The Lord's Day:
Resurrection Joy, Not Sabbath Duty
Introduction: The Confusion in Our Pews
Today we’re going to take a look at something that might be a cause of confusion to some Christians. Our Sunday School lesson this morning, titled: The Lord’s Day dealt with God’s command to honor the sabbath day, other special days, and also what we’ve come to know as the Lord’s Day.
Now, because of a common misunderstanding surrounding observance of the sabbath, people might think that they’re breaking God’s commandment if they mow the lawn on Sunday, or if they go shopping, or maybe if they don’t just take a nap and chill, or “rest” the whole day. These are honest misunderstandings surrounding the sabbath and the Lord’s Day by sincere hearts, and they reveal something important—that we're mixing Old Testament Sabbath regulations with New Testament Christian practice.
Some of you grew up being told that Sunday is "the Christian Sabbath," and you've carried those OT sabbath restrictions into your faith. Others have heard that we must keep the Sabbath holy, and you've assumed that means Sunday. Still others feel guilty when you see fellow believers treating Sunday differently than you do. This confusion isn't just theological—it's practical, and it's robbing some of you of the joy and freedom Christ purchased for you.
Here's the truth we're going to establish today: the Lord's Day is not the Sabbath. Christians are not commanded to observe the Sabbath. Our gathering on Sunday is not about keeping a law—it's about celebrating a resurrection. And understanding this distinction will set you free from unnecessary burdens while deepening your appreciation for why we gather together on this first day of the week.
1. The Sabbath: God's Command to Israel
Let's begin by understanding what the Sabbath actually was. Exo 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: [9] You are to labor six days and do all your work, [10] but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. [11] For the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
I want you to notice some critical details here. First, the Sabbath was the seventh day—Saturday, not Sunday. God was specific about this. Second, it involved strict regulations about work—no labor was permitted, not even for servants or animals. Third, it was rooted in God's creation pattern and given as a sign of the covenant between God and Israel. This was not a universal command for all humanity from the beginning of time. Adam and Eve were not commanded to keep the Sabbath in the Garden. Abraham did not observe Sabbath regulations.
The Sabbath was instituted at Sinai as part of the Mosaic Law, specifically for the nation of Israel. Exo 31:16-17 The Israelites must observe the Sabbath, celebrating it throughout their generations as a permanent covenant. [17] It is a sign forever between me and the Israelites...”
Did you catch that? It was a sign between God and Israel—a covenant marker, like circumcision, that identified them as His chosen people, set apart from the nations. The Sabbath reminded Israel of two things: God's creative work and their deliverance from Egypt. Moses added another dimension when he wrote, Deu 5:15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
The Sabbath carried serious consequences for violation. In Numbers 15, we read a story about a man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath day, and God commanded that he be stoned to death. This wasn't a casual suggestion—it was a binding legal requirement with severe penalties. The Sabbath was holy, set apart, and central to Israel's identity under the Old Covenant.
But here's what we’ve got to understand: we are not Israel under the Old Covenant. We are the church, the body of Christ, living under the New Covenant established by the blood of Jesus Christ. And that changes everything about how we relate to the Sabbath day command that does not apply to us, because we have…
2. The Lord's Day: A New Celebration
Now let's look at what the New Testament reveals about the early church's practice. Act 20:7 On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight.
Notice the timing—"the first day of the week." That's Sunday, not Saturday. The early Christians weren't gathering on the Sabbath to fulfill a legal requirement; they were gathering on Sunday for a completely different reason. What happened on the first day of the week? Jesus rose from the dead! Every Gospel account confirms that Christ's resurrection occurred on the first day of the week—Sunday morning.
This wasn't coincidental. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith. Paul wrote, 1Co 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. The resurrection proved that Jesus was who He claimed to be, that His sacrifice was accepted by the Father, and that death itself had been conquered. It was the most significant event in human history, and the early church commemorated it by gathering on the day it occurred, the first day of the week.
In Revelation, the apostle John wrote that he, Rev 1:10 …was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, Folks, this is the first and only time we see the phrase "the Lord's day" in Scripture, and it refers to Sunday—the day belonging to the Lord Jesus because of His resurrection. It wasn't called "the Sabbath" or "the Christian Sabbath." It was the Lord's Day, a new designation for a new covenant people.
The early church gathered on Sunday to worship, to break bread together in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice, to hear the apostles' teaching, and to encourage one another. In 1 Corinthians, we find mention of collecting offerings 1Co 16:2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come. These gatherings were not about fulfilling Sabbath law—they were about celebrating resurrection life.
Think about the significance of this shift. The Sabbath looked back to creation and rest. The Lord's Day looks forward to new creation and resurrection. The Sabbath marked the end of the week, the completion of work. The Lord's Day marks the beginning of the week, the start of new life in Christ. The Sabbath was about ceasing from labor. The Lord's Day is about entering into the finished work of Christ, who declared from the cross, "It is finished."
We don't gather on Sunday because we're commanded to keep a Sabbath. We gather on Sunday because we're celebrating the victory of our risen Savior. It's not obligation—it's joy. It's not law—it's love. It's not duty—it's delight in the One who conquered death for us, and brought us…
3. Freedom in Christ: Released from the Law
Now let's address the question directly: Are Christians bound to observe the Sabbath? The New Testament answers this clearly. Col 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— [17] things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Paul couldn't be more explicit. Don't let anyone judge you regarding Sabbath days. Why? Because the Sabbath was a shadow—a preview, a pointer—to something greater. And now that Christ has come, we have the reality, the substance, and the fulfillment. Beloved, when you have the reality, you don't need the shadow anymore.
Think of it like this: if I show you a photograph of my wife and say, "This is what she looks like," that picture serves a purpose. But if my wife then walks into the room, you don't keep staring at the photograph—you look at her! The picture pointed to the reality, but now the reality is here. That's what the Sabbath was—a picture pointing to the rest we would find in Christ.
Jesus said Mat 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. The Sabbath rest was temporary, weekly, and external. The rest Jesus offers is permanent, spiritual, and internal. In Hebrews we read, Heb 4:9-10 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. [10] For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. We enter Christ's rest not by observing a day, but by ceasing from our own works of righteousness and trusting in His finished work on the cross.
This is crucial: the Sabbath was part of the Mosaic Law, and Christians are not under the Mosaic Law. Rom 6:14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. And then in Galatians we read Gal 3:24-25 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. [25] But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
The law served its purpose—it showed us our sin, pointed us to our need for a Savior, and prepared us for Christ. But now that Christ has come, we're no longer under that system. We're under grace. We're in a new covenant. And that means the Sabbath regulations don't apply to us.
Some will argue, "But isn't the Sabbath part of the Ten Commandments? Aren't those moral laws that still apply?" Here's the answer: nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament as binding on Christians—don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, don't covet, honor your parents, worship God alone, don't make idols, don't take God's name in vain. But the Sabbath command is never repeated as a requirement for Christians. Never.
As a matter of fact, in the first Jerusalem council, when Paul was butting heads with the Judaizers who wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised and follow the law of Moses, the council, which was made up of the apostles and the elders, made it very clear that we are not to be bound by the law. Act 15:19-20 "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, [20] but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.
We are not bound, and that's not an accident—it's intentional.
The Sabbath was ceremonial and covenantal, not universal and moral. Paul goes even further in his warning to those who wanted to observe special days: Gal 4:9-11 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? [10] You observe days and months and seasons and years. [11] I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain. Treating the Sabbath as a requirement for Christians isn't spiritual maturity—it's returning to bondage.
Church, you are free! Free from the guilt of Sabbath-breaking. Free from the burden of regulations about what you can and cannot do on Sunday. Free to rest in Christ's finished work rather than your own efforts to keep the law. This is the gospel—Christ has set you free!
4. Liberty and Love: How We Approach Sunday
Now, some of you might be thinking, "Pastor, does this mean Sunday doesn't matter? Can we just skip church and do whatever we want?" That's not what I'm saying at all. Rom 14:4-6 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. [5] One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. [6] He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
Paul is teaching us about Christian liberty and love. Some believers, particularly those with Jewish backgrounds, felt convicted to honor certain days. Others didn't. Paul's instruction? Don't judge each other. Each person should be fully convinced in their own mind and do everything unto the Lord.
Here's how this applies to us: gathering on Sunday isn't a legal requirement, but it's a joyful privilege and a biblical pattern. Heb 10:24-25 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, [25] not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
We don't gather because we're commanded to keep a Sabbath. We gather because we love Christ, we love each other, and we need the encouragement and accountability of the body. We gather to worship together, to hear God's Word proclaimed, to celebrate the Lord's Supper, to pray for one another, and to spur each other on toward love and good works.
Is it wrong to mow your lawn on Sunday? That's between you and the Lord. Is it wrong to go out to eat after church? No—there's no biblical prohibition against it. Should you feel guilty for working on Sunday if your job requires it? No—you're not violating God's law. Healthcare workers, first responders, and others who serve on Sundays are not sinning.
But here's wisdom: prioritize gathering with God's people. Make corporate worship a priority, not because you have to, but because you want to. Because you recognize that you need it. Because you understand that the Christian life isn't meant to be lived in isolation.
And here's the love part: don't judge those who approach Sunday differently than you do. If someone feels convicted to rest more fully on Sunday, honor that conviction—don't mock them or call them legalistic. If someone doesn't share your convictions about Sunday activities, don't judge them as less spiritual. Rom 14:4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; We each answer to the Lord, not to each other's preferences.
What we must avoid is two extremes. First, don't impose Sabbath regulations on fellow believers as if they're requirements for godliness. That's legalism, and it contradicts the gospel of grace. Second, don't use your freedom as an excuse for neglecting corporate worship or living carelessly. That's license, and it contradicts the call to holiness.
The balance is this: we're free from the law, but we're not free to do whatever we want. We're free to serve Christ joyfully, to love His church faithfully, and to honor Him with our lives completely. Sunday isn't about rules—it's about relationship. It's not about restriction—it's about resurrection. It's not about what we can't do—it's about what we get to do, which is gather with our brothers and sisters to celebrate the risen Christ.
Conclusion: Resurrection Joy, Not Sabbath Duty
Church, let me bring this home. The Lord's Day is not the Sabbath. You are not under the Mosaic Law. You are not required to observe Sabbath regulations. The shadows have given way to the substance, and that substance is Jesus Christ.
Every Sunday, when we gather, we're not fulfilling a legal obligation—we're celebrating a historical reality. Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, and that changes everything. Death has been defeated. Sin has been conquered. The grave is empty. And we who believe in Him have been raised to new life.
This is why we gather—not because we have to, but because we get to. Not out of duty, but out of delight. Not to earn God's favor, but to celebrate the favor we already have in Christ. Not to keep a law, but to enjoy a relationship with the One who fulfilled the law on our behalf.
Beloved, embrace the joy of gathering with God's people. Prioritize corporate worship, not because you're commanded to, but because you recognize its value. Come together to encourage one another, to worship the risen Savior, to hear His Word, and to remember His sacrifice.
And when you leave here today, leave with resurrection joy in your heart. You're not under law—you're under grace.
The Lord's Day is about resurrection, not restriction. It's about celebration, not condemnation. It's about Christ, not commandments. And that, church family, is the freedom we have in Jesus.
Let's pray. Father, thank You for the freedom we have in Christ. Thank You that we're not under the burden of the law, but under the blessing of grace. Help us to gather joyfully on the Lord's Day, not out of obligation but out of love for You and for one another.
May we celebrate the resurrection every time we meet, and may we extend grace to those who approach Sunday differently than we do. In Jesus' name, Amen.
