The Christian Sabbath Day is Sunday
By Nick Bibile
On part three of the Sabbath we saw the middle wall of ceremonial law was broken and the moral value of Sabbath still continues in the church. Today we are going to see how the day was changed to Sunday. When the ceremonial law was abolished with the death of Christ on the cross, the reality of the moral law continues with his resurrection. The new covenant was approved by the Father and established with the resurrection of the Lord and with the New covenant came the new day of worship and that is Sunday.
The New Covenant
The New Covenant was prophesied in the
book of Jeremiah.
Let us turn our
Bibles to the Book of Jeremiah.
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith
the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the
house of Judah:
32
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I
took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant
they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the
LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and
will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all
know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I
will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
The new covenant refers very clearly to the new
covenant that Jesus made with the Church, to the time of the gospel of
grace. This prophecy was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ. This covenant
was made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. The Old
Testament church was alienated from God. Then God promises that they would
become one body again. They would be united to one house and not two houses. The
ceremonial law of the Old Covenant was broken as the middle wall was broken and
the outward form of the law was done away and the moral law, the substance of
the covenant was exposed by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Beatitudes and it still
continues. The new covenant was established through his Son Jesus
Christ.
The Holy Spirit came and regenerated us,
and made us a new man, now there is no outward form of worship as
there are no ceremonial laws, no veil of separation as God speaks to us
face to face directly from the Bible, as the veil is removed and instead
of the veil now there is Christ, not a separation but the way to the Father and
through Christ we can come directly to the Father.
The author of Hebrews quotes directly from
Jeremiah;
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he
saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made
with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of
the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded
them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws
into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God,
and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man his
neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know
me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no
more.
13 In that he
saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and
waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I
will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into
their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I
remember no more.
Ro 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
The ultimate sacrifice was the Lamb of
God, with one sacrifice he removed our sins.
Mt 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament,
which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
The Resurrection of the Jesus Christ
We do not need anymore sacrifices, as the sacrifice of the Sabbaths were done away, but the worship of the Sabbath still continues. The sacrifice of the law was nailed to the cross, as Jesus was crucified. But on the third day, on Sunday early morning he rose from the dead. He rose with the same body but it was changed from mortal to immortal, from earthly to heavenly. He is still the Lord of the Sabbath, and we worship the Lord of the Sabbath on the Lord's Day which is Sunday. According to Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary the meaning of Sunday is, first day of the week, the Christian Sabbath, the Lord's Day.
Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath, then Sabbath day is centered on the Lord of the Sabbath. We saw previously in our studies that Sabbath day refers to our redemption, just as the Israelites were redeemed by the hands of Pharaoh the church is redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Jesus is the center of the Sabbath, it refers to the cross, to the gospel. But the preaching of the gospel is useless if Christ have not risen. Victorious cry of the early Christians was that Christ has risen! Yes, the Lord of the Sabbath lives and the center of worship was changed from the seventh day to the Lord's day.
Mr 16:2 And very early in the morning the
first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the
sun.
Mr 16:9 Now when
Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary
Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
Lu 24:1 Now upon the first day of the
week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the
spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Joh 20:1 The first day of the week
cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth
the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
Joh 20:19 Then the same day at evening,
being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples
were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and
saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
The disciples worshipped the Lord on Sunday.
The worship was changed to Sunday. The disciples worshipped the Lord Jesus on the resurrection day, Sunday.
Mt 28:5 And the angel answered and said
unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was
crucified.
6 He is
not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord
lay.
7 And go
quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he
goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told
you.
8 And they
departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to
bring his disciples word.
9 And as they went to tell his disciples,
behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the
feet, and worshipped him.
Please turn to Luke 10:52
Lu 24:51 And it came to pass, while he
blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshipped him, and
returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
53 And were continually in the temple,
praising and blessing God. Amen.
After his resurrection the old sabbath is never mentioned as the day of worship for the church.
The Day of Pentecost was on Sunday.
Pentecost means "fiftieth", found only in the New Testament (Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Cor. 16:8). Pentecost was celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Passover. The Passover was the day institute to commemorate the redemption of Israelites from Egypt. Jesus was crucified on the preparation day of the Passover and he is the Passover lamb. Pentecost was 50 days after Passover.
Le 23:15 And ye shall count unto
you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of
the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete:
16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath
shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the
LORD.
The ceremony of
Pentecost was always to be the first day of the week, corresponding to our
Lord's day. From this day they were to count seven weeks complete, and the
fiftieth dlay was to be Pentecost day, we see that the fiftieth day brings us
again to the first day of the week. We are told expressly that Christ rose on
the first clay of the week. Then we see on Acts 2:1:
Ac 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was
fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven
as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting.
It was Sunday when
they were in fellowship together in one accord there was the out pouring of the
Holy Spirit.
The Early Church Met on Sunday
Ac 20:6 And we sailed away from
Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five
days; where we abode seven days.
Ac 20:7 And upon the first day of the week,
when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready
to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
Ac 20:16 For Paul had determined
to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted,
if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.
Ac 20:18 And when they were come to
him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after
what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
Acts 20:7. The apostle Paul was now returning from his famous mission to Macedonia and Achaia in full prospect of captivity at Jerusalem. He stops at the favorite little church of Troas to spend a week with his converts there. "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight." Paul preached to the disciples on Sunday, while he had been, as the sixth verse shows, a whole week at Troas, including the Jewish Sabbath. Why did he wait a whole week? Paul could have preached to the church on the Jewish Sabbath day, We learn from verse sixteen that Paul had very little time to spare, because he had to make the whole journey from Philippi to Jerusalem. Paul was in rush, he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, first day of the week Sunday. He was obviously waiting for the church's sacred day in order to join them in their public worship, just as when we go on our missionary trips to the Philippines we like to be there on time for the Sunday morning service. Again we see on verse seven, "When the disciples came together to break bread," show that the first day of the week was the one on which they met to celebrate the Lord's supper. So it appears that this church at Troas, planted and trained by Paul, kept the first day of the week for public worship and the sacrament of communion.
The Church Offerings were collected on Sunday.
1Co 16:1 Now concerning the
collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia,
even so do ye.
2 Upon
the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath
prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
The next clear instance is in 1Cor. 16:1, 2: "Now, concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." We here learn two things: that the weekly offerings was fixed for the Lord's day, and that this rule given not only for the church at Corinth, but for all the churches of Galatia. It is very clear he is speaking to all the churches here. What he is really saying is "Let every one every Sunday morning set apart some money for the ministry.
The Revelation was given to John on the Lord's Day.
Re 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's
day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." The
apostle was "in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the
testimony of Jesus." We know from history exactly what this means. The pagan
magistrates had banished him to this rocky, desolate island in the Ęgean Sea as
a punishment for preaching the gospel and testifying that Jesus is our risen
Saviour. He was there alone, separated from all his brethren. But he "was in the
Spirit on the Lord's day."
We are risen with Christ
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism,
wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God,
who hath raised him from the dead.
Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God.
We are risen with Christ and we worship Christ on the day he has separated from all the other days, that is the day of his resurrection, the Lord's Day..
In closing I would like to quote John Calvin.
"But in these days we have the full
accomplishment and perfection of all things in Jesus Christ. As proof of this,
Saint Paul says that the old man is crucified with him (Rom 6.6). When Paul
speaks of the old man he means the things that we have received from Adam, all
of which must be done away. He is not speaking of the physical body or of the
essence of the soul but of the sinfulness in us. The blindness that makes us go
astray, and the wicked lusts and passions which are utterly disobedient to God’s
righteousness, must be beaten down because they have come from Adam.
How is this to be done? Not by our own
power or effort but by our Lord Jesus Christ who, by dying for us to wipe away
our sins so that they would no longer be charged to our account, has purchased
for us this prerogative through the power of the Holy Spirit which enables us to
forsake the world and ourselves. By this, our sinful desires shall not master
us.
Although we are full of
disobedience, yet God’s Spirit rules over us to hold down the passions and to
keep them in subjection. Therefore it is said that we have risen with him
(Christ)"