Luke 6:1-5

The Sabbath rest was meant to be a blessing. The Law of God as it relates to the Sabbath is a time we set aside to focus on the Lord, and what He has blessed us with.

Father, we ask you to bless Lord your word to our hearts.
Father, may we leave this place filled with your spirit filled with your word?
And Lord, as we shall see, not legalized or condemned or shot down by rules and regulations, but truly by what Jesus seeks to teach and what he taught back then 2000 years ago, to liberate us, to set us free to walk in the power of the spirit, in holiness and in righteousness and in the joy of the Lord, which is our strength.
So Lord allow us now not to be hearers but doers of your word in Jesus name and all God’s people said, amen.
If you need a Bible, raise your hands, the ushers will give you a Bible so that you might follow along with us.
It’s important as we go through the word of God together and while you’re getting your Bible or while you’re opening your bible, turn to Luke’s Gospel this morning chapter six verses 1 to 5.
Luke chapter six verses 1 to 5.
And the title of the message this morning is Jesus Christ, Lord of all. Hey, let me say that again.
And then you shout amen. OK, Jesus Christ. Lord of all. Hey man.
Yeah, because he is Jesus Christ is Lord of all says the Bible.
And you’re gonna hear Jesus Christ make a statement that um if you were living 2000 years ago, uh even if you were a disciple walking with him or an antagonist, walking alongside Jesus accusing him, it would have gotten your attention.
Jesus is going to announce to the people he’s going to give a title that quite frankly will shock those who hear an amazing statement Jesus is about to make and the context is right and the moment is right and his answer is just right in what he’s being asked and challenged about Jesus Christ, Lord of all.
Luke chapter six, beginning at verse one there.
It says now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that he went through the grain fields and his disciples plucked the heads of grain and rubbed them in their hands together.
And some of the Pharisees said to them, why are you doing?
What is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?
But Jesus answered and said to them, have you not even read this? What David did when he was hungry?
He and those who were with him, how he went into the house of God and took and ate the show bread and also gave some to those who were with him, which was not lawful for anyone but the priest to eat.
And Jesus said to them, the son of man is also Lord of the Sabbath.
Listen, I don’t know if you’ve ever been to court. I don’t wish that upon anybody.
But, uh, if you go to court or if you’ve been to court, you’ve been in a case or maybe you’ve even been in a jury and you’ve watched this take place.
There is the opening arguments. Have you seen that happen?
Certainly, you’ve seen it on TV, where they have the opening arguments and that attorney has studied the case, he believes that he can or she can’t represent the case wisely, that it’s a case that’s possibly winnable.
And so they’re going to start their entire arguments, which is the word that’s used with opening arguments.
And that is a very key moment because when you have your opening arguments, you are giving the reasons with passion as to why you believe your client is not guilty or why they should be awarded what is being sued for.
And then when you’re done, then the opposing attorney stands up and gives his or her opening arguments as to why.
And then there’s the case that ensues and all of the evidence and the witnesses and the examination, the cross examination takes place and all of the things that go on.
And then there is the closing arguments and then the closing arguments the attorney wants to present in a very, very dynamic way those things that are vital, the things that have been mentioned brought up and shown that would tend to support his case and to set his client free or to gain that suit.
It’s an argument, the whole concept and the whole presentation is an argument regarding what is true against what is false.
What is the accurate representation of what’s happened as we look to our Bible this morning, Luke chapter six opens up with an opening argument and the opening argument is not necessarily what is said, it is what is being witnessed.
Jesus is walking along, the disciples are with him and as they’re walking, we don’t know what’s going on.
Were they silent as they walked? Was Jesus teaching them as they walked? Uh What did Jesus do?
What did the disciples do this?
We don’t exactly know, we just are thrown into what is now the opening argument to a case that the Pharisees want to build against Jesus.
And that is he’s a violator of the law of God. They’re going to try to build this case.
And from here on out, by the way, from this moment in the gospel of Luke, they’re going to be plotting how to kill him from this time on, they want Jesus dead.
Why? Because they believe that he’s a violator of the law of God.
When in reality, Jesus is not the violator, they in fact have violated the very law of God and you’re going to see that this morning in these arguments, you’re going to also see that they, the religionist, the professional religionist, they’re going to launch an accusation and arguments against the disciples.
They’re going to accuse them, these false finders and sin sniffers. That’s the way a legalist always is.
They’re going to seek to condemn and seek to bring into question the ministry of Jesus, the person of Jesus and his disciples and nothing’s changed 2000 years from now, nothing’s changed.
But get this in your mind’s eye. As we go through this study, they’re walking through the fields.
Some of your Bible say cornfields, it’s not corn fields.
The word in the Greek here used in the New Testament would be barley or wheat fields, wheat.
So they’re walking along probably down a little path because the wheat fields even to this very day are cut with paths or trails.
They’re walking along and the disciples begin to pluck some of the grains of wheat, rub them together.
And have you ever done this before? By the way? It’s kind of fun.
You rub it together and you blow and all the chaff blows away and you’ve got the kernel of wheat and you put it in your mouth and you begin to chew it, it tastes really good and it turns into a gum and you can chew it like almost all day long, a a wheat gum, but you can eat it and it’s wonderful.
And So they’re going along and they’re doing this and whatever Jesus is doing with his disciples is being done.
They’re walking, going from point A to point B whatever they’re doing.
Amazingly, these guys, the scribes and Pharisees they’re watching this. Now, how are they doing this?
Do they have like sheaves built around them with little windows as they’re snooping around?
They’re always tracking Jesus every time he does something they come out of the woodwork.
Hey, you ought not to have done that.
So, as Jesus is walking along, you see these guys almost like in bushes following along, trying to find fault with Jesus.
That’s the way a legalistic person is, by the way, always looking to see how and when you step out of line next, they’re always sniffing around.
How can they accuse you? Because the more they accuse you, the better they feel you, you can always know when someone’s in trouble by how much mud they sling toward others.
Just know that it’s a, it’s a human part of the nature.
Well, this, well, that, oh, if you and oh boy, you know what a wise guy knows, you know what something smells here, whatever Jesus does, they’re calling into question, they’re after him.
So this morning, choose on which side of the aisle are you?
Which side of the bench are you? Are you a legalist?
Are you saying that you’ve got to keep these rules and do these things?
And yes, there’s the 10 commandments, but we’ve added 239 other rules to our church or to our group or to how you’ve got to meet this criteria before you can fellowship with us.
That’s a pharisee and it’s very popular, but not only is that a pharisee, but we can also easily adopt a judgmental or critical attitude toward others when we begin to look down at them and judge them according to a human standard.
This is what the Pharisees are guilty of departing from the word of God and adhering to man made standards.
It’s called religion. Religion is man’s attempt to impress or to obtain God’s favor.
That’s the definition of religion to do this over and over again until God is impressed or God’s whatever your religion might be and you thereby have their attention where God in heaven sends his son Jesus that we might have relationship.
And so the question is this morning is Jesus Christ, Lord of all in your life.
Well, number one, look at it with me is our first point. Jesus Christ, Lord of all.
Number one is Jesus Christ is Lord of creation and boy, I wish we had the time to get into all of the verses that teach about jesus’ uh creative powers in creation that the Bible says over and over again.
That in Genesis, 11 that it was Jesus Christ doing that work.
Did you know that the Bible tells us all throughout scripture that Christ was the one at creation, that he was the one doing it.
The Bible even says in the book of Colossians that he not only made everything that is, but he even made things that are invisible and Principalities and power.
He made the angels, the Bible teaches us Jesus Christ.
He is truly lord of all and he is lord of creation.
I want to point that out because first of all, they’re walking through the grain fields.
This may sound simplistic to you. But who made the grain fields?
God did, who made the grain God, who made the dirt?
God, who made the sun that brought the power to the seed for it to grow? God did.
And the Bible teaches us that it’s God who had come to earth and was walking among them.
Jesus Christ is Lord of all and he’s certainly lord of creation in Genesis chapter two verse two.
It says that on the seventh day, God created or excuse me, God ended his works which he had created and he rested on the seventh day from all of his work that he had done.
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because he rested from all of his work which he had made.
So look with me in verse one.
Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that he went through the grain fields and his disciples plucked the grain and you read on to see what they’re doing.
They start eating. There’s no problem. They’re not violating their conscience. You don’t see them struggling with it.
But let’s focus on this one point right now, Jesus Christ being lord of all Jesus Christ, being Lord over creation, mark it down.
He is Lord of all that is spiritual. Will you write that down?
He is Lord over all that is spiritual.
Jesus Christ is when it says that it happened on the second Sabbath after the first.
Don’t be confused by that. There are key days of feast days in the Old Testament.
For example, there’s the feast of Pentecost. There’s the the day of atonement. Yom Kippur, there’s the day of tabernacles.
There’s these key days that were announced as holy or Sabbath days.
And then there’s then there’s the weekly Sabbath day that comes after that day.
So for example, a holy day like let’s say it’s the day of Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.
Let’s say it, it arrives on a Thursday that’s called a Sabbath. It’s a special or a high holy day.
But then Saturday to the Jewish mind would be the Saturday, Sabbath, are you with me?
So when it says in verse one, now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first.
It may mean that on the second high holy celebration, the Saturday after that, that’s when this event took place.
It’s no big deal. I just pointed out to you uh because it’s mentioned here in scripture, the point is Jesus is walking on the Sabbath with the disciples and they’re plucking grain and they’re eating, watch what happens.
It’s all about him being Lord over spiritual things.
If God is God, you know the silly thing that people will say, well, if God created everything, if he made a, if he made the chicken, you know, did, did the egg come first or the chicken or can God make a rock so big that he can’t pick it up?
What kind of a stupid question is that, would God make something that he’s now um subject to.
If God made gravity and then is now vulnerable to gravity, then now he’s made something greater than himself.
He’s Lord over all that applies to spiritual issues and it applies to scientific issues.
By the way, a miracle is God’s intervention and that, which is normal.
He circumnavigates the science issues and performs a miracle. You can’t be healed of that tumor.
The doctor says it’s impossible. Of course, it’s impossible. According to science, it can’t happen.
God established those rules, but God is not bound by those laws of science.
God can say I’m going to perform a miracle. I’m gonna declare right now for that cancer.
And if you’ve ever had to die and I hope you never have to do this.
But if you ever find out about a cancer or you got to research a cancer about yourself or somebody you love, you quickly find out that cancer.
You know what cancer is? Cancer is a cell that it’s almost acting as though it has a mind of its own.
Did you know that cancer in a sense says, you know what, I’m not gonna do what I was engineered to do.
I’m gonna do something different than what I was engineered to do.
And a cell, it’s a rogue cancer is a rogue cell.
It’s a cell that goes against the very reason why it was created.
Is it nothing or is it something for God to say, hey, cancer cell, I command you right now to go back to the way you’re supposed to act.
When he speaks the word, it affects the community in which we live in.
The very, in that community may be our very own blood system or whatever it might be when God says, you know what?
You’ve got diabetes and that’s a scientific fact and you’re just not healed of it that way.
And somebody prays for you and God moves. What does God do? He overrides the physical laws that he’s established.
It’s nothing for him to us. We say a miracle. Does God go?
Thanks for noticing boy, that one took a lot of energy out of me.
That was a big one who I’m glad you noticed when God created everything on that seventh day.
Did he say man? Am I beat? He’s not put to stress by physical issues.
By the way, he’s not put distressed by any issues.
When the Bible says that God rested on the seventh day. He’s trying to send us a message.
We need the rest, we need the break. God teaches by example.
That’s why Jesus came and he’s the Lord of all that is spiritual, the whole meaning of the Sabbath.
If it’s just the keeping of a day, you’ve missed it completely.
You see the Pharisees, they were so stuck to the day. What you did this on this day?
It’s not the day. It’s the spirit behind the Sabbath. They missed it.
They were so bound by religion that they missed. The meaning. Are you with them?
Everybody, they were so bound by what was on the calendar that they couldn’t see the reasons why they didn’t understand nor even think God didn’t need to rest when he created all things.
But he took a rest anyway. Gee what does that mean? There’s a reason for it?
The Lord is Lord over all that is spiritual.
That’s why the scripture says regarding the Sabbath day, they walk through the green fields, by the way, it doesn’t tell us how long or how far they walked.
But as they walk to the grain fields, we look at this also the second consideration of the fact that he’s the Lord of all creation.
He’s the Lord of all that is physical. Jesus is the Lord of all that is physical.
Now, I bring this in light up in light of the Sabbath. Is the Sabbath. Holy. Yes.
Is there a great reason for why he’s given it? Yes.
But do we understand the reason why, what does it matter if you know the 10 commandments?
But you don’t know the reason why they were given?
What does it matter if you know the reason why this is stated?
You see it, I should say you read it.
It’s there posted and someone asks you why are we doing this? I don’t know why, but it’s posted.
You need to know the reason why. So he’s Lord of creation.
He’s Lord of that, which is spiritual and he’s Lord of that, which is physical.
And the Sabbath speaks of both that which is physical and spiritual. And we need to understand the meaning.
Listen, just by way of review.
Keep this in your mind, Genesis or excuse me, Exodus 16 29 Exodus 16 29 says, behold, the Lord has given you the Sabbath.
He’s given it to you. That’s a gift you guys, he didn’t say the Lord beat you over the head with the Sabbath.
The Lord tied it around your neck and it turned out to be a big bummer for you.
He gave to you the Sabbath. Therefore, he gives you on the sixth day bread enough for two days.
Let every man remain in his place. Let no man go out and do any work on the seventh day?
Why the word Sabbath mark it down means to relax, to kick back. We say the word today.
It’s same thing we say today. Put your feet up.
Hey, why don’t you come over and put your feet up?
You know the word we, we could say, hey, why don’t you come on over and Sabbath, it means to repose, to recline, to rest, to cease from labor.
Church. Are you hearing this? God says, hey, you know what, one day a week, I’ll provide enough for you during the rest of the other six days that on that day of rest, I’ve provided enough all week.
I don’t want you to do anything. I want you to stay home. I want you to be blessed.
Don’t pick up any tools. Anybody in their right mind would say, can we have two of them?
Right? It’s a good thing.
God says, look, I made everything and I’m taking a rest.
I want you to do the same thing. It’s a good thing.
So he says, I want you to do this. Exodus 16 29.
He says, so what about Exodus 20 verse 10.
Exodus 20 verse 10 says, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath day of the Lord, your God.
And in it, you shall do no work nor your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants, your cattle, or even the stranger who dwells within your gates.
Take a break. Boy is this anti culture are for us, Exodus, 31 17, the Sabbath shall be a sign between you and the Children of Israel or he says between me and the Children of Israel forever.
For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth. But on the seventh day, he rested. Wow.
So that which is spiritual, that which is physical, there’s a connection between the two, by the way, did you realize this church, uh this concept that Jesus is introducing and that is going to be argued here is not something too far from you at all.
For you are sitting here right now. That’s a physical act.
You came here and you sat down, did you know you did that physically?
But you didn’t come here for physical reasons. Think about it. It’s exactly the same.
You came here physically but not for physical reasons. You came here physically for spiritual reasons.
The Bible says, do not be deceived, what’s over a man’s souls that shall he also reap you are now, it looks like you’re doing nothing.
I mean, look at you, I mean, you’re sitting here, but if I were to judge outwardly, I’d be dead wrong because inside your, your inward man spiritually is being renewed right now by the word of God, you’re being built up in the spirit.
You are sowing to the spiritual truth of God’s word though.
You are physically sitting here way back at Cal Costa Mesa.
Years ago we used to sing a song and I don’t even know the words of it anymore.
Except for this one part we would sing. We’ve been blessed because we came. It’s a great old song.
Did you know? That’s true. Why do I need to go to church?
You don’t need to go to church, but you should go. Something happens.
Well, I’ll listen on the internet.
Well, if you live in Bangkok, ok, I understand that it’s kind of hard to drive here.
But you know what if you’re down the street or from any church for that matter, get up and go to church, will you?
There’s something special and there’s something spiritual about doing a physical act that employs the work of the Holy Spirit in the gathering of the believers.
Somebody might say, I, you know, I’ve grown too big spirit to go to church anymore.
I’m just gonna stay home. You’re crazy. You’re all messed up.
You’re violating the very word of God that says in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25.
Do not forsake the gathering together. You may be brilliant in the word of God.
The Pharisees were brilliant in the word of God.
They could quote it, but they didn’t know what it meant because they didn’t do it.
Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on real life radio with his message called Jesus Christ.
Lord of all. Thanks for being with us today. You know Jesus Christ.
Lord of all is part of Pastor Jack’s new series called The Gospel of Luke.
A series on the book of Luke and the unveiling of Jesus Christ to this world.
And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. The Mayflower, a brave quest for freedom.
And no one can tell the story of our nation’s beginning better than New York Times.
Best selling author, Nathaniel Philbrick. The book is called Mayflower Voyage. Community War Vivid and remarkably fresh.
Philbrick takes us on an extraordinary journey to understand the truth behind our most sacred myth as a nation.
The Voyage of the Mayflower and the settlement of Plymouth colony.
Plymouth colony was a 50 year epic conflict that ended in peril and eventually war.
So how did America really begin?
See how Mayflower Voyage Community War by Nathaniel Philbrick captures the events that have shaped our existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Our book of The Month Mayflower Voyage Community War by Nathaniel Philbrick is yours today for a gift of any amount and it’s available at our website Jack Hibbs dot com.
That’s Jack Hibbs dot com. This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you.
Our listeners visit us at Jack Hibbs dot com. That’s Jack Hibbs dot com.
Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio.
Wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in his word.
We’ll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.