The Lord’s Day & The Sabbath

 

Before Jesus came, God’s people observed Saturday as holy. The word “Sabbath” means ‘cease from exertion’, or ‘restful intermission’.  The Sabbath was commanded by God from Moses, Dt. 5:15, and strictly observed by Jews. However after Jesus left, God’s people began to observe Sunday as holy. The phrase “Lord’s Day” took on a new meaning in a new religion which was so different, they forever revoked their holy day as Saturday, the Sabbath and changed it to Sunday (latin ‘day for the sun’) the  “Lord’s Day” (understood by some as, ‘day for the Son’) because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Revelation 1:10, He was proven Lord, Rom. 10:9 & 1st Cor. 12:3.

The Sabbath was not perpetual or eternal as some people today believe, Ex. 31:16, it sounds like it should be eternal, but it is not, in the same way that burning incense is not everlasting, Ex. 30:8. The prophet Hosea made this temporal aspect clear, Hos. 2:11. The apostle Paul concluded the old law of Moses had been made obsolete and fulfilled, Col. 2:14-17. Paul saw the inception and establishment of a new covenant, a new religion and a new holy day because of the new life in the resurrection of Jesus enacted through the expression of faith in people’s baptism initially and memorialized every 1st day of the week in the communion, Sunday which became known as the Lord’s Day.

The new covenant is celebrated on the Lord’s Day, in the communion. Jesus said, his blood was the new covenant, Mt. 26:28. His new resurrected body was seen, touched, he ate, talked and ascended with flesh & blood remarkably phenomenal, unlike the past and ours, He entered eternity, heaven itself. Jeremiah prophesied God’s new covernant would be written in our hearts, Jer. 31:31-34, knowing exactly who is the Lord.  His law held promises (a covernant) if we accept, believe & submit in obedience to the Lordship of Jesus.  This is why Matthew through Revelation became titled, the new Testament (covenant), several letters describing the story and promises God makes in Jesus, which is read, believed and written in our hearts by the Holy Spirit of Christ, as He is our real teacher, Mt. 23:10, who is by John’s understanding the ‘annointing’, 1st John 2:20-27. The Lord’s Day is the day in which we all assemble and submit to the Spirit’s teaching.

Another reason for the Lord’s Day gathering is what Paul told Timothy, 1st Timothy 3:15, “learning how to behave” a lifestyle to grow into, is never learnt, unless we assemble and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, 2nd  Peter 3:18. We learn best by example, fellowship and praying together through sharing the Word.

 

Here are 7 significant points which make the Lord’s Day unique, holy and defined as Sunday, separated by God from any other day in the week, Rev. 1:1,10.

1. Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, Mk. 16:1-9, Lk. 24: 1,13,21,46.

2. Jesus was declared to be the Son of God on Sunday, Rom. 1:3-4.

3. Jesus commissioned his apostles on Sunday, Jn. 20:19-29.

4. Jesus’ Spirit of Christ descended on Sunday, Acts 2:1-4.

5. Jesus’ body was established on Pentecost which fell on Sunday, Acts 2, Lev. 23:15-16.

6. The church is to donate funds on Sunday, 1st Cor. 16:1-2.

7. The Apostles devoted Sunday for ‘assembling’, Acts 2:42, 20:7, Heb. 10::25.

 

This week’s pointer in prayer: Do we struggle with collective prayers in the prayers of the church on the Lord’s Day? Acts 2:42, or do we meditatively follow and join the communal prayers of the church on the Lord’s Day? What can we do to make our prayers stronger and more clearly united in mind & spirit?