Let us turn once again in our
Bibles to Mark chapter 2. Today we are looking at the last
six verses in this chapter, beginning with verse 23. And it came to pass that he went through the
cornfields on the Sabbath day, and his disciples began as they
went to pluck the ears of corn. The Pharisee said unto him, behold,
why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful? And
he said unto them, have you never read what David did when he had
need and was in hunger, he and they that were with him? How
he went into the house of God in the days of Abathur, the high
priest, and did eat the showbread, which is not lawful to eat, but
for the priest, and gave also to them which were with him.
And he said unto them, the Sabbath was not made for man. The Sabbath was made for man,
and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is
Lord also of the Sabbath. I'm going to divide these verses
into three parts. In them we have the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of Man, his disciples, and also the Pharisees. The Pharisees, of course, were
the religious leaders of that day. and his disciples had just
begun to follow him. The first part of the message,
I want us to see the disciples' meager breakfast and the Pharisees'
false accusation. First, the disciples' meager
breakfast. This was not a grand slam from
Denny's. As they were walking along on
the way, I might say, to the synagogue on a Sabbath day, they
passed through the cornfields, or wheat or barley fields, and
they plucked heads of grain and ate the grain that was contained
in those heads. Now, this may sound strange to
us, but it was very common to them. It may sound strange to
us that a person could walk through someone else's field and just
help themselves to food. But actually, this was part of
the law that God gave unto the nation of Israel before they
entered into the land of promise. God told them in the book of
Deuteronomy, when thou comest into the standing corn of thy
neighbor, You come into a field and the corn is standing, it's
ready, it's ripe. God takes care of the poor. God takes care of the needy.
And God intends that we do likewise. When thou comest into the standing
corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck ears with thine
hand. But, here's the restriction,
right? But you can help yourself with
your hand, but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's
standing corn. In other words, you can't go
into his field and start reaping the corn and taking it to your
barn or anything like that. But if you are in need, feel
free to take and to eat. But I want to make this point
to us this morning. These disciples of our Lord,
they had been taught to look for a kingdom in this world,
a Jewish kingdom, a kingdom where the Messiah would rule from Jerusalem
over all the nations of the world. It would be a kingdom like the
kingdom of David and Solomon, days gone by. That's what they
had been taught to expect. And I see this as a learning
experience for his disciples. What they might expect in following
him. What they might come to experience
in following the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not promise them the riches
of this world. In fact, he told them that in
this world they would have tribulation. Now later we read in the Gospel
of John that there were some people who followed the Lord
because of the loaves of bread and the fishes that they did
eat. And he told them that they should
labor for the meat that endureth, not for the meat which is temporal. Men should not follow Christ
for any other reason than the truth concerning Him as the Savior,
as the one that God has ordained and sent into this world to save
His people. Men should follow Christ, yes,
take up our cross and follow Him, deny ourselves. I believe,
I see this as a learning experience for His disciples, what they
could expect in following Him, not a life of ease, but a meager
breakfast, a breakfast of brain. When these disciples would later
testify of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, why
should anyone believe them? Why should you? Why should I?
We have their words, inspired words of God. Why should we believe
them? What did they gain? as far as
temporal things, by following the Lord Jesus Christ. It's obvious,
even after our Lord's resurrection, they were still expecting a kingdom
in this world. We read that in Acts chapter
1. But it was, remember, after that
God the Holy Spirit came upon them, that the Word of God, the
truths of the Old Testament promises were opened up unto them. And they came to see it was not
a physical, literal kingdom in this world, but it is a spiritual
kingdom that the Lord Jesus Christ has set up. His kingdom is, he
said, it doesn't come by observation. You don't see it in the horses
and the armored vehicles and things like we think of kingdoms,
but his kingdom is within us. He said, my kingdom is within
you. When he saves a sinner, We receive
him as the one mediator between God and ourselves, and he's our
prophet to teach us about God. He's our priest to represent
us to God, and he's our king to reign, to rule in our lives. He sets up his throne in the
heart of every one of his children, and we no longer are The boss. I was looking for a card in the
store this past week, and I just happened to notice that on my
wife's birthday, it's the boss's day. And there were cards marked
out for the boss. Well, I didn't buy one of those. All of us, when we come into
this world, we are our own bosses, right? We will not have him to
reign over us. That's just part of human nature,
of human depravity. We want to be the king of our
lives. But when the Lord comes in power,
he conquers us. He conquers us by his spirit
and we submit to him. by the grace of God. And our
greatest desire now is not to please ourselves, but rather
to please Him. To be like Him when He prayed,
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass. But if not, nevertheless,
Thy will be done. So we see the meager breakfast
of his disciples that day. What should they expect? You
remember Peter later in Acts chapter 2 going up to the temple,
him and John, and there's a man that's laid there, a crippled
man, and he looks on Peter and John hoping to receive some gift,
some charitable gift. And Peter says, silver and gold
have I not. A learning experience, an experience
all of us need to learn. That in this world, we may expect
tribulation and persecution. Because this world has never
been and shall never be a friend to grace. Never has been, never
will be. You can expect to be misunderstood. Because you will be, no doubt
about it. When we stand and live for Christ,
we're going to be misunderstood. And not only that, there's that
persecution, that tribulation that's always ongoing in a believer,
in himself. The flesh lusting against the
spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. In the world, I expect
tribulation. But be of good cheer. Be of good
cheer, right? Why? Because he said, I have
overcome the world. Who is he that overcometh the
world? He that believeth that Jesus
is the Christ. Now notice, secondly, the Pharisee's
false accusation in verse 24. The Pharisees accused the disciples
not of stealing. They didn't accuse them of stealing,
of taking something that was not theirs. We've already seen
the law allow them to help themselves to the grain, but it was rubbing
the corn together. It was taking the heads off the
the plants and then rubbing them together so as to separate the
chaff, the outside, the husk from the wheat, from the grain.
And they saw that as to be breaking the Sabbath. They were working
on the Sabbath day. Notice secondly, the Lord Jesus
goes to the Word of God. And this is a lesson I believe
that I really want all of us to receive this morning. When
we read about the Lord Jesus Christ, we read about him being
driven out into the wilderness to be tempted of Satan. We know
there's three temptations recorded, and every time he was tempted,
what did he do? He went to the Word of God. He
went to the written Word of God. They said, when Satan said, if
thou be the Son of God, these stones be made bread. And he
responded, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word which proceedeth out the mouth of God. Now, when
these Pharisees, when they come, and make a false accusation,
I want you to notice that it is again that he goes to the
Word of God. He takes these Pharisees to the
Word of God. Have you never read? Notice that
in verse 25. Have you never read what David
did? I don't know if any of us can appreciate
and understand how these words of the Lord Jesus Christ cut
these Pharisees. How they must have stung these
Pharisees for the Lord said, have you never read? Have you? Who is he? Who is he? This upstart rabbi, who is he
that he should dare ask us? Have we never read? Why, of course
we've read the Scripture. Of course we've read the Word
of God. We've given our life to studying
the Word of God. And no doubt they had. But they
did not understand the Word of God. The veil had not been removed
from their eyes. And they could not understand
what It may seem simple to you and I today. Sometimes people
ask me, I just don't see why they can't see. Because they
can't see. That's the reason. I just don't understand why they
can't see because they can't see. I can't understand why men
and women do not recognize their need of Christ. And as it were,
they were seeking Him and calling upon Him. And every time the
doors of the church house were opened, they were there to hear
the gospel. I just don't understand why they
can't see. They can't see. That's the answer. A dead person, spiritually dead,
cannot see. And you and I, those of us to
whom the Lord has granted sight, given life, We can't fully understand
how we used to be. We forget, don't we? We forget
how on Sunday it used to be. Oh, no, it's Sunday. Oh, no,
it's Sunday. We've got to go to church today.
Some of you young people here today, you may feel like that.
I was in your place. I was there. I know what it's
like. We all do. We come into this
world dead in trespass and all we can see are the things of
this world. Oh, we can see these things very
clearly. The things of this world, the
things which are temporal, the things which will soon end or
we will leave behind. But the things which are eternal,
the things which are spiritual, we can't see until God gives
us life and opens our eyes. And that's a miracle, isn't it?
That's a miracle of grace. Have you never read what David
did? Well, of course we've read this. Of course we've read the Old
Testament. We know what David did, but they
didn't. They didn't. What was it that
David did? What was it that he did when
he was in need and his men were in need? They were hungry. They
were at the point of great need. What did they do? They ate. They ate bread which the law
forbade them to eat. That's what they did. That's
what they did. What? Would you have men to starve? Would you have men to die, to
perish of famine rather than to break that rule? As he goes on to say, the Sabbath
was made for the man and not man for the Sabbath. Well, I'm gonna take this opportunity
to remind us about that bread that David ate. The bread. What does the Word of God teach
us about that bread that David and his men ate? It is called
the show bread. And it was in the tabernacle.
Now, in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 23, the apostle tells us
that those things were patterns of things in the heavens. When
we study about the tabernacle, read about the tabernacle, how
it was constructed and everything thing that had to do with that
tabernacle, we are to see these are patterns of things in the
heavens. And the showbread, when we read
about the showbread that David ate, we are sent immediately
to the table of showbread. Now this was a small table. Remember
the tabernacle had two compartments, and in the first compartment
where the priest ministered daily, There were three articles, there
was a table of showbread, there was a golden altar, and there
was the lampstand. Now only the high priest went
into that second part of the tabernacle. And he only went
there once a year. And the scripture is very clear,
not without blood. That's where the presence of
God was manifested. between the cherubim above the
mercy seat. But this table was a small table. It was three feet long and a
foot and a half wide and two feet high. And it was a picture
of Christ. It was made of two materials. It was made of an incorruptible
wood to picture his humanity, his sinless humanity. And then
it was all overlaid with gold. to picture his deity. For we
know that the Lord Jesus Christ is one person, and yet he has
two natures. He's both God and man. There was a crown built around
this table. Some say two crowns were around
it. A crown of gold was around the
table. And then the showbread, there
were 12 loaves of bread. They were placed upon the table,
and you never have them separate. They're always together, the
table and the showbread, the showbread and the table. They're
always together, and they were there in that first compartment,
and the scripture says, before the Lord. They were placed there
before the Lord. Now, the showbread can picture
the Lord Jesus Christ himself, who is the bread of life. He's that true bread which came
down from heaven, which gives life unto the world. But the 12 loaves of bread also
picture God's children. I want you to turn with me to
see this in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. This is such a beautiful
picture. the showbread, the table and
the showbread. Such a beautiful picture, type. But in 1 Corinthians chapter
10, verse 15, I speak as to wise men, judge
you what I say. The cup of blessing which we
bless, we're talking about the Lord's table. The cup of blessing
which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?
The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body
of Christ? Now notice this, for we, being
many, are one bread, one body, for we are all partakers of that
one bread. So the table and the showbread,
they are one, just as believers and Christ are one. And this bread was made of meal,
and it had no leaven in it. And it pictures to us how that
the Lord Jesus Christ cleanses us, washes us, and before God
we have no sin. We are justified. Not we're going
to be justified, but today, by the grace of God, by the person
and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are just as if we have never
sinned in Christ. And I like the fact that this
table had a crown around it, showing that it was impossible
that the bread could ever roll off. You know, God's got his
people, Christ has his people in his hand, doesn't he? And
not one of them shall ever be lost. A table is a picture of
communion, isn't it? A fellowship. Have you ever said
or heard someone say to you, let's break bread together? Let's
break bread together. Normally that means that's fellowship
together. Bread, the table, is a point
of fellowship. And that table that pictures
the Lord Jesus Christ pictures and the bread upon it representing
every child of God. We being many are one bread. Christ only has one body. He
doesn't have two bodies. Only has one body. made up of
every child of God, whether he lived from Abel until the last
sinner that will ever be saved. We're all part of that one body
of Christ. We be many, but we are one bread. And we are before the Lord represented
on this table. There's no fellowship apart from
Christ with God. Turn with me to 1 John. Doesn't it amaze you today that
we have fellowship with God? You know, God is a spirit, isn't
he? That's what our Lord said. God is spirit, and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. It's
not a place. He said, the hour cometh when
neither in Jerusalem nor in this mountain shall the true worshipers
worship God. We worship him in spirit and
in truth. It's not the place, but the fellowship
that we have with God. is only through His Son, Jesus
Christ. People say, well, you and what
you believe is so exclusive. The Lord Jesus Christ is exclusive. He said, no man cometh unto the
Father but by me. We preach a gospel that tells
all men Come unto me. Come, let us reason together.
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.
Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Look to
Christ. Trust in Christ. But apart from
Him, there is no fellowship with the Father. There is no knowing
God. There is no coming to God. There
is no acceptance with God. That's only through His Son,
Jesus Christ. 1 John 1, verse 1, that which
was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands
have handled of the word of life. John says, listen, I lay on His
breast one night. The man, Christ Jesus, I saw
Him. I touched Him. I heard Him. He is life. God is life. God is light. God is love. And He was manifested here in
this world. For the life was manifested and
we have seen and bear witness and show unto you that eternal
life. which was with the Father and
was manifested unto us, that which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you." Thank you, John. Thank you, John. Thank you, Paul. Thank you, Peter. Thank you, all the men that God
used Jude in writing the New Testament as well as the Old
Testament. Thank you so much for the Word
of God, the written Word of God. that which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you that you also, think about this, you,
you, me, this is amazing, this is overwhelming, that you may
have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father
and with His Son, Jesus Christ. You know, this table was never
without bread. Every Sabbath day, they would
remove the 12 loaves and almost simultaneously, as quickly as
possible, there would be 12 more loaves put on that table. And
what a picture is that, my friends, that the Lord Jesus Christ always
has his church in this world. The gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. And yes, we see the Lord comes
and he removes one, he removes another, but he's always replacing
it, always saving his people. So that when he comes again,
yes, there will be those who know him as their Lord and Savior. Those who've passed on, their
bodies shall be raised, but those who are alive when he comes shall
be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. And those
he brings with him, those believers who've gone on to be with the
Lord, will be reunited with their bodies, their glorified bodies.
And so shall we ever, ever be with the Lord. Amen. Pause it. Comfort ye one another with these
words. What a comfort, right? What a comfort. He always has
his loaves of bread in this world. He always has believers. Sometimes
more, sometimes less. Sometimes he removes a candlestick,
a church from one area and plants it somewhere else, raises up
one somewhere else. You look at church history, my
friends. And you see those churches of Asia Minor, those seven churches
that are written to in Revelation 2 and 3, where are they today? Gone. Europe received the gospel before
the book of Acts was ended, and Europe was a seed ground for
many of God's children. And people, the Puritans, I know
they won't tell you this, anymore, but the Puritans came to this
country from Europe. Why? For the glory of God. They came here where they could
worship God as they believed the scriptures taught. God has done a great work in
the United States of America, North America, Canada. You can't help but, I can't help
but wonder, maybe in the Far East, China, Japan, Vietnam,
Thailand, those countries, maybe God's gonna raise up a great
work over there. Maybe South America. But I'm
telling you, the gospel, as you study church history, it hasn't
always remained in the same place. What a blessing that we live
in this day and we have this body of believers where we can
fellowship, right? We can worship together. God's
blessed you, he's blessed you, he's blessed me, he's blessed
us so much we don't even know how much he's blessed us. And
we forget, we forget. Well, David ate that bread and
his men ate it, showing that God desires mercy and not sacrifice. The lesson for us, though, is
that we must continually go to the Word of God, just like our
Lord Jesus did, when questioned. When we have questions in ourselves,
when we have doubts, when we have fears and disturbances in
our own being, where will we go? Let's go to the Word of God,
the written Word of God. And the last lesson, the Lord
of the Sabbath in 27 and 28. Here is the one in flesh, the
Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who observed the
first Sabbath. In Genesis chapter 2 and verse
2 we read, And on the seventh day God ended his work which
he had made, and rested on the seventh day from all his work
which he had made. That first Sabbath, what was
it? It was a rest, a day of rest. And the Sabbath we know pictured
the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, in the Ten Commandments,
There's one of those commandments that is ceremonial and it was
and is the commandment concerning the seventh day. When the Lord
Jesus Christ came out of the grave, those ceremonial pictures
and emblems were brought to an end because they had all been
fulfilled in him. Now it's still wrong to have
another God before the Lord. It's still wrong to steal and
lie and commit adultery and those other nine commandments, my friends. But how do we observe the Sabbath? We rest in Christ. We've quit, quit, stopped forever,
quit trying to do anything. to make ourselves acceptable
to God. And we've laid down upon Jesus
Christ and him alone. And we rest. We rest. It's okay. It's okay. Why? Because in him, we are accepted
as he is. God the Father will just as soon
turn away from his darling son as desert or turn away from one
of his children. He's not going to do that. And I just say this, there's
no place, there's no time when he's not Lord. I've said this before, but it
always amazes me that you see these banners and signs sometimes
on church buildings and things like that, where Jesus is Lord. Well, there's no place where
he's not Lord. He's Lord in heaven, in earth,
and under the earth. He's the Lord of Lords and King
of Kings. Have you rested in Christ? Oh,
what rest it is, right? What a rest it is to rest in
Him, to lay your weary burden down and rest in Jesus Christ
alone. May the Lord bless this message.
We're going to sing