. I was watching in the night visions and behold one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven and he came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him.

Then to him was given dominion in glory and a kingdom that all people's nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom the one which shall never be destroyed.

And who's this talking about this figure known as the Son of Man who comes with the clouds of heaven. So Jesus is saying to them I am this person I am the one Daniel spoke of and obviously this is a divine figure.

Now here's the interesting thing he seems to be distinct from God and yet he's deity at the same time. Right. Because the Son of Man and Daniel 7 is he the ancient of days. No he's not. He's coming before the ancient of days and yet he seems to rule and be entrusted with all this divine power and authority.

So today we simply call this the Trinity that Jesus is both God yet he is distinct from God at the same time. So Jesus is God in human flesh but he is not God the Father. So that's how this makes sense.

Point being the term Son of Man is a messianic title. It is a title for deity. Ok. So God desires mercy and not sacrifice. God cares about the heart. What he is going to care about most of all is are the people.

Are you accepting his son. Are you are the Jews going to accept Jesus as the Christ. So the Son of Man in this context is more than just a man. Now did Jesus ever claim to be the Son of God. Yes he did see most of the time though he used the term Son of Man about himself.

But sometimes he did refer to himself as the Son of God. Ultimately they mean the same thing. He is a human being. But he is. He's not just a man. He is the God man. So when you add to that Jesus making the statement that I am Lord even of the Sabbath to us it's clear what Jesus is saying.

He is making a claim to divinity. Ok. Not just a claim over there man-made sabbatarian regulations. Jesus is claiming to have authority over the Sabbath itself. So what is the Sabbath. Where did the Sabbath come from.

Yeah the first time you read about anything to do with it God in the book of Genesis he created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the seventh day he rested. So today we call the seventh day Saturday.

So that's that was the Sabbath that the Jewish people observed. So the Sabbath was a day of rest. The Sabbath was ordained by God himself. Genesis says that God hallowed the day he set it apart. Okay.

So the seventh day is ordained by God. And then Jesus says well I'm Lord of the Sabbath. Well wait a minute. There's only one way that can be possible and that's if Jesus were in the beginning with God.

And of course that's what John chapter 1 verses 1 and 2 it says that in the beginning was the word Jesus Christ and the word was with God and the word was God. So he is Lord over the Sabbath he is divine.

Ok. So everyone understands that he is basically saying I am the Lord. The Greek word Kyrios is translated here Lord. And it can mean other things. Sometimes Kyrios can refer to a master. It can refer to a sovereign king.

Sometimes the word Lord can refer basically it's like saying sir you remember Sarah it says called Abraham. What Lord. Well she wasn't calling her husband you know the sovereign master or the Lord God.

She was basically saying sir it was a sign of respect. So sometimes the term Lord in the New Testament doesn't mean like the Lord the Lord God. But here it does when Jesus says I'm Lord of the Sabbath that's what it means.

And again if Jesus is not God then that is blasphemy. So really with Jesus you've heard was it C .S. Lewis who came up with the three possibilities of who Jesus is either he is a liar and he's claiming to be divine when he wasn't or he's a lunatic where maybe he really believed it but he's out of his mind.

Or the third possibility is what liar lunatic or or he truly is the Lord. And of course that's the Christian confession of faith that Jesus is Lord. So back to the story because we need to know that as a background.

Back to the story Jesus and his disciples are walking along and what day is this. Yeah this is the Sabbath. This would be again what we would call Saturday. So they observed the Sabbath. They were walking through the grain fields and the disciples were hungry.

So what do they do. Here's some grain you know there's the edge of the cornfield or whatever it was and they they pick some for themselves just in their hand. They took a little bit and they ate a bit.

So there's no problem here if you read you know go through Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy all of this was perfectly permissible. No problem at all. It was not a violation of the law. But the Pharisees over time they kind of added to the Word of God and they basically made it to where on the Sabbath you couldn't do anything.

I mean you had to watch every little thing you did because we don't want to we don't want to violate the Sabbath. So and even today modern I don't know if it's reformed Jews or probably Orthodox Jews they won't go into an elevator and press the button.

From what I understand in New York City and in Israel there are elevators that run on the Sabbath and they just stop at every floor they go up and you just kind of have to check. They won't press the button because if they press the button what happens.

A light turns on and they think that there's a command about kindling a fire. So LEDs I don't think do this. But you know at least back in the day you'd press the button and it would generate like a spark so it'd be kindling a fire.

They were told that's work. So they wouldn't press the button. They don't open the door of their refrigerator. They have to get a Gentile in from next door to open their refrigerator because the light comes on.

Now obviously that is not what God intended. Over time the Pharisees and the rabbis just piled up all these rules to where. Now you you can't turn the wrong way without you know breaking the Sabbath. Quote-unquote.

That's what the Pharisees were doing here. They just picked a little grain. This wasn't work. They're just picking a little bit so they could have something to eat to satisfy their hunger. But they were accused of violating the Sabbath.

Here's the thing about the Sabbath thing. It was not only a religious law to where if you violate it it's sin. The Sabbath was also a like a civil law. So by violating the Sabbath that was not just sinful it was also illegal.

So you understand the difference that some sins today are illegal and then some sins are not illegal. What's one sin. That's illegal murder. Right. Yeah the commandment thou shalt not murder. It's also a crime.

But then there are other sins. Let's say you lie to your best friend. Is that a crime. Unless you're under oath it's not a crime. It's a sin but it's not a crime. So we understand that some sins are are they're all sin is sin but not all sins are crimes.

Okay. Breaking the Sabbath was both okay. So it was a sin and it was a crime. Incidentally here in the state of Massachusetts we had laws similar to this. Did you realize we had what you could call Sabbath laws.

Right. Here in Massachusetts you think. Well that must have been like the 1700s. Like way back. No it was like during my lifetime matter of fact for all I know these laws are still on the books. They're just being ignored.

What are they called. We talked about this in Sunday school blue laws. Who knows about blue laws. Right. Just about everybody. When I was young I remember it was illegal for certain stores to be open.

So like a liquor store definitely couldn't be open on Sunday. That was in Massachusetts. That was like what 25 years ago something like that. Maybe less. So the thing is this country we even had like Sabbath laws or blue laws.

But that's the way it was back then if you did something wrong it was not just a sin. It was illegal and this was the accusation the Pharisees made against Jesus and his disciples. So here's the thing if Jesus and his disciples were going around sinning and breaking the law I mean that's a huge problem.

Right. This isn't a movement that's of God if they're doing that so that's the accusation. What was illegal on the Sabbath in relation to what they were doing. What was illegal harvesting. Okay. So it was technically illegal to work on the Sabbath now were they harvesting.

No they're not. They're not harvesting at all. They're just taking a little bit for themselves. So if they had gotten a crew together and they had started harvesting the corn or the grain and they were putting it in baskets and bringing it to the market and they were.

If they were doing all of that then yes they would have been guilty of violating the Sabbath. That is not what they were doing. So we all agree with that so far the Sabbath was a day of rest. The Sabbath here's the thing originally it was a gift from God to the people because everybody loves to have a day off unless you're a workaholic you know you love to have a day off and even if you are you recognize that.

Yeah you probably need it. So this is a basic principle that has always existed and mankind realizes that he needs a rest. But that's what the Sabbath was. It was a day of rest a gift from God. So the people it was for their own good at a day off.

And if they didn't have the Sabbath law what would employers do. They would work people to the bone. Are you glad that your boss can't tell you. There's actually laws against making you work too many hours now there's always loopholes around this stuff.

Right. Or maybe if you're on salary they take advantage of you. But we all recognize the necessity for time off. So the Sabbath was a good thing. Amen. This is a good thing. People need it also the Sabbath was a day where they would worship the Lord.

So you didn't go into work on on Saturday you didn't harvest whatever was that you did. Instead you would rest at home. But you would gather at the synagogue so you would gather together for the worship of God.

A wonderful thing. But again over time the Pharisees the rabbis they kind of piled up all these rules. And what did they turn the light burden that God gave they turned it into what a heavy burden that no one can bear.

So in always trying to make application really the obvious application for us today is Sunday the Lord's Day. And I preach sermons on this. You could find online that the Sabbath and the Lord's Day are not the exact same thing.

But I don't have time to get into all of that this morning. But that's the general principle. Because for us for 1900 years of church history Christians they didn't go into work on Sunday instead what do they do on Sunday morning.

You go to church. So Christians they didn't go to work. Christian farmers maybe they had to milk the cows. You know there's some maybe some basic things you had to do. But they didn't work on the farm on Sunday.

So no work was a day for assembly worshiping the Lord spending time with family. Is that a good thing. It's a good thing. It's a healthy thing. Some people think they don't need it. Well you do need it.

So this is what God ordained for the Jews the Sabbath for Christians. John in Revelation 1 verse 10 he calls it the Lord's Day. So Christians basically observed something similar for 1900 years now that was whatever back in the maybe it was the 17 1800s when some of these blue laws were put on the books.

You know we all know by now that our nation has turned away from its Christian heritage. Okay so we were a nation built upon Christian principles. And now most of that is gone. Right. We get it. It's obvious right now.

So over time this view of the Lord's Day starting in the 1960s 1970s would be a time you could really identify of major change in this country. There was a new generation of pastors and theologians who started to teach contrary to what pastors preached for 1900 years.

So they thought this was the mindset that in order to reach the next generation the church needed to kind of loosen up a little bit because churches had all of these rules that you couldn't dance you couldn't go to work on Sunday you had to do that.

So in order to reach the young generation churches needed to loosen up. And now now that our nation has pretty much abandoned God altogether how do people view the Lord's Day today. Now were there some rules that probably needed to go because they are unbiblical.

Yeah that's probably true. But now how do most people view Sunday. I'm sort of preaching to the choir so to speak because you're actually here on a Sunday morning. But like just in general how do people view Sunday.

Yeah it's like any other day you know the kids have birthday parties on Sunday. There's you know games and practices and all sorts of things that wasn't the way it was even when I was young. Wasn't that long ago.

So throughout Europe South America the United States Canada all the stores say in the 1950s 1960s all the stores except for hospitals pharmacies stuff like that all the stores were closed. There's still a lot of stores closed on Sunday.

Now sort of Monday and Tuesday seemed to be the the day that places are closing down. But it always used to be Sunday. Why. Well it's based on the type of thing we're reading about here in Scripture and I just think you have to admit that while that's not maybe the direct cause things have declined in this country.

People are no longer doing things God's way. So churches made a change because the justification is Christians became too legalistic and I think it's probably some truth in certain circumstances. What was the problem with the Pharisees.

Were they acknowledging and observing the Sabbath the way God intended. No they were again the term is legalistic. They were making rules that God never made. And they turned this wonderful day of rest and worship into a burden that yeah it was just difficult for everybody.

So back years ago in churches too many rules were piling up. So I think now some people have over corrected. So they would point to a passage like this in Matthew 12 and saying we as Christians we don't want to do what the Pharisees did.

We don't want to turn a blessing into a burden. Now were the Pharisees guilty because they upheld the Sabbath. Was that the problem. No that wasn't the problem. The Pharisees were upholding man-made tradition.

That was the problem. And the thing about the Pharisees that made it even worse they would look for the ways to get around their own their own rules. So they were really good at holding you to a strict you know command you have to do this and that.

But they themselves kind of you know did whatever they wanted. In other words you know this term that you've heard rules for thee but not for me. So all you better do the right thing. But me you know I look for ways around it because some of them were lawyers and they could find the loophole and that's what they did.

Okay. So this is kind of what Jesus is addressing the Sabbath was a good thing. It was a good thing but the Pharisees were were corrupting it. The Pharisees said the disciples of Christ were violating the Sabbath.

Was that true. No look at Matthew 12 to if you haven't gone back to Matthew go ahead and turn back there. The Pharisees accused the disciples of breaking the Sabbath. Matthew 12 to they said look your disciples Peter James John Matthew all the rest your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.

Well plucking a little grain is not a violation. Harvesting was according to Deuteronomy 23 if they were using a sickle to harvest you know if they were getting the corn or whatever by using a sickle that would be work.

But what they were doing was not work. So the Pharisees were just going way way overboard. Let me use this illustration because this is a time of year you know you think of September and October. A lot of families like to go to a certain place on maybe a weekend.

They like to pick certain things. What do people like to do around this time of year. Apple picking. Right. That's big in New England. Some of you I'm sure went apple picking. So here's what it would be like when you go on a Saturday afternoon and maybe you have a little bag and you put a few apples in a bag.

Here's what the disciples were doing. It would be like taking an apple off the tree and eating it. Or maybe they took two apples off the tree and they ate it. Is that work. How many of you went to an apple orchard and you picked an apple off of the tree.

And because you have to do that. Right. Even though you're technically not paying maybe you shouldn't do it because you're not paying for that apple that you picked off the tree. But this is what people do.

I think it's expected. They take an apple off the tree and they anyone want to admit to doing that this. Okay so several transgressors of the law now there's nothing wrong with that. Did any one of you consider that work.

Oh man we really had to work today out in the apple orchard. You know it's so tough. That's what the disciples were doing. It was totally harmless. So you can sort of see the absurdity. I mean really the Pharisees were just looking to nail Jesus and his disciples.

That's what this is about. They really weren't all that worried about. I'm sure if one of their pharisaical buddies did it they wouldn't care. But it's all about pinning Jesus and the disciples. So the disciples really they weren't even doing that much of collecting apples and putting it in a small bag it now if they had worked in an apple orchard or if you had done this you're climbing the tree and you're feeling like these huge barrels and baskets loading them on a trailer bringing them to the store and you're so that's work.

If you're out there all afternoon doing that we all get the difference between work and leisure. Okay so don't go overboard like the Pharisees. But in Christian churches people probably did go a little overboard.

You know people got a little too nitpicky with the rules. I think we would probably acknowledge that did happen in generations past. But again that's no justification for totally getting rid of the Lord's Day.

And now it's treated like like Monday Tuesday or Wednesday. Okay. So that's sort of the application for us as New Testament Christians. Yeah you don't. You don't want to work. I don't think on on Sunday because that takes away from your time with God.

It takes away from your time with your family. If you're working when do you get that day of rest. I don't know it's a wise thing to do. And again for 1900 years Christians did it. It really didn't change up until the past several decades.

So we don't want to make the same mistake that the Pharisees made. We don't want to go to the other direction either. You know going against your conscience. Here's one thing I would suggest read the Word of God look at the standard Christian practice for all these centuries and follow your conscience.

Someone once said to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. When we talk about the Lord's Day as being similar to something like a Sabbath some people have convictions about it that you don't have.

You know there will be Christians who will not answer an email on Sunday. You might think that's ridiculous. You know that's up to you to think that. But you shouldn't condemn them for having that practice right.

That's up to them. If that's how they feel they want to honor the Lord. I'm not just I'm not going to do anything that even could remotely be like business or work. I'm not going to do any of it. You need to respect that.

Here's what they don't get to do for you though. They don't get to tell you that you can't answer an email again. Let's say somebody watches a sports game on Sunday afternoon. Yeah. I don't think you should judge someone for doing that.

I don't believe. So if they want to watch that that's up to them. Now if you're skipping church because you want to you don't want to miss kickoff. I mean that's a whole different thing you know. But we just want to be careful.

And we all have our own scruples about it. We don't want to pose our beliefs on others. But we need to keep a day set apart unto God. The burden that Jesus offered was light here in the New Testament Church.

We want to keep that burden light. We don't want to weigh you down. Your life is hard enough. You don't need to be weighed down with all these traditions. And you know what this person thinks and what that person thinks.

But the Sabbath and the Lord's Day was never intended to be a day where you work by the sweat of your brow. It was never meant to be a day where you make money. Because on Sunday some people worked on.

I'll admit to you I'll confess to you I have worked. You say well you work every Sunday. What are you talking about. That's different. It's different. Didn't you read that the the priests profane the Sabbath and yet they're guiltless.

Did the priest work. You know technically did they work on the Sabbath. Yes they did. That's a separate category. I'm just telling you it is. But there was one time where I did go to work on Sunday. And here's the thing you got like time and a half.

Or I think it was double time and a half or something. Well you know the money is attractive. But we want to try to keep God first. So there's so much more to get to. Let's just try to finish this up.

Let's continue reading verses 9 through 14. The story continues regarding the Sabbath. It says now when he had departed from there he went into their synagogue and behold there was a man who had a withered hand and they asked him saying is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath.

Now why were they asking this. We see their motivation that they might accuse him. That's what this is all about. And he said to them what man is there among you who has one sheep. Or if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath you won't lay hold of it and lift it out.

But if you have an animal that falls into the ditch you'll. Well I can't work can't work. He's gonna have to sit there and it'll have to die there. No that's not what they did. They would take it out.

So how much more. Verse 12. How much more value. Then is a man no more than a sheep. Therefore Jesus says it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then he said to the man stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out and it was restored as whole as the others.

So did Jesus work on the Sabbath. If you call this work be healed. Wow. That was so hard that was such. Now you could say that he worked. Let's say he worked. Okay. Fine he work. It's right to do good on the Sabbath.

It's right to show mercy on the Sabbath. Let's say you're driving into church. I need to make it to church on time. And you're on some back road and someone's broken down. You can help them. It would be right to stop and help them.

And even if it makes you a half-hour late that would be the right thing to do. Because you're showing mercy. So there are exceptions. So Jesus healed on the Sabbath in verse 14. Then the Pharisees went out and they plotted against him how they might destroy him.

So it's starting to bring this to a conclusion where the Jews to obey the Sabbath. Yeah. Was Jesus. Did Jesus obey the Sabbath. Of course he did. He kept the law of God perfectly. But there were some exceptions carved out.

Verses three and four speak to the exception of necessity. This is when David and his men were hungry they were able to eat the showbread. Verses five through six speak of the exception of service. So priests just like pastors today work on this set-apart day and that's okay.

Verses seven and eight speak to the exception of mercy. It is right to do good on the Sabbath. How do we know that. Because Jesus is what Jesus is divine he is Lord of the Sabbath. And this is what he has told us.

So let me encourage you. If you've never really seen the Lord's Day as a special day some of you you've been doing this for as long as you can remember. Is it a blessing. I just want to hear this from you.

Is Sunday a blessing. I know for me it's my favorite day of the week. Sunday is a blessing. But if somebody listening this morning has never really set that time apart for rest for the worship of God for spending time with family and church family.

If you've never done that this is a certain way to experience and walk in the light burden of it's really not a burden at all. If you want to be blessed consider this. But this is Jesus. He came and he took those heavy burdens that all the religious leaders placed upon the people rules that they themselves couldn't even obey.

And Jesus has one simple rule hey follow me. But can you do that. Anyone can do that believe in Jesus. Follow Jesus learn from him because his burden is truly light. Let's close in prayer. And Heavenly Father we thank you so much that salvation is easy.

It's not a burden where we have to work and work Lord. I know there's probably some people who grew up in a church tradition where they had to follow all these rules. And even at the end of the day if they did all those things they still were not sure.

If you really love them Lord that's not Christianity. But we thank you that you have loved us through your son and that by simply placing our faith in him and learning from him we are your beloved children.