The Sabbath and Acts of Mercy - Evangelical Caucus/Devotional

Gracetoyou.org ^ | 2008 | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

“‘But if you had known what this means, “I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath’” (Matthew 12:7–8).

God has not hesitated to set aside His laws for the sake of mercy toward sinners. Otherwise none of them would be saved or even born, because He would have destroyed them right after they sinned. God’s plan was not to condemn all sinners but to save from its penalty those who believe in His Son. And if a righteous and just God displays that kind of love and mercy, how much more ought His children reflect the same quality of mercy?

Because the Old Testament Sabbath was God’s special day, faithful Jews would have wanted to show mercy on that day. But the leaders, due to their wrong-headed interpretation of the Sabbath and their basic unbelief, actually violated the spirit of the Sabbath. They refused acts of mercy on that day, not because of biblical devotion to the law, but because they lacked compassion.

Since the “Lord of the Sabbath” has come, the obligation of a Sabbath rest is no longer applicable to believers. Under the new covenant, they have the freedom as to whether or not they honor any day above others. Whatever position they take, they must glorify the Lord (Rom. 14:5–6), but not impose their thinking on fellow believers (Gal. 4:9–10; Col. 2:16).

Strict Sabbath observance was never to supplant sincere mercy and compassion by believers. God is merciful and commands us as Christians to be merciful.

Ask Yourself

Rather than looking at the Sabbath as a day for not doing certain things, what might be some deliberate actions you could undertake on the Sabbath, whether in hospitality or compassion or service?

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TOPICS: Evangelical Christian; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: gty; sabbath

[metmom]

Studying God’s Word ping

[metmom]

Again a reminder........

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[metmom]

Take it up with the mods. That’s not my problem nor responsibility nor is this the place to address that.

[Tell It Right]

Thanks for posting, metmom.

I tend to volunteer a lot on Sundays at church. I'm often there 6 hours. So no one has to tell me to honor the meat of the main post or of Jesus healing on the Sabbath.

That said there's probably something for having a period of rest and devotion to God each week beyond or morning devotional. In other words, just because most of us FReepers and evangelicals don't take the Sabbath to the legalistic extreme like FReeper vespa300 obsessively posts about (and the Pharisees did when they were looking for anything to pin on Jesus), doesn't mean we ought to ditch the Sabbath altogether. At least, that's my take on it.

[Roman_War_Criminal]

Thanks for the posts MM!

It never ceases to amaze me what Satanic control over humanity “religion” has created in the name of “obedience”.

The Lord even lovingly admonished Cain after he royally messed up in Genesis 4:7.

[norsky]

Amen, thank you for posting that, for it is true.

[metmom]

These verses come to mind.

Romans 14:1-9 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Colossians 2:16-23 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

[metmom]

And reading Scripture the Sabbath is ordained as a day of rest.

It was never mandated as a day of worship, or THE day to worship.

Now, I understand why people do it. They do fit together well and it makes a LOT of sense but it wasn’t for the purpose of worship per se.

I’m u der the impression we should be living more like Romans 12:1-2, making our lives a daily worship to God.

[Responsibility2nd]

Since the “Lord of the Sabbath” has come, the obligation of a Sabbath rest is no longer applicable to believers. Under the new covenant, they have the freedom as to whether or not they honor any day above others. Whatever position they take, they must glorify the Lord (Rom. 14:5–6), but not impose their thinking on fellow believers (Gal. 4:9–10; Col. 2:16).

Tremendous point!

Thanks MM for posting. And thanks to the RM for kicking off that troll.

[gitmo]

Thank you for posting this.

God Bless.

[metmom]

Interestingly, I just post from the devotional book whatever is up for each day.

I am not posting it for any nefarious reason. It’s just the timing and that’s not my doing.

Happy Thanksgiving.