Some pharisees even argued that it was illegal to pray for someone on the sabbath. 

When is the sabbath?

The determination of the "actual" day of the Sabbath depends on the religious and historical context, as different traditions observe it on different days of the week.

Judaism: Saturday

In the Jewish tradition, the Sabbath (Shabbat) is the seventh day of the week. It commemorates the biblical narrative of the seventh day of creation when God rested.

Christianity: Sunday (The Lord's Day)

Most Christian denominations observe the Sabbath on Sunday, the first day of the week.

THE ORIGINAL COMMANDMENT

Exodus 20:8-11 THE COMMAND

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested (ABANDONED) on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

The sabbath was given for man to rest and reconnect with God.

Jesus said it was a day for Good… not evil. It was to Meet the deepest needs of man spiritual and physical renewal.

THE SABBATH: PRE-VIEW

FOCUS ON GOD

FOCUS ON WHAT HE IS ABOUT

FOCUS ON WHAT ONLY HE CAN DO

FOCUS ON HOW HE HAS USED YOU AS YOU SEEK TO HONOR HIM IN ALL YOU DO… Thats the secret!

The pharisees were mad that Jesus did not keep the rules… they were powerless, so rules are all they had to feel powerful! 

Remember - rebellion is a false sense of power… but even if fake it sure can feel real… and taste good. 

What rules do you hang on to when you feel powerless? We all do it. 

DO YOU FIND IT EASY TO POINT OUT OTHERS WHO BREAK THE RULES? THAT STEMS FROM A PLACE OF POWERLESSNESS. 

Have you ever said or thought “well at least im not as bad as them”. That is just simply your flesh acting out like the Pharisees… I have more power because I act better.

At least five things in these verses need special comment.

1. Remembering

First, Israel is to remember the rest day. Sabbath means rest. "Remember the sabbath day," means, "Don't forget to take a day off.”

Remember: Make it a pattern. not just day off, NOT JUST A DAY YOU GO TO CHURCH…but a pattern of keeping it holy, focused on God and his works. 

We live in a world where we revel brag and posture on how busy we are.... think about that for a minute... we are proud that we do not take time to focus on God, celebrate his holiness and goodness.

DON’T FORGET TO ABANDON!

It’s God showing us a discipline we all need more of. learning to say NO…

No to people

No to pressures and expectations

No to purchases we think we need

No to things we are not good at

No to time that is spent on meaningless events

Abandon!