First Baptist Church Delray

Sermon Application Questions

March 30, 2025

Pastor Steve’ s Message: Jesus is Better Than That

Scripture: Luke 6:1-11 (ESV)

Review the Exegesis of the Scripture

Read Luke 6:1–5

On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

1. In addition to God demonstrating the principle of the Sabbath in creation when He ceased to create on the 7th day (Genesis 1), what specifics were established in the fourth commandment of The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:8–11?

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

2. What were the Pharisees trying to catch the disciples of Jesus doing wrong when actually their actions were perfectly legal? (See also Deuteronomy 23:25; Leviticus 19:9-10 & 23:22)?

3. How did Jesus use a story about King David (1 Samuel 21:1-6 & Leviticus 24:8-9) to that the law is not intended to hurt people, like causing them to starve, and that God’s representative has authority to do what is best for his people over keeping rules?

4. What more did Jesus indicate about the intention of the Sabbath to re-energize and re-focus God’s people on Him, rather than impose a burden or restrict people’s lives?

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)

Next, Luke shares a second story about the Sabbath conflict.

Read Luke 6:6–10

On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored.

5. How did Jesus continue to reveal that the foundation of the Pharisees’ existence was their personal lawfulness and goodness rather than faith in God?

Read Luke 6:11

But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

6. When the Pharisees were brought to the point where they had to choose between their pride in the good lives or faith in Jesus, what was their reaction?

Process Some Personal Applications of the Lessons

7. When you consider Jesus, you must make a mutually exclusive decision between yourself and Him:

a. Do you understand that Jesus and your pride are incompatible?

b. Is it clear to you that you can either promote your goodness or join Jesus?

c. Do you see that you must choose to honor yourself or Jesus, and you cannot do both?

8. A farmer places his yoke on an ox to work his field and the“yoke” of a teacher or a rabbi was his standard of performance he demanded from his students. So how did Jesus describe His way in Matthew 11:28–30?

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

9. How would you either imagine a life with Jesus or describe your life so far with Jesus, including forgiveness, feasting, and a celebratory Sabbath?

The Beauty of Jesus

I love to gaze at the ocean.

I love to gaze at the mountains.

Sometimes I get caught up in the beauty here on earth that I lose sight of the unparalleled beauty in heaven. King David, no doubt, had seen the ocean and mountains, but look at what he writes:

10. How did King David feel about the beauty of Jesus?

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4

11. Think about the beauty of the earth, like the ocean or the mountains, and imagine or describe how Jesus is better than anything we have experienced.

12. Consider the quotes below of Matthew 13:44 and of John Piper, and try to comprehend how valuable Jesus is.

a. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Matthew 13:44

b. “When he sold his house, sold his car, sold his books, he didn’t say, well, I guess in order to be a Christian, you have to give up stuff. You’re not a Christian if that’s the way you think. Christians delight in Jesus more than anything.”

John Piper, Seven Reasons We Must Pursue Supreme Satisfaction in God

13. Here’s the challenge: is Jesus so valuable that you can stop caring if you get credit for the “good life” you live like the Pharisees?

14. What did the Apostle Paul, a former Pharisee himself, say about this?

Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:4-8

15. What are you choosing as a substitute for Jesus and what you can experience in Him?

16. Think about the thing, the person, the experience, or the place that you desire to have, and consider the reality that Jesus is actually better than that.

17. Will you accept the fact that who you are and what you do is not enough compared with the holiness and authority of Jesus?

18. Will you realize that you don’t need credit for what you do compared with having a relationship with Jesus?