The Lord’s Day

The Lord’s Day

September 2, 2007 Evening Service

Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK

Rick Boyne

Message Point: Celebrate the Lord’s Day!

Focus Passage: Exodus 20: 8-11

Baptist Faith and Message says:

VIII. The Lord’s Day The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

A. Renewal Of Commitment – (v. 8, 11) God has declared this day to be a holy day. He expected man to keep this day holy. God hasn’t changed His mind! He still expects man to keep 1 out of 7 for His glory and honor! (Ill. Rom. 14:5-8)

(Ill. The Jews too this Commandment very seriously. Dr. Ken Trivette shares the following insights concerning the Jewish mindset – "The observance of the Sabbath was strictly observed and strictly enforced. Whereas, they took God's command to rest on the Sabbath seriously, as the years passed they added their own rules and regulations about the Sabbath. There were approximately 1,521 things that were not permissible on the Sabbath. For example: you could not rescue a drowning person on the Sabbath. Untying knots that needed only one hand was permissible, but if two hands were required, it was forbidden. If a man's ox fell into the ditch, he could pull it out, but if the man fell in, he had to stay there. One could take a sup of vinegar for food, but if he took a sup in order to help his aching toothache, he had broken the Sabbath. If a man was bitten by a flea on the Sabbath, he had to allow the flea to keep on biting. If he tried to stop the flea from biting or killed it, he was guilty of hunting on the Sabbath."

Through the years, there have been those who observed the Sabbath (or Sunday) in a very strict manner. Some people would not sweep or dust the house, make the beds, or allow any food to be cooked on the Lord's Day. Some of the restrictions that have been observed and enforced concerning the Lord's Day, are somewhat humorous. In Scotland in the 17th century, one poor fellow was hailed into court for smiling on the Sabbath.)

(Ill. In the history of our own country, men once held a high regard for the Lord’s Day –

(Ill. When the Mayflower reached Plymouth Harbor it was Saturday afternoon. How eager the Pilgrims must have been to set foot on solid land after exile in Holland, thirteen weeks of tossing on a rough Atlantic, homesickness, seasickness, and weariness.

Despite their longing to go ashore and make a new home, they spent Saturday afternoon in preparation for Sunday, and then all day Sunday in worship.

On Monday morning, when they disembarked, they had been here forty-two hours.)

(Ill. A sea captain returned to his home in Massachusetts after an absence of two years. His wife met him at the gate, and he kissed her. Yet it was not lawful to kiss one's wife on the Sabbath. Therefore, this 'wicked" captain was put into stocks for his lack of reverence of the holy day.)

(Ill. Jonathon Edwards - once resolved never to utter anything humorous on the Lord's Day.")

(Ill. Zachary Taylor - President-elect Zachary Taylor was scheduled according to the Constitution to take office on March 4, but he refused to be inaugurated because the day was a Sunday. Politicians pleaded in vain for the devoutly religious Taylor to change his mind.

The Constitution forbade President James K. Polk from staying on another day. There was no alternative but for the Senate to elect a president to serve from Sunday noon to Monday noon, the time rescheduled for Zachary Taylor to take office. The senators chose David Rice Atchison, the head of the Senate.

But the last week of the Polk administration was so hectic for Senator Atchison that he retired late Saturday evening after instructing his landlady "not to awaken him for any reason."

She followed his orders. Senator Atchison slept through Sunday and on into Monday, past the time his twenty-four-hour ended. The startling truth is that he slept through his entire term of office.)

(Ill. The history of the "Sundae" – Around 1875, the leaders of the town of Evanston, Illinois passed a law forbidding the sale of ice cream sodas on Sunday. Some enterprising person devised a plan for selling ice cream covered with syrup instead of mixing it with soda water. This new dish became so popular that people began asking for a "Sunday." When people objected to the dessert being named after the Lord’s Day, they changed the spelling to "Sundae" and that’s what it’s been called ever since. So, next time you eat one, remember that the delicious dessert you are eating resulted from some people who wanted to respect God’s day and others who were looking for a loophole.)