Matthew 12:1-2………Working

Matthew 12:1-2………Working

At that time (Not an exact chronology of events-(New) Jesus went through the cornfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry (Having just come off a busy day of ministry; Reassuring John the Baptist, Confronting the Pharisees, Pronouncing Woes upon all the Cities.-(Chap.11) they were tired and hungry.-(New) and began to pick some ears  of corn and eat them.  2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” (For Complete Expository See Book)

Extended Sermon Notes

“Teaches those who are legalistic will always be watching you, making sure your following all the rules” ⇒ People who are legalistic will always be nitpicking at every little thing you do. They will try to find things to accuse you, that your not a true Christian if you don’t worship a certain way.

“Teaches how Legalistic people will see everyone else’s as wrong if your not doing it like them.” ⇒ A little religious discipline is not bad, it can actual be valuable. Especially when trying to avoid a particular sin. Adding personal guardrails like accountability partners or filters can be wise. And you should do that, there’s nothing wrong with it. In fact there’s great wisdom in adding a extra step of removal from that particular thing your struggling with. Even scriptures says “Make no provision for the flesh in fulfilling it’s lust”-(Rom. 13:14) However the problem arises when we impose our extra step on others, and then judge them by the standards we have set. Therefore we need to be careful by not holding everyone else to the same guardrails and religious observances that we are living by. Not only when comes to sinful avoidances. But also to religious observances, practices, and beliefs as well. Just because you observe the Sabbath or refrain from drinking alcohol, caffeine, and going to the movies. Don’t hold everyone else accountable in doing the same thing.-(Rom. 14:13-23)

“Teaches how legalist’s are always critical, judgmental, and faultfinding towards others.” ⇒ Legalist’s look down their nose at others who don’t keep their standards of righteousness. Legalists often believe that their strict adherence to their own set of rules or standards makes them more righteous or holy than others. This attitude can lead to a sense of superiority and a lack of compassion for those who do not follow the same path. Instead of fostering an environment of grace and understanding, legalists create a culture of fear and judgment.

“The Sabbath was to be set apart as a holy day. You could work six days, but the seventh day was to be a day of rest. The Sabbath was to be a day of meditation and reflection on the goodness of God.  But the Pharisees took the day and turned it a burden with their legalistic rules as to what constituted work. The “Mishnah” [Jewish oral traditions] would later record 39 different kinds of work that was forbidden on the Sabbath. No cooking but only warming a meal. No sewing more then two stiches on a torn shirt. No kindling a fire with more than two dry twigs. No carrying anything heavier than a dried fig. No walking more than 3000 feet from your house”. ⇒ You might think that all of this is a bit excessive, and you’d be right. Even if you were to go to Israel today you would still find the same thing. There are hotel’s that have two separate elevators and one is designated as the Shabbat, or Sabbath, elevator. You wouldn’t  get on the Shabbat elevator unless you were a committed Orthodox Jewish person. You see, the Shabbat elevator stopped on every single floor automatically, all the way up and all the way down. “Why,” you ask? Because to press the button to fetch the elevator is considered work by some. The press of a button which sends an electrical current to a control box is work. That was the rule. That was the regulation for the Sabbath day. The Sabbath was originally given by God to Moses in the Ten Commandments.-(Ex.. 20:8-11) Others believe the Sabbath was instituted in the day of creation long before the Law of Moses. Where God Himself followed the pattern of working for six days and then resting on the seventh day.-(Gen.    ) For believers our Sabbath is now Sunday (The Lord’s Day) where we put our lives on hold and take time to reflect, meditate, and celebrate the goodness of God in all He has done in Christ by coming to Church and worshiping Him and fellowshiping with other believers.

“Religious rules and rituals are not all bad. Some offer stability and familiarity. But when they become ridged to God’s leading. Or when it hinders God’s work it becomes evil.” ⇒ When you start creating rules and forcing them on people you can actually start to discreating true works of God and actually get in the way of the work of God. Are rituals wrong? No, not inherently. Empty ritual is wrong, as is any ritual that replaces, obscures, or detracts from a vibrant relationship with God. There is no New Testament mandate to include recitations, ceremonial objects, or symbolic physical gestures in our worship today. Our devotion is to the Lord Jesus, not to various rituals or liturgies. All churches have a format that they typically follow, and this can be thought of as a “ritual.” Some rituals include things like communion, fasting, prayer, penance, alms-giving, serving in the community, and generally doing good. Of course, it is good for everything to be done “in a fitting and orderly way”-(1 Corin. 14:40), and having a procedure to follow is not wrong. Many traditions provide people some comfort and growth. But, if a church is so liturgical and its structure so rigid that the Holy Spirit is not able to freely operate, liturgy has gone too far. Are rituals and traditions commanded in the church? No, except for baptism and communion. God sees the heart, and He seeks those who worship Him “In the Spirit and in truth”-(John 4:24). Rituals can be beneficial, but external rules and rituals should never replace inner devotion. The Mosaic Law prescribed a set of rituals for Israel’s worship of God. There were many ceremonial laws for them to observe. Some of those laws were very specific and involved the sprinkling of water, the sprinkling of blood, the waving of grain, or the washing of clothes. The Mosaic Law was fulfilled in Christ-(Matt.  5:17). The rituals of the Old Testament were never intended to be a permanent part of worship, as Scripture clearly teaches: “The gifts and sacrifices are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order”-(Heb. 9:10). The “external regulations” are not binding on us today.

More Notes & Applications

Displays how Legalists are always watching, looking for ways to find faults in others.

Teaches how Legalists’ all about rules and regulations in how well you follow God. 

While it is essential to implement personal guardrails and measures to avoid specific sins in our own lives, as the bible says “Make no provision for the flesh”-(Rom. 13:14) we must not impose these same standards on others.

Some point out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, by following Jesus around on the Sabbath they were themselves breaking the Sabbath by traveling further than they were supposed to which constitute work. Or better yet, if they were so concerned about keeping the disciples from doing any work on the Sabbath why didn’t they just offer them some food instead. Why didn’t they say to the disciples; “Here, here, fellas! Don’t work on the Sabbath. Look; we have brought our lunch! It’s all prepared! Will share

While we don’t keep the literal Sabbath anymore as a religious observance. Yet we should remember the Sabbath principle in taking time to rest, remember, refresh, and rejoice.

We may not fall into a religious legalism. But we can turn cultural rules, among others, into a sort of “Cultural legalism” that enslaves us to spend our leisure time serving the god of self, instead of the true God. Sometimes we’re more like the Pharisees than we realize. They tried to protect their tradition and their people. In like manner, we too try to preserve our lives in various ways, but when we allow the ways of the world to become our ways—we need to seek afresh God’s ways.

According to the Law of Moses people were allowed to pluck grain or grapes by hand from a neighbor’s field or vineyard, so long as one did not harvest the grain with a sickle or put the grapes in a bag (Deut. 23:24–25). This allowed those who were poor to find food in the harvest season without taking too much from the profits of their neighbors. This was a Jewish form of welfare where owners of fields are told not to harvest everything, or to harvest the farthest corners of their fields, but leave some for the poor.-(Lev. 23:22) By doing this shows how poor and destitute the disciples were. And that Jesus didn’t work a miracle and produce food every time they were hungry. But instead made them trust God to meet their needs. It also shows how heartless the Pharisees were. They cared less that these poor people were moving through the grain fields and filling their empty stomachs with a few heads of grain. The only thing they saw was a violation of the law against working on the Sabbath.

SIGNS YOU MAY BE A LEGALISTIC PHARISEES…….

• Do you make rules equal to the bible that are outside the bible

• Do you beat yourself up when you don’t keep your rules

• Do you care more about rules than loving others

• Do you get angry when people break your rules or who have different rules

• Do you think your a good Christian and everyone else is a bad Christian

• Do you force your convictions and observances on others

• Do you care more about religious observances & practices then about relationships and fellowships

• Do you try to find acceptance with God by what you do rather than by grace

• Do you read the bible and go to church to win brownie points with God

• Do you define your spirituality by how disciplined you are

• Do you refuse to forgive although you’ve been forgiven

• Do you judge others before you listen to them

• Do you justify yourself by comparing yourself to others

• Do you feel the need to point out someone else’s sin publicly.

• Do you respond with anger when someone corrects you or reproves you

• Do you have a critical or unloving attitude towards others

• Do you appoint yourself as judge over other people

• Do you put more importance on outward conformity

If you see any of these signs in your life, invite the Holy Spirit to set you free from legalism. Stop striving, repent of pride and ask God to open your eyes to the reality of His amazing grace.