Participants: Alexander Biscette
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000253
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00:30 Welcome to Faith Chapel
00:33 The program designed to increase your faith 00:36 by the preaching of God's word. 00:38 I am Alexander Biscette. 00:40 and today we are talking about Jesus and the Sabbath. 00:45 Jesus and the Sabbath. 00:49 Once again I invite you to bow your heads and join us as we 00:53 begin with a word of prayer. 00:55 Dear God, our loving heavenly Father, 00:59 we thank you so much for Jesus. 01:03 We pray that your holly spirit will be with us 01:08 to guide us as we study Your Word 01:12 and as we learn from Jesus, our Savior 01:14 how to live for You, in Jesus' name. 01:18 Amen. 01:21 Jesus and the Sabbath. 01:26 At the very beginning of this message, 01:29 I want to take the opportunity 01:32 to tell you 01:37 to reinforce the fact 01:40 that our salvation 01:43 is based on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ 01:47 on the Cross of Calvary. 01:49 I want to make that clear, I want to make that plain because 01:52 I believe it is important that we understand that. 01:56 That we are saved by Grace through Faith. 01:59 Jesus came and gave His life on the Cross of Calvary. 02:04 He died so that you 02:08 and I might be saved. 02:11 He died, He gave his life for us and that's where our salvation 02:14 is. 02:15 It is a free gift of God. 02:17 You cannot work to earn salvation. 02:21 Salvation is by Grace through Faith. 02:24 Because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross of Calvary. 02:29 But, my friends, Jesus has also preserved for us 02:35 a wonderful blessing 02:39 That comes only with the joy and worship 02:45 of Jesus on the Sabbath. 02:49 It comes only with the worship and the fellowship 02:53 the joy that we get when we meet on His holly Sabbath day. 02:59 And Jesus has preserved this for us both by precept 03:03 and example. 03:05 And today we want to take a look 03:08 at how Jesus is related to the Sabbath. 03:13 At Creation God instituted the Sabbath and established it 03:19 as the perpetual, memorial of God's creative power. 03:26 God's intention is that the Sabbath should be a blessing 03:31 to god's people, 03:33 for time and eternity. 03:36 And when Jesus came 03:40 to this earth 03:42 to live and to carry out his earthly ministry 03:47 we find no indication 03:50 in His teaching or in His practice 03:55 that suggests us in any way that Jesus Had lessoned 04:01 the emphasis on the Sabbath or that He had done away with it 04:05 in any way. 04:06 What we find 04:08 is that Jesus 04:10 precept and example 04:13 upheld the Holly Sabbath Day. 04:18 And Jesus was often found in the temple 04:24 worshipping God on the Holly Sabbath Day 04:27 just as he expects us 04:29 to be found worshipping Him on His Holly Sabbath Day 04:36 Luke chapter 4 and verse 16 04:40 the Bible tells us that it was Jesus' custom to worship on 04:44 the Sabbath. 04:45 it says: 04:59 So my friends, 05:01 Jesus came to Nazareth 05:05 when he had been brought as a child 05:08 and the Bible says "as His custom was" 05:12 he went into the synagogue to worship 05:16 this was Jesus' first visit to Nazareth 05:20 since He left along early 27 to begin His earthly ministry 05:30 He came back to Nazareth 05:32 to visit 05:34 and he went into the synagogue. 05:36 It was His custom, meaning that it was His habit, His practice 05:42 by the way that's all he knew. 05:44 When Jesus was a child He often worshiped in the synagogue 05:47 often went there with His parents and often had 05:50 the opportunity even to read from the Law. 05:52 And from the vast knowledge of the Word of God even 05:58 as a child He was able to expound the Word to the 06:03 amazement of many 06:05 but it was Jesus' custom. 06:06 So we can begin here and notice that Jesus, when He was on Earth 06:12 continued to worship on the Holly Sabbath Day. 06:16 Even when He became an adult even after He begun His 06:19 earthly ministry. 06:21 He continued worshipping on the Sabbath, it was His custom. 06:28 There are several other references in the Scripture 06:33 that strengthen Luke's point that it was Jesus' custom 06:40 to worship on the Sabbath. 06:42 For example in Mark chapter 1 verse 21 06:46 we find Him worshipping in the synagogue at Capernaum 06:51 the Bible says: 06:52 a 06:59 This is when Jesus has made his first disciples 07:03 Peter, Andrew, James and John. 07:05 They followed Jesus, they were the first disciples who 07:08 followed Jesus. 07:09 And on the first Sabbath, after they begun to walk with Jesus 07:13 they went in the synagogue at Capernaum 07:16 Here we have Jesus worshipping on the Sabbath 07:19 at Capernaum and He is taking part, He is leading in the 07:23 worship service as well. 07:27 Then in Mark chapter 6, verse 2 07:31 There's an other recorded instance of Jesus worshipping 07:33 on the Sabbath. 07:49 This were His own people 07:50 who could not understand how this young men who grew up 07:54 among them had become one with such great authority and had 07:58 such wisdom. 07:59 Matthew records this 08:02 incident in Matthew chapter 13 and verse 54, but Matthew 08:06 makes no reference to the Sabbath. 08:09 He simply says that Jesus taught them in the synagogues 08:13 in the synagogues. 08:14 This is interesting because in Matthew 4: 23 08:18 Matthew says Jesus went about all Galilei 08:23 teaching in the synagogues. 08:25 Again he does not mention the Sabbath. 08:29 But this are references 08:32 to Jesus worshipping on Sabbath 08:36 taking part on the worship service on Sabbath 08:40 and even leading out in teaching in many instances. 08:43 So all this references 08:46 versus Old Scripture that places Jesus in the synagogue in 08:50 various places 08:52 at different times on the Sabbath day only serve to 08:56 strengthen Luke's position that it was Jesus' custom 09:00 to worship on the Sabbath day. 09:05 Jesus Himself, my friends, alludes to it 09:10 in John 18: 20 09:12 when He was accused 09:15 during His trial, when He appeared before Caiafas 09:20 and Caiafas questioned His disciples about His doctrines 09:25 and His teaching, he wanted to know what is it that He was 09:29 doing so wrong. 09:31 And Jesus answered and said in 09:35 chapter 18 verse 20 09:37 Jesus said: 09:52 He does not mention the Sabbath, 09:54 but again the references made to the synagogue 09:58 and Jesus had been teaching in the synagogue all the time 10:02 "and you found no fault of what I were doing. " 10:05 What has happen suddenly? 10:06 Of course, what we know, 10:08 how they were conspiring to put Him to death 10:11 because they could not handle his ministry. 10:15 Jesus, it is His custom to worship on the Sabbath, 10:19 Luke tells us that clearly, and many references in 10:23 the New Testament support the fact that it was His custom 10:27 to worship on the Sabbath day. 10:31 During His earthly ministry 10:33 there are a number of encounters recorded in counters 10:36 between Jesus and the Pharisees 10:38 when they accuse him of doing things that were not lawful 10:41 to be done on the Holly Sabbath day. 10:44 And many people, scholars, commentators, preachers, 10:51 have come to the conclusion 10:53 that Jesus somehow got rid of the Sabbath, abolished it, 11:00 abrogated it, did something, got rid of it, 11:03 because of some what He did on the Sabbath day. 11:07 We will take a look at some of what Jesus did on the Sabbath 11:10 and see how he clarifies 11:14 the Sabbath, the intent and purpose of the Sabbath. 11:21 I want us to take a look at His authority, 11:24 the authority of Jesus. 11:26 How he astuted His authority in this matter of the Sabbath 11:31 Mark chapter 2 verse 23 and 24 11:37 records an interesting development. 11:41 It says: 12:02 This is the first one. 12:03 Jesus walked through the corn field with His disciples, 12:10 and they were hungry and they begun to pluck the grain and 12:13 they ate 12:15 and He was accused by the Pharisees. 12:19 In response to the accusation 12:23 Jesus recalled that what David did when he handled 12:30 the showbread in the temple which was reserved only for 12:33 the priest. 12:35 In so doing he taught us a very important principle in 12:39 Sabbath observance. 12:42 He showed that reliving hunger and attending to human suffering 12:50 are all in the spirit of the Lord, in the spirit of 12:54 the Sabbath. 12:55 The Sabbath must be a blessing and not a burden to God's people 13:03 The Sabbath must be a blessing and not a burden to God's people 13:12 It is heard that Jesus exercises His authority 13:16 as Lord of the Sabbath. 13:19 Mark chapter 2 verse 27 and 28 13:24 We read from the word of God: 13:41 The Sabbath was made for man 13:44 and not man for the Sabbath, therefore 13:47 the Son of Man, meaning Jesus is Lord also of the Sabbath. 13:56 The Sabbath was made for the benefit and wealthy of mankind. 14:03 Here's the bible commentary puts it this way. 14:08 God did not create man 14:11 because He had a Sabbath and needed someone to keep it 14:16 rather an old wise creator 14:20 knew that man, the creature of His hands needed opportunity 14:27 for moral and spiritual groove 14:30 for character development 14:33 he needed time in his own 14:36 interests and pursues 14:39 should be, I think I need to read this again, 14:44 he needed time in which his own interests and pursues 14:49 should be subordinated 14:52 to a study of the character and will of God as revealed 14:57 in nature. 14:59 And later in revelation 15:01 The seventh day, was a day of God to meet this need. 15:08 The seventh day was a day of God to meet this need. 15:14 So the Sabbath 15:17 is made for man to be a blessing to man. 15:21 It must not be made a burden. 15:24 It must be a blessing. 15:27 Jesus performed many acts of healing on the Sabbath day. 15:34 We have seen that, when His disciples plucked the leaves 15:38 of corn, on the Sabbath day 15:42 that Jesus did not stopped them. 15:44 And we have seen His response 15:47 when He was accused of allowing His disciples to do that which 15:51 is not lawful on the Sabbath day. 15:53 Before we go to some of the acts of healing 15:56 I want to make this point, I think is very important 15:59 listen carefully. 16:01 In all of the instances 16:05 when Jesus did things on the Sabbath, whether when He allowed 16:09 His disciples to pluck the ears of corn, or the grain, or when 16:13 He performed acts of healing and compassion on the Sabbath. 16:19 In all of those scenarios, or situations or cases 16:26 the Sabbath itself 16:29 in question or contention 16:34 there was never an issue of whether the Sabbath should be 16:38 kept or not. 16:40 The issue was always about what should or shouldn't be done 16:45 on the Sabbath. 16:47 That was always the issue. 16:50 The Pharisees never accused Jesus of doing away with 16:54 the Sabbath. 16:55 It was about what should or shouldn't be done on the Sabbath 17:02 Jesus performed a number of healing acts of compassion 17:06 on the Sabbath. 17:09 Let us take a look at the one we find in Mark, chapter 3 17:15 verse 1 through 5. 18:21 Very interesting encounter 18:24 between Jesus and the Pharisees 18:28 On the Sabbath day 18:30 over the healing of a crippled man. 18:34 And, my friends, you can look at this verse 18:38 and you will see that the issue is not about the Sabbath 18:46 Or whether or not Jesus is abolishing the Sabbath. 18:49 It is about what may or may not be done on the Sabbath. 18:54 And Jesus was asking them 18:57 Is it good, is it a good thing to do good in the Sabbath day? 19:01 Can we attend to the hurting on the Sabbath? 19:05 Can we heal the sick on the Sabbath? 19:09 Can we relieve suffering on the Sabbath? 19:12 Can we reach out in compassion to those who need it on 19:15 the Sabbath? 19:19 And they held their peace. 19:21 Because, my friends, they knew that they took care of 19:24 of the animals on the Sabbath they went and watered 19:27 the animals, and took care of the cattle and all of that, 19:30 but yet they were in opposition 19:34 to the fact that Jesus was healing people on the Sabbath 19:37 day. 19:38 So the problem here is not whether or not the Sabbath 19:41 should be kept 19:42 Jesus, it is His custom, it is His lifestyle, as a matter 19:46 of fact, my friends, it is His Sabbath when He says 19:48 The son of man is Lord of the Sabbath. 19:52 It is my Sabbath, Jesus is saying. 19:56 And it is His Sabbath 19:58 if Jesus is lord of the Sabbath 20:01 then Jesus is the best one to prescribe the rules 20:06 to decide what should or should mot be done in the Sabbath. 20:11 So Jesus is the one who defines the rules. 20:15 Jesus my friends is the one who is in the better position 20:21 to define the Sabbath to us. 20:23 Jesus did not abrogate the Sabbath by his acts of healing 20:27 and compassion, instead, as Lord of the Sabbath 20:31 he affirmed His true intention for the Sabbath as a day of 20:37 deliverance for the disconsolate. 20:39 A day of hope for the hopeless 20:42 And a day in which the weary may find rest in the hands 20:49 of Jesus. 20:51 Jesus shows His concern for the Sabbath 20:54 When in Matthew 24 verse 20 20:57 He told His disciples 21:08 You see, because Jesus knew 21:10 that the Romans were going to attack Jerusalem and will siege 21:13 the city 21:15 and the people would have to run for their lives and so on 21:19 and Jesus said pray, it's going to happen, 21:23 but pray that it does not happen in the Sabbath. 21:26 And you may not have to flee and run on the Sabbath. 21:29 Why? 21:30 Because Jesus knows the importance of the Sabbath 21:33 he shows His respect for it, it means that Jesus never 21:38 nullified the Sabbath. 21:41 instead He taught us how to keep the Sabbath. 21:44 He taught us that we can be compassionate on the Sabbath day 21:50 Even during the time of His death 21:53 those who have walked with Him for three and a half years 21:57 who had sat at His feet and learned from Him 22:01 observed the Sabbath when Jesus was buried. 22:05 Luke chapter 23 verse 54- 56 22:11 The Bible tells us: 22:41 These people 22:44 who had sat at the feet of Jesus 22:46 who had followed Him for three and a half years 22:49 They had heard His teachings, If Jesus had abolished 22:53 the Sabbath in any way 22:55 these people would not have rested according to the 22:59 commandments on the Sabbath day when Jesus was buried 23:02 as a matter of fact what actually happened was that 23:05 Jesus Himself rested on the Sabbath 23:07 even in His death and His followers did not desecrate 23:11 the Sabbath in trying to give Him a decent burial. 23:16 But they waited, and on the first day of the week 23:19 they came back, but on the first day of the week Jesus 23:22 rose triumphantly Matthew 28 verse 1 23:26 The Bible tells us: 23:39 So, my friends, 23:41 they rested on the Sabbath and they came early, the first day 23:45 of the week 23:47 to continue the decent burial process. 23:51 Because they wanted to embalm the body of Jesus and because 23:55 the sun was setting on Friday, they couldn't do it. 23:59 They respected the Sabbath. 24:01 That goes to show that neither Jesus, 24:05 nor His followers, my friends, up to the time of His death, 24:10 interfered with the Sabbath in any way. 24:13 They respected it, they observed it. 24:16 My friends, I thank God 24:20 that the same Jesus Christ who died for us on the Cross 24:23 of Calvary, 24:24 is the same Jesus Christ 24:27 who offers us such marvelous blessing 24:31 in fellowship with one another and the worship of God 24:35 the worship of Jesus on his holy Sabbath day. 24:38 Now think of what Jesus did for you on the cross of Calvary, 24:42 my friends, maybe you have not paused to consider this 24:48 Do you know, if you were the only sinner 24:52 who needed salvation 24:54 Jesus would've come and died for you anyhow? 24:59 He came to die for you 25:02 and is the same Jesus 25:04 who gave His life on the cross of Calvary, 25:08 who suffered and get summoned who suffered on the cross 25:11 of Calvary, 25:12 who had nails driven through His hands and feet 25:16 and a spear thrust through His side. 25:19 This same Jesus 25:21 who had a crown of thorns forced down his brow 25:25 who's body was broken 25:27 who gave his life on the cross for you. 25:30 It is the same Jesus 25:32 who wants to meet with you 25:35 on His holy Sabbath day 25:37 He is saying to you my friends I've given you six days in which 25:40 to live and do all your work, 25:42 but give me one. 25:43 This one day 25:45 because I love you so much. 25:47 Because I love you so much. 25:49 Give Me this one day 25:51 Let us spend it together, 25:54 let us have fellowship, 25:56 come and enjoy worship at my feet, 25:59 come and receive my blessings - 26:01 it is the same Jesus and every time we look or we think 26:05 of Calvary and what He did for us, my friends, 26:10 giving up everything for Him should become that much easier. 26:15 And worshipping on the Sabbath is not a hard thing to do. 26:18 As a matter of fact it is a beautiful thing 26:21 to meet with God's people and Jesus on His Sabbath. 26:26 My friends, Jesus intends for the Sabbath 26:30 to last through time and all eternity. 26:33 Jesus is coming soon, 26:35 and he is coming for a commandment keeping, 26:39 Sabbath observing people. 26:42 Not because they are saved, 26:45 because they keep the Sabbath. 26:48 They are not saved by keeping the Sabbath, 26:51 they are not saved by keeping the commandments of God, 26:54 they are saved because of the faith of Jesus. 26:57 But as they embrace the faith of Jesus, 27:01 they are lead also 27:03 to keep the commandments of God, because it is the only 27:06 way to walk in harmony with His will. 27:11 I invite you to give your life to Him, 27:13 and come into the joy and fellowship and worship 27:17 on God's holy Sabbath day 27:19 be one of those who experience the joy of Jesus 27:23 in worship on the holy Sabbath day. 27:27 I thank God that Jesus has given us such a blessing 27:33 that we may enjoy fellowship one with another 27:36 and setting everything aside, we can worship Him once a week 27:40 on His holy Sabbath day. 27:43 My friends, my prayer for you is that this too will become 27:48 your experience, will become your joy. 27:50 May God Bless you as you turn everything over to Jesus. |
Revised 2014-12-17