Sunday, February 3, 2019
pm
WHY WE DO NOT KEEP THE
SABBATH
It
is no secret that we meet on Sunday, or “the first day of the week” as
it is described in the Bible.
But this is not something universally accepted by professed
followers of Jesus.
There are denominations that believe you ought to assemble on Saturday
(aka “the Sabbath” – such as 7th Day Adventists, Some
churches of God, Messianic Jews, etc.).
In addition to this, many mega churches make no distinction as to
which day we ought to assemble (they offer services on either day, so
you can choose). Some
Catholic churches also give the option of meeting Saturday night or
Sunday (your choice).
But does the Bible really give us this option?
Is this something that matters?
I
am convinced that it does matter when we meet.
That is, God has assigned a day when He expects us to assemble
together, and that day is Sunday.
Tonight, I would like to address some reasons why Sunday is the
day God has given for Christians to assemble.
a.
Exodus 20:8-11, it was
the 4th commandment given to Israel at Mt. Sinai.
It was part of the 10 commandments.
This is where the command was instituted.
b.
That this was a command
to the nation of Israel is clearly taught –
Deuteronomy 5:2-3 is clear that this was designed for the children of
Israel. Note in vs. 12, as
the 10 commandments are repeated we read, “Observe
the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.”
Exodus 31:12-18, as Moses is receiving instructions on Mt. Sinai, the
LORD is very specific about who the Sabbath was for – the Israelites.
Notice vs. 13, 16-17 – which clearly associates it with the
children of Israel.
Later, in recounting what happened at Mt. Sinai, as Judah is facing
Babylonian captivity, Ezekiel 20:12 says, “Moreover
I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that
they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”
Nehemiah 9:13-14, after Judah is permitted to return and rebuild the
temple and city of Jerusalem, in repentance, Nehemiah prays,
“You came down also on Mount Sinai, And
spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them just ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and
commandments. You made known
to them Your holy Sabbath, And
commanded them precepts,
statutes and laws, By the hand of Moses Your servant.“ (emph. mine)
c.
There is NO observation
of the Sabbath in the book of Genesis, among the patriarchs.
You would suppose that IF they observed the Sabbath, it would
have been mentioned somewhere, especially considering that Moses wrote
Genesis for the children of Israel.
d.
What about the fact that
God rested on the 7th day? Yes He did!
But that doesn’t change the fact that we are NOT told anywhere
that the patriarchs or ANYONE in Genesis observed the Sabbath.
We read about sacrifices, moral conduct, and even circumcision,
but NOTHING is said about the Sabbath.
Consider that if Genesis was written by Moses, he was writing to Jews
and explaining what they were called upon to do.
He simply used God resting on the 7th day as an
(inspired) illustration. In
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 gives a DIFFERENT reason to keep the Sabbath (to
remember they were delivered by God out of Egypt).
In FACT, in that text,
Moses notes in Deuteronomy 5:2-3 that the covenant “with
us in Horeb. The LORD did
not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here
today…”
e.
What about Exodus
16:23-29?
The point is made that this predates the giving of the 10
commandments at Mt. Sinai and thus proves the Sabbath was observed
before.
It is truth this is the FIRST time the Sabbath is mentioned and it was
on the way to Mt. Sinai.
BUT, consider it was given to Israel, the people who WOULD receive the
law at Mt. Sinai. While not
specifically stated, could this be preliminary instructions given to
Israel to TEACH them and prepare them for the Sabbath they were to
observe? That text is
interesting because it describes how many did NOT pay attention when
Moses gave them instructions concerning the collecting of mana (twice
the amount the day before).
But vs. 27-29 describes how some did not listen and didn’t not collect
double. They had to go a day
without mana (or someone shared with them).
Lesson learned – vs. 30, “So
the people rested the seventh day”.
a.
Another consideration is
that the 10 commandments, including the Sabbath day, were part of the
Old Law, or Law of Moses.
This is important to understand, as we are no longer under the
Old Law.
b.
The Old Law has been
done away with. Consider the
following:
i.
Jeremiah 31:31-34 –
there is the promise of a new covenant that is coming.
Clearly this text is declaring from the LROD, that it will be
DIFFERENT than the one made with Israel and Judah.
So even their law declared that it had a time limit as Jeremiah
was writing.
ii.
Hebrews 7:12,
For the priesthood being changed,
of necessity there is also a change of the law. The writer is
explaining how Jesus could be High Priest.
The priesthood needed to change.
NOW, notice Hebrews 8:7-13, where he quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 and
explains that the first (old, e.g. LOM) covenant is becoming obsolete
and is ready to vanish away.
iii.
Ephesians 2:14-16 –
Christ, in His death made peace (between Jews and Gentiles), breaking
down the middle wall of separation, and having abolished in the flesh
the enmity, that is the commandments contained in ordinances, so as to
create one new man… we are all reconciled to God in one body through the
cross.
iv.
Colossians 2:13-16,
And you, being dead in your
trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive
together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us,
which was contrary to us. And He has
taken it out of the way, having
nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers,
He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. So
let no one judge you in food or
in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,
NOTE in the latter phrase, none
is to be judges in regard to sabbaths (indicating that while some Jewish
brethren still observed it, they didn’t have to NOR could they bind it
on Gentiles). AND that is a
major point of Paul’s letters to the Romans and the Galatians, as well
as mentioned in other letters.
v.
These passages, and
perhaps others show clearly that the Sabbath belonged to Israel and thus
has been done away with.
c.
This is why we cannot
appeal to the Old Testament to justify instrumental music, burning
incense in worship, priestly robes, etc.
d.
Is there a distinction
between the covenant law and the ceremonial law?
i.
There is an
inconsistency with Sabbatarians.
They say we are obligated to keep the 10 commandments, but not
the ceremonial law (which included the sacrifices, dietary laws, the
Levitical priesthood, etc.).
They reason that these were what Christ nailed to the cross, but
He left the 10 commandments.
OR they might say that the 10 commandments are part of a continuous
covenant that began with Abraham.
ii.
BUT Consider 2
Corinthians 3:7 speaks of “the ministry of death, written and engraved
on stones, was glorious.
What was engraved on the stones Moses received?
The 10 commandments (Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13, 10:4 – note
BOTH sets of tablets, had the 10 commandments written on them).
That is what was engraved in stones.
Thus the LOM includes the 10 commandments.
iii.
Romans 7:4 notes, “You
have also become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you
may be married to another…”
Paul’s point is the need for the Old Law to die, so Christ could
reign. BUT, notice
also vs. 7, What shall we say
then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have
known sin except through the law. For I would not have known
covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” Where
is “you shall not covet” found in the LOM?
It’s in the 10 commandments.
e.
TODAY, we observe most
of them (9 of the 10) because they are repeated and taught as part of
the New Testament. But
we are NOT keeping the 10 commandments when we do this!
There were many things that carried over from the Old Law, but
not everything! We keep Sunday,
because it is PART of the New Testament.
a.
The “first day of the
week” – Why? Because that is
what we find in the New Testament.
Consider the following:
i.
Matthew 28:1, Mark
16:1-2, Luke 24:1-2, John 20:1 – ALL 4 gospels are clear to mention “the
first day of the week” with many saying AFTER the Sabbath.
Jesus arose on Sunday!
This is a new beginning.
ii.
Acts 2:1 – the church
began on Sunday. It was the
day of Pentecost. Pentecost
was a day to be observed on a Sunday – the ONLY OT feast to be annually
observed on a Sunday.
Recorded in Leviticus 23:15-16, ‘And
you shall count for yourselves from
the day after the Sabbath,
from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering:
seven Sabbaths shall be completed.
Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you
shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord.
This was the day of Pentecost,
or the “feast of weeks”
iii.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Acts 20:7 –
both mention “the first day of the week” as when disciples came together
to give and break bread.
Acts 20:7 is particularly significant when you consider vs. 6 says that
Paul waited 7 days at Troas, where he met with the brethren on Sunday.
There is nothing in the text to indicate this was a SPECIAL
Sunday. Just as they met
every Sabbath, we meet every Sunday.
NOTE: Vs 16 of this this chapter, Paul was hurrying to get to
Jerusalem, but he stayed a week to meet with these brethren.
b.
Why did some Jewish
Christians keep the Sabbath and Jewish traditions after the
establishment of the church?
A fair question. We do read
about Jewish Christians keeping portions of the Old Law.
BUT, as Paul was trying to explain, they didn’t need to do that
AND they COULD NOT bind that.
If they chose to keep elements of the Old Law for traditions sake
(observing days and eating foods), that was fine (that is some of what
Romans 14 is dealing with). But
they NEEDED to understand that “now it is different”.
Furthermore, some, including Paul, would observe portions of the OL as
an opportunity to teach about Christ.
Consider how Paul became all things to all men – 1 Corinthians
9:19-23 – this included Jews. Going to synagogues on the Sabbath was an
opportunity to teach Jews, who would often become the first Christians
in a city, because they had some background with who God was, and how
Jesus was the promised Messiah.
The problem was NOT in keeping their heritage, but making it compulsory.
Then, there was a “learning curve” – a time between the beginning of the
church until it reached a point where the gospel had been taught to
everyone, and a time for new converts to mature in the faith and learn.
Consider also 2 Corinthians 3:11 where Paul speaks of “what is passing away” point to the fact that the Old Law was “on its
way out” completely. AND
Hebrews 8:13, “…Now what is
becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”
Testimony by the early church writers.
While uninspired, we get a good glimpse into how Christians
worshipped and served God by early writers who only a few generations
away from the first Christians.
They would have had a better understanding of what Christians
did, and very likely some of the original documentation.
During the 2nd -4th
centuries it was clear that Christians met on Sunday.
Hear what they said:[1]
i.
The Didache (c. A.D.
120) declares that “every Lord’s day” the Christians gather themselves
together and “break bread” (ANF.VII.381).
ii.
The Epistle of Barnabas
(c. A.D. 120), in discussing such things as incense, new moons, and
Sabbaths, says that the Lord “abolished these things” in deference to
“the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ” (ANF.I.138). Later, it is
affirmed: “Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the
day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead” (I.147).
iii.
Justin Martyr (A.D. 140)
declared that “on the day called Sunday” the primitive Christians met
for worship. He further stated that this was the day on which Christ was
raised from the dead (I.186).
iv.
Clement of Alexandria
(A.D. 194) spoke of the one who “keeps the Lord’s day” as “glorifying
the Lord’s resurrection in himself” (ANF.II.545).
v.
Tertullian (A.D. 200)
argued that the “old law” had been consummated; thus the “observance of
the Sabbath is demonstrated to have been temporary” (ANF.III.155).
Elsewhere he says that “Sabbaths are strange” to Christians, and that
they share together “the Lord’s day” (70).
vi.
Eusebius (A.D. 324),
known as the “father of church history,” stated that Sabbath observance
does not “belong to Christians.” On the other hand, he asserted that
Christians “celebrate the Lord’s days . . . in commemoration of his
resurrection” (26,113).
c.
ONE OTHER OBSERVATION
HERE: We do NOT keep “the Christian Sabbath”.
In other words, Sunday is NOT “the Christian Sabbath.”
Sunday is the day God has given us to worship Him.
And
thus we see some things to consider as we address why we do not observe
the Sabbath day today. It is
important that we follow God’s instructions in all that we do.
This is why we assemble on Sunday.
What about you? Are
you keeping all of His
commandments? Are you in
Him? Think about it!