Luke 13:10-17 "Sabbath Topical"

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Open your Bibles, if you will, to Luke 13.

I'm going to be reading Luke 13, beginning of verse 10, down through verse 17.

Luke 13, beginning of verse 10.

Now, he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath,

and there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for 18 years.

She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.

And when Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her,

Woman, you are freed from your disability.

And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight,

and she glorified God.

But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,

said to the people,

There are six days in which work ought to be done.

Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.

Then the Lord answered him,

You hypocrites.

Does not each of you, on the Sabbath,

untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?

And not this woman, a daughter of Abraham,

whom Satan bound for 18 years?

He loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?

And he said these things.

As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame.

And all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Let's pray together that the Father would give us understanding of his word.

Father, we thank you for your word.

Your word is a light into the depth of our souls.

Your word pierces down through all of our defenses, all of our justifications.

It pierces down to places that we don't even know are there.

And that's what we need.

But your word also shines upon and shows the light of your glory and the wonder of your grace.

And as we see ourselves, we also desperately need to see your grace.

So would you shine the light in both ways that we would see honestly who we are,

but also see the glory of grace

and be drawn more deeply into the knowledge of Jesus

and all that he has done for us.

Give me words from your spirit.

Help me in the weakness of my own words

in such a way that by your spirit,

we will hear you speak to us.

And we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

And some of y'all saw the gift,

or the title of this sermon,

saw the gift of the Sabbath,

you may have been a little anxious

because there are certain sermons that you can preach

that are automatically guaranteed to inspire guilt.

You know, one of those is on prayer,

one of those is witnessing,

and this is another one.

And I don't think in all my years

that I have heard

a good, balanced, uplifting, encouraging sermon

on the Sabbath,

especially in a church

that emphasizes so strongly God's grace.

You know, I appreciate, you know,

the way that we go through,

we are going through the Gospel of Luke

because probably if the topic was just left up to us,

we would have gone here.

But when you go through the text,

you can't avoid it

because, you know,

in the place of just a few verses,

not only here in Luke 13,

but you get over in a couple weeks,

we're going to be seeing it again in Luke 14,

beginning of verse 1,

and we've already seen it

back earlier in Luke.

You can't avoid this subject.

So, you know,

it seems like there's no single command

that Jesus has had to deal with

and runs into so much trouble

with the Pharisees

than this whole idea of the Sabbath.

And so, you know,

at the heart of Jesus' teaching here,

what he's having to deal with,

with the Pharisees,

again, over and over and over again,

is simply their abuse.

It's not the idea of the Sabbath,

but it's their abuse of the law itself.

And this is one of those places in the law

that they have majored on.

And so Jesus is dealing here

with the Pharisees

and their whole concept of the law.

And in that day,

there were these rabbinical writings.

It was called the Mishnah.

And in that Mishnah,

there were about five volumes.

One whole volume of this

was devoted just to Sabbath keeping.

So in a sense,

what Jesus is dealing with

is not so much their misunderstanding of the law,

but it's the way they were dealing with the traditions

even around the law.

They had turned the Sabbath law

more than almost anything else

into a means

where they could show off,

not just to God,

but to the world,

to the culture and society,

their own goodness,

their own religious zeal,

their righteousness.

And they were quite proud of it.

But at the same time,

and this is where we struggle,

you know,

at the same time,

we,

a lot of us,

wouldn't put ourselves in that camp.

But Jesus is not

throwing out the Sabbath.

Not in any way.

What he's dealing with

is the abuse

of the Sabbath law.

You see,

our struggle

is typically

just in the other direction.

I mean,

we,

we're people of grace.

We're not under the law.

We don't have to keep

all these rules and regulations.

In fact,

there's some people would say,

but you know,

even in the New Testament,

we're not even commanded

to keep the Sabbath anymore.

So it really,

it doesn't even apply.

I mean,

why are we even talking about this?

Well,

I would counter

that the Sabbath

is deeply rooted

in many ways

in the gospel itself.

And

in reality,

as we reject

all the rules

and regulations

of the Sabbath,

we find ourselves

more closely aligned

with the Pharisees

than we would want to know.

So what I want to do

this morning

is

we're going to do

an overview

of this whole

Sabbath principle.

And then next week,

Will is going to come back

and deal with

the specific context

here

of Jesus

healing this woman.

But because it comes up

so often,

we need to take a look

at what the Bible

really says

about the Sabbath.

So what we're going to do

is we're going to do

basically

a quick overview

and a Bible study

of

what is taught

here.

Because a lot of us,

I don't think,

I really don't think

we know.

And then we're going to see

from that

then

what are the

implications

for us.

You know,

for Christians,

you know,

what are we supposed

to do

with the Sabbath?

The Sabbath

is a gift

that we rarely

take advantage of.

So,

let's look at Scripture

and see what it says.

First,

I mean,

we have to begin

all the way back

in Genesis,

particularly in Genesis

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

In Genesis 2,

Genesis 2:2

verses 2 and 3,

we read this.

And on the seventh day,

God finished

His work

that He had done

and He rested

on the seventh day

from all His work

that He had done.

So,

God blessed

the seventh day

and made it holy

because on it

God rested

from all His work

that He had done

in creation.

Here,

all the way back

at the very beginning

in the act of creation,

the Sabbath

is instituted.

It is not instituted

in the Ten Commandments.

It is instituted

way before

the Ten Commandments.

And it was a principle

that should have been

governing all of life

in God's creation.

But in these,

in this couple of verses,

there are three things

that God says

that we need to look at

just quickly.

One is that

God celebrates.

You know,

what we did not read

is the end of chapter 1

in creation

where God looked over

all that He had created

and He said,

behold,

it is

very good.

God looked over

His creation,

all that He had made

from the world

and the animals

and the plants

and man Himself

and said,

yeah,

this is good.

God,

and so when He gets

to the seventh day,

He rests.

But part of that rest

is He's looking back

and He's celebrating.

He said,

look,

my glory

in creation.

and that's one

of those points

about that seventh day

that we just miss.

It's a day of celebration

but then He's,

and at the culmination

of that,

then He blesses

that day.

You know,

God is ceasing

His creative work.

He blesses this day.

He is satisfied

with all that He has done

and that satisfaction

then leads Him

to the next thing

which is He rests.

Not because He's tired.

He doesn't cease working

because,

I need a break.

He's resting

because He looks

and He's satisfied.

It's done.

It's good.

You know,

it's like an artist

who would paint

this glorious painting

and they work

and they work

and finally

they stop painting

and they look at the work

and say,

there's nothing more to do.

And so God rests.

He simply ceases

from His work.

And then thirdly,

in that celebration,

in His rest,

He sanctifies it.

He makes it holy.

He sets it apart

from every other day

and establishes this now

as a pattern.

as we have six days

to work,

to do our work

but yet there's this seventh

for celebrating

and being satisfied

with

all that God has done

is creation.

celebration.

And I think,

again,

it's this whole idea

of blessedness

and celebration

is one of those

key ideas

about the Sabbath

that we miss

because we look

at the Sabbath,

we look at,

you know,

whether it's Sunday

or Monday

or Saturday

or whatever,

I'm not dealing

with that part

of the issue.

But we look at it

as a burden.

We look at it

as something,

oh shoot,

I gotta do this,

I can't do this,

I can't do this,

okay.

This is a day

for celebrating.

It's kind of like,

you know,

in a sense,

we never feel burdened

over our birthdays.

Our birthdays

are to be celebrated.

I made it another year.

But here God's celebrating

something so much greater,

all that he's done.

There's another passage

a little bit later,

still back in the Old Testament,

Exodus 16.

I'm not gonna read

this whole passage,

but there's something

that God does here.

And the passage

is particularly focused

on God providing manna

in the wilderness.

But this idea of Sabbath

comes into play.

And what God is doing here

is that he's telling people

how to,

he's feeding them

in the middle

of the wilderness

out of nothing.

And he says,

every morning,

I want you to go out

and you're gonna find

scattered all over the ground,

basically,

it's this heavenly bread,

this manna,

that they are to gather.

But he gives them

very strict rules,

particular rules

on how to do this.

And he specifically

tells them,

he says,

this is a test.

I'm gonna test you.

He says,

you're to go out,

gather enough

for one day.

Don't gather two.

Don't gather enough

for three.

You're not storing it.

You're not packing it away

in Tupperware.

You're gathering enough

just for that day

until you get

to the sixth day.

And on the sixth day,

you gather enough

for two days.

Only on the sixth day.

And there was a reason

why he was doing this.

What he wanted them to do

was to trust him.

He says,

I'm gonna provide for you.

I'm gonna supply

all your needs.

I'm gonna do it

from one day

to the next.

But a day in the week,

that seventh day,

you're gonna rest.

You're not gonna go out

and gather.

You don't have to.

You're gonna stay put.

And I'm gonna provide

for you then as well.

And so he sets apart

the Sabbath

as a different day.

But it's a test.

A test

for them

to demonstrate

that they actually

do trust

in their father's

provision.

That's Exodus 16.

You go on

a little bit farther

in Exodus 31

Exodus 31:12–17

verses 12 through 17.

And I'm gonna read

just a couple of verses

from that.

He says,

And the Lord said to Moses,

you are to speak

to the people of Israel

and say,

above all

you shall keep

my Sabbath

for this is a sign

between me

and you

throughout your generations

that you may know

that I,

the Lord,

sanctify you.

There's a couple

of statements

in there

that draws

my attention.

One he says,

he says,

above all.

Wow.

That is a pretty

strong statement.

He didn't say that

about adultery.

He didn't say that

about anything else.

He says,

the Sabbath is above all.

which is raising

the importance

and the value

of this

significantly.

And now,

why are they

to keep it?

Well,

here,

in this passage,

the emphasis is

that it's a sign.

It's a sign

of what?

It's a sign

that really

is a sense

that God

is gonna set

them apart

apart

from all

the other

nations

around them.

All these

other nations

that don't know

anything about

keeping the

Sabbath.

But he's going

to,

in a sense,

make Israel

peculiar.

He's gonna

make them

different.

He's gonna

set them apart.

He says,

this is what

you're gonna do.

because I

sanctify you.

I'm the one

setting you

apart

and you

are mine.

It's a sign

of ownership

that these

people

are now,

because of the

way they treat

that seventh

day,

they are going

to distinguish

themselves

as God's

people,

not like

any other

people.

people.

And this

is indeed

a serious

matter.

Now we

get to

probably one

of the places

where most

of us would

start when we

think of

the Sabbath,

and that is

when you look

at the Ten

Commandments,

but particularly

I'm gonna look

at those from

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5.

You'll find it

back in

Exodus 20,

a little bit

different,

but specifically

in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 5:12–15

5,

verses 12

through 15,

this is what

we see.

Observe the

Sabbath day

to keep it

holy,

as the Lord

your God

commanded you,

you shall

remember that

you were a

slave in the

land of Egypt,

and the Lord

your God

brought you

out from

there with

a mighty

hand and

an outstretched

arm,

therefore the

Lord your God

commanded you

to keep

the Sabbath

day.

Now here,

we have a

different emphasis.

it is a

celebration,

but not so

much about

what God

did in

creation,

it's a

celebration

of what God

does in

redemption.

They are to

set apart

this one

day in

their week

and remember.

They are to

remember we

used to be

slaves.

We used to

be under

the yoke

of Pharaoh.

We used

to be

helpless,

but God

with a

mighty hand

and a

mighty arm

broke the

power of

Egypt and

delivered us

and made

us his

own people.

And so

here, I

mean the

emphasis,

I mean it

is on work

and rest,

but the

reason why

is so

that we

can celebrate

God's

work

at setting

us free,

setting us

free from

our slavery,

setting us

free from

all of that

which would

oppress us

in Christ,

looking ahead

at the

ultimate

redemption

that was

coming.

We rest

on the

Sabbath day,

especially in

light of

redemption,

we rest

on the

Sabbath day

as a way

of saying

our labors,

our work,

the strength

of our hand

does not

give me

freedom,

does not

give me

satisfaction,

does not

supply my

needs,

my rest

comes

in Christ

himself.

And here,

because I

celebrate

redemption,

I can

rest.

But this

is talking

about a

rest that's

deep,

not just

physical.

A rest

that goes

down in

our souls

where I

can rest

from my

striving to

be

good enough.

I can

rest for

my striving

that God

would smile

upon me.

I can

rest.

And I

would venture

to say

that most

of you,

or at

least,

a lot

of you,

are tired.

Maybe

you're tired

because you've

been working

non-stop.

Maybe you're

tired because

you stayed up

last night

until almost

midnight at a

rock concert,

like some

of us.

Maybe you're

tired for

chasing your

kids around

all over the

community,

but I would

say there's

a deeper

tiredness.

We are all

in the business

of self-justifying

because we

want that

smile of

God.

We want

God to

say,

I am

satisfied.

And we

don't get

there.

But we

keep working.

We keep

working because

we're not

sure he's

going to

provide.

We keep

working because

we're not

sure we've

done enough.

We keep

working and

striving to

earn that

place that

Christ has

already

finished.

finished.

And so we

celebrate the

redemption and

the rest that

Christ gives

us.

And I think

this is where,

if you go back

and look at the

Pharisees and

their struggle,

this is where the

Pharisees missed it

the most.

Because the whole

reason why they're

keeping all these

rules and all of

these laws is that

they're working

hard,

endlessly working,

to keep their

good standing

before God.

And in their

working,

they missed the

boat completely.

Instead,

they should have

been resting in

him and then

fulfilling the

call for justice

and mercy,

which is what

Jesus does here.

Which kind of

leads us into the

last passage,

which we're going

to look at,

and that's up

into Isaiah,

Isaiah 58,

particularly verse

13 and 14.

And it's

interesting because

in Isaiah 58,

the whole chapter

is a rebuke.

This is a chapter

that the Pharisees

should have known.

It was a rebuke

of Israel

because of their

Sabbath keeping.

It was a rebuke

because they had

turned to their

religion and their

ritual and the

performance of the

ritual of thinking

that was enough.

But the problem

was when they

prayed,

God wasn't

answering.

They kept calling

and praying and

all they got was

silence.

And they're

wondering,

what's wrong?

We're doing

everything we're

supposed to.

And then we get

these words

in verse 13

and 14,

which you'll see

there on the

screen.

If you turn your

back from the

Sabbath and from

doing your pleasures

on my holy day

and call the

Sabbath a delight

and the holy day

of the Lord

honorable.

If you honor it,

not going your

own ways

or seeking

your own

pleasure

or talking

idly,

then you shall

take delight

in the Lord.

And notice

the point here

is they're

doing all of

the religious

stuff,

but their

hearts are

directed

somewhere else.

And the

focus is not

so much on

the specific

duties they

do,

but what they

really want.

And so the

message of this

that really

Jesus gives

to the

Pharisees,

and I think

he gives to

us,

self-absorption

can take

many forms.

It can take

the form of

being highly

religious,

very particular

in our

following the

codes and

the rules.

It can also

take the

form of

doing whatever

we want.

But it all

comes from

the same

place.

I'm trusting

me.

I'm looking

at me.

I'm the

one that

provides.

I am the

one that

satisfies.

I am the

one that

will give

myself the

most pleasure.

It's all

about me.

And God

simply says,

I give you

the Sabbath

to tell you

it's not

about you.

so to sum

things up,

the Sabbath

is a day

of rest.

It's what we

see from the

beginning,

from God

rested.

It's a day

of celebration.

It's a day

of celebrating

all that God

has done in

creation,

but also in

redemption,

what he's done

to bring us

back into

fellowship with

him.

And this

is a point

that we may

think strange

because we

so often see

the Sabbath

as a burden,

but John

Piper says

something

interesting.

He explains

it this way.

He said,

if we spend

the day

focused on

Jesus,

the most

pleasurable

and the most

desirable one

there is,

it is impossible

that that day

would become

a burden.

It's a burden

because we're

still working.

We're still

striving.

It's all about

us and it's

all up to us.

The Sabbath

is to be set

apart from

all other days,

made special

for these purposes.

It's a day

of focused

concentration

and worship

and celebrating

what God

has done.

It's a day

we remember

all that God

has done.

It's a day

that we

remember

our dependence

and it's a day

we turn away

from our

self-sufficiency.

So,

that said,

how are we

going to live

as Christians?

As those

who embrace

God's grace,

how are we

supposed to live

then in light

of the

Sabbath?

I think there's

three things.

The first

is just

avoiding

the extremes.

The extremes

are really

two things,

two directions.

One is

that highly

legislating

what you're

supposed to do

in the specific

acts.

In here,

you can go

to such extremes.

I got into

a conversation

once.

I was doing

a presbytery

exam with a guy

and we were

talking about

this whole

Sabbath

principle

and asked

him,

he says,

well,

what can

you do

and what

do you

think of

the

Sabbath?

What can

you do?

What can

you not

do on the

Sabbath?

And he says,

well,

I don't think

going to a

Braves game

on the

Sabbath

fits with

what the

Sabbath

means.

because that's

doing

commerce.

And he says,

well,

what if you

buy your

ticket on

Saturday?

Can you

go then?

Well,

what about

if you go

on a

Saturday night

game but

you stay

out so

late,

it's a

double header

and it

goes into

extra innings

and you're

totally exhausted.

Is that?

Can you do

that?

Or

can you go

to the game

and not buy

hot dogs?

Or

you see,

if we start

asking the

questions,

if we even

begin to ask

the question,

what specifically

can I

and I

cannot do

on the

Sabbath,

you get into

a quagmire.

So we need

to avoid

that approach

because it's

hopeless.

You'll never

get to the

end.

But there's

another

extreme.

The other

extreme is

we throw

it out

altogether.

And that

misses the

point as

well.

The

Sabbath is

a gift.

It's given

to us.

It was not

thrown out

when Jesus

came.

He put it

back in its

rightful place

as a place

for us to

celebrate.

And so

the day

is a day

to be special

and set

aside.

where we

can express

our faith,

our trust

in the

one who

provides.

So

avoiding the

two extremes.

The second

thing is

embracing it

as a gift.

God gives

us a

Sabbath as

a gift

of rest

but I

think it's

a bigger

gift than

that.

And it's

not just

that physical

rest.

Some of you

need some

physical rest.

Some of you

need to quit

carting your

kids around

town,

quit running

to the

store,

quit work

for one

day,

quit studying

and just

rest.

But we're

talking here

about something

more deeply.

And the

gift that

God gives

us on

the

Sabbath

is actually

a gift

that protects

us from

our

idolatries.

It first

protects us

from this

idolatry of

self-dependence.

By telling us

not to work

on one day,

it simply

tries to

break that

hold of

I am the

one that

has to make

it happen.

If I don't

work, I

won't eat.

And God

says,

uh-uh.

You eat

because I

provide.

You have

all you need

because I

give.

And so the

Sabbath is a

way to protect

our hearts

from that

kind of

self-dependence

of thinking

it's all

up to

me.

It also

protects us

from the

idolatry of

acceptance.

What are

your neighbors

going to

think?

What are

your kids'

friends going

to think

when they

can't do

travel sports

on Sunday?

They said,

man,

y'all a bunch

of weirdos,

a bunch

of religious

freaks.

You're going

to be looked

at as

different and

weird.

Yeah.

In some

ways,

that's part

of the

point.

Our

acceptance

doesn't

come from

other people.

Our identity,

our sense

of belonging

doesn't come

from somebody

else's smile

and pat on

my back.

It comes

from the

Father who

has set

me apart

as his

own.

And I

am different.

I don't

belong here in

this world.

If that's

news to

you,

we are

citizens of

another kingdom.

We don't

belong here.

And when

we follow

Christ,

we are

different.

We can't

help it.

And so,

in a sense,

this guards

us from

this idolatry

that we

have of

other people's

approval.

The third

thing,

it guards

us from

this idolatry

of self-determination.

The Sabbath,

in a way,

is a

line.

And all

you have

to do

is draw

a line

in front

of someone

and then

they're going

to feel

there's a

fence,

there's a

barrier,

and then

they want

to cross

it.

So,

don't put

a barrier

up to

me.

Don't

restrain

me.

I am

self-determining.

I am

the one

who rules.

You know,

and Paul

himself said

in Romans 7,

all you got

to do

to tell

somebody,

if you want

to get

them to sin

is tell

them don't

do it.

There's

the fence.

And that

rears up

in us

this

self-determination

that we

have.

And the

Sabbath

is one

of those

things where

God gives

us and

says,

no,

you don't.

This is not

about you.

This is the

place

where you

hear my

word

and you

say,

I trust

you.

it.

And so

this is one

of those

gifts that

we have

that guards

us.

But then

the third

thing we

see as

we celebrate

the

Sabbath

is we

celebrate

a hope

of something

greater.

See,

we need

rest.

We need

rest more

than just

one day.

But in

Hebrews,

as Will's

already read,

a rest is

coming.

Where a

rest from

all of our

striving,

all of our

working,

all of our

performing,

we're going

to get to

rest

ultimately,

finally,

completely,

because

it'll all

be over.

A rest

is coming

where we

will stand

before God

and we

will see

him smile,

say,

well done,

good and

faithful servant,

enter into

the rest

of your

master.

And when

we celebrate

the Sabbath

together,

we are

saying,

that is

my hope.

This is

just a taste.

It's just

a foretaste.

This is

not the

end of

the story.

This just

sets our

sights on

something

much,

much

greater

and more

glorious

to come.

God

is

to

God

is

the

gift

of the

Sabbath.

And really,

when we

come to

this table,

when we

come to

the Lord's

table,

this is

what we

celebrate.

We

celebrate.

We stop

our rest,

we stop

our working,

and we

gather around

the table

as a

feast.

we rest

in the

work that

Christ has

done.

His

broken body,

His shed

blood,

has paid,

and has

earned,

and established

our rest.

And so we

celebrate

this

together.

So let

me,

this is the

invitation.

Those of

you who

are in

Christ,

come

and

remember

the deep

rest that

has been

given and

provided for

us through

Christ.

But I

will also

acknowledge that

some of you

here may not

know Christ,

but I

would also

say,

more than

likely,

you are

exhausted,

you are

tired.

Don't

come to

the table,

but come

to Jesus.

Come to

the one

who says,

all you

are weary

and heavy

laden,

I have

given you

rest.

So come

to Christ,

stop your

striving to

be good

enough.

stop your

striving to

provide

enough.

Come to

the one

who has

done

everything

and is

satisfied.

Come to

the table

and again

and remember

and taste

the rest

we have in

Christ.

Let's pray

together.

Lord Jesus,

as we

come,

would you

in a very

tangible way

help us to

remember the

rest that

you've given?

Help us to

taste it.

Help us to

sense it.

Help us to

know it.

Come and meet

us here.

We are tired

Lord.

And we

don't have

to be.

Bring us

into your

rest.

Through your

shed blood,

your broken

body,

it was all

done for

us.

We pray in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

Let me read

you these

words from

1 Corinthians

where Paul

says,

For I

received from

the Lord

what I

also delivered

to you,

that the

Lord Jesus

on the

night when

he was

betrayed,

he took

bread,

and when

he had

given

thanks,

he broke

it and

said,

This is

my body

which is

for you.

Do this

in remembrance

of me.

In the same

way he took

the cup

after supper

saying,

This cup

is the

new covenant

in my

blood.

Do this

as often

as you

drink it

in remembrance

of me,

for as

often as

you eat

this bread

and drink

this cup,

you proclaim

the Lord's

death

until he

comes.

The body

of the

Lord Jesus

as we

see in

this bread

was broken,

took our

judgment.

His blood

was poured

out to

wash us

clean from

all of our

failure,

all of our

sin.

Come and

eat,

come and

drink,

and remember

the gift

of rest.

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information,

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