SUNDAY OR SATURDAY--preached June24, 2007

There is a book making its rounds about Alto, TEN COMMANDMENTS: TWICE REMOVED. You can pick one up at the Dairy Queen and I received on in the mail. Perhaps you did, too. Twice now I have been asked my opinion of the teachings of this book.

In short, this book says that Christians should not worship on Sunday, but on Saturday. This book was written and published by the Seventh Day Adventists. This is a group of people who followed a Baptist preacher by the name of Miller who preached that the Lord would return in 1844. There were about 10,000 people who believed him. Many lost their farms, homes, and business thinking the Lord would return in 1844. In history this is known as Miller's Folly.

After Miller's Folly a woman by the name of Ellen White, who claimed to be a prophetess -- and to this day her writings are viewed as inspired by the Seventh Day Adventists -- this woman, Ellen White, came up with a solution for Miller's Folly. She said that Miller was mistaken as to the event but not the date. Jesus wasn't supposed to come to earth in 1844, but to enter the Holy of Holies in heaven to commence what she called the Investigative Judgment. Jesus was said to be investigating us as to our keeping of law to see whether or not we are worthy of entering heaven.

The Seventh Day Adventists espouse vegetarianism, and also the keeping of the Sabbath as did the Jews, on Saturday. They deny the reality of Hell, teach a doctrine of soul sleep, and a works-based salvation.

Now, hopefully, my message will not be a book review. It is going to be a doctrinal sermon on the Lord's Day. Doctrinal teaching is part of the call of God for the pastor. Paul said "I charge you therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead at His appearing and his kingdom preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." 2 Tim. 4:1-2.

I. TO WHOM WAS THE SABBATH GIVEN?

Now all of the Bible is to us, but not all of it is for us. God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. That is to us, but not for us. In a similar way, the Sabbath was never given to the gentile. The Bible says very clearly that it was given to the Jew as a sign of the covenant that God made with them.

"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you." Ex. 31:13

And lest we think that is just a fluke, the same thing is repeated in Ezekiel 20:12.

"I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them."

There is no record of anyone keeping the Sabbath before the Mosaic Covenant. Search in vain in Genesis or in Job, the two earliest books of the Bible. Not until Exodus do we find the practice of the Sabbath. It is part of the Mosaic Law, which law has passed away.

Rudyard Kipling said these famous words:

I keep six honest serving men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

That last word, "Who." Are you a Jew? If you are not a Jew then this covenant does not pertain to you at all.

2. SHELTON AND QUINN SAY THAT THE SABBATH IS NOT PART OF THE MOSAIC LAW, BUT THE LAW OF GOD. THE LAW OF GOD, THEY SAY, WAS WRITTEN ON STONE AND THE LAW OF MOSES WAS WRITTEN IN A BOOK. SINCE THE SABBATH LAW WAS WRITTEN ON STONE IT IS, THEREFORE, STILL BINDING TODAY. IS THIS TRUE?

Not according to the Bible. According to 2 Cor. 3, Paul says that even, and especially, that which was written on the tablets of stone are passing away.

God "made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious . . . which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory . . . For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious."

3. WHAT IS THE SABBTH LAW? AND DOES ANYONE KEEP IT TODAY?

It is incredible to me that anyone would claim to keep the Sabbath law. The truth is that the weekly Sabbaths is just a part of the Sabbath law. Did you know that there were special Sabbaths? Not all of them were Sabbath days, some were Sabbath weeks. In Leviticus 25 you will find a whole year of Sabbaths!

"And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall pruned your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard."

And that is not all, did you know that the Old Testament penalty for breaking the Sabbath was death? Exodus 31:15

"Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death."

All right, Mr. Sabbath-keeper. Let us try you by these standards. Do you keep the Sabbath?

4. WHAT DOES PROPHESY SAY ABOUT THE SABBATH?

There are two prophesies in the Old Testament that are important for a proper understanding of the Sabbath. The first prophesies an end to Sabbath observance. The second prophesies a new day for worship.

It was Hosea that prophesied an end to Sabbath observance. He said that it would come as a judgment of God because of Israel's unfaithfulness. In Hosea 2:11 says:

"I will also cause all her mirth to cease, Her feast days, Her New Moons, Her Sabbaths -- All her appointed feasts."

By Shelton and Quinn"s reasoning, this prophecy could never be fulfilled because they say the Sabbath is forever. I prefer to believe Hosea, that Sabbath observance would end.

Not only does the Bible prophesy an end to the Sabbath, it also prophesies the creation of the Lord's day, Sunday.

In Psalm 118:22-24 we read:

"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes."

According to the New Testament, this is a reference to the resurrection of Jesus, and we all know Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday.

Now the next verse,

"This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

Another way of translating this verse is: "This is the Lord's Day -- Sunday -- We will rejoice and be glad in it."

That is why we worship on Sunday. The Lord rose from the dead on Sunday, not the Sabbath.

5. IS IT TRUE THAT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AT THE COUNCIL OF LAODICEA, 364 A.D. CHANGED THE DAY OF WORSHIP FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY?

First, there was no Roman Catholic Church in 364 A.D..

Second, none of the ecumenical councils of the church created new doctrine -- none of them. They made clear what the church already believed.

For example, the Council of Nicea in 325 did not create the Bible. It recognized the books that were already accepted as part of the Bible.

Furthermore, it did not make up the doctrine of the diety of Jesus Christ, it recognized the diety of Jesus Christ.

That the church from its earliest days worshipped on Sunday is crystal clear from history.

Eusebius, 315: The churches throughout the rest of the world observe the practice that has prevailed from Apostolic tradition until the present time so that it would not be proper to end our fast any other day but the resurrection day of our Savior."

Peter, Bishop of Alexandria, 300 AD: "We keep the Lord's Day as a day of joy because of him who rose theron."

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, 253 AD: "The Lord's Day is both the 1st and the 8th day."

Tertullian, of Carthage, 200 AD: Though we share with them Sunday, we are not apprehensive lest we seem to be heathen."

Clement of Alexandria, 194 AD: The old Sabbath day has become nothing more than a working day."

Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, 178: "The mystery of the Lord's resurrection may not be celebrated on any other day than the Lord's Day.' His testimony is very important because he is the personal disciple of Polycarp, who was in turn the personal disciple of the apostle John himself.

Bardesanes, 180 AD: "Wherever we be, all of us are called by the one name of the Messiah, namely Christians, and upon one day, which is the first day of the week, we assemble ourselves together."

Justin Martyr 135 AD: "Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God having wrought a change in the darkness and matter made the world and Jesus Christ our Savior, on the same day, rose from the day."

Ignatius, Bishop on Antioch, 110 A.D.: "Those who walked in the ancient practices attain unto newness of hope no longer observing Sabbaths, but fashioning their lives after the Lord's Day, of which our life also rose through him, that we may be found disciples of Jesus Christ, our only teacher."

Barnabas, 70 AD: This is the Barnabas who was the associate of the apostle Paul. This was written before the New Testament was even completed. "Finally, He said, your present Sabbaths are not acceptable to me. I shall make a new beginning of the eighth day, that is the beginning of another order of the world,' wherefore also we keep the Lord's Day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose from the dead."

6. DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT COMMAND US TO WORSHIP ON SUNDAY?

No, and this is entirely the point of this new and joyous day. We live in the age of grace, not the age of law. We don't worship Him because we will be stuck dead if we don’t. We don't worship Him because of the letter of the law. We worship Him because we love Him.

It is the genius of this dispensation that we do not serve God on the basis of law, but of love.

Furthermore, we need no commandment. We have the plain record of the New Testament itself.

On the first day of the week Jesus rose from the dead.

On the first day of the week Jesus met His disciples in resurrection power.

On the first day of the week Jesus broke bread with His disciples.

On the first day of the week Jesus gave them gave the great commission.

On the first day of the week Jesus ascended into Heaven.

On the first day of the week He breathed on His disciples and imparted the Holy Spirit to them.

On the first day of the week the Blessed Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost.

On the first day of the week the Apostle Paul preached to the assembled believers at Troas. "We . . came unto them to Troas . . . where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached to them." Acts 20:6-7

Paul told the Corinthian church that when they were in assembly "on the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper." 1 Cor. 16:2

In the case of such precedence, who needs precept or command? We have the record of the actual practices of the New Testament Church to guide us.

6. HOW DO WE OBSERVE THE LORD'S DAY?

First, it is to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Can you imagine a church that goes through the whole year and never celebrates Easter? You show up on Easter morning and there are no Easter dresses, no Easter lilies, no resurrection sermon, no Up From the Grave He Arose? Such a thing is unthinkable, incomprehensible to the Christian mind.

In a similar way, it is unthinkable that we would forget the resurrection of Christ on Sunday. It is the day of his resurrection. We do not serve Him out of the motivation of law, but because Jesus is alive and within us and among us. It was absolutely necessary that there be a new day of worship.

Second, we observe the Lord's day as part of the age of grace, not works.

You remember that Jesus said that we were not to attempt to put new wine in old wineskins. He meant He was bringing about a new age. Paul tells us it is an age of grace, not the age of works.

In the Old Testament, they worked, then they rested. In this New Dispensation, we are given perfect rest in the finished work of Christ, and upon that basis we go out to labor.

Third, we observe the Lord's day as part of a world-wide gospel movement, not a religion confined to Palestine.

What I mean by that is simply this: Sabbath observance makes sense only in light of a small geographical area like Palestine. It makes no sense for a world-wide movement like Christianity.

"No uniformity of the observance of an exact day is possible over the whole earth. While some are keeping Saturday on one hemisphere, others are keeping Sunday (as Sabbath) on the other. Should two persons start from a given point to go around the earth in opposite directions, and both observe each Sabbath from sundown to sundown, upon their return to the starting point, one would be observing Friday and the other Sunday. The question of observing an exact day from sunset is even more perplexing in the far North. The sun sets there but once I six months. In that region, to be Biblical and exact, there must be a twelve-month Sabbath, and a week of seven years."

It was on a Sunday that the Great Commission was given. In Matthew 28:1 it says:

"Now after the Sabbath . . . " I think that is so suggestive. The age of law, of Sabbath-keeping was ending . . . "after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn . . . Jesus came and spoke to them, saying "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."


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