The Lord's Day

Intro

If we had lived in California in the mid-1800’s, we’d all be lawbreakers. An 1855 law banned all “noisy amusements” on Sunday. An 1858 law banned almost all Sunday business transactions. Courts prosecuted those who indulged in minstrel shows, horse-racing, dancing, and other “barbarous” diversions on that day of rest (Santa Fe Russell, “Fedco Reporter,” 9/90). While these so-called “Blue Laws” were repealed in California in 1883, they show us how the Lord’s Day has lost its importance among Americans throughout the years.

Today I want to talk about a very important topic:

THEME:

UNDERSTANDING THE LORD’S DAY

(Not to be confused with the Great Day of the Lord, which is the glorious event when the King Jesus returns in glory to His Church)

MAIN TEXT

Exodus 20:8–11 NKJV

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Exodus 20:8–11rvr NTV

»Acuérdate de guardar el día de descanso al mantenerlo santo. Tienes seis días en la semana para hacer tu trabajo habitual, pero el séptimo día es un día de descanso y está dedicado al Señor tu Dios. Ese día, ningún miembro de tu casa hará trabajo alguno. Esto se refiere a ti, a tus hijos e hijas, a tus siervos y siervas, a tus animales y también incluye a los extranjeros que vivan entre ustedes.

Much discussion has been raised about the Lord’s Day, and today we will have a panoramic view on it, from its first perspective on the Garden of Eden until our era, in present days.

But first, it is very, very important to highlight that the Lord’s Day is not as much as a commandment (even though it is clearly one of the 10 Commandments) as it is a CONCEPT, A REVELATION, AN ASPIRATION FROM GOD, which is:

GOD, THE CREATOR WANTS TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH MAN AND SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH HIM.

Our panoramic view starts here:

GARDEN OF EDEN

The first notion about rest was given in the Garden of Eden

Genesis 2:2 NKJV

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

Genesis 2:2 RVR95BTO

El séptimo día concluyó Dios la obra que hizo, y reposó el séptimo día de todo cuanto había hecho.

Of course the Lord does not need any rest, that was a way to ENJOY HIS CREATION, ESPECIALLY ADAM AND EVE.

Isaiah 40:28 NKJV

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 40:28 RVR95BTO

¿No has sabido, no has oído que el Dios eterno es Jehová, el cual creó los confines de la tierra? No desfallece ni se fatiga con cansancio, y su entendimiento no hay quien lo alcance.

In the Garden of Eden, God showed, since the beginning, that He was interested in having communion with us. He would show up EVERY DAY!

Well, we all know that the communion was broken...

Then, 1400 years before Jesus, came...

THE LAW

No other Nation had a special day dedicated to God, never before that happened, even though some historians claim it, the Jews were the first and only ones, and then Christians.

There is not anything more emphasized, more important in Jewish life, in the Jewish nation than Shabbat.  Not only is that true with regard to the Jew and himself, the Sabbath day, but it is by far the most distinctive badge of Judaism, keeping a Sabbath day.  There are other nations that had temples and priests and altars and sacrifices and even circumcision, but no other nation and no other people and no other religion ever had a Sabbath day, just the Jew. 

The Sabbath was the 4th commandment; given at the Sinai, and it was a very sacred and important law;

The disobedience to the commandment of the Sabbath was punished by DEATH

Exodus 35:2 NKJV

Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.

Exodus 35:2 RVR95BTO

Seis días se trabajará, pero el día séptimo os será santo, día de descanso para Jehová; cualquiera que haga en él algún trabajo, morirá.

God was so serious about their rest, and the rest of the land as well, that when they went to the EXILE (70 years), it was exactly the time that the land SHOULD HAVE RESTED before (more than 800 years without rest!)

JESUS’ TIME

One of the greatest topics that made Jesus receive the condemnation to the death at the cross was the PROFANATION OF THE SABBATH, because Jesus performed many, many miracles on the Sabbath. Jesus explained Himself in the Gospels:

Mark 2:27 NKJV

And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27 RVR95BTO

También les dijo: —El sábado fue hecho por causa del hombre, y no el hombre por causa del sábado.

Matthew 12:8 NKJV

For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Matthew 12:8 RVR95BTO

porque el Hijo del hombre es Señor del sábado.

However, Jesus never condemned the Sabbath, but made very clear that the day itself was not as important as the Lord of the Day.

Actually, the word “Shabbat” in Hebrew, means “rest”, and had become a complicated “tradition” for everyone.

EARLY CHURCH

ILLUSTRATION PEOPLE GOING O CHURCH - ROMAN EMPIRE

In about a 110 AD, Pliny the Younger, the Roman governor of Bithynia, the province just south of the Black Sea – Pliny the Younger wrote Trajan, the Roman emperor at Rome saying, "I need a directive on what to do.  For the temples in Bithynia are emptied, and the people are worshiping the Lord Christ."  And Pliny in the letter says, "They gather on Sunday, the first day of the week, to sing praises to the Lord Jesus."

A BIG TRANSITION AFTER THE RESURRECTION

We must understand that after Jesus’ resurrection, the Early Church started meeting on SUNDAYS:

Acts 20:7 NKJV

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

Acts 20:7 RVR95BTO

El primer día de la semana, reunidos los discípulos para partir el pan, Pablo que tenía que salir al día siguiente, les enseñaba, y alargó el discurso hasta la medianoche.

1 Corinthians 16:2 NKJV

On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

1 Corinthians 16:2 RVR95BTO

Cada primer día de la semana, cada uno de vosotros ponga aparte algo, según haya prosperado, guardándolo, para que cuando yo llegue no se recojan entonces ofrendas.

Revelation 1:10 NKJV

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,

Revelation 1:10 RVR95BTO

Estando yo en el Espíritu en el día del Señor oí detrás de mí una gran voz, como de trompeta,

TODAY’S CHURCH

Most countries today, in all continents, worship on Sundays;

(I must stop here, and point that there is a GREAT controversy, especially regarding SATURDAY (Adventists) versus SUNDAY nowadays.) However, let’s read what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians:

Colossians 2:16–17 NKJV

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

Colossians 2:16–17 RVR95BTO

Por tanto, nadie os critique en asuntos de comida o de bebida, o en cuanto a días de fiesta, luna nueva o sábados. Todo esto es sombra de lo que ha de venir; pero el cuerpo es de Cristo.

This is a quote from Spurgeon, who wrote and preached a lot about the Sabbath:

“I am no preacher of the old legal Sabbath… I am a preacher of the Gospel, and rejoice that Believers are not “under the Law, but under Grace…” therefore I keep this day [Sunday, for Spurgeon]…  not as a slavish bondage, not as a day on which I am chained and hampered with restraints against my will, but… as a day in which I may take holy pleasure in serving God, and in adoring before His Throne… the Lord’s Day of the Christian… is a joy, a day of rest, of peace and of thanksgiving….

Therefore, even though today, most people and nations adopted to gather for worship on Sundays because of tradition that started with the resurrection of our Lord followed by the early Church, the day of the week itself IS NOT what matters the most, what matters is TO SEPARATE ONE DAY EVERY WEEK ESPECIALLY FOR GOD.

But... if you do not work on Sundays, you should be in church!!

Illustration of the pastor who would look for members in prison, hospital and cemetery.

AND THAT TAKES US TO AN IMPORTANT TOPIC:

ACTIVITIES ON THE LORD’S DAY

So, how should Christians spend their time on the Lord’s Day?

We know by scriptures that at least 3 main things should be observed:

1. PUBLIC WORSHIP

Before anything, it is a precept of the Word of God:

Hebrews 10:24–25 NKJV

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24–25 NTV

Pensemos en maneras de motivarnos unos a otros a realizar actos de amor y buenas acciones. Y no dejemos de congregarnos, como lo hacen algunos, sino animémonos unos a otros, sobre todo ahora que el día de su regreso se acerca.

The greatest example:

Jesus Himself was ALWAYS INVOLVED IN PUBLIC WORSHIP, first in the Synagogues, and also in the Temple when visiting Jerusalem; and even only two days before His death, He was at church!

Note of a personal experience: I remember going to church as a kid with my mom and aunt, we would walk, take buses, sometimes on foot over dangerous bridges, but it was absolutely worth it!! And I beg you today, if you love your kids, BRING THEM TO THE HOUSE OF WORSHIP!

Common excuses we should avoid at all cost:

Relatives visiting = no church attending; (and that’s why they do not respect our faith)

“Only day I have to rest...” (no it’s NOT!);

“I woke up with a headache today...” (but we don’t miss work even missing a leg);

“My kids do not want to wake up...” (who is the priest??);

Rain, sun, laziness;

Superbowl;

Other activities like the kids games, movies, etc.

Instead of excuses, throughout the whole week, we should have a holy anticipation for our Sunday, to wish to congregate, to wear our best clothes, our nicest cologne, our best shoes, and to prepare our spirit for a celebration! Let’s party, it’s the Lord’s Day!!

King David wrote:

Psalm 122:1 NKJV

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

Psalm 122:1 RVR95BTO

Yo me alegré con los que me decían: «¡A la casa de Jehová iremos!».

Psalm 84:10 NKJV

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

The Sons of Korah also wrote:

Psalm 84:10 RVR95BTO

Mejor es un día en tus atrios que mil fuera de ellos. Escogería antes estar a la puerta de la casa de mi Dios que habitar donde reside la maldad,

The second activity we should be engaged in is...

2. FAMILY GATHERING

To this day, Jewish families gather on Sabbath to receive the blessings of the father, and enjoy themselves. and that’s perfectly FINE!!

What was the last time that your family really stopped everything to enjoy some time together, just to glorify and together meet the Lord? What was the last time you checked the conversations your kids are taking online?

Sundays are the perfect day for that! It will help to create an environment for the whole week.

THE THIRD ACTIVITY WE REALLY SHOULD HAVE IS...

3. PERSONAL SPIRITUAL INVESTMENT

Once done with PUBLIC WORSHIP, and also meeting with your family, it’s also the day you should invest spiritually in yourself: read a good book, watch a good preaching, spend some time doing something that will make you grow SPIRITUALLY, and not have a Netflix marathon!! (Some people have watched every single series, but do not know how to find the Book of Malachi!!!)

EX.: Right now, I am running a marathon! A marathon of reading the New Testament in 30 days! Is it easy?? No!!! But if we do not have discipline, we will never do it!!

“But, pastor, if I don’t do other things on Sunday, I won’t have time to do it on another time...”

Let’s check the Scriptures about that:

Leviticus 25:20–21 NKJV

‘And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years.

Leviticus 25:20–21 RVR95BTO

»Quizás os preguntéis: “¿Qué comeremos el séptimo año, ya que no hemos de sembrar ni hemos de recoger nuestros frutos?”. Yo os enviaré mi bendición el sexto año, y ella hará que haya fruto por tres años.

The Lesson:

Time spent with the Lord IS NEVER A WASTED TIME!!

Sundays are the days that will make the difference between you being a baby Christian, or a mature Christian.

FINAL APPLICATIONS

We must remember: the Lord’s Day means that Sunday is NOT YOUR DAY, it’s the LORD’S!!

The Lord’s day is a matter of priority:

Matthew 6:33 NKJV

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Matthew 6:33 RVR95BTO

Buscad primeramente el reino de Dios y su justicia, y todas estas cosas os serán añadidas.

Even the ordinance of the first fruits, the first son, had to do with a special part separated for God.

If you decide to worship on a Sunday, Saturday, Tuesday or Thursday, the principle is to separate one day of the week for the Lord, because the CONCEPT WAS NOT ONLY FOR 3500 YEARS AGO, BUT TO BE FOLLOWED FOR ALL GENERATIONS, FOREVER!

Exodus 31:12–13 NKJV

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.

Exodus 31:12–13 RVR95BTO

Continuó hablando Jehová a Moisés, y le dijo: «Tú hablarás a los hijos de Israel y les dirás: “En verdad vosotros guardaréis mis sábados, porque es una señal entre mí y vosotros por vuestras generaciones, para que sepáis que yo soy Jehová que os santifico.

The Lord CAN MAKE YOU REST! (and sometimes He does). But He wants us to serve and seek Him willingly, from a grateful heart

Let’s start honoring the Lord’s Day!! No excuses, no complains, just getting up every Sunday, gathering our family and going to the House of the Lord!!

Let’s pray.