Freedom Christian Center : 100530 A Pharisees Nightmare

100530 A Pharisees Nightmare

Tim Franklin

Introduction:

Last week we looked at a Tax collectors dream from Mark 2:17. We saw how Jesus gave dreams to people who were living in darkness. Was saw Jesus make those dreams come true and we saw how it is the desire of Jesus to give those bound in religion to have their dreams awakened.
I want to look at a Pharisees nightmare this morning. What is a Pharisees nightmare? It is when a Pharisee loses control of those he lords over. It is watching people find freedom and enjoy it.
Mark 2 is a series of five confrontations with the Pharisees. Each a sermon in its own.
- 2:7 Why does he speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sin but God?
- 2:16 Why does he eat with sinners?
- 2:18 Why do his disciples not fast?
- 2:24 Why do they not keep the Sabbath?
- 3:4 Jesus asks a question of them. Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?
They despise the fact that Jesus is having fun as a believer. His life of serving God is a pleasure and not a work.
- He forgives sin.
- He eats with sinners
- He lives a common sense faith
- He doesn’t live under others people expectations
- He does good when given the opportunity.
Imagine that a happy believer! Again the beauty of who Jesus is, is revealed.

First Question: Why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?
1. What did the law say?
  1. Deuteronomy 23:25 When you come into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor's standing grain. NKJV
  2. Exodus 34:21 "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. NKJV
  3. The Pharisees stretched the law beyond its original intention. In other words they were doing what Jesus spoke of in Mt 23:4 “They were heaping burdens upon the back of men and then were not willing to lend a hand to help.
    1. When we make the word of God to say more than what it says we are in danger of opening a door to a religious spirit.
    2. A religious spirit puts men in bondage. Jesus wanted men to be free from that.
2. What is the Sabbath?
  1. Heb. Shabbot-to cease, to rest. The basic thrust of the verb is, when transitive, "to sever, put an end to," and when intransitive, "to desist, to come to an end." This may possibly indicate that the Sabbath is the day which 'puts a stop to' the week's work. (from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
    1. Ex 3:20-ff cease from work. Rest.
    2. Dt 5:15 remember the Lord delivered you from Egypt—Rest.
    3. These two seem to be in contradiction at first but they both lead to the same end.
  2. Exodus then connects the Sabbath with creation described in Genesis and Deuteronomy connects the Sabbath with deliverance from Egypt described in Exodus. Thus every Sabbath, Israel is to remember that God is an emancipator, a liberator. The early Christians were on target, it seems, when they connected the day of rest with the remembrance of Christ's resurrection. He is the one who gives freedom. Actually there is no real conflict between Deuteronomy and Exodus at this point. Whereas Deuteronomy has in view the people of the Covenant, the Exodus verses place the emphasis on the God of the covenant (from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)

The Sabbath was therefore created for man.
1. For the purpose of rest. We are to depend upon Him. To work on the Sabbath is to remember the bondage of our sin—the curse in the garden. To cease working is to remember God’s deliverance, encounter Him and worship.
2. For the purpose of remembering God. Encounter
3. For the purpose of rejoicing. Worship.
Historically there is no clear evidence of a Sabbath accept in Israelite tradition. “Thus the fourth commandment once again established a point of distinction between that of Israel and of her neighbors.” NICOT p.157 Deuteronomy.

The Sabbath was created for man. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Second Question: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, to save life or kill?
1. History repeats itself. He we are in the synagogue again and on the Sabbath. Jesus had just taught the Pharisee’s a great lesson on interpreting the law.
  1. Find the grace it was written in. There you will find life.
  2. Don’t go beyond the intention of the law. That is religious and leads to death.
  3. Do good and be a help to people. When you do that you fulfill the two great commands.
2. This time Jesus asks the question to test them. Did they really learn anything?
  1. Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath? God did good to us! This is the reason for the Sabbath.
    1. Grace to rest. Time to rejoice in freedom from the curse.
    2. Time to remember and celebrate God’s delivering us.
  2. Jesus is angry at their lack of desire for justice for this man. Their pride was keeping them silent, knowing full well that God did well for their forefathers on the Sabbath and by giving them a continual reminder after being freed from Egypt—you get a day off. Something that never happened in 400 years of slavery.
  3. Jesus does not hide what He is about to do. “Step forward.” Looks around. “Stretch out your hand.”
3. Jesus was not living under religious expectations He was living under His Father’s expectations—Do GOOD! Walk in Grace!
4. “In their concern for legal detail they had forgotten the mercy and grace shown by God to man when he made provision for the Sabbath. In the name of piety they had become insensitive both to the purposes of God and to the sufferings of men.” NICNT p.124 Mark
Final Answer: Find the heart of God.
1. The Sabbath was made for man. It was to be a blessing to him, a help, and an encouragement. The Sabbath is to be a blessing not a burden to man.
  1. Rest—cease from labor, renew yourself.
  2. Give thanks for His deliverance of you.
  3. Encounter God and worship him.
2. Keep the Sabbath holy. How do we do that?
  1. By not letting it become just another day of the work week.
  2. By actually setting your hearts to worship and encounter God on that day. Celebrate God.
  3. Warren Weirsbe—“The ability to calm your soul and wait before God is one of the most difficult things in the Christian life. Our old nature is restless...the world around us is frantically in a hurry.” But a restless heart usually leads to a reckless life.
3. Do good when given the opportunity.
4. Live to be free of man’s expectations but be bound by God’s. One ends in death the other in life.

Conclusion:

Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath today, but is he the Lord of your life?
If you make Him Lord today, you can enter into His rest. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Pastor Tim Franklin, 5/29/2010