Last week we looked at Matthew chapter 12 and the Lord’s interaction with the Pharisees on the Sabbath day. It was an interaction that saw Jesus condemn the Pharisees for their hypocrisy surrounding one of their most sacred traditions, the keeping of the Sabbath. Of course, the fourth of the 10 Commandments in Exodus required keeping the Sabbath day holy which meant resting from labor as well as gathering for worship, but the Pharisees had created traditions and rules and taboos around the keeping of the Sabbath that went far beyond what God commanded.
Their intentions may have been good originally, it was an attempt to parse out what it meant to keep the Sabbath day holy, to rest from labor. God did not give an exacting definition, merely that they were to cease from labor, and so they wanted to make sure they were doing the right thing. But as their hearts drifted further away from God and became more centered on their man-made traditions, they had become guilty of the same accusation God leveled against the Israelites in Hosea 6:6 which Jesus quoted in 9:13 and repeated in our passage last week in 12:7, “I desire compassion, and not sacrifice.” The focus of Sabbath worship was always meant to be on our demonstration of our love for God and the love of our fellow man, the greatest commandments as Jesus described them in Matthew 22. Even if that meant violating the rituals in necessary circumstances.
What we saw last week was an accusation by Christ against the Pharisees of the traditions of man superseding the Law of God, specifically, concerning the Sabbath and how it was to be understood. We must remember that Matthew chapter 12 and this interaction was one done in a specific time in history, a time in which Jesus and those listening to him were under the Mosaic Covenant Law. There is still much that we can learn from this interaction as we saw last week, such as the importance of not allowing our traditions and taboos to override or negate the truth of Scripture. We must always remember that God desires compassion over sacrifice, love and mercy toward our fellow man over ritual.
One of the areas we tend to fail in this, much like the Pharisees, is in how we understand our weekly worship. How we as Christians treat the Lord’s Day, Sunday. Is it the Christian “Sabbath;” do we have the same kind of requirements just on a different day? This is a difficult topic because there is much confusion and inconsistency that tends to govern our thoughts on this issue. Much of that comes from a lack of teaching on what God expects of us in general around this issue and much of it comes from traditions that have grown up through different cultures and denominations, sometimes even devoid of any scriptural support.
So, this morning I want to look at the topic of the Christian and the Sabbath. I recognize that some of you may disagree with some of what I have to say this morning. This is one sermon that I expect to garner discussion, and that is a good thing. I would love to spend time with all of you further discussing every sermon, and I hope that you go home and talk about some of the things you hear every Sunday morning. But if you disagree with or have questions about anything I say this morning, please do come talk to me after the service or if that does not work, let me know and I can find some time this week around your schedule to sit down with talk about it. This is a multifaceted issue on which there are differing opinions by many godly men and women throughout the ages.
The Christian walk is one that changes over time and this is an area of theology that I have been challenged in and forced to consider my own presuppositions in. The opinion I have now has been formed and changed over years and I am sure that I do not have everything exactly right and will not until I reach heaven. So, what I am going to present this morning is my best understanding of what all Scripture as to say and its principles on this issue as well as the development of this doctrine throughout history, all of which form the foundations for my position.
So, with that, let us begin. The Christian and the Sabbath. And I will start out with the statement most likely to get me in trouble “Sunday is not the Sabbath.” Not only that, and to add to your ammo for later, Christians are not required to observe the Sabbath. Now I will let that sink in for a moment, but I have my defense prepared already and so before you start looking for another pastor let me give them to you.
First, the New Testament never commands Christians to observe the Sabbath, in fact the opposite is implied in several passages. Not that we are to reject or hate the idea of the Sabbath, but that requiring a Sabbath Day for oneself or of others based on tradition is sinful. One of the issues that plagued the church in the New Testament, and it can even be seen in the early chapters of the book of Acts, is the legalism that was brought into the church by the Judaizers. These were the faction of Christians that came out of the pharisaical mindset of Judaism. They accepted Christ as the Messiah and so were accepted as brother’s in Christ, but they attempted to force Gentile Christians to submit to the Mosaic Law as part of salvation. Their mindset is somewhat understandable. They had grown up under a religious system that was hyper focused on the law, on standards of legalism that defined their spirituality. All of a sudden they are being told the Mosaic Law is no longer in effect and yet to still hold on to the Old Testament as Scripture. Their difficulty understanding how the Mosaic Law relates to Christians on this side of the cross is a debate that still happens to this day.
We saw in the sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:17 that Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. In Romans 10:4 Paul writes that “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to anyone who believes.” As Christians, as the people of God on this side of the cross we are no longer subject to the Mosaic Law in any way. Paul says in Romans 7, “you also were made to die to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might he joined to another… But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”
Some theologians attempt to separate the Mosaic law into the three categories of moral, civil, and ceremonial aspects. They accept that the civil and ceremonial have fallen away, laws such as the civil codes commanding a certain compensation if your donkey broke your neighbor’s fence, or the ritual commands dealing with what animals were to be sacrificed and when. These theologians claim that the moral laws still remain as authoritative over us today; and the 10 Commandments are the summation of that moral law. I believe that this is an illegitimate separation made in the Mosaic Law that God never makes in Scripture. The distinctions can be helpful to us in understanding the Law and its purpose of revealing God, but we must recognize that we are either under all of it or none of it. And the way the New Testament Authors and Church approach the Sabbath exemplifies this point. The Mosaic Law was given as an expression of God’s moral character for the nation of Israel within the Old Covenant dispensation. We are not subject to the Mosaic law is not to say we cannot learn about God and His character from it. God has not changed though the expression of our worship toward Him may have this Covenant.
In the New Testament, 9 out of the 10 Commandments are restated as moral requirements for Christians. Much of the moral law that we see in the Mosaic covenant remains unchanged as it exemplifies the two greatest commandments as Jesus describes them, in how we are to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves. However, nowhere in the New Testament are Christians commanded to observe the Sabbath, in fact in several places it is implied that to enforce it is sinful. At the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 that met to discuss the issue of the Judaizers enforcing the Mosaic law on Gentiles, the apostles made it clear that there were no such demands on the disciples, that would include keeping the Sabbath.
We see throughout the book of Acts and in the epistles that the church did not meet for worship on the Sabbath, on Saturday, but on the Lord’s day, on Sunday, the first day of the week. The early church fathers likewise taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished. From the second generation of disciples like Ignatius and Clement of Rome all the way through Augustine in the fourth century, the consistent teaching was that the Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week was the day in which Christian should meet for worship. They made it clear that it was not meant as a new Sabbath day but something different. There were similarities, but Christians were not beholden to the Jewish Sabbath traditions by any means. In fact, it was not until Constantine’s legislation in A.D. 321 making Sunday a religious day of rest across the Empire that it became common for Christians not to work on Sunday. Even still, any focus of Sunday is a day of worship by authors such as Eusebius was on the activity of the pastors and elders in worship rather than prohibitions of the fourth commandment concerning work.
The first signs of Sabbatarianism, or teachings and requirements placed on believers keeping Sunday as a “Sabbath” day did not appear until medieval times. Even still it was rejected by the early reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther and did not see prominence in the Protestant church until the Puritans 150 to 200 years later.
Paul goes even further in his epistles. He says similar things in Romans 14 that we will look at in a bit. His point is that we are not to become entangled again in a legalistic system that is pointless and harmful. He says in Galatians 5 “it was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.”
In Colossians 2:16-17 Paul writes “therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to Festival or new moon or a Sabbath day, things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” Because we are under the New Covenant, the dietary laws of the Old Covenant are no longer in force, neither are the annual Jewish festivals such as Passover, Pentecost, or the feast of Tabernacles. Sacrifices were offered on the first new moon, or the first day of the month. Christians then are also not required to keep the Sabbath.
Should we as Christians reject everything to do with the Sabbath? Because we are not required to keep it, should we see it as a useless or meaningless Old Testament ritual? Of course not. Like all of the Mosaic Law, the fourth commandment reveals to us the character of God as he revealed himself to those under the Old Covenant. So, what was the Sabbath? What was the point of the Sabbath in the Old Testament? First, the keeping of the Sabbath day was meant as a sign of the Old Covenant. In Exodus 31:16-17 we read “So the Sons of Israel shall observe the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the Sons of Israel forever.” The keeping of the Sabbath was something that separated the people of Israel from those around them and consecrated them as the people of God. The keeping of the Sabbath was not the only sign of the covenant, circumcision, the dietary laws, even the way they were to dress all served this purpose. However, because of the specific rituals and worship that happened on the Sabbath, it received a level of priority above the others in the minds of the Jewish people.
Beyond that, John Calvin gives three reasons for the fourth commandment in the Institutes. “First, (he says) with the seventh day of rest the Lord wished to give to the people of Israel on image of spiritual rest whereby believers must cease from their own works in order to let the Lord work in them. Secondly, he wished that there be an established day in which believers might assemble in order to hear his law and worship him. Thirdly, he willed that one day of rest be granted to servants and to those who live under the power of others so that they might have relaxation from their labor.”
So we have 4 purposes for the Sabbath in the Old Testament. As a sign, as a shadow of spiritual rest, a day of worship, and a day of physical rest.
As with all of the law, the Sabbath pointed to Christ. A moment ago we read Colossians 2:17 which said that the dietary laws, the festivals and sacrifices and the Sabbath day were “things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” We have in Christ both our sign and the fulfillment of the spiritual rest.
As Christians on this side of the cross, we do not have a Sabbath day of rest because Jesus is our Sabbath. The Sabbath observation in which the New Testament people of God are to participate is to enter God’s rest by faith and thereby cease from our own works of righteousness. In Hebrews 4 we read, “so there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has Himself also rested from His works, as God did from His. Therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.”
Just as Christ is our Passover, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5, so he is our spiritual rest in this life and our promise of eternal rest in the age to come. In Hebrews 4:3 we read, “for we who have believed enter that rest.” Therefore, we have no need of a Sabbath day when God has granted those who believe and eternal rest through our faith in Jesus. In Christ we rest from our attempts to work out our own righteousness, “come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” We are no longer required to strive under the law or to suffer from the guilt of our sin, “take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Our signs of the New Covenant have been changed. Instead of festivals like Passover, Christ established for us the Lord’s supper in which he says of the cup “drink from it…for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” The Lord’s table is our proclamation of his death until he comes again. It is our celebration, our remembrance of past joy, and it is our message to proclaim until he comes to bring eternal rest.
We see that Christ is our sign and the fulfillment of our rest in God. But if we as Christians on this side of the cross are not required to maintain the Sabbath, why do we set aside the first day of the week as the Lord’s Day? This fulfills the other two functions of the Sabbath that Calvin pointed to, a day of worship and a day of physical rest.
The earliest disciples, as evidenced in the book of Acts and the epistles, began meeting on the first day of the week for Christian worship. This is directly linked to the resurrection itself, emphasizing the celebration of Christ’s resurrection as central to Christian worship. It is nowhere in Scripture commanded, but there is a clear example laid down by the earliest disciples of making the Lord’s day a set, regular time for gathering together as the church for worship including the reading and teaching of God’s Word.
Part of understanding why that is important comes from understanding what worship truly is. That is a series in and of itself; one that we are going to begin soon; a full study of what Scripture describes worship as and the kind of worship that God desires. But have you ever asked yourself the question, “why do we gather for worship?” It begins with the command to gather. In Hebrews 10 we read “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 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.” The implication from verse 25 is that we should be gathering together as a body of believers to worship God and to encourage one another, to minister to one another. Both are necessary, and both should be an aspect of our gathering regularly whatever day of the week that falls on.
John MacArthur puts it nicely, he said, “I think it’s important for us to understand the distinction between worship and ministry. Ministry is what we do for others. Worship is what we give to God. Ministry is that which comes down to us from the Father through the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit through us to others. Worship is that which goes up from us by the Holy Spirit’s power through the Son to the Father. Ministry descends from God to us and through us, worship comes through us ascends to God. And we have been called to give God worship.”
There is an aspect of worship that is private. Our entire lives are to be presented to God as a living and holy sacrifice, as Paul says in Romans 12, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. We worship God with every aspect of our being. That is what Jesus means when he says the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The heart is the seat of the will, the choices we make. When we consciously choose to serve God over ourselves and commit ourselves to humbly relying upon God for all that we have and all that we are. The soul is a reference to the seat of emotions. The religious affections as Jonathan Edwards describes them. It is finding our joy and satisfaction in God and the feeling of grief and pain over our sin that causes us to mourn. The mind is our intellect, our knowledge and it must be trained in the truth of God’s Word. Sharpened and honed by the preaching and teaching of the truth. Our strength is all that we do as a physical service of worship. Whether that is to minister to those in need by serving them or by presenting God with our offerings.
Each of these can be done alone, but are all enhanced when we gather together as the body of Christ. We commit ourselves to God through public prayer, we express our religious affections through song, we hone and mature our minds through the teaching of God’s word and sharpening each other through discussion, and we present our strength through the taking of the offering and through ministering to the body of Christ in whatever way that takes form.
Worship on Sunday as it is any day of the week is to be focused on God and never to be about ourselves. It should be the highlight of our week, the time when we can gather with like-minded people to present to God the worth and glory and honor that is due him. Worship is never to be about us, it is never meant to be an experience that we are looking for but away for us to express our love and honor to God. If you are coming to worship Sunday morning looking for what you can get out of it then you are doing it wrong. If you are upset because worship is not happening how you want it to then you are doing it wrong.
It is to be ordered and correct in order to facilitate a heart of worship. We are commanded to make a joyful noise to the Lord, not one that perfectly in tune with the music. We are commanded to pray, humbling our hearts before God but you cannot do that when you are frustrated because the prayer is going a little longer than you want. Even when the sermon is a little fumbled and incoherent, we can search for truths that affect our minds and our hearts. Even in the worst of circumstances when we gather to worship it should be a joining of like-minded hearts focused on giving God the worth that is due him and should excite our emotions as we focus on the goodness and mercy of God.
So, what about the rest; not the leftovers, the ceasing of labors? Do we still do that on Sunday? The short answer is no, but it is a good idea. God sat down at the end of six days of work and rested. He established for the physical and mental good of the people of Israel a day of rest. There is a lot of current scientific support for the idea of having a day of rest every week being very healthy. But if you work on a Sunday, no it is not a sin. I would encourage having a day set aside to rest, especially for those of you who have demanding jobs and families to keep up with. Having a day focused on recuperating your strength and spending time with your family is important and will leave a lasting impression on your children when they see you prioritize a day of worship and family over work.
When we were in California, while I was in seminary, all four years were excruciatingly busy. Think harvest or planting season but year-round. In that time however CJ and I worked very hard to make Sunday a day of rest. We both held jobs at different times while we were there, but made it a priority to not work on Sunday. I would likewise, if at all possible, not do any schoolwork on Sunday so that we could be sure to dedicate that time to worship and to spending time together as a family. I fully understand what it is like to spend five or six weeks in a row of putting in 16 hour days, six days a week. But even in those times we guarded Sunday viciously for God and for our family.
So no, Sunday does not have to be a Sabbath day completely restricted from all labors. However, we must also consider the importance of setting aside time for worship, both corporate and personal. It should be a priority, something we plan our week around, not try to squeeze into our busy schedule. This includes both Lord’s Day and weekly events such as Bible Study, Awana, Personal Devos or whatever form that takes. They should be the highlights of our week and that for which we willing sacrifice other things including both recreation and work.
But in the end, it all depends on you. Paul says in Romans 14:5, “one person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 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.” What you do with your Sunday is completely up to you. Sunday is not required as a day dedicated to the Lord, it is not the Christian Sabbath day. It is however the day that we as Lowery Pilgrim community Church have decided to set as our weekly gathering to give worship to our God. The time is set at 10:45 but that is also something we can change if we need to. We would still be a church if we gathered Sunday night, or Saturday night, or Tuesday morning or whenever.
If you want to make Sunday a special day dedicated to God, then as long as you give thanks to God for it, as long as you observe it for the Lord and are fully convinced in your own mind then the blessing of God be upon you. If you want to just make Sunday from 10:45 till Noon your time set aside to gather with the family of believers, and you are fully convinced in your own mind than the blessing of God be upon you. But be sure in either case that you are prioritizing the worship of God above all things. Christian freedom is a blessing and a curse in some ways. We are not restricted by laws that govern our day, but we are constantly called to search our heart and question our motives for all that we do. You do not have to keep Sunday as a Sabbath day, but do you prioritize worship throughout the week? Do you make sacrifices in work or recreation to put the worship of God in heart, mind, soul, and strength and ministry to the saints ahead of everything else? Or do you try to fit it in when you can?