Sermon Tone Analysis

Sunday, June 22, 2008

*Doing good on the Sabbath*

Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11

/12 //How much more valuable is a man than a sheep!

Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

/Matthew 12:12 NIV

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This is now *the fourth Sunday* that we have dedicated to the *study of the Sabbath principle* and our attention is now *turning more and more* to how to *apply the Fourth Commandment* to our *weekly schedule*.

What could it *look like* if we *put into practice* this very *distinctive command* found *within the Ten Commandments?*

That is *where we’re headed*.

But first, *let’s review* what we have *discovered so far*.

The Sabbath is *intended by God* to be *welcomed* as a *gift* from God to *rest*, to *worship*, to* remember*, to* rejoice* and to *fellowship with God’s people*, all to our Lord’s honor, because it is His day and He is Lord of the day.

Some of us have *experienced the joy *of having our *employer tell us*, “I want you to *take the day off.*

We’ll *cover for you* and your responsibilities.

You, *go and relax* and *enjoy the day*.”

Such *news *is *welcomed with delight *by most people.

A *couple summers ago*, the elders essentially *said that to me* when they *required* that Joyce and I take *an extended vacation*.

It was the *first time in our lives* when we went to *one location*, one motel, *for 10 consecutive days* and just *rested*, relaxed, *read*, and *soaked in the surrounding beauty*.

It was very *renewing* and *enjoyable*, just what the *doctor would order*.

Those *times of refreshing* are important for all of us.

And, in *the wisdom of God*, He has *literally commanded* that we *build our weekly schedule* around *a day of rest*, of worship and *remembrance*, of rejoicing and *fellowship* for the purpose of our *being refreshed and renewed* in our *relationship with Him* and in our *physical bodies*.

This *gift of Sabbath rest* is testimony to the *abiding love God has for us*.

Just as He knows that *we need to get a night’s rest*, so He knows *we need a Sabbath rest*.

Certainly *we can spiritualize this command* to simply say that *Jesus is our Sabbath rest*.

For He *truly is*.

His *grace* and *mercy* frees us from *bondage to sin* and that gives us *deep, lasting rest* to our souls.

But this *command* is also *meant to find application* in our *daily lives* so that the *routine* of our lives *testify to the graciousness* of our Lord who *builds* into our lives *a rhythm of work and rest, of labor and worship and of toil and fellowship*.

Now for some of you this *will be redundant*, but I believe it is *worth repeating* since repetition is the *mother of learning*.

This is what we have discovered so far about the Sabbath.

(1) The *Sabbath* is a *gift from God*.

It was *not an invention of men*.

It was *initiated* and *prescribed* by God.

(2) The Sabbath is a *day of rest* after each *six days of labor*.

This gift *distinguished **Israel** from other nations*.

It is a *testimony* that God is *an advocate for all* who were *weary* and *heavy laden*.

(3) The Sabbath is a *memorial to God’s act of redemption* from slavery and sin.

When *Moses restated* the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5, he said that *the rationale for the Sabbath* was to be a day to /15 //Remember// that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day./

So the Sabbath is *a memorial to God’s act of redemption*.

(4) The Sabbath is also a *memorial to God’s act of creation* when *He rested* on the seventh day.

When Moses *first stated* the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, he said there that *the rationale* for the Sabbath had *its basis in God’s rest* from His act of creation.

/For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day.

Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy./

(5) We also learned *from Exodus 16* that the Sabbath *needs* *a day of preparation*.

Successful observance of the Sabbath *requires planning and preparation*.

If we are going to *gain the most benefit *from the Lord’s Day rest, we need to *think it through* before we enter it.

Plan it out.

(6) The Sabbath is *intended for a humble, repentant and obedient people*.

Christ is Lord and we are *His servants*.

(7) The Sabbath is an *intentional act of saying “no” to our own pleasures and business* on that day to make way *for the priority of rest, worship, fellowship and ministry*.

(8) The Sabbath is to *create a new culture* on the Lord’s Day.

It is a culture *that is God-centered and glad-hearted*.

God instructs us to *call* *the Sabbath a delight*.

(9) The Sabbath is *a feast day*, not a *fast day*.

(10) The Sabbath is God’s way of *developing our skills of time management* around *His priorities*.

The *first text* we look at *this morning* will surely *reinforce these points*.

So, let’s turn to *Luke’s gospel*, chapter *6*, beginning with *verse 6*.

Recall that *the immediately preceding story* was that of Jesus *leisurely walking* through a field *on the Sabbath* while His *disciples* were *picking heads of grain* to eat as a *snack.*

And the Pharisees *jumped all over Jesus* for violating *their rules of Sabbath rest*.

Jesus *corrects them* by saying that He is the *Lord of the Sabbath*.

Surely, *if anyone knows how to honor the day* it would be the *creator of the day* and *satisfying one’s hunger* is *not a violation* of Sabbath rest.

Now, in the *same context*, Jesus again *provokes the Pharisees* who have *created rules and regulations* concerning the Sabbath, rules that are *immensely burdensome* and function as *joy killers*.

*Luke 6:6-11 (NIV)*

/6 //On// another Sabbath He went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.

/

/7 //The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched Him closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

/

The *Sabbath police* were at it again.

They had *their radars set to excessive sensitivity*, far *exceeding* the *spirit of the law*.

It’s is likely that *they knew* that *one of the regular worshipers* at this synagogue was this *man with a shriveled hand*.

And, as *Jesus* was *in the area*, they *anticipated* that it *just may happen* that Jesus would *enter the synagogue* as was His custom and while He was *teaching* in the synagogue *that day *would take the opportunity* to heal the man*.

So, they *positioned themselves to watch* and were ready to *pounce all over Jesus* again if He dared to *even consider healing* the man.

/8 //But// Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.”

So he got up and stood there.

/

You see, Jesus had been *a student of these Pharisees*.

They were *predictable*.

He could tell *what they were thinking*.

/9 //Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

/

Notice how *Jesus changed the question*.

The Pharisees had established that *only emergency health concerns* could be *tended to* or *healed* on the Sabbath.

A *shriveled hand* was obviously *not* an *emergency situation*.

But, Jesus *changed the question*.

Rather than argue the *degrees of health concerns*, He frames the issue in the *context of good and evil*.

And, in doing so He was *saying* that the *Sabbath* should be a *day of doing good and saving life*, especially in *contrast* to *doing evil or destroying life*.

Such a *statement fits* with the *restorative nature of rest*.

There is *healing in rest*.

There is *renewal in rest*.

It is when our *muscles are resting* *from labor* that they are *strengthened* and *repaired*.

And Jesus, as *Lord of Sabbath rest*, says clearly, that *when believers are gathered in worship* on the Lord’s Day, *doing good and saving life* is a most *appropriate* activity.

/10 //He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

He did so, and his hand was completely restored.

/

/11 //But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

/

The *amazing story within this story* is the *obedience and faith* of this man.

Jesus *asked this man* to do what *he had no strength or ability to do* on his own.

But, *because Jesus commanded him*, a *confidence* was *instilled* within him and a *permission was given to him* so he *did what he could not do* and stretched out his withered hand.

And in *the moment of obedience*, the Holy Spirit *caused an inflow of healing power* that enabled the man to *obey his Lord’s command*.

So, while the *Pharisees* were *all in a huff* about their burdensome regulations *being disregarded* by the Lord of the Sabbath, *Jesus was inspiring faith* within the hearts of people who were *humble in heart* and *burdened with the cares* of this world.

Jesus was *bringing rest to their bodies* and to their *souls*.

This story *reinforces that*:

*A.

Sabbath rest is a gift.*

It’s a gift that *benefits of our bodies*, our *minds* and our *spirits*.

It’s a *gift* for which we should be *exceedingly grateful* and a gift which we most certainly *should be putting into use*.