Sermons on Christian Living (Page 3)
As we think about Christ’s church, what should we expect for her trouble and state? Should we expect her to diminish as the wicked world around us prospers? The answer is in the meaning of mystery: what was once hidden is meant to be revealed. We can look back to the promise to Abraham to receive the nations as his heritage and here we are in 2024, in Fort Wayne, IN, and we gentiles have our lives hidden in Christ. God is sovereign and we can trust his promise.
The Pharisees come to Jesus and ask, “Why is it your disciples are allowed to do that which is impermissible on the Sabbath?” You’d think Jesus would cite a text about the Sabbath and say, “Here’s why: it’s not really breaking the law of God. The law, in Deuteronomy actually gives us permission to glean. You guys are missing the point.” But Christ doesn’t do that. Instead, he goes to this seemingly random, interesting, odd text, about David on the run from Saul eating the bread of the Tabernacle. You have to ask yourself why he chose this particular text as a defense for his actions. In essence, his argument is this: “Long ago, David did this thing, in a particular circumstance. And this circumstance should remind you of what’s going on now.”
Next, Christ says they can do so, because he is the one who can authorize such a thing as Lord of the Sabbath. This pushes the offense over the top, into a whole other category for the Pharisees.
Lastly, Christ goes on to show the true intention of the day. How grateful can we be that Christ gives us not the explanation we would expect, but the revelation we need.
If the Kingdom of God is here now, what mood are we supposed to be in, festive or fasting? Is Christ removed for us now? So fasting does have a role now. But even for those of us that live apart from Christ physically, we see that a new age has dawned. The Day of Salvation has been granted by faith. While fasting has it’s place, it is not the tenor and tone of the Christian life.
Coming Soon