{"id":185,"date":"2011-08-16T20:06:12","date_gmt":"2011-08-16T20:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/articles1\/?p=185"},"modified":"2014-10-21T13:56:58","modified_gmt":"2014-10-21T13:56:58","slug":"lord-of-the-sabbath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/lord-of-the-sabbath\/","title":{"rendered":"Lord of the Sabbath"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Gordon Cook<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would turn your attention to Luke 6. If I had one verse in the Bible to build the doctrine of the Lord\u2019s Day or the Sabbath upon it would be this text found in Luke 6:5: \u201cAnd He said to them, \u2018The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Heavy snow had fallen the night before and there were thoughts about canceling the event, but it was far too important. It was the inaugural address of the president of the United States. And after acknowledging the presence of distinguished guests and former presidents, the new elect president, John F. Kennedy, then spoke these words to the nation: \u201cLet every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay the price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to ensure the survival and the success of liberty.\u201d Towards the back end of that address the president quoted from the book of Isaiah the prophet and said, \u201cLet the oppressed go free\u201d (Is. 58:6). I\u2019m sure he borrowed those words, not only from the prophet, but from Jesus Himself. Jesus gave something of an inaugural address back in chapter 4. Notice the text, Luke 4:18\u2014and Jesus is also speaking here about freedom, but of a greater kind:<\/p>\n

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And Jesus doesn\u2019t simply talk about liberty or freedom, does He? Jesus actually sets men free. And Jesus will set men free from different kinds of bondage. For example, the horrible bondage of demon possession; you read about that in Luke 4. It talks about the horrible bondage of sickness and disease. He will heal that leper also; we read of that in Luke 4. There\u2019s the horrible bondage of sin and guilt. He forgives a man in chapter 5. And then when we open up to chapter 6, Jesus, again, is setting men free, but from a different kind of bondage. It\u2019s the horrible bondage of false religion. And where it manifested itself in a most overt or concrete way was when it came to the Sabbath Day and its practice and observance. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And Luke here in chapter 6 places two Sabbath Day conflicts side by side. The first one is recorded in verses 1-5, but we\u2019re told on the next Sabbath Day another battle ensues, found in Luke 6:6-11. Now what\u2019s interesting is that no New Testament writer talks more about the Sabbath than does Luke. Luke mentions the Sabbath at least eighteen times. Matthew, in his gospel, writing to a Jewish audience, references the Sabbath ten times. Remember, Luke is a Gentile writing to a Gentile. Back in chapter 1 verse 3, he addresses a person by the name of Theophilus, and many believe that Theophilus was a Roman, a Gentile. Well, that raises the question, does it not? Do Gentiles need to hear about the Sabbath? Apparently so. Here in Luke 6 the Sabbath is placed in a negative context of controversy. But I should tell you that the first time Luke mentions the Sabbath, he mentions it in a very positive. Back in chapter 4 verse 16, Luke lets us know that Jesus Himself was a Sabbath-keeper, not a Sabbath breaker. No one loved the Sabbath more than Jesus. Jesus was a perfect Sabbath-keeper. Notice Luke 4:16: \u201cAnd as was His custom,\u201d or His habit, \u201cHe went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.\u201d It\u2019s important brethren that we keep that in view: Jesus\u2019 own personal Sabbath-keeping when we consider the subsequent controversies and conflicts that Jesus engages in concerning the Sabbath. <\/p>\n

And the reason I say that is because too many people have the idea that Jesus came to abolish or get rid of the Sabbath Day. They think that Jesus comes with something of a sledgehammer and smashes the Old Testament institution to smithereens. I would argue that He doesn\u2019t come with a sledgehammer, but rather with a sword. He comes with a sword and with a shield to protect the Sabbath and to liberate the Sabbath. Jesus is on a rescue mission. He\u2019s a freedom fighter and He\u2019s coming to liberate and rescue God\u2019s holy rest day. <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s what we want to consider this evening, the first battle over God\u2019s worship day. And we will examine it in a fourfold way: <\/p>\n

1. The occasion or when this first Sabbath controversy took place
\n 2. The criticism or the problem that was at the very heart of this first Sabbath controversy
\n 3. The refutation or the answer that Jesus gives in this first Sabbath controversy
\n 4. The declaration Jesus gives about His own relationship to the Sabbath<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s consider the Sabbath, Jesus\u2019 perspectives on the Sabbath in this fourfold way. <\/p>\n

The Occasion of the First Sabbath Controversy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people enjoy a hobby, a favorite pastime, a pet project. When you hear that word \u201chobby\u201d I think you would probably think quite positively. But, what about a hobby horse? When you hear that you think more negatively, don\u2019t you? And preachers can get on hobby horses. They can ride something over and over again. And the Pharisees had something of a hobby horse when it came to the Sabbath Day. This was an issue that they will ride again and again. They can\u2019t let it go, and on at least six occasions they will enter in dispute with Jesus over the Sabbath. <\/p>\n

Luke, in his gospel, records four of those six controversies, twice here in chapter 6, once in chapter 13, and then towards the back end of Luke\u2019s gospel, in chapter 19. But this becomes the major issue of contention between Jesus and the Pharisees. We could say the gloves come off and Jesus becomes quite combative. Now think about that. He could have ignored the issue, couldn\u2019t He? Why fight over something that is of \u201cshort term relevance\u201d? It would be like two men in the midst of the Sahara Desert fighting over a gallon of ice cream that\u2019s half a mile away. You get the point? By the time they finish their fight to get to the gallon of ice cream it\u2019s gone; it\u2019s melted away. Why bother to fight over something that won\u2019t be around all that much longer? Doesn\u2019t that seem rather pointless? Unless that something is worth fighting over. Unless that something has a bigger time frame. Unless that something has abiding relevance. Unless that something has a permanent or is a permanent institution. <\/p>\n

Jesus is fighting over the Sabbath. He will fight the Pharisees over God\u2019s worship day. And the Pharisees are fighting too. The Sabbath was extremely important to the Jew in general. It was considered to mark out their identity. According to Jewish tradition God has chosen Israel from all the peoples of the earth, and we even find support in the Old Testament to see that God had instituted the Sabbath as a covenant sign and a blessing to mark out Israel\u2019s unique status. <\/p>\n

Two things were very important to the Jews: circumcision and the Sabbath. And they knew that the Sabbath had been trampled upon. The Pharisees knew that. They could read their Bibles. They knew something of redemptive history. They knew from the Old Testament prophets that God\u2019s people had been called to repentance again and again over this whole matter of Sabbath Day observance. And the Pharisees knew that the Sabbath Day was vulnerable to abuse. They knew that the Sabbath Day could be neglected and forgotten. And so the Pharisees took it upon themselves to protect the Sabbath Day. <\/p>\n

And to protect the Sabbath Day they took advantage of rabbinic tradition and they had two basic handbooks: the Mishnah and the Talmud. And those two handbooks are jam-packed with rules and regulations, probably up to 1500 rules divided into 39 different categories. I say all of that so you can better understand why something of a head-on collision is inevitable between Jesus and the Pharisees over the Sabbath Day. <\/p>\n

Now, this first controversy occurs somewhat outside of the public eye. Notice verse 1 of Luke 6. He tells us that it took place in a grain field. A little strange, don\u2019t you think? That\u2019s not where you would expect to find a Pharisee. You might find him standing on a street corner praying. You might find him in a temple or in a synagogue. But why do we find Pharisees in a farm field? Why are they here? Well, it\u2019s because of Jesus. In fact, they\u2019ve been shadowing him all week long. And we know that from what we read prior, here in Luke\u2019s gospel. We saw them back in chapter 5 verse 17; they were sitting in that home in Capernaum. You remember when the roof came down and that paralytic was dropped down, and Jesus pronounced forgiveness? They were there: the scribes and the Pharisees. They probably had Jesus under surveillance all the more so once they learned that He had called a man by the name of Levi, the tax collector; they had staked out his home. We read about that in Luke 5:30. And so here again we see the Pharisees putting Jesus under some kind of police-like observation. The Pharisees viewed themselves as the Sabbath police. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re following Jesus, and they are following Him through the grain field. Can\u2019t you see them, as they duck in and around the ripe stocks of grain? They\u2019re trying to catch Him, but they\u2019re trying to keep out of sight here. This is something of a stealth attack. Ironically this is when the Pharisees did most of their undercover dirty work\u2026on the Sabbath. Not a great way to spend your Sabbath. Luke 6:1: \u201cNow it happened on a Sabbath\u2026\u201d or \u201cOnce on a Sabbath.\u201d The word that is used here is the Greek word \u201c\u03c3\u03b1\u0301\u03b2\u03b2\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd\u201d (sabbaton) 16:15. It\u2019s the transliteration we have in our Bibles, in the English it\u2019s \u201cSabbath.\u201d We heard about that some days ago. Remember, when we considered the Sabbath from Genesis 2, God rested on the Sabbath; He rested from His work? And in the original it\u2019s \u201cSabbatized\u201d 16:35. That\u2019s where we get our English word \u201cSabbath.\u201d It has the concept of rest. Again, it\u2019s a positive concept. In the perfect world that God had made for Adam and Eve they too enjoyed a Sabbath rest. And we saw already, didn\u2019t we, from Luke\u2019s gospel, that Jesus enjoyed the Sabbath; He loved His Sabbath Day. So, what\u2019s the problem here? Why will the Pharisees clash with Jesus over the Sabbath Day? Well, it\u2019s because Jesus and the Pharisees have a very different view of the Sabbath. And we see that here. Luke allows us to step on the battlefield. <\/p>\n

The Problem at the Very Heart of the First Sabbath Controversy<\/strong><\/p>\n

So we\u2019ve considered the occasion, we\u2019ve answered the when and the where of this first Sabbath controversy, but now consider with me, brethren, the second part of our sermon here. In terms of broad headings, the criticism or what exactly provokes the Pharisees and creates this tension and conflict. <\/p>\n

Well, the incident occurs probably around spring time when the corn stocks or the grain stocks were at their highest. The disciples of Jesus are passing through the fields of standing grain, and Luke tells us what happened. He uses three different verbs here. Look at verse 1. There was a \u201cplucking\u201d or a \u201cpicking\u201d of the grain, and he uses an imperfect verb tense to tell us that this went on for some time; this wasn\u2019t just a one-time grab. They were grabbing heads of grain; plucking them again and again. And then Luke uses another imperfect verb, again to catch repeated action or continued action\u2014the verb \u201cto eat.\u201d The disciples were hungry and they\u2019re helping themselves to these fresh heads of grain after rubbing them in their hands, probably to break or rub off the husk of that grain shell or put it into a smaller, softer form so they could eat. It would probably be like eating a bowl of cheerios or granola. <\/p>\n

Now, one might ask the question here: by cutting through someone\u2019s farm field and picking a little grain, wasn\u2019t that stealing? Well, it really wasn\u2019t, at least not according to God\u2019s law. In fact, God had made provision for this very thing. Deuteronomy 23:25 says, \u201cIf you go into your neighbor\u2019s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not lay a sickle to your neighbor\u2019s standing grain.\u201d So, you could grab a little snack, as it were; a small meal. You couldn\u2019t fill a potato sack full of grain, but you could take a little bit and you could eat if you were hungry. And I\u2019m sure the Pharisees knew about that deuteronomic law. They also understood the eighth commandment, but they don\u2019t see this as an issue in terms of violation of the eighth commandment. They don\u2019t accuse the disciples here of stealing. <\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the problem? What upsets the Pharisees? Well, they see this as a violation of the fourth commandment, the Sabbath law; that law that was written on those two tablets of stone. Luke 6:2, notice the question: \u201cWhy are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?\u201d The Pharisees think they have caught Jesus\u2019 disciples red-handed with a clear Sabbath violation. The Sabbath day is a rest day not a work day. And the Pharisees see this as work. Work? Are you serious? Oh, yes. <\/p>\n

The Pharisees had constructed a list of rules, quite detailed. I mentioned earlier they had 1500 rules, 39 different categories of work. Let me tell you some of the things you couldn\u2019t do which would have been classified as work. You couldn\u2019t cut your toenails on the Sabbath. You couldn\u2019t wear false teeth because if they fell out you\u2019d have to carry them and that would be work. A tailor could not carry a needle in his pocket on the Sabbath because that was one of the tools of his trade, and to carry it that would have been work. Wool couldn\u2019t be dyed; that was considered work. Cold water could be poured, but warm water couldn\u2019t; that was work. You couldn\u2019t loosen your knot. So, you couldn\u2019t untie your shoes, children. If you have a couple of knots there, that would have been work. You couldn\u2019t stitch more than one stitch. You couldn\u2019t write more than one letter on the Sabbath. And there were a lot more rules and regulations. In terms of walking you couldn\u2019t walk more than 1,999 paces; that was considered a journey and a breach of the Sabbath. Plus, all kinds of activities with respect to gathering food were forbidden, plowing, hunting, butchering, reaping, threshing, winnowing. But here in all that you can understand, can\u2019t you, why people who lived under that detailed rubric or those detailed regulations found the Sabbath Day to be a burden, oppressive. It was like a prison house. <\/p>\n

Now, Jesus could have just kept on walking when they approached Him here in the grain field and told His disciple friends, \u201cJust ignore those knit-picking legalists.\u201d But He doesn\u2019t do that. He answers them, and He uses His Bible. That was His sword and shield. That was the touchstone for everything that Jesus said and did. <\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 Apologetic against the Pharisees with Regard to the Sabbath<\/strong><\/p>\n

And that brings us to our third consideration. We looked at the occasion, the criticism, but now, thirdly, the refutation or Jesus\u2019 apologetic against the Pharisees with regard to the Sabbath. Now, the Pharisees have already got Jesus\u2014at least I\u2019m sure they were thinking\u2014on one charge. They have accused Him earlier in Luke\u2019s gospel of being a blasphemer. <\/p>\n

You recall when He had forgiven that man of his sins back in Luke 5. They believed that He was acting as though He were God\u2014only God can forgive sins. So, they think they\u2019ve got Him on one thing. But, here\u2019s another ethical violation. What kind of prophet would allow his disciples to work on the Sabbath? They come with their fingers pointing and maybe for a few moments at least they sat there grinning with a high degree of confidence. Their jaw is set, their faces flushed with anger. They are very sure they have trapped Jesus. Well, Jesus picks up His Bible and makes a few applications. Verse 3, notice what He says: \u201cBut Jesus answering them said, \u2018Have you not even read this\u2026?\u2019\u201d And Jesus locks them into an Old Testament, historical incident. It\u2019s found in 1 Samuel 21. He takes them all the way back in terms of Old Testament history to the time of David. In this incident is when David was on the run. David was a fugitive at this point in time. He\u2019s already been anointed king. You remember back in 1 Samuel 16, Samuel had anointed David as king. So, he\u2019s been chosen by God to be king, but at this point in time he\u2019s been rejected by Saul. And Saul is hunting David. Saul out of envy and hate wants to destroy David. So David is on the run. And Jesus locks into this Old Testament incident to answer the Pharisees. <\/p>\n

Now, there may be several reasons why He refers to this incident with regard to David. Like David, He\u2019s the chosen king. Like David, He\u2019s been anointed. And the Pharisees are very much like King Saul, aren\u2019t they? They want to destroy Jesus out of envy. Jesus also uses this illustration because it\u2019s about food. And David and his men were hungry, and Jesus and His disciples were hungry as well. They are in need of food. And what happens, at least when we read 1 Samuel 21, is that the priest, Ahimelec, makes provision for David\u2019s men. But he doesn\u2019t give them ordinary bread, does he? Notice how Luke here distinguishes the bread, the special bread that was given by the priest to David and his men. Look at verse 4. He identifies it here as the \u201cshowbread\u201d. That was bread that was set aside for the priest. Not just anybody could eat that bread, but the priest. They were allowed to eat that consecrated bread. And so what happens here in 1 Samuel 21 is that a ceremonial law was suspended, we could say, for a moral law. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s the point? Well, two principles converge here: the principle of necessity (they needed food) and (on behalf of Ahimelec, perhaps) the principle of mercy. And it could be that Jesus is arguing from the greater to the lesser or from the harder case to the easier case. If the holy bread of the tabernacle could be used to answer the hunger pain of David\u2019s men why not the common grain kernels from a farmer\u2019s field? In the words of Joseph Pipa, in his book titled The Lord\u2019s Day, \u201cIf it was proper to violate a ceremonial law when the Lord\u2019s anointed David was on the Lord\u2019s business on the Sabbath, then surely the anointed, the Christ, and His followers may break a man-made law while they are doing the Lord\u2019s business on the Sabbath.\u201d So, it could be an argument from the greater to the lesser. But you see, the problem with the Pharisees is they didn\u2019t really care for people. They didn\u2019t love people. They didn\u2019t view the Lord\u2019s Day as a day of compassion. The Pharisees were very self-centered, me-centered. Their pride and their selfishness blinded them to the needs of others. They thought there were protecting the Sabbath, but in reality they are trampling upon the Sabbath. <\/p>\n

The occasion, the criticism, the refutation by Jesus, but fourthly and finally, notice, brethren, the declaration. We come to the most important part here: the declaration. The Pharisees dared to go one on one with Jesus, and every time we see them trying to take on Jesus they go into the boxing ring. We could say they come out with a few bruises and a couple of black eyes. But, now Jesus says something here that will be like a knockout punch. We\u2019ve seen Jesus pick up a sword and a shield when it came to the Sabbath. You know what He does here now? He puts on the crown, and He holds out the royal scepter when it comes to the Sabbath. Notice what He said, verse 5: \u201cAnd He said to them, \u2018The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.\u2019\u201d Did you hear that? <\/p>\n

If you have been listening and reading Luke\u2019s gospel up to this point this doesn\u2019t really surprise you. This is something we\u2019ve already seen in terms of who Jesus is. What Luke has been emphasizing over and over again is that Jesus has power and authority. He has power and authority over the demons. He has power and authority over disease, even the created order. He has power and authority over sin. He has forgiven sin. And what we learn here now is that this person named Jesus claims to have power and authority over the Sabbath. <\/p>\n

Notice here, Jesus draws attention to Himself in two ways (two self-designations). Look at verse 5. First, He declares Himself to be the Son of Man. And He used that expression back in chapter 5 when He forgave the paralytic (Luke 5:24): \u201cBut that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.\u201d The Son of Man was a title that Jesus loved to use. It was His favorite title. It was a messianic title. Most people didn\u2019t know that when He used it. But if we think in terms of the vision that Daniel has in Daniel 7\u2014you might even want to turn there and see for yourself. Here\u2019s where that language or that title, Son of Man, comes from. Many believe this is the classic passage, and maybe Jesus even had this in mind when He said these words to the Pharisees. But Daniel here in chapter 7 has a vision of heaven. Look at verse 13. Daniel with the eyes of a prophet sees into the very interior of heaven, much like John does in the book of Revelation. And Daniel sees someone who is transcendently glorious. The Son of Man, that\u2019s how He\u2019s described. Listen to the words of Daniel. Daniel 7:13: \u201cAnd behold, One like the Son of Man, coming in the clouds of heaven.\u201d And Daniel goes on to describe this Son of Man person as a heavenly being who possesses everlasting, universal dominion, kingship. This Son of Man title is pregnant with majesty and sovereignty and authority and power and dominion. Yes, there are undertones of humanity, but the Son of Man really is an expression of His divinity. It\u2019s almost as if Jesus is saying to the Pharisees, \u201cYou want to know how great I am? I am the Son of Man. I\u2019m that person that Daniel saw. Yes I am a man, but I am much more than a man.\u201d The Son of Man has power to forgive sin, Luke 5. And the Son of Man has power to regulate the Sabbath Day. <\/p>\n

But look what Jesus goes on to say\u2014this is even more shocking. \u201cThe Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.\u201d \u03ba\u03c5\u0301\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 (kurios) Jesus distinguishes Himself here as Lord. It\u2019s the word that Luke has used up to thirty six times. If you read chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Luke\u2019s used this word \u201cLord,\u201d but this is the first time that Jesus picks up this word \u201cLord\u201d and applies it directly to Himself. And that word, I\u2019m sure you know, saturates the Old Testament. Do you mean that you are the Lord? If we go back to our Old Testament Bible, do you see what He is saying? Are you the Lord who made heaven and earth? Are you the Lord who said \u201cLet there be light\u201d and there was light? Are you the Lord who created all things and who sustains all things? Are you the Lord whose hand cannot be stayed? Are you the Lord who appeared to Moses by way of that theophany of the burning bush and said, \u201cI AM THAT I AM\u201d? Are you the Lord who sits in the highest of heavens and uses the earth as His footstool? What is Jesus saying? Jesus is claiming to be the God of the Old Testament. Jesus is saying, \u201cI am the one who rules and reigns over everything. And I am Lord of the Sabbath.\u201d One translation reads: \u201cHe is sovereign over the Sabbath.\u201d <\/p>\n

At this point\u2014now we can\u2019t be sure unless you were there\u2014but I can only imagine that the Pharisees were seeing red. Nothing would have made them angrier, more shocked. I don\u2019t know what Jesus could have said that would have made them more furious than what He has just said. What has He said? Jesus has said, \u201cThis day called the Sabbath is My day. I made it. I control it. I regulate it. I am the Lord of the Sabbath.\u201d You see, the problem, when it came to the Sabbath, perhaps was just his simple: when it came to Jesus and the Pharisees, it was a problem of control. Who controls the Sabbath? Who has the right to control the Sabbath? The Pharisees thought they were in control. They thought they had authority over the Sabbath. They became micromanagers of the Sabbath. They micromanaged it with a plethora of rules and regulations. Today we would call them control freaks. And Jesus is saying this, \u201cGet your dirty, grubby hands off My day. It\u2019s My day and not your day. I am Lord of the Sabbath. I made it. I regulate it.\u201d And Jesus is putting them on notice. \u201cI am the Lord of this rest day. I made it in creation. I put it in that place of the Ten Commandments right there on stone. I dressed it up with some ceremonial clothing. I let Moses, as it were, dress it up. But it\u2019s My day! It\u2019s not Moses\u2019 day. I am the Lord of the Sabbath. I wear the crown. I hold the scepter.\u201d This is the first Sabbath day controversy. <\/p>\n

Two Closing Applications<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Lordship of Jesus in the Use and Observance of the Sabbath<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve considered the occasion, criticism, the refutation, and the declaration. Let me simply close, brethren, with two simple applications. Number one: don\u2019t forget the lordship of Jesus when it comes to the use and the observance of God\u2019s appointed day of worship. Let me say that again, don\u2019t forget the lordship of Jesus when it comes to the use and observance of God\u2019s appointed day of rest and worship. <\/p>\n

B.B. Warfield writes this, \u201cIt belongs to Him. He is the Lord of the day, the master of it. He may do with it what He wills.\u201d That explains, brethren, why He can change it. That\u2019s why He can give it greater purpose and greater significance under the New Covenant. That\u2019s why He can change it by His resurrection. And notice how He states His lordship here. He uses a present tense verb. He is the Lord, that is, right now. He governs, He regulates this day. It has always been that way since creation. It will always be that way. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. He was the Lord of that Creational Sabbath. He was the Lord of the Mosaic Sabbath and the Resurrection Sabbath, or the New Covenant Lord\u2019s Day. He is the boss, not anybody else. Not the Pharisees, not the elders of any church, not any denomination, not the puritans, not tradition, not my personal preferences, not my friends, not my family, not corporate America, not little league baseball coaches. And we need to start here brethren, with Jesus. It\u2019s Jesus\u2019 day. <\/p>\n

And if we are to use it properly, shouldn\u2019t we at least ask the question, or shouldn\u2019t we at least check with the master: how do You want me to use Your day? Can\u2019t we learn from Him? Wasn\u2019t He a Sabbath-keeper? There\u2019s no one who teaches us more about the Sabbath Day, how to regulate it, and how to use it than Jesus. He is Lord of the Sabbath. It makes sense, doesn\u2019t it? And He gives us some wonderful principles, brethren, to help regulate the day. Not little bitty rules, but some wonderful principles. And those principles will be applied differently by people. They will be applied differently in homes, in cultures, at different times in the course of human history. We can\u2019t approach the day in a wooden, inflexible, straight-jacketed way. It\u2019s very easy to give people a rule book or a laminated card. We don\u2019t do that at Grace [Baptist Church]. When someone comes into membership we don\u2019t give them a laminated card and say, \u201cNow here are all the rules that you have to keep if you are going to honor the Lord\u2019s Day.\u201d That would be easy, wouldn\u2019t it? The problem with the checklist is there\u2019s always something outside of the checklist. <\/p>\n

But we don\u2019t need a checklist, and we shouldn\u2019t expect everyone to conform to how we apply the principles. You know why God doesn\u2019t give us a checklist? You won\u2019t find in the Bible where it says, \u201cDon\u2019t turn on your computer. Don\u2019t go for a bicycle ride. Don\u2019t pick up a basketball. Don\u2019t go swimming. Don\u2019t read your newspaper.\u201d The puritans, later on, this was the latter stages of Puritanism, when it started to go a little off track. Some of the puritans even developed a no-no with respect to kissing your wife. God doesn\u2019t give us a checklist because God wants you to think. And listen, a healthy, vibrant Christianity demands a constant inflow of wisdom from above and meditation, and wrestling in prayer with God, and asking questions. How you apply the principles to your three-year-old might be far different than how you apply those same principles to a thirteen or an eighteen-year-old. You get the point? God wants us to think. Each home, each father, and each mother needs to think how to best use the day consistent with the principles of worship, rest, and service, and the principles of mercy and piety and necessity, in all our thinking and in all our praying. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the simple point that I want to make: we need to start with the most fundamental axiom or truth. And what is that? It\u2019s the Lord\u2019s Day. It\u2019s Jesus\u2019 day. He didn\u2019t say it\u2019s an hour; it\u2019s a day. He\u2019s the Lord of the day. It\u2019s a holy day. It\u2019s a worship day. And to keep it or keep it special I have to spend quality and quantity time with Jesus. It\u2019s a day to show Him how much I love Him. It\u2019s a day to show Him how much I cherish Him. It\u2019s a day to show Jesus how much I adore Him and delight in Him, and how much I need Him. It\u2019s a day to remember the great things that He\u2019s done. There\u2019s nothing greater than the salvation procured on my behalf. And Christian, Jesus wants you to spend the day with Him. He says, \u201cCome into My presence and draw near to Me and I will draw near to you.\u201d It\u2019s a day regulated by Jesus. It\u2019s a day centered upon Jesus. It\u2019s a day wonderfully changed by Jesus. His resurrection will make it a better day. Stripping it of all the Jewish ceremony and restoring it to its original design and purpose, but enhancing it with New Covenant privilege and dynamics so it becomes a more glorious day. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Day of Joy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brethren, that\u2019s the first and the most important principle it seems to me. Don\u2019t forget the lordship of Jesus when it comes to observing this day. Secondly, we need to understand this about the day, and it\u2019s in the context here of Luke 5 and 6: it\u2019s a day of joy. <\/p>\n

I believe that William Hendriksen is right when he says that there\u2019s probably no chronological connection between Luke 5 and Luke 6. In other words, in terms of time, what happens here in Luke 6 with this controversy doesn\u2019t happen right after what we read in Luke 5. There\u2019s no chronological connection. But he says this, \u201cThere is a logical connection.\u201d There\u2019s a logical connection. And if you look back in Luke 5, there has been more controversy. There\u2019s a bigger controversy taking place with the Pharisees. What was the controversy? How did it all start? Well, the Pharisees come to Jesus and they are complaining because His disciples are not fasting. And how does Jesus answer them? Well, He answers them in verse 34 and says to them, \u201cCan you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?\u201d Jesus picks up that Old Testament figure of a bridegroom and applies it to Himself and says, \u201cI\u2019m here! The bridegroom is here.\u201d It\u2019s a time of rejoicing. It\u2019s a time of feasting, not a time of fasting. <\/p>\n

The Pharisees were big on fasting. And I\u2019m not saying we never fast. I\u2019m simply saying that shouldn\u2019t be the dominant activity under the New Covenant. It\u2019s a time of feasting. The Pharisees fasted. They would even paint their faces white to advertise their fasting. They went around with long faces, sullen looks. Their religion was marked by negativity, morbidity. They made the Sabbath Day a sad, oppressive day. And all I\u2019m saying, brethren, is that when it comes to the observance of the Lord\u2019s Day, don\u2019t forget, the bridegroom is here. It\u2019s a time of joy and celebration. It\u2019s a time of feasting. <\/p>\n

And doesn\u2019t that tie into what Isaiah the prophet says when he talks about the Sabbath Day back in chapter 58? He anticipates the New Covenant worship day. Remember what he says? \u201cYou shall delight yourself in the LORD\u2026I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of\u2026your father.\u201d What\u2019s he underscoring? He\u2019s underscoring that the Sabbath Day is a time of feasting. Don\u2019t we sing hymns that speak of coming to the gospel banquet? Isn\u2019t that what we come here for; to enjoy and taste God and to enjoy the things of God? Don\u2019t you come to church to anticipate being fed? Feasting on the gospel, feasting upon the Bread of Life and drinking the gospel wine, the bridegroom is here. This is a happy day when we think of the Lord\u2019s Day. <\/p>\n

And those who use the day the way God intended it to be used will be the happiest Christian. Dr. Pipa, in his book that I mentioned earlier, compares the attitude that some Christians have with regard to the Lord\u2019s Day to what he calls \u201ccabin fever.\u201d He says, \u201cCabin fever is the dread that we may have felt at times when forced to spend a day with distant relatives. And some people seem to have that attitude to God\u2019s rest and worship day.\u201d The idea of spending an entire day doing things like going to church and fellowshipping with other believers, ceasing from our ordinary activities, and so on, they find that almost dreadful. They recoil. And that shouldn\u2019t be the way, should it? It\u2019s a day to delight, not a day to dread. Delight in the day, delight in God\u2014Isaiah 58. And if we have new hearts, shouldn\u2019t those new hearts enjoy the things of God? Shouldn\u2019t we enjoy worshipping Christ? Shouldn\u2019t we enjoy fellowshipping with other Christians? A new heart shouldn\u2019t be enslaved to work, to hobbies, and sports so much so that we are unable to let go of them for one day. <\/p>\n

My friends, if you don\u2019t enjoy the day, it\u2019s an indication you need a new heart. And only the power of regenerating grace can give us a new heart. So let me ask you, what does this day do for you? Just on an emotional level, when you\u2019re not able to be here, do you miss the presence of the bridegroom? Shouldn\u2019t the bride miss the bridegroom? And shouldn\u2019t you miss God\u2019s people? I hope you can say that you do, and I hope you can say that it is the best day of the week; that you look forward to this day more than any other day, more than your own birthday, more than any holiday. There\u2019s no better day than the day that Jesus rose from the dead and conquered death. It\u2019s just not another day; it\u2019s the Lord\u2019s Day. It\u2019s a day to find rest in a very restless world. It is a Christ-centered, cross-centered, open-tomb-centered day. It\u2019s the Lord\u2019s Day. May God help us, brethren, to enjoy it more and more. <\/p>\n

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Gordon Cook I would turn your attention to Luke 6. If I had one verse in the Bible to build the doctrine of the Lord\u2019s Day or the Sabbath upon it would be this text found in Luke 6:5: \u201cAnd He said to them, \u2018The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.\u2019\u201d Heavy … Continue reading Lord of the Sabbath<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-lords-day","tag-gordon-cook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":580,"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185\/revisions\/580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heraldofgrace.org\/biblicalexpositions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}