1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:1, 2
Introduction
This text is the charter of the Christian faith. As Christians, we are to look to Christ and to Christ alone.
- Tonight I am happy to tell you that I am a Christian. It gives me great peace to know that Christ is my Saviour. I have chosen Him as my Lord. It is my deepest desire to do His will as an expression of my love for what He did for me. I look forward to seeing my Lord in His glory.
- More than this, a number of years ago I was called to the ministry. I was called to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Any doctrine or teaching that is not found in Jesus Christ, I dare not preach. Anything that Jesus taught, I must preach.
- May I ask you a few personal questions? Do you believe that Jesus lived the one perfect life? Do you believe that a Christian is a man who lives like Christ? Do you believe that it is my business as a minister to urge every man to live like Christ? Thank you very much!
- An astonishing fact: There is one example, one teaching of Jesus Christ, that the world has either rejected or forgotten: THAT DAY ON WHICH HE RESTED AND WORSHIPPED. On the other hand, the whole world is observing Sunday, ABOUT WHICH HE GAVE NO EXAMPLE AND SAID NOT A SINGLE WORD. It is about this matter that I wish to speak tonight.
I. The Lord’s day in the New Testament
- A visit to Nazareth (Luke 4:16). The example of Jesus was a Sabbath-keeping example. This was nothing unusual, nothing exceptional. HIS WAS A SABBATH-KEEPING CUSTOM.
- A serious question: Since the Cross, would we not keep the Lord’s day according to the New Testament? Answer: Yes. Absolutely, YES.
- The objective question: Which day is the New Testament Lord’s day?
- Rev. 1:10 is the only N.T. text that uses the expression “Lord’s Day.” This text does not specify which day of the week the Lord’s day is. (One thing sure, the Lord has a day.)
- Mark 2:27-28: Jesus says clearly that THE SABBATH IS THE LORD’S DAY.
- Exodus 20:10: The Bible says clearly that the 7th day is the Sabbath, the Lord’s Day.
- Why is Jesus Lord of the Sabbath? John 1:10: He made the world (He made the Sabbath). It was Jesus, our Creator Lord, who rested, blessed, and sanctified it (Gen. 2:1-3).
- A CLEAR STATEMENT: Might sound like a harsh statement, but only a true statement.
- My Holy Day. Isaiah 58:13, 14. YOU CAN SEARCH THE WHOLE BIBLE. ONLY ONE DAY IS HOLY: THE SEVENTH DAY. THE DAY THAT JESUS MADE AND KEPT.
II. Questions people ask
- Can we be sure which day of the week is the 7th day? (I give several answers.)
- The “Good Friday” answer: Luke 23:54. He died Friday, rose Sunday (Luke 24:1-2). The day in between Friday and Sunday is clearly the Sabbath.
- Languages: 108 languages of the world call Saturday the Sabbath (Spanish, French, Italian).
- Calendar: 27 different calendars in world use all agree the 7th day is Saturday.
- Names of days of the week: Sunday (largest visible heavenly body is first day), Monday (Moon, next largest visible to the naked eye) is second.
- Authorities: No question by experts (see the Naval Observatory letter).
- Hasn’t the calendar been changed? Obviously the months have been changed, not the week.
- What did Jesus say about Sunday?
- Surprising answer: Never mentioned it. In the Bible the days are numbered, not named. THE EXPRESSION “FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK” DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE LIPS OF JESUS.
- A man once objected that maybe Jesus forgot: John 17:4. He finished His work. I believe Him.
- Example of those who loved Him most: Luke 23:56; Luke 24:1. They went to embalm His body Sunday, what they would not do on the Sabbath. Sunday was a working day.
- Objection: I thought the early apostles kept Sunday. Sometimes Acts 20:8 is referred to as an example of Sunday observance. This meeting was on Saturday night after the Sabbath. Paul traveled all day Sunday (vs. 13). No Sunday-keeping here or in 1 Cor. 16:1-2. No meeting was called; it was a day for counting money.
- What did Jesus say about the Sabbath?
- He claimed to be Lord of it (Mark 2:27-28). THE ONLY THING JESUS EVER CLAIMED TO BE LORD OF: LORD OF THE SABBATH. (Will you accept Him as Lord of the Sabbath?)
- Once a man objected saying, “Jesus mentioned every other commandment but not the fourth.” This is not true (Matt. 24:20). The only commandment that Jesus told us to pray to keep.
- He kept it in His life (Luke 4:16). He rested on it from the work of creation (Gen. 2:3). He rested on it from the work of redemption (Matt. 27:62-66).
- He called it eternal (Matt. 5:17-18). Just as it will never be right to lie, steal, kill, commit adultery, IT WILL NEVER BE RIGHT TO BREAK THE SABBATH (4th Commandment).
- Isn’t the Sabbath Jewish, or for the Jews?
- The Sabbath is never called Jewish in the Bible (Ex. 20:10): SABBATH OF THE LORD. It is God’s Sabbath. HE MADE IT, RESTED ON IT, AND SANCTIFIED IT.
- Jesus’ statement (Mark 2:27-28): the Sabbath is made for MAN (mankind). Do only Jews need to rest and worship? If we call Abraham the first Jew, there were 130,000 Sabbaths before Abraham.
- Remember: the Sabbath is the 4th of the 10 COMMANDMENTS. Are only Jews forbidden to steal, or lie, or kill? This entire law is for the whole of mankind. IT IS THE LAW OF HEAVEN AND EARTH: “FOR IN SIX DAYS THE LORD MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.” As long as we are on God’s green earth, under God’s blue sky, WE ARE DUTY BOUND TO KEEP THE WHOLE OF HIS LAW.
- Aren’t we now under grace, and not under the law?
- Answer: Yes, we are under grace. Thank God for that or we are all lost. We are no longer under the condemnation of the Law (Rom. 8:1). God has forgiven us, by His grace, for our law-breaking (1 John 3:4). But grace does not give us the right to knowingly break God’s law (Heb. 10:26-27). God by His grace has forgiven me every lie I ever told, but His grace does not give me the right to lie (break the 9th Commandment). See Matt. 19:17.
III. Odds and ends of things I hear
- “I keep every day holy.” (Better get a job and go to work.) Fact: Out of 7 days, God made holy only one. No one can keep holy what God has not made holy. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP HOLY ANY DAY EXCEPT THE SEVENTH. IT IS THE ONLY ONE GOD MADE HOLY.
- “One day is as good as another.” From a human point of view that might be right, but God sees it differently. When Eve was tempted in the Garden to eat the fruit of the tree of evil, the fruit looked no different than that of any other tree. The only difference was that God had said, “Don’t eat it.” THAT DIFFERENCE MEANT LIFE AND DEATH. To the human eye, one day is as good as another. God alone says that there is a difference. The question is not one of trees, or fruit, or days, IT IS A QUESTION OF GOD’S ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY. IS HE YOUR LORD? Pray about it.
- “I don’t think that the Sabbath is important!” This is a statement that you should never make. The Sabbath is the 4th of the 10 Commandments. Do you think killing is important (6th Commandment)? Stealing (8th)? All agree that protection of property and life are important. If the 4th is not important, WE ARE TELLING GOD THAT HE DOESN’T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE IMPORTANT AND UNIMPORTANT. NO MAN SHOULD EVER SIT IN JUDGEMENT ON THE MIND OF GOD.
IV. The real issue: making the decision to do God’s holy will
It is never easy. I remember when I made my decision:
- Sacrifice. “Lord, I’ll lose time and a half.” Looked at the cross and couldn’t say that.
- Friends. “Lord, I’ll lose my friends.” At the cross His were gone. Couldn’t say that.
- People will laugh at me. Looked at the crown of thorns (made in fun). Couldn’t say that.
- I’ll be embarrassed. Saw Him naked there. Couldn’t talk about embarrassment.
- Inconvenient. “Lord, I’ll be different from the world. It’s inconvenient.” I looked at the nails in His hands. I could not speak of inconvenience.
WHAT COULD I DO? I FELL AT HIS FEET AND CRIED: “MY LORD AND MY GOD.”