Before we get into the heart of the sermon I want to address idea of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was the 7th day of the week and that’s SATURDAY. On the Sabbath, Jews would worship God, spend time with their families. And… essentially, they did little else. The Sabbath was a DAY OF REST. In fact, that’s exactly what the word Sabbath means – “To Rest.”
So, why do we Christians worship on SUNDAY rather than Saturday? I mean, if Saturday worship was so important to the Jews why wouldn’t Christians just continue to do what the Jews did? Some false teachers have said that the Roman Emperor Constantine changed the day of worship to Sunday back in 321 because he was a Sun worshipper (Sun-day was named after the Sun god). Other false teachers have said that early church changed the day of worship because they hated the Jews and wanted to avoid worshipping on the same day.
NONE OF THAT IS TRUE!!!
So, why DO we Christians worship on Sunday rather than Saturday? Well, we worship on Sunday because that’s what the early church did. The early Christians worshipped on the first day of the week… and so we do to.
• Matthew 28:1 says “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, Mary Magdalene and the othe Mary went to see the tomb.” (Jesus had risen from the dead, on Sunday).
• Acts 20:7 “On the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, when we were gathered together to break bread …” (Christians met on Sunday to take Communion).
• 1 Corinthians 16:2 On the FIRST DAY OF EVERY WEEK, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. (Christians met on Sundays… and they collected offerings on Sunday)
There is NO RECORD of any Christians meeting to worship on Saturday (Sabbath). Now, Paul did preach to the Jews in the Synagogues on the Sabbath because that was where the Jews gathered for their worship… and Paul went to the Synagogues to tell the Jewish worshippers about Jesus.
But now, why should we care. Why would that be important? Well, it’s important because there are folks out there who will try to convince you that we need to worship on the Sabbath… or we have sinned. They maintain that unless people worship on Saturday, they are sinning against God. BUT THEY’RE WRONG. IT’S NOT TRUE. The Jews were required to worship on Saturday… but we (as Christians) aren’t!!!
ILLUS: About 15 years after John wrote Revelation, he had a student named Ignatius who wrote an "Epistle to the Magnesians (long version), Chapter 9, Ignatius wrote: “Let us therefore NO LONGER keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner… Let every friend of Christ keep the Lord's Day (SUNDAY) as a festival, the resurrection day, the queen and chief of all the days... on which our life both sprang up again, and the victory over death was obtained in Christ."
ILLUS: Just a few years later, another Christian writer named Justin Martyr wrote: “On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memories of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read... when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought... and there is a distribution to each... and they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit... and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because... Jesus Christ, our Saviour - the same day, rose from the dead” (First Apology, chapter 67).
Christians worshipped on Sunday (the first day of the week) because that was the day Jesus rose from the dead. Don’t let anyone deceive you into thinking that Christians need to worship on Saturday. IT’S JUST NOT TRUE! As Christians, God no longer REQUIRES us to keep a Sabbath day.
God doesn’t require Christians to do that… but the civil law of our nation actually did! Years ago, there were laws on the books called “Blue Laws”. They were also referred to as Sunday closing laws, Uniform day of rest laws. and Sabbath laws. These laws originated in England and were THEN enacted in the colonies to protect what they called the Christian Sabbath. (SUNDAY) These laws were designed to restrict or ban certain kinds of activities on Sundays and were intended to promote a day of rest: THESE LAWS INCLUDED limiting the sale of certain items, especially alcohol; Prohibiting the opening of businesses; and restricting travel, hunting, professional sports, and other activities. During the 18th & 19th centuries people were often arrested for breaking the Sabbath. They were often fined or forced to serve a jail sentences because they had violated the Law.
Over time, many Blue laws were repealed, but some states in the US still enforce these laws. For example, in Indiana car dealerships can’t sell cars on Sundays and (of course) other states/counties… restrict the sale of alcohol.
Now, these folks (who created those laws) meant well… but they missed the point. They forgot that SUNDAY was not the Sabbath… and they forgot that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Once the blue laws began to be repealed, a study by a professor at MIT found that the absence of these laws not only decreased church attendance, donations and spending, but also led to a rise in alcohol and drug use among people who had been religious.” (https://news.mit.edu/2008/bluelaws-tt0521) WHY WOULD THAT HAPPEN? Well, because regular church attendance (which the Blue Laws were intended to promote) reinforced moral behavior. So, consumption of alcohol and drugs was… not encouraged.
(PAUSE) Jesus said: THE SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN
ILLUS: There’s a book entitled “The Secrets Our Body Clocks Reveal” (by Susan Perry and Jim Dawson) which explains that our bodies operate on a rhythm… every 7-days. Our blood pressure, our coping hormones, our immune responses to infections, the production of blood and urine chemicals, and even our heartbeats operate on this seven-day cycle. AND WE IGNORE THAT AT OUR PERIL!
ILLUS: Back in the 1700s, France was shaken by the French Revolution. The monarchy and the Catholic church had run roughshod over the people to the point where the revolutionary government executed a significant number of the Monarchy & Catholic leaders, including priests and bishops. And this slaughter included mass executions and the killing of the clergy by mobs in events like the September Massacre.
Just after the French Revolution began, France adopted a 10-day work week. (9 days of working… one day of rest). They said they did that in an effort to de-Christianize the country … and ALSO to increase the nation’s productivity. Well, that didn’t work out real well. According to a book entitled “The World of the French Revolution” (by R. R. Palmer), the 10-day work week (which lasted for 12 years) was extremely disappointing. During those 12 years, French workers had a very high rate of injuries, exhaustion, and illnesses. And their work animals collapsed and died at astounding rates. These animals died because they were overworked. WHY? Because the Sabbath was made for man.
Remember – the word Sabbath means “REST” - and that’s what the Israelites were told to do by God. They worshipped, spent time with their family, and they did little else. God even set us an example: Genesis 2:2 “And on the seventh day God finished His work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” Then later He commanded His people: "Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.” Exodus 23:12
ILLUS: When researching for this Sunday’s sermon, I ran across an interesting thought. Have you ever shot a bow & arrow? Did you know that a wooden bow needs to be UNstrung when not in use. If you don't unstring a bow, the bow can bend, warp, and lose its power. And wooden bows can even break if left strung for too long. WHY? Because of the constant tension from the string isn’t good for the bow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2n0sAr2GyM - timestamp 2:55 thru 3:21)
As long as the bow is strung… that tension will always be there. And unless the bow is unstrung… something’s eventually going to give. In our culture, we call tension like that in our lives - BURN OUT! It’s when our body and mind has had so much tension that eventually it just says “ENOUGH! I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!”
But, we’ve grown into a society where we’ve convinced ourselves that UNLESS we work 7 days a week, we won’t be successful. And as a result, folks work on Sunday… but skip worship.They’ll spend less time with their God, less time with their families, and less time REFRESHING their bodies. Because they just have to work to be successful!!
ILLUS: Back in 1961, Bob Shanks started a restaurant in Logansport. Do you remember what it was called? (“Happy Burger”) It was great little restaurant, but there was one thing they never did. They were never open on Sundays. Well, a few years later, McDonald's put a restaurant right next door. They had happy meals and a play place… and they were open 7 days. Did you know, McDonald's had a hard time making a go of it? Even with their happy meals and play place, and being open 7 days a week… they almost failed! Because they were located right next door to Happy Burger.
You don’t have to work 7 days a week to be successful. There’s an old saying: Work SMARTER… not HARDER!
And if you set aside a day to worship and rest to honor God, then God’s gonna pay attention… and He’ll work for you. He will be your silent partner in your business and efforts. But bear in mind, we are not under a Sabbath law where God will punishes us if we don’t do this. We are under grace, where we do what we do because we LOVE Jesus. But, if we do what we do for Jesus - if we set aside a day of rest to worship Him… He will reward us because WE TRUST HIM!
A couple more thoughts here –1st, when Moses led Israel in the wilderness - God made him a promise: "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Exodus 33:14) God promised to give Moses REST (Sabbath) because He would be with Moses.
That sounds a lot like Jesus’ promise: “Come unto 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.” Matthew 11:28-30
What’s that all about? Well, Jesus is saying: if we turn our lives over to Him, if we trust Him, and rely on Him, and let Him do our worrying for us - He will give our souls rest and… we will be at peace. Cast all your cares upon Him. When we come to Jesus and give Him control of our lives, He will take our tension away from us because our future will no longer depends upon us… BUT UPON HIM
That’s what Peter was talking about when he wrote: “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) GIVE IT TO JESUS… GIVE IT TO JESUS. Cast all your anxiety on Him - and let go. And when you do that He’ll take all your tension, and He’ll take all your worries. And He’ll take care of YOU
Now… there’s one last thought: Hebrews 4:9-11 tells us “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest…” Hmmm… what’s that about? Well, God is telling us that there will be a FUTURE REST… a place called heaven. Heaven will be a wonderful place of peace and tranquility AND REST.
REVELATION 21:2-6 describes it this way: “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."
I’m told that the Jews have a phrase to describe this future rest. They call it - "The day which is ALL Sabbath." (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown)
CLOSE: J. Vernon McGee tells this story about a man who wanted to argue about the Sabbath. The man said, "I'll give you $100 if you will show me where the Sabbath day has been changed." And McGee answered, "I don't think it has been changed. Saturday is Saturday, it is the seventh say of the week, and it is the Sabbath day. I realize our calendar has been adjusted, and can be off a few days, but we won't even consider that point. The seventh day is still Saturday, and it is still the Sabbath day." The man got a gleam in his eye and said, "Then why don't you keep the Sabbath day if it hasn't been changed?" McGee answered, "the DAY hasn't changed, but I have been changed. I've been given a new nature now, I am joined to Christ; I am a part of the new creation. We celebrate the first day because that is the day He rose from the grave."
Colossians 2:11-17 tells us that You were “buried with (Christ) in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing (the Law) to the cross… Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a SABBATH. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
