Free From Legalistic Living Matthew 12 1 14

Free From Legalistic Living Matthew 12: 1 -14

• Legalism hinders believers from being renewed and refreshed – • Verses 1 -4 • Legalism hinders believers from true worship – • Verses 5 -6 • Legalism hinders believers from being merciful – • Verses 7 -14

Matthew 12: 1 -14 • 12: 1 – “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. • 12: 2 – “But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. ” • 12: 3 – “He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him:

Matthew 12: 1 -14 • 12: 4 – “how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ” • 12: 5 – “Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ” • 12: 6 – “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. ” • 12: 7 – “And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, ’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ”

Matthew 12: 1 -14 • 12: 8 – “For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath. ” • 12: 9 – “He went on from there and entered their synagogue. ” • 12: 10 – “And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? ”—so that they might accuse him. ” • 12: 11 – “He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ”

Matthew 12: 1 -14 • 12: 12 – “Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. ” • 12: 13 – “Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand. ” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ” • 12: 14 – “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. ”

What is Legalism? • Legalism has no pity on people. Legalism makes my opinion your burden, makes my opinion your boundary – Max Lucado • Legalism is the adding on rules and regulations to make one gain God’s favor • Legalism for salvation • Ephesians 2: 8 Galatians 2: 16 • Legalism for living the Christian life • Acts 15 Galatians 3: -1 -3

What is Legalism? • Pharisees rules for the Sabbath • Mishna – 6 sections on Sabbath rules, once section 12 chapters • Talmud – 24 chapters on Sabbath rules • Couldn’t wash – because water might fall on the floor • Couldn’t blow out a candle • Woman couldn’t look in a mirror – might see a gray hair and remove it • Could not light a fire • Today – preset switches for lights to come on and stay on for the Sabbath • Elevators preset to stop at every floor -so you don’t have to press a button which caused a little electrical spark

Legalism Hinders Believers From Being Renewed and Refreshed • Verses 1 -4 • Jesus references 1 st Samuel 21: 1 -6 • Rules burdened people down so they could not be renewed and refreshed as the Sabbath was intended • Don’t let rules rob you of the renewal and refreshment from walking with Christ

Legalism Hinders Believers From True Worship • Verses 5 -6 • Numbers 28: 9 -10, 28: 18 -19 – priests worked in the temple on the Sabbath • Have you made rules in your Christian life that hinder you from worshipping? • Come back to GRACE

Legalism Hinders Believers From Being Merciful • Verses 7 -14 • Jesus quotes Hosea 6: 6 • Showing mercy is more important than any rule • Verse 14 – preaching grace instead of rule keeping will lead to opposition

• Salvation – by faith through grace in Jesus Christ • Not rules and legalism • Living the Christian life – by faith through grace in Jesus Christ • Not rules and legalism

Are Believers Today to Keep the Sabbath • 4 th Commandment – only one of 10 Commandments not repeated as a command in the NT • OT LAW given specifically to nation of Israel • Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law that we could not keep • Sabbath is Saturday (so has to be done on Saturday if believers are under this law) • No where does NT call Sunday the new Sabbath • The OT moral laws repeated in NT as commands believers are to be obedient to • Many verses in NT about believers not being under the Law • Colossians 2: 16 -17 – believers treat Jewish ceremonial days as ordinary days

Are Believers Today to Keep the Sabbath • The principle of a day of rest applies • Starts at creation when God rested