The Book of Judges #20

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.759 And we think about the greatness of it, and how we, like the 2 00:00:03.839 --> 00:00:08.560 Psalmist, have to cry for mercy. And Lord, we need mercy. 3 00:00:08.599 --> 00:00:13.039 It is our desperate need in our condition. And so Lord, indeed like 4 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:17.760 this almost we cry to you and we say, Lord, please have mercy 5 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:22.600 upon us. We admit Lord that we do not always do what we should, 6 00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:26.280 that we do not love you with all of our heart, mind, 7 00:00:26.440 --> 00:00:31.960 strength and soul. But Lord, we thank you God that still you work 8 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:37.240 in us. And Lord you are ever changing us from glory to glory. 9 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:41.159 And we thank you Lord for all that you're doing. But Lord, we 10 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:45.920 need you in order to understand your own word. And Lord, I pray 11 00:00:46.039 --> 00:00:50.439 this morning as I deliver your word to your people, that I would be 12 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:56.000 faithful to it. Lord, keep me from false doctrine, from heresy, 13 00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:59.880 keep me from anything that would put a bondage upon your people that has not 14 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:04.799 proper. Help me, Lord, to be forthright and honest. But Lord, 15 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:10.040 help me not to go beyond your word. And Lord, if I 16 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:12.959 do, I pray God that you would just keep it from the people, 17 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:19.319 and Lord, help them Lord to know it in truth. But Lord illuminated 18 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:23.159 it to us this morning. We love your word. It is truly a 19 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:29.439 lap to our feet, light to our path. It is God the treasures. 20 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:33.680 Lord. It is sweeter than the honey in the honeycomb. And so 21 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:36.879 Lord, we love to come to it. And we pray God that you 22 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:40.879 would bless it to your people, for I asked this now in Christ name. 23 00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:47.200 Amen. The text I'm reading is from the Gospel of Luke chapter six. 24 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:52.439 I mentioned last week. I spoke on the first five verses, but 25 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:55.640 I wanted to put both stories before you, and I want to do that 26 00:01:55.719 --> 00:02:00.120 again this morning, because they kind of form a little combined story. He 27 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:05.040 here and one deals with one aspect and another another. So I'd like to 28 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:08.159 read the text as well that I read last week, and and we also. 29 00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:12.879 I will begin with verse six as I preach, but let us start 30 00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:15.520 with verse one. Luke chapter six, now reading God's word to you. 31 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:21.080 On a sabbath, when he was going through the grain fields, his disciples 32 00:02:21.080 --> 00:02:24.000 plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But 33 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:28.120 some of the Pharisees said, why are you doing what's not lawful to do 34 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:31.240 in the sabbath? And Jesus answered them, have you not read what David 35 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:35.199 did when he was hungry. He and those who were with him. How 36 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:38.199 he entered the House of God and took and ate the bread of the presence, 37 00:02:38.599 --> 00:02:42.240 which is not lawful for any but the priest to eat, and also 38 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:46.439 gave it to those with him. And he said to them, the son 39 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:51.240 of Man is lord of the Sabbath. I another Sabbath. He entered the 40 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:54.080 synagogue and was teaching, and the man was there whose right hand was with 41 00:02:54.199 --> 00:02:59.360 her, And the scribes and the pharisees watched him to see whether he would 42 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:01.400 heal in the habits, so that they might have keep find a reason to 43 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:06.639 accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man 44 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:10.680 with the withered hand, come stand here. And he rose and stood there. 45 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:15.400 And Jesus said to them, I ask you, is it lawful and 46 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:20.919 the Sabbath day to do good or to do harm, to save life or 47 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:24.120 to destroy it? And after looking around at all of them, he said 48 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:29.520 to him, stretch out your hand, and he did so, and his 49 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:34.680 hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another 50 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:38.560 what they might do to Jesus. That's will in the reading of God's word, 51 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:49.680 please be seated, so again, I've read both of these um accounts 52 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:53.360 to you, even though I preached on the first five verses last time, 53 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:58.719 because again I think it very closely related to one another. And last week 54 00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:02.960 I tried to give you some incipos of sabbath keeping, uh knowing uh those 55 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:10.560 that were found in these verses. And I could say that last week's text, 56 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:15.240 the first five verses, we were dealing I think with what we're perceived, 57 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:18.360 not real sins, as their lords said they weren't sins, but perceived 58 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:25.319 sins of commission, with the disciples eating the grain and plucking that and rubbing 59 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:29.240 that and doing what the Pharisees would have said that they were reaping and they 60 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:32.519 were threshing, and they were winnowing all which were forbidden by their man made 61 00:04:32.600 --> 00:04:38.240 rules about the Sabbath. So this morning we're gonna deal more with sins of 62 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:45.240 omission in the Sabbath. And I I think oftentimes, and maybe particularly and 63 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:49.639 reform circles where we actually do try to keep the Sabbath, I think oftentimes 64 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:55.199 we think of it more of what we shouldn't do. As I spoke about 65 00:04:55.319 --> 00:05:00.000 last week about the thirty nine categories of work that the Pharisees had put together 66 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:02.839 there um and come up with But I don't know if we think it's so 67 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:08.759 much about what we should do on the Sabbath. And that's what I think 68 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:13.199 this second story is about. That's why I'm linking them together, because I 69 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:16.319 think those are two different aspects of what can be sins on the Sabbath. 70 00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:19.439 But I think, and it might not be true of you individually, but 71 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:24.160 I think it's a common thing in our ranks to think more of sins of 72 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:28.800 commission than sins of omission. So we're gonna begin this morning. At verses 73 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:32.160 six through eight, Luke tells us that he's relating the story that takes place 74 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:38.759 on another Sabbath, but he doesn't specifically identify for us what sabbath that is 75 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:42.000 uh. In other words, is that the next Sabbath after what had just 76 00:05:42.120 --> 00:05:46.560 happened previously, We don't know. But I do want you to note once 77 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:49.519 again, where do we find the Lord on the Sabbath. We find him 78 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:55.560 in the synagogue, gathered with God's people. So if there's one thing we 79 00:05:55.600 --> 00:06:00.480 can positively know about the right way of keeping the Sabbath, it is attending 80 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:04.920 the Lord's house with God's people. We can be absolutely assured of that that 81 00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:09.360 that is true. I have heard people say at times to me through the 82 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:13.000 years, well, I don't really like going to church because I really never 83 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:17.439 learned anything new there. I think, well, I think our Lord might 84 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:24.240 have had that objection a bit. Uh. I don't know what he ever 85 00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:28.240 heard that was new. Um, So I think if there's anyone that could 86 00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:31.199 have legitimately used that excuse, it was he, And he did not use 87 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:36.879 that at all, but he attended that. And uh, I think about 88 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:41.160 that, and I think, you know, I've I've had some difficult audiences 89 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:45.480 that I've preached through the years, but I don't think anything so difficult, 90 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:47.040 as you know, having the lords sitting like in the front row as I'm 91 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:51.360 speaking, that would be quite uh intensive. But then again, he is 92 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:56.759 here, so he is in the audience, so I have to remember that 93 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:00.000 as well. We not only don't know what Sabbath, you don't know what 94 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:04.120 synagogue. Luke doesn't inform us what synagogue it is that our Lord is in. 95 00:07:04.279 --> 00:07:09.319 But there is a man who has a withered hand. It's a strange 96 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:13.240 word. It's only found twice in the entire New Testament, and any other 97 00:07:13.279 --> 00:07:15.480 place, you probably wouldn't even think about it as where it would be. 98 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:18.600 But the only it's in Luke. It's later on in Luke and as Jesus 99 00:07:18.600 --> 00:07:23.480 speaking, and he says that if they do these things when the wood is 100 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:29.560 green, what will they what will happen when it's dry? And so they're 101 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:33.560 the word is translated dry. The idea is that the juices of the arm 102 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:38.600 have have have become useless and dried up. That's that's kind of the thought 103 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:44.079 behind this man with the withered hand, some some kind of deformity that that 104 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:47.639 he has. Uh there defines the word as members of the body deprived of 105 00:07:47.680 --> 00:07:53.399 their natural juices, shrunk, wasted, and withered. And I'm sure I've 106 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:57.199 known people through the years and you probably have too, who had an arm 107 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:01.560 that was basically useless and not being able to be used, and so um, 108 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:05.560 we can imagine what that man might have looked at. It is interesting 109 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:07.920 though, that out of the three gospel writers that record this for us, 110 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:11.360 Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Matthew and Mark both mentioned a man at 111 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:15.959 a withered hand. But Luke, who is the physician, he notices it 112 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:18.360 is the right hand that is withered, And so we find that out in 113 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:22.480 Luke. And this is important. You might say, what difference does it 114 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:24.160 make? It made it. It made a big difference, because in those 115 00:08:24.279 --> 00:08:28.480 days it was the right hand there was looked at is necessary for you to 116 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:33.039 have gainful employment. So our Lord is actually going to restore a man to 117 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:39.480 gainful employment by healing his right hand. So who are the two groups that 118 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:43.639 are there in the synagogue, whether the groups that always seem to be opposed 119 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:48.519 in the Lord, the scribes and the Pharisees. And although they're never really 120 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:52.240 painted very favorably in the Gospels, we don't find much favorable bottom we have, 121 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:56.480 as I mentioned a few messages ago, we at least know about some 122 00:08:56.559 --> 00:09:01.360 favorable Pharisees, and in Nicodemus and uh in Um Paul, and so we 123 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:05.320 know there were some good Pharisees that came out of things. But nonetheless, 124 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:11.679 out of all the things describes and the Pharisees do in the Gospel, this 125 00:09:11.879 --> 00:09:18.720 is probably the absolute lowest that they sink to in this particular story. They're 126 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:24.120 watching Jesus for the express purpose I've seen whether or not he will heal on 127 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:28.120 the Sabbath day. Why so they can rejoice, so they can be glory 128 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:31.240 together and say, oh, this is We've never seen anything like this. 129 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:37.519 No, they're doing it so they might accuse him. They're not going to 130 00:09:37.639 --> 00:09:41.039 rejoice that this man can be a profitable, profitable member of the community. 131 00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:45.720 Again, they're not going to do that. They're just looking at him to 132 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:48.639 see if you'll do something like that, if you heal the man, so 133 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:54.399 they can accuse him of sin and put him to death. I mean, 134 00:09:54.440 --> 00:10:01.200 that's pretty despicable to do that. Reverend Annabua Boy mispronounced his name, but 135 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:05.679 he points out that in social sciences, this is called confirmation bias. He 136 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:11.440 says, confirmation bias happens when a person takes whatever evidence is contrary to their 137 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:18.679 position and interprets it in a way that confirms their position. Now, I 138 00:10:18.679 --> 00:10:20.600 don't know if you do that. We have done that. We we actually, 139 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:24.600 my wife and I have come up with another name for this. We 140 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:28.000 name it after a lady in one of our churches, and we call it 141 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:31.440 the I won't say it, but the blank blank uh syndrome named after this 142 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:37.600 lady, which means that the person has become to us such that whatever she 143 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:41.600 does, however, nice. The thing that she does to what is we 144 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:43.799 see an ulterior motive. I don't know if you know anybody like that, 145 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:48.159 or if you've ever been afflicted with that particular syndrome, but I can tell 146 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:54.679 you that we were. And so this is very similar to this confirmation bias. 147 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:56.360 So if she brings a gift to us at church, we think, 148 00:10:56.440 --> 00:11:00.919 okay, what's she up to now? And we start wondering about that. 149 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:05.440 So anyway, that's something we've encountered. Maybe again, you you may be 150 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:09.919 more holy than I, but here is Christ doing one of the most wonderful 151 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:13.240 acts of mercy. And the scribes and the Pharisees are determined and looking at 152 00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:18.919 it as a negative thing. And and he says, Reverend Annabuey goes on 153 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:22.159 to say, when we operate with the confirmation bias, we do not really 154 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:28.879 adjust our thinking with new evidence presented. We rearranged the evidence to leave our 155 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:33.399 bias undisturbed. And so Luke says, they're watching him. The word actually 156 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:39.200 means they're watching him closely. They're observing him very closely. Calvin says, 157 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:45.480 here, and this is one of those governdants say this, I say this, 158 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:48.519 This is one of those sermons. I'm going to quote Calvin quite extensively 159 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:50.559 because he just had so much good to say about this. But uh, 160 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:54.759 he said, Uh, this narrative and that which immediately proceeds it have the 161 00:11:54.799 --> 00:12:00.399 same object, which is to show the scribes watched with the malicious for the 162 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:05.320 purpose of turning into slander everything that Christ did, and consequently that we need 163 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:13.080 not wonder if men whose minds were so depraved were his implacable enemies. And 164 00:12:13.159 --> 00:12:18.120 so last week I talked about these man made rules that they had the thirty 165 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:22.799 nine categories for Well, not only did they have those ones on reaping and 166 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:26.879 threshing, et cetera, but they also had categories about healing and what kind 167 00:12:26.879 --> 00:12:31.320 of healing could happen on the Sabbath. And there were only really three kinds 168 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:35.159 of healing that were permitted on the Sabbath. So let us go through these 169 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:43.039 three quickly and just see if this particular healing would pass the test. So 170 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:46.159 the first rule is that if the matter is life and death, if you 171 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:50.360 don't attend to it right now, the person is going to die. That 172 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:54.240 was permitted on this isn't it gracious? That was permitted on the Sabbath, 173 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:56.320 you could do that. Well, Obviously, the man has had a withered 174 00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:58.960 hand for a long time. He can have it for a few more days. 175 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:05.600 Not gonna matter, not life or death. The second thing was whether 176 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:11.480 or not by healing on the sabbath you could you could stop a certain condition 177 00:13:11.559 --> 00:13:15.879 from worsening, so it would be harder to heal after that. Well, 178 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:18.720 again this fails the test, because no, it wouldn't matter to the man 179 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:24.360 if you waited a day or two more. Third one might be a little 180 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:28.799 more difficult for you to determine whether or not it falls in the category. 181 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:33.799 It is whether or not Uh, people were people would be allowed to help 182 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:37.320 in the birth of a child on the Sabbath? Uh? Probably not the 183 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:43.600 case here. So and those things, most most things, almost everything to 184 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:48.679 do with healing was work and so forbidden. Well, if you have been 185 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:52.240 observing closely and listening to the sermons I preached here, you might notice that 186 00:13:52.360 --> 00:13:56.879 Lucas made several strong statements about the deity of Christ. As we've gone through 187 00:13:56.919 --> 00:14:01.440 this, He has authority to forgive sins that only belongs to God. He 188 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:05.799 is the lord of the Sabbath. Only God can be the lord of the 189 00:14:05.879 --> 00:14:11.120 day that he's instituted. And now we have another statement. It says in 190 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:16.919 verse eight he knew their thoughts. And the last chapter of John, Peter 191 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:18.840 comes up to Jesus, and of course they have that exchange about whether or 192 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:22.720 not Peter loves the Lord, and Peter says, at one point, Lord, 193 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:30.919 you know all things well? Who knows all things? God, past, 194 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:33.519 present, future, everything. God knows all of that. So again 195 00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:37.039 Peter saying, Jesus, you are God. You know everything. And so 196 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:43.679 now he knows the thoughts. And again Luca's assigning deity to Christ. And 197 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:46.720 so he asked the man to come forward and stand by him, and the 198 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:50.720 man obeys him. It's always a good thing to obey Christ. It's a 199 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:52.759 good thing. It's going to lead to great things, and it's going to 200 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:56.120 do here as well. So let's move on to verses nine and ten. 201 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:03.720 In verse nine, Jesus asked one of those wonderful questions that really there's only 202 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:07.559 one answer for. But of course for the scribes and Pharisees there's not even 203 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:11.279 going to be that one answer. And that's what's so wonderful about this question. 204 00:15:11.720 --> 00:15:16.080 He asked, this, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good 205 00:15:16.200 --> 00:15:20.000 or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it. But those 206 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.480 of you that have young children, I think if you ask those kids and 207 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:28.399 said, and you could do that, said, uh, is it better 208 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:33.679 to do good things on the Sabbath or really bad things? I bet most 209 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:35.919 of your children that are two, three, four or something, they I'm 210 00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:41.639 betting they can answer that question. It's not a difficult question. And it's 211 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:46.360 not only not difficult, but it's brilliant. And of course this shouldn't surprise 212 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:52.200 us coming from Jesus. But the question is phrased even though it's a very 213 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:56.919 simple question, but Jesus puts it in such a way that they can't answer 214 00:15:56.919 --> 00:16:00.159 it. There's no way for them to answer the question. It's like the 215 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:03.360 old question. The old question I'm going to um, I'm going to paraphrase 216 00:16:03.399 --> 00:16:08.120 it for Sunday morning. But because have you stopped mistreating your wife yet? 217 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:12.519 You know that that question that you're in trouble no matter which way that you 218 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:17.399 answer it. But in the Lord's case, the question he asked, if 219 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:19.440 they say it is lawful to do good, then they're going to condemn themselves 220 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:23.000 for what they're thinking. And no rational human being is going to say, 221 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:26.120 no, it's better to do evil on the Sabbath day. So what do 222 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:30.440 they do? They keep quiet, probably good idea. They don't say anything. 223 00:16:30.799 --> 00:16:36.679 But I think our Lord is getting at something even more direct here because 224 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:40.399 he knows their thoughts. So he's not just saying I know you're here, 225 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:44.840 and I know your thoughts are malicious that you want to accuse me. But 226 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:48.240 I think what he's saying is here, I am trying to restore life to 227 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:52.879 someone, and you want to plot how to kill me. Which is which 228 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:57.399 is more proper to the Sabbath. I think that's what he's trying to say 229 00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:03.600 to them. So the fair Sees are getting ready to do the worst possible 230 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:07.799 thing to the greatest human being that's ever been, both man and God, 231 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:14.559 which is the height of evil. And yet they're criticizing the Lord Jesus for 232 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:18.240 wanting to restore a man to health on the Sabbath. Do you see how 233 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:22.799 illogical people in sin become. They can't think straight? And so the Pharisees 234 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:27.200 teach us that there can be evil done in the name of religion, and 235 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:30.920 often many times. I was having a discussion with one of my family members 236 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:34.480 who believe Christians are like the most evil people on the face of the earth. 237 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:37.759 And I told him that much good, more good has been done by 238 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:44.039 Christians in this world than any other group. But there are people who justify 239 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:47.480 religion to try to do some evil actions and all of that. And of 240 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:51.599 course, depraved hearts will do depraved things, and we understand that, and 241 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:56.759 it only confirms us in our doctrine of the depravity of man. And so 242 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:02.319 the right we have obedience to this abbath. They're trying to stop our Lord 243 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:07.319 from doing and what could be a worse violation than that. But Jesus is 244 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:11.240 the Lord of the Sabbath, so he can do whatever he wants. He's 245 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:14.640 free to do whatever he wants to do on the Sabbath because he's the Lord. 246 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:17.759 That's why John calls it the Lord's day. As I mentioned earlier, 247 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:22.279 it's his day. He instituted whatever he wants to do. Who can say 248 00:18:22.359 --> 00:18:26.400 it's not right to do this? And I wondered as I was preparing this 249 00:18:26.519 --> 00:18:30.440 message, that thought came into mind. I'm trying to think that this disciples 250 00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:33.960 after Christ's resurrection, did they ever run into a Sabbath controversy? And I 251 00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:37.000 couldn't find one in the Book of Acts where they ever ran into a Sabbath 252 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:41.519 controversy. I mean, Paul talks about the Sabbath and his writings and things, 253 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:45.000 but I don't remember them ever uh running into one. Now, maybe 254 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:48.880 you can think of one that I didn't come up with. It possible, 255 00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:51.440 and then I tried to figure out why that would be, and I didn't 256 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:53.200 really come up with a good answer. So if you solve that, you 257 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:59.920 can tell me that would that would be fine. But anyway, in Matthews, 258 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:03.480 the count of this story, Matthew adds one thing that our Lord says 259 00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:07.720 in chapter twelve of Matthew Versus eleven and twelve, he said, which one 260 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:11.440 of you who has a sheep, if it falls into the pit on the 261 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:15.519 Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lifted out of how much more 262 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:19.200 value is a man than the sheep? So it is lawful to do good 263 00:19:19.720 --> 00:19:25.160 on the Sabbath. Now, what's interesting about that is it appears that this 264 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:33.440 particular saying of Jesus all Um actually changed rabbinic law on that particular subject um, 265 00:19:33.480 --> 00:19:38.519 because some later writings after the New Testament among the Jews said different things 266 00:19:38.599 --> 00:19:42.119 about this. Uh, and it appears because of what Jesus said. One 267 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:45.960 later law said, you couldn't help the beast, that would be a violation 268 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:51.119 to Sabbath, but you could put planks in the pit so the beast could 269 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:55.319 walk up it. So that was that was then legal to to do that. 270 00:19:55.400 --> 00:19:57.759 Another said on Sabbath, you couldn't help them out of the pit, 271 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:02.799 but you could at least provide food for them so they could live till the 272 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:06.920 next day when you could take them out. So, uh, these are 273 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:15.240 laws that we see that there's an incongruity between the Pharisees concerning animals and humans, 274 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:18.200 but it was apparently a common practice at this time to do this. 275 00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:22.039 So Jesus argues from the less to the greater. So, in other words, 276 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:26.440 if it's lawful to help a beast, how much more lawful is it 277 00:20:26.519 --> 00:20:29.640 to help a human being? Now you notice what Jesus is doing there. 278 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:33.000 He's actually admitting there is a difference between an animal and a man. Okay, 279 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:37.519 he's saying he's arguing from if you can help a beast, you can 280 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:41.680 certainly help a human being who is much higher and much greater of worth. 281 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:45.039 And that so our our Lord is doing that. Uh, spurgeon said, 282 00:20:45.079 --> 00:20:48.160 at last, some acts if a man were not better than an animal, 283 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:52.720 for their dogs and horses are better housed than their laborers. And they are 284 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:56.640 more indignant about the killing of a fox than the starving of a pauper. 285 00:20:57.119 --> 00:21:00.119 So that's spurgin, that's not me, So don't get mad at me. 286 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:04.200 Um. So again, how much more is it true? In our day? 287 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:08.240 We we need to keep a Biblical view of creation and the order of 288 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:15.200 creation and doing this so if we offer to help an animal, the Pharisees 289 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:19.480 don't even dispute it that the Bible doesn't condone cruelty to animals in any way, 290 00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:23.000 but it doesn't endorse putting the life of an animal above the humans. 291 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:26.920 And so the point our Lord is making, as the words of Gooday said, 292 00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:33.839 he said, good omitted is evil committed. Good omitted is evil. 293 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:41.519 Good omitted is evil committed. James Edwards puts it this way. For Jesus, 294 00:21:41.160 --> 00:21:49.000 human need poses a moral imperative. Human need poses a moral imperative. 295 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:52.160 So in verse ten, our Lord is gonna ask someone to do a work 296 00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:56.559 on the Sabbath. They're gonna He's gonna ask him to stretch forth their hand. 297 00:21:56.559 --> 00:22:03.200 The problem is can't do it. So our Lord is asking the man 298 00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:07.319 to do something that he can't do. So he has to exhibit faith in 299 00:22:07.400 --> 00:22:12.200 doing so. Faith which the Lord gives James Edwards against his faith is a 300 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:18.039 risk that Jesus is worthy of trust when no other hope can be trusted. 301 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:23.440 Mark adds in his account of this story, and he looked around them with 302 00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:30.079 anger, grieved at the hardness of heart. He's looking with anger and grief. 303 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:37.000 Calvin says again, as this passage assures us the Christ was not free 304 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:41.000 from human passions, we infer from it that the passions themselves are not sinful, 305 00:22:41.480 --> 00:22:47.559 provided there be no excess. He goes on to say, in consequence 306 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:51.960 of the corruption of our nature, we do not preserve moderation, and our 307 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:56.920 anger, even when it rests on proper grounds, is never free from sin. 308 00:22:56.519 --> 00:23:00.400 And he closes by saying, we ought therefore to or from Heaven the 309 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:07.279 Spirit of God to correct our excesses. Well, let's look at verse eleven. 310 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:11.680 The s V says they were filled with fury. The Greek word that's 311 00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:17.200 translated His theory again has only found two places in the New Testament. Here 312 00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:21.160 is one of them. The second one is in Second Timothy three nine. 313 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.960 Paul says they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain 314 00:23:26.039 --> 00:23:30.319 to all, as was that of those two men. That's what Paul says. 315 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:37.799 So there's translated folly. So Strong says the word basically means stupidity. 316 00:23:37.960 --> 00:23:41.480 But it's anger, but it's stupid anger, it's it's dumb anger. There 317 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:47.359 should shouldn't be anger in this. And Luke is much kinder than Matthew and 318 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:52.119 Mark, for he simply says they discussed what they might do to Jesus. 319 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:56.559 Mark says, the Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against 320 00:23:56.680 --> 00:24:02.920 him, how to destroy him? And Marxis the Pharisees went out and immediately 321 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:07.759 held constant or. Matthew says, the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, 322 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:11.920 how to destroy him. And here they're so intent on at the Pharisees, 323 00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:17.079 who hate the Herodians. Why wouldn't they hate the Herodians. The Herodians 324 00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:22.319 are friends of Roman and Inheritance medium Adamite and all of that, but they 325 00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:26.759 even are willing to join together with their own arch enemies if by some way 326 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:32.400 they can somehow put their Lord to death. The old Saints says, politics 327 00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:37.200 make strange but bedfellows, and it certainly does here as well. So let's 328 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:42.079 apply what we have here this morning. Last week I gave you principles for 329 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:45.920 help in keeping the Sabbath. But I think there's something to notice in this 330 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:49.799 story that is different, that has much to say to us. As I 331 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:53.720 said, I think, I think sometimes we that hold to have view the 332 00:24:53.720 --> 00:25:00.880 Sabbath can be quite phariseico in how people other people keep the Sabbath. And 333 00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:06.440 I think we can be more concerned about what we shouldn't do than what we 334 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:10.319 should do. And that can be true in the way we judge others as 335 00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:14.680 well. We look at people and they're doing something on the Lord's Day that 336 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:18.920 we wouldn't do, and so of course we point our fingers at them. 337 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:23.400 And I um last um last Lord's Day, was preaching. A lad came 338 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:26.240 up to me after the service and told me a story that I hadn't heard 339 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:30.880 before. But it was about a man that was driving and he went by 340 00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:36.680 another member of the church, and this man was riding a horse on the 341 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:38.519 Sabbath. I don't maybe it was Mike Pixley. I don't remember, but 342 00:25:38.759 --> 00:25:44.559 but somebody was was riding a horse on the sabbath and uh, and the 343 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:48.160 man asked him and and said, what what are you doing? Riding a 344 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:52.079 horse on the sabbath? And doing that on the sabbath? I might not 345 00:25:52.119 --> 00:25:55.359 be getting the story exactly right, but the man riding a horse said, 346 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:57.960 why are you condemning me for riding a horse this day? When you had 347 00:25:57.960 --> 00:26:03.039 to use two of them to come see me? That's a good story. 348 00:26:03.559 --> 00:26:11.559 Hendrickson, who is Vonnie's professor, Uh said a sabbath in winter snow drifts 349 00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:15.559 blocking roads and highways. The only way in which a certain village pastor can 350 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:19.759 get from parsonage to the church is by skating over the frozen canal. This 351 00:26:19.960 --> 00:26:25.079 he does. Upon his arrival. The consistory is not pleased. Was not 352 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:30.400 what he had done tantamount to joy riding on the Lord's day? After lengthy 353 00:26:30.440 --> 00:26:33.640 deliberation, the decision has reached the demand of the pastor that he answered his 354 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:41.359 question, did you enjoy the trip? If the answer is yes, he 355 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:45.319 must be censored. If no, the case can be dropped in the pastor's 356 00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:52.039 action can be charitably regarded as a work of necessity. That's how ridiculous we 357 00:26:52.119 --> 00:26:56.519 can get. But we don't usually get too upset with people about what they 358 00:26:56.599 --> 00:27:02.079 don't do on the Sabbath. And as we look at these stories in Luke 359 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:07.160 and other gospels, it seems like Jesus is always working on the Sabbath, 360 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:11.400 doesn't it. It appears that he's always busy doing something on the Sabbath day. 361 00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:17.119 And and when when it's when the gospel writers tell us that's the Sabbath. 362 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:19.279 He's not idle, he's not just laying around. He's doing things. 363 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:26.720 He's healing somebody or doing something that looks suspiciously like work. And to me, 364 00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:30.440 the lesson is we should imitate our Lord in doing works of mercy on 365 00:27:30.519 --> 00:27:36.799 all days, of course, but especially on the Sabbath day. The apostle 366 00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:40.240 John says in First John four twenty, if Amancy I love God and hates 367 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:44.640 his brother, he's a liar, for he loves not his brother whom he 368 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:47.920 has seen. How can he love God whom he has not seen? Then, 369 00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:52.039 he says in chapter three seventeen, but if anyone has the world's goods 370 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:56.799 and sees his brother need, it closes his heart against him. How does 371 00:27:56.839 --> 00:28:00.640 God's love abide in him true at all times? But again, I think, 372 00:28:00.759 --> 00:28:04.400 especially in a Sabbath, Calvin again says, he who takes away the 373 00:28:04.440 --> 00:28:07.680 life of a man is held to be a criminal. And there is little 374 00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:14.599 difference between manslaughter and the conduct of one who does not concern himself about relieving 375 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:21.680 a person in distress. The fact that one shows compassion doesn't make one a 376 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:26.079 Christian, but a Christian should be one who shows compassion. I wonder this 377 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:30.279 is my own wandering now, But I wonder sometimes if the sharp division in 378 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:36.920 our country doesn't sometimes hinder us from being merciful two people. That's just my 379 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:40.200 thought. You can do with it what should like. And Isaiah one, 380 00:28:40.279 --> 00:28:45.480 the Lord complains of Israel's work worship that has become ritualistic. Converse thirteen, 381 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:48.640 he says, don't bring any more vain offerings in senses an abomination to me. 382 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:52.839 New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations. I can endure niquity 383 00:28:52.839 --> 00:28:56.559 and solemn assembly. And in contrast, he says, in versus sixteen and 384 00:28:56.640 --> 00:29:00.640 seventeen, wash yourselves, make yourselves lean, remove the evil of your deeds 385 00:29:00.680 --> 00:29:04.400 from before my eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good, 386 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:11.039 seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's 387 00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:14.880 cause. So I said, I have a lot of Calvin quotes, and 388 00:29:14.920 --> 00:29:18.160 here's another one. He says, for so strongly are we inclined to outward 389 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:25.039 rights that we shall never preserve moderation in this respect unless we constantly remember that 390 00:29:25.079 --> 00:29:30.680 whatever is enjoyed respecting the worship of God is in the first place spiritual and 391 00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:36.279 secondly ought to be regulated by the rule which Christ has laid down in this 392 00:29:36.440 --> 00:29:41.359 passage. So Christ is saying here that not only should we show mercy, 393 00:29:41.400 --> 00:29:48.119 but it can be wrong to withhold mercy on the Sabbath day. And I'm 394 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:55.640 gonna ask your forgiveness and advance. So I'm doing that now. So I'm 395 00:29:55.640 --> 00:30:00.359 going to refer to a television show, and the television show Seinfeld. End 396 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:06.839 of that TV show ended with the four main characters being in a city in 397 00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:12.359 some eastern state and there's a man getting carjacked and they sit there and laugh 398 00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:18.359 at the man because he's heavy and and he looks ridiculous, and they they're 399 00:30:18.400 --> 00:30:22.599 all laughing at him, and the cop comes over and arrest is rest them 400 00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:27.519 for violating the state's good Samaritan law, which said you were required to help. 401 00:30:27.559 --> 00:30:32.400 Now that isn't a real law, but it's one was in the television 402 00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:37.519 show. But the idea of that is really good because it reminds us that 403 00:30:37.799 --> 00:30:41.000 we can be guilty not only by what we do, but by what we 404 00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:45.279 don't do. And so Ken you says, no matter how religious you are, 405 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:48.920 if you don't care about the welfare of others, if you have no 406 00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:52.680 concern about the salvation of the lost, you are lost. Don't soften this 407 00:30:52.880 --> 00:31:02.119 because Jesus never did. But our sins of omission should set seldom bother us 408 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:07.200 as much as our sins of commission do. Jesus did different acts when he 409 00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:12.079 healed people. You know that sometimes he touched their eyes, sometimes he touched 410 00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:18.279 their ears, or he might make mud out of dirt and put it in 411 00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:23.240 her eyes. But what does he do here? Nothing? Absolutely nothing. 412 00:31:23.839 --> 00:31:27.400 All he does is tells the man to stretch out his hand. What are 413 00:31:27.400 --> 00:31:30.519 they gonna be able to accuse the Lord of what has he done? He 414 00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:34.119 just said, stretch forth your end. Maybe they wanted to want to accuse 415 00:31:34.200 --> 00:31:37.279 the man of putting forth his hand. I don't know how you could accuse 416 00:31:37.319 --> 00:31:41.960 that, But what in the world could you accuse someone of doing that? 417 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:47.279 And so it would be like, you know, it would be like the 418 00:31:47.599 --> 00:31:52.319 Pharisees accusing Jesus because there's a blind man on the Sabbath, and Jesus said, 419 00:31:52.359 --> 00:31:56.039 well, just go go go on your way and see what are they 420 00:31:56.039 --> 00:32:00.240 going to accuse him for doing that? So he outwitched at every turn. 421 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:05.200 Not only does tell him it logically makes more sense to do good than to 422 00:32:05.240 --> 00:32:09.000 do evil, but before he performs a healing without doing anything that could even 423 00:32:09.119 --> 00:32:16.160 be against their own laws the wisdom of God. Let me mention something else 424 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:22.839 along that line. I find it interesting that oftentimes what Jesus has these disputes 425 00:32:22.880 --> 00:32:28.119 with the Pharisees and describes, they often end up with no answer from the 426 00:32:28.200 --> 00:32:32.720 scribes and the Pharisees. And I find that fascinating because I don't know if 427 00:32:32.759 --> 00:32:36.880 you've ever listened to debates. I mean, they are religious debates out there 428 00:32:37.000 --> 00:32:40.240 right on infant baptism versus adult baptism or things like that, and people argue 429 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:45.599 that or some exclusive salmody and non exclusive salmody. And you'll listen to these 430 00:32:45.640 --> 00:32:49.640 debates and people do. But at all the debates I've ever listened, I've 431 00:32:49.680 --> 00:32:52.519 never heard anybody in the debate go, you know, that's a good point. 432 00:32:53.160 --> 00:32:55.640 I think I'll change my mind. Let's send this debate right now. 433 00:32:55.759 --> 00:33:01.559 I've never heard anybody do that. But he or everyone that Jesus enters into 434 00:33:01.839 --> 00:33:07.880 nobody can continue the debate. They can't do it at all. And of 435 00:33:07.880 --> 00:33:14.759 course it's because our Lord is so brilliant, because he is God. And 436 00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:17.079 I think that's one of the most wonderful things about the ministry of Jesus is 437 00:33:17.119 --> 00:33:22.960 how often he made people just be silent and not be able to say anything. 438 00:33:23.559 --> 00:33:28.240 And I love that, you know, I just I'd love to I 439 00:33:28.279 --> 00:33:30.559 love to argue. I love to argue with people and then just walk away 440 00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:31.920 because they're silent, don't have anything to say. That'd be great. But 441 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:36.119 that never seems to happen to me. But anyway, happened to Jesus a 442 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:39.880 lot. So we looked again in our exposition. I look with you that 443 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:45.640 that our Lord asked the man to do something, particularly that he was not 444 00:33:45.799 --> 00:33:49.599 able to do. You know, he could have said that, Lord said, 445 00:33:49.599 --> 00:33:52.519 you know, stretched forth, the army is that's my problem. I 446 00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:55.640 can't do that. I need healing. But Jesus said, stretch forth your 447 00:33:55.720 --> 00:34:01.799 arm, and so in so doing he was doing something that was impossible for 448 00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:06.839 him to do. But this is the same way it is in our salvation. 449 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:12.519 God commands us. In next seventeen we read that the times of ignorance 450 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:19.519 God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. God commands 451 00:34:19.559 --> 00:34:22.960 repentance. And in first John three, this is his commandment. This is 452 00:34:23.039 --> 00:34:28.960 his commandment that we believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ and love 453 00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:32.960 one another. That's his commandment. We said, well, people say, 454 00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:37.119 well, well, pastor, if a man is totally depraved, how in 455 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:39.400 the world can he have the ability to repent or believe? You say, 456 00:34:39.440 --> 00:34:44.400 he's totally depraved. So how is that fair? What's fair? For the 457 00:34:44.440 --> 00:34:47.119 same reason that Jesus can say to the amendment the withered and stretch forth your 458 00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:51.599 hand, because God gives the power in order for them to do that. 459 00:34:52.679 --> 00:34:55.880 And that's why it is fair. God grants these things. In Second Timothy, 460 00:34:55.960 --> 00:35:02.199 to Paul says, correcting his opponents gentleness, God may perhaps um grant 461 00:35:02.239 --> 00:35:09.440 them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth. God may grant them 462 00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:15.440 the power to repent. Efesians to aid in nine may know the scripture from 463 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:17.400 a grace. You've been saved through faith, and that is not your own 464 00:35:17.480 --> 00:35:22.639 doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works, 465 00:35:22.199 --> 00:35:29.880 so that no one may boast is God's gift. But what was commanded of 466 00:35:29.920 --> 00:35:35.280 the man to obey, and that's what God commands of all people to do. 467 00:35:35.920 --> 00:35:42.280 He commands them to obedience. And we can't give the excuse that I 468 00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:45.519 can't do that. Thomas Manton said. It is one of the sophisms of 469 00:35:45.559 --> 00:35:51.960 every age to argue to urge the spirits efficacy as a plea for the neglect 470 00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:55.559 of means. It is folly in presumption to think that because power is with 471 00:35:55.719 --> 00:36:01.079 God and from God, efforts should not be in ourselves. You know, 472 00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:04.719 I've heard people, well, you know, I can't do that till the 473 00:36:04.760 --> 00:36:09.960 spirit moves me. You know, now you are commanded to obedience, it 474 00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:16.559 becomes just an excuse. And as we close this morning's eye close, I 475 00:36:16.679 --> 00:36:21.119 mean the stories about Sabbath keeping, let me just say, well, I 476 00:36:21.159 --> 00:36:25.159 think we need to be careful that we go don't go to extremes either way 477 00:36:25.239 --> 00:36:29.199 on the subject, especially when we're dealing with the judging of other people. 478 00:36:30.559 --> 00:36:34.559 Again, courting Spurgeon said, let none, however, from this liberty and 479 00:36:34.639 --> 00:36:37.599 for a license, and treat the Lord's day as if it were their own 480 00:36:37.079 --> 00:36:42.039 and might be spent for their own purposes. They best keep the sabbath who 481 00:36:42.079 --> 00:36:45.280 on the seventh day? Are they? They best keep the sabbath who on 482 00:36:45.320 --> 00:36:50.320 the seventh day, and always rest from their own works, as God did 483 00:36:50.360 --> 00:36:53.800 from his. But how can a man rest until he knows the finished work 484 00:36:53.840 --> 00:37:00.239 of God in Christ, Jesus. How can a man rest unless he knows 485 00:37:00.320 --> 00:37:07.639 the finished work? How can you rest this morning if you've never rested in 486 00:37:07.679 --> 00:37:10.360 the finished work of Christ? Jesus said, come on to me, all 487 00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:16.440 you that are heavy laden, all you that are burdened, Come to me 488 00:37:16.480 --> 00:37:21.440 and rest. Because we need to learn the rest of the Lord. We 489 00:37:21.519 --> 00:37:24.239 need to learn what life is like without trying to earn our salvation by works, 490 00:37:24.400 --> 00:37:28.960 but by just totally resting in the atoning death of Christ that we're going 491 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:31.559 to celebrate here in a few moments. That's what we need to do. 492 00:37:32.280 --> 00:37:36.519 Just rest in the work of Christ and what he has done. That is 493 00:37:36.559 --> 00:37:39.079 the proper way you can. You can keep the Sabbath today in no more 494 00:37:39.119 --> 00:37:43.400 proper way than if you've never rested on the death of Christ, that you 495 00:37:43.440 --> 00:37:47.440 would rest on his death this morning, you would most properly keep the Sabbath 496 00:37:47.480 --> 00:37:52.679 in that way. And then when we learned to rest on Christ, we 497 00:37:52.840 --> 00:37:59.039 learned to enjoy his rest on this day and to use it for his glory 498 00:37:59.440 --> 00:38:02.239 and to find ways. Not it won't be every week that we find something 499 00:38:02.360 --> 00:38:06.840 or anything like that, but that it reminds us that we're not only to 500 00:38:07.480 --> 00:38:13.760 perhaps cease from certain things, but indeed, in a line with that, 501 00:38:13.880 --> 00:38:19.599 we should do certain things where we can declare the Lord's mercy to the world 502 00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:22.760 around us. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word. 503 00:38:22.079 --> 00:38:27.119 Thank you God that we were able to look at it this morning. And 504 00:38:27.159 --> 00:38:30.199 I pray we just judge our own hearts today. Lord, we all fail 505 00:38:30.239 --> 00:38:32.840 in many of these things. Lord, there's no question about it. We 506 00:38:32.920 --> 00:38:37.880 do. And Lord, we don't keep the Sabbath exactly as we showed, 507 00:38:37.920 --> 00:38:40.599 even to those that might be the most meticulous among us. Lord, even 508 00:38:40.639 --> 00:38:45.280 they cannot keep it the way it is properly to be kept. Because we 509 00:38:45.400 --> 00:38:50.800 just fail so often. But Lord, I pray above all things that every 510 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:55.679 person here will rest on your finished work, and that they will trust only 511 00:38:55.800 --> 00:39:00.039 in your blood and atoning death, and rest done. That that they will 512 00:39:00.079 --> 00:39:06.480 receive and obey the faith that comes to them this morning. And God, 513 00:39:06.519 --> 00:39:10.599 that they would believe on you as you command all men to do, and 514 00:39:10.639 --> 00:39:16.360 then to properly keep. This day is your day. May all of us 515 00:39:16.440 --> 00:39:21.239 learn to rest in You, and may all of us, Lord be an 516 00:39:21.280 --> 00:39:25.760 example of what it's like to properly keep this day. We thank you for 517 00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:28.760 it in Christ's name, Amen,