Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:23–3:6) — A Sermon by R.C. Sproul

The Sabbath was meant to be God’s gift to mankind, but the Pharisees turned it into a burden by their rules and regulations. In this sermon, R.C. Sproul examines what Jesus’ response teaches us about the identity and authority of Christ.

#Sermon #Sermons

[NathanDFoust-john]

Powerful, and edifying. Thank you Ligonier and Dr. Sproul.

[BraydenWolframe]

Amen Sproul. Jesus had complete dominion over everything, complete control. May our words be true, spreading the living Word of God, praising HIM forevermore. God bless you all.

[annev]

" For whosoever shall keep the whole [rest of the] law [which forbids adultery], and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2:10
💯All or nothing. Winner takes all!

[rhondae]

Amen! Thank you for the beautiful biblical sermon.

[blesshappyelise]

Thanks for making this available . So deep

[MountCarmel]

Please watch "Who Changed the Sabbath" by Pastor CD Brooks

[Berean_with_a_BTh]

Taken as a whole, the New Testament is unequivocal in its support for the Christian observance of the Biblical sabbath, which ran from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. 

For example, expecting sabbath observance to continue until the end times, Jesus - the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5) - told his disciples to pray that, when they see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, their flight not be on a sabbath (Matthew 24:15-20).

In Acts 13:42-48, jewish and gentile converts alike observed the sabbath.

When writing to _gentile_ Christians in 48AD, the Council at Jerusalem noted: “from early generations Moses has had in every city those who preach him, for he is read every sabbath in the synagogues” (Acts 15:21). At this early stage in church history, there was no New Testament for Christian congregations (which typically met in synagogues) to draw on.

In Acts 20:7, the breaking of bread refers to the evening meal after the sabbath was over. Notice that the reference is to the Jewish 'first day of the week', which ran from sunset on Saturday to sunset on Sunday, and not to the Roman 'Day of the Sun'. Hence, the 'breaking of bread' was the Saturday evening meal. Acts 20:11 confirms that Paul departed at daybreak the next day. The clear implication is that, after observing the Sabbath then preaching on Saturday night,   Paul's intention was to depart on Sunday morning - not to observe a Sunday sabbath.

The offering referred to in 1 Corinthians 16:2-3 was not gathered during a Sunday worship service. Indeed, the text strongly implies that what was set aside was to be stored at home - not brought to the church on Sunday for collection at a church service. For Jews, taking up collections at a sabbath service was (and still is) offensive. 

The Apostle Paul – the apostle to the gentiles – consistently observed the sabbath (Acts 13:14 & 42-44; 16:13; 17:1-2; 18:4-11). After at least 15 years’ Christian ministry, Paul declared: “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended at all” (Acts 25:8), meaning he still kept the sabbath.

Although Romans 14:5,  Galatians 4:9-10 and Colossians 2:16-17 are often used to claim sabbath observance has been abolished, it is far from clear that the sabbath-observing Paul was referring to the _weekly_ sabbath in any of those passages (note that none of them refers to _the_ sabbath).
In Romans 14:5-6, for example, the concern is whether one should fast on certain days, not with sabbath observance.
Galatians 4:9-10 concerns the observance of other dates in the Jewish calendar. Note that the weekly sabbath isn't mentioned.
Similarly,  Colossians 2:16-17 - which contains the only sabbath reference in the entire Pauline corpus - concerns _a_ sabbath, not _the_ sabbath. In any event, the context is given by Colossians 2:8:
_See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ._
In other words, Colossians 2:16-17 concerns human traditions that are "not according to Christ", which clearly does not apply to the institution of the sabbath in Genesis 2:3. What Colossians 2:16-17 tells Christians is that they can safely ignore non-biblical sabbaths and non-biblical rules about the sabbath. 

Hebrews 3:11-4:11 deserves special consideration, as the textual nuances are often missed when relying on a translation. In Chapters 3 & 4, the writer employed the verb καταπαύω (katapauó) and noun κατάπαυσις (katapausis),  both referring to 'settling down, colonizing', as well as, figuratively, 'ceasing' (Hebrews 3:11, 18; 4:1-8, 10-11). In the Septuagint, with which the audience would have been familiar, κατάπαυσις (katapausis) spoke of the rest to be attained by settlement in Canaan. The allusion is evident in the writer's citation of Psalm 95:8-11, which is itself an allusion to Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 14:28-30. This rest, the writer tells us, is the same kind of endless rest God enjoyed when He had finished creating (Hebrews 4:3-4). The writer tells his audience that the Israelites of the exodus could have found such rest in God's grace in Canaan had they but trusted Him. The same kind of rest is promised to Christians but, just as the Israelites failed to attain it, so could they (Hebrews 4:1-3). God's rest is something Christ has entered (cf. Hebrews 1:3; 10:12) and which Christians are to "strive to enter" (Hebrews 4:10-11). Note well that Hebrews 4:3 does *not* say: "we who have believed _have entered_ that rest". Few Christians would argue that God has already given them permanent rest from physical labor (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). That rest will not be attained before the millennium. Of particular note is that the writer switched to σαββατισμός (sabbatismos) in Hebrews 4:9 when saying _"there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God", _ before switching back to telling them to strive to enter the as yet unrealized κατάπαυσις (katapausis) rest. That σαββατισμός (sabbatismos) rest is a direct reference to the weekly שַׁבָּתוֹן (shabbathon) sabbath rest (cf. Exodus 16:23; 20:8-11) and is but a foretaste of the promised future rest. There is no suggestion in either the Old Testament or the New that the weekly sabbath could have become God's promised rest in Canaan. In other words, the writer says in Hebrews 4:9 that the weekly sabbath remains in effect.

In Revelation 1:10, the reference to the Lord’s day does not necessarily mean Sunday. Once again, it at most means after the sabbath was over (e.g. Saturday night). In any event, it is not referred to as a day on which believers had some kind of gathering; indeed, all it tells us is that John was 'in the spirit' on that day. It may also be just another way of saying 'the day of the Lord', which is how the ISV translates it.

Although Jesus is often said to have broken the sabbath (Matthew 12:2, Mark 2:24; Luke 6:1-2; John 5:19; 9:16), thereby abolishing it, what He in fact did was to assert His authority over it (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5), restore its observance to its proper basis (Mark 2:27) and confirm the true scope of what could be done on that day (Matthew 12:10-12; Mark 3:3-5; Luke 6:6-10; 13:10-16; 14:1-6; John 5:2-18; 7:23, 9:1-34).

The earliest _possible_ reference to Sunday worship comes from Ignatius in 110AD who wrote of Jewish converts: “no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day” ( _Letter to the Magnesians_ 9), but see my comments re Revelation 1:10.

The earliest _clear_ reference to Sunday worship is found in the _Epistle of Barnabas_ (c.120), I which the writer says: “Your present sabbaths are not acceptable to Me… we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead”. Note the antisemitism already creeping into the church.

Justin Martyr (c.140) wrote of “memoirs of the apostles” being read on “the day called that of the sun” alongside the “writings of the prophets” ( _First Apology_ 67).

Many others also wrote of Christian worship on Sundays well before the 4th century; and of other Christians who continued to worship on Saturdays.

Conspiracists - especially from the SDA - love to blame Constantine and the Roman Catholic Church for changing the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday when, in fact, the change from sabbath observance to Sunday worship began centuries before either existed.

Although Constantine made Sunday the official Roman day of rest (in 321AD), doing so merely facilitated what was  by then a widespread, centuries-old, majority Christian preference in the western Roman Empire for worshiping on Sundays.

The Council of Laodicea (c.363/4) tried (unsuccessfully) to stamp out sabbath observance by anathemetizing anyone who worshipped on Saturday. Again, this was long before the RCC came into existence - in the eastern part of the church. As late as the 5th century, Socrates of Constantinople and Sozomen cite the seventh day as the Christian day of worship except for Christians in Rome and Alexandria.

Just as the institution of marriage as the union of one man with one woman is grounded in creation (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6-9) so too is the sabbath as a day blessed and hallowed by God grounded in creation (Genesis 2:3). Those who assert that the sabbath has been abolished are, in effect, denying Jesus' lordship (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5) over that day. The denial of the sabbath's applicability to Christians is just one product of the apostate 'American Gospel'.

It is only since the middle of the 20th century that the idea that the sabbath was abolished has gained currency - right along with the doing away of the NT's requirements for women to cover their heads and the discarding of the NT strictures against women as preachers and church leaders and turning worship into an excuse for carnality. Result: the sabbath is profaned far and wide by people who profess to be Christians. Those opposed to a required observance of the 4th commandment typically pass its observance off as legalism, (because we're not under Law but grace) or an attempt at works justification, yet they also typically hold that the other 9 commandments apply to Christians. Talk about hypocrisy!

Today, most of the church barely gives lip-service to even a Sunday sabbath (Lord's  Day) observance - as little more than a sop to Hebrews 10:25. For most professing Christians, the only thing that differentiates it from any other day is the hour (or less) spent in church.

It would be good to see those promoting Sunday as the Christian sabbath, and those espousing its abolition, discuss which day of the week they expect the sabbath to be observed during the millennium.

[roymathai]

Love from India! Is it possible to get a PDF of this message and other messages on request?

[annev]

Interesting sermon this is. While the Pharisees of yester year majored in minors, the Pharisees today minimize majors. The Christian pastors totally reject God's Sabbath and rationalize It away. [He] has problems with most of today's ministers too.

[emmasanchezsoto]

There are many Pastors not informing the truth that all should obey The 10 Commandments, who will lead the sheeps astray? Many not believing in following the Sabbath. Who is telling this to all churches?

[kac]

Constantine (325 AD) DID NOT change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday as Sabbath keepers falsely teach. Christians never kept the Sabbath from the apostolic age (33 AD) through the time of Constantine (325AD). Constantine merely made the first "Sunday closure law", since it had already been the day Christians worship for 300 years!

[kac]

The Sabbath is a religious observance for the benefit of man and not a reflection of the moral holiness of God – This principle is the reason Jesus could say to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). God’s righteousness is reflected by a man when a man keeps the law. In the parallel account of this event in Matthew 12:1-8, Jesus indicates that it is lawful for the priests to labor on the Sabbath. If the Sabbath observance reflects the holiness of God, then it is wrong to allow God’s holiness to be thwarted in the observance of religion. In other words, if not keeping the Sabbath is a direct attack against the holiness of God, then why would God allow unholy men to be guiltless in their temple practices of working on the Sabbath?

[MountCarmel]

Why the Devil and his agents hate the Sabbath command? Read Revelation 12v17 and Exodus 20v8-11
Watch "Avoid this false church system" by Pastor Mark Finley

[andreasstarzacher]

7th day is which day? Because God sanctified the specified 7th day. How calculating it? Is it important why or why not? Thanks

[MountCarmel]

Remember - Sunday Worship was created by the Papacy! Read Daniel 7v25 and Revelation 12v17
Please watch "The Identity of the Little Horn Power" by Angels in the Glen

[tyman]

yeah but if youre killed for violating the sabbath you can kinda understand wanting to be very meticulous as to what is work and what isnt, right?

[keithyarber]

I have a concept to share. A concept of time related to dates on a calendar. If in Arizona, where clocks are not adjusted twice a year (spring foward-fallback) geographically speaking by degrees of latitude correspond with the area known as Jerusalem. If true, then when daily calendar indicates Saturday near Jerusalem, in Arizona the calendar for its location would still be Friday. Am i correct? If so, Sunday there (Jerusalem) is Saturday here only in Arizona. My question is how might the observed Sabbath can exist by those geographically separated subject to any law, but that of time? And if a new temple were Truly to exist, would not the very essence and understanding of Time result in condemning those who incorrectly document its passage? If this concept is incorrect, well, its only an observation valid to debate based on the discovery and application

[kac]

THE END OF THE SABBATH LAW
- What law of commandments separated Jews from Gentiles?  The Law of Moses! One of those commandments was to observe the Sabbath. Ephesians 2:11-15
- Today we are dead to the Law of Moses. That is the same law that said, 'You shall not covet' and also said, 'Remember the Sabbath day; to keep it holy.'  The entire Law of Moses was nailed to the cross. Romans 7:4-7
- The only reason that we are not to covet today is because the Law of Christ commands us! Romans 13:9, Hebrews 10:1, 9
- Those who appeal to the old law make make themselves a debtor to do the whole old law. Galatians 5:2-3

[kac]

All commands of the Decalogue are repeated in the New Testament, as was mentioned earlier, except for the fourth command concerning the Sabbath.

The first commandment is referenced some 50 times either by direct statement or by inference; the second, 12 times; the third, 4 times; the fourth, none; the fifth, 6 times; the sixth, 6 times; the seventh, 12 times; the eighth, 6 times; the ninth, 4 times; and the tenth, 9 times. Does it not seem odd that if God wanted Christians to observe the Sabbath, he would have communicated that to the early church in some manner? Yes, the Sabbath is mentioned many times, but not once are Christians commanded to observe it. Yet, in the Old Testament there are many ways in which God expressed his desire for the Jews to keep this day.

[sulongenjop]

If one observes Sabbath, it means one believes in and follows the teaching of Moses. As such, there would be no need for Jesus anymore!😂