Participants:
Series Code: MAT
Program Code: MAT000008S
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00:20 Shall we pray.
00:22 Our Father and our God, we come before Your awesome throne 00:26 in the name of Jesus requesting that the Holy Spirit 00:30 who inspired the Scriptures will hover over its pages 00:34 and will enter our minds as we study Your Word. 00:38 I ask, Lord, that You will remove any obstacle 00:40 in our hearts from understanding and receiving the truth. 00:45 And we thank You for hearing our prayer. 00:46 We ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 00:50 The great Aristotle lived around the year 315 BC. 00:55 Besides being a renowned philosopher, Aristotle was 01:00 also a naturalist. 01:02 And he defined a spider as an insect that has six legs. 01:09 For 2000 years this definition of a spider was passed on 01:14 from generation to generation. 01:17 After all, who would question the definition 01:21 by the great Aristotle? 01:24 Then in the latter half of the 18th century, 01:28 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck decided to examine a spider for himself. 01:34 And lo and behold, he discovered that a spider is not an insect. 01:38 It's an arachnid. 01:40 And that it actually has eight legs, not six. 01:46 I believe this story reveals three lessons 01:50 that we need to remember. 01:51 First of all, for over 2000 years people had passed on 01:56 an erroneous definition of what a spider is 02:01 based on the opinion of an expert. 02:04 This proves that depending on statements by experts 02:08 cannot be absolutely trusted. 02:10 We must test truth for ourselves. 02:15 The second lesson is that the passing of time 02:17 does not make error truth and truth error. 02:20 The spider did not grow two legs after Aristotle 02:24 provided his definition. 02:27 And finally, the beliefs of the majority do not 02:31 make error truth. 02:34 In our last study, we noticed that faithful Christians 02:38 who fled Jerusalem in the year 70 kept the seventh day Sabbath. 02:44 Because Jesus stated that their flight should not be 02:47 in winter or on the Sabbath day. 02:51 That's Matthew 24:20. 02:54 This proves beyond any doubt that Jesus did not nail 02:59 the Sabbath to the cross when He died. 03:02 In spite of this, many Christians today claim 03:06 that the Sabbath was for the Jews 03:10 and that Sunday is the new day of worship for Christians. 03:14 This makes it necessary for us to consider 03:18 what the New Testament has to say about Sabbath and Sunday. 03:24 Let's notice some introductory matters first of all. 03:28 There are only eight texts in the New Testament 03:31 that mention the first day of the week. 03:35 So if we're going to find evidence for the observance 03:38 of Sunday as the day of rest, we must find it 03:40 in those eight Bible verses. 03:44 The word, "Sunday," never appears in the New Testament 03:48 even though the Romans did use the name, Dies Solis, 03:52 or, Day of the Sun, to refer to the first day of the week. 03:57 The Bible numbers the first six days of the week, 04:01 but does not give them a name. 04:03 Only the seventh day in the Bible has a number and a name. 04:09 Sabbath or Shabbat. 04:12 Incidentally, the Brazilians today number the days 04:16 from Monday to Friday and only give two days names. 04:20 Those two days are Sabado and Domingo. 04:26 Latin was the language of the Romans. 04:29 Although the Bible numbers the days, 04:32 the pagan Romans gave the days planetary names 04:37 in honor of their gods. 04:39 Here are the names that the Romans gave 04:41 to the days of the week. 04:43 And in Spanish you have a transfer almost verbatim 04:46 from the Latin Romans. 04:49 Dies Solis was Sunday. 04:53 Dies Lunae was Monday. 04:58 Dies Martis was Mars. That was Tuesday. 05:03 Dies Mercurii was the planet Mercury, 05:07 and that was what we call Wednesday. 05:09 Dies Lovis was Thursday in honor of the god Jove or Zeus. 05:16 Dies Veneris, day of Venis was Friday. 05:22 And Dies Saturni is what we call Saturday, 05:26 or Sabbath according to the Bible. 05:29 So the Romans gave the days planetary names 05:33 in honor of their gods. 05:36 Now we're going to examine in the next few minutes 05:39 all of the references to the first day of the week 05:43 in the New Testament. 05:45 And we're going to ask four questions of each text. 05:49 First, does the text state that Sunday is the Lord's day? 05:56 Second question, does the text tell us that the 05:59 first day of the week, Sunday, is holy? 06:02 The third question is, does the text tell us 06:05 that we are supposed to go to church 06:07 on the first day of the week? 06:10 And the fourth question is, does any of the text 06:13 tell us that we are to keep Sunday in honor 06:17 of the resurrection of Christ? 06:19 At the end of our study we will also consider Revelation 1:10 06:24 which Christians have used as a proof text 06:27 for the observance of Sunday as the day of rest. 06:30 So let's go to text number one, Matthew 28:1. 06:37 It says there... 06:49 Now this text does not tell us that Sunday is the Lord's day. 06:53 The text does not tell us that Sunday is holy. 06:57 It does not say we are supposed to attend church on Sunday. 07:01 And it certainly does not tell us that we are to keep 07:04 Sunday in honor of the resurrection of Christ. 07:07 Furthermore, the text makes it very clear 07:09 that Sunday is not the Sabbath. 07:12 Because we're told that Jesus resurrected 07:14 the day after the Sabbath. 07:17 The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week, 07:21 while Christ resurrected the first day of the week. 07:26 Now some calendars today in various parts of the world 07:30 muddy the waters by making Monday the first day of the week 07:35 which means that Sunday would then be the seventh day. 07:39 This is a crafty way of making people think that Sunday 07:44 is the seventh day of the week. 07:47 You know, I lived in Colombia for many years. 07:49 If you go to the Avianca website, you'll find that 07:53 the week begins on a Monday. 07:55 There's also a television program in Colombia called, 07:58 Séptimo Día, the seventh day, and it airs on Sunday. 08:02 It does not air on the Sabbath. 08:04 So the first text gives us no evidence that Sunday 08:08 is the Lord's day, that we are to keep it holy, 08:11 that we're supposed to go to church, 08:13 or that we're to honor it because Jesus resurrected 08:16 on that day. 08:17 Let's go to the second text. 08:20 Mark 16:1-2 08:43 Do these verses tell us that Sunday is the Lord's day? 08:46 No. 08:47 Do they tell us that we are to keep Sunday holy? 08:50 Again, no. 08:52 Does it tell us that we're supposed to attend church 08:56 on the first day of the week, Sunday? 08:59 No. 09:00 Does it say that we're supposed to honor the resurrection 09:02 of Christ on the first day of the week, Sunday? 09:06 No. 09:08 Furthermore, this text, like the previous one, 09:10 shows that Sunday is not the Sabbath. 09:14 Because it tells us, "Now when the Sabbath was passed, 09:18 Jesus resurrected." 09:20 You know, Pope John Paul II attempted to prove that 09:25 Sunday is the new day of rest for Christians 09:28 because of everything that happened on Sunday. 09:31 And he gives a list. 09:32 Jesus resurrected on Sunday. 09:35 Jesus walked and talked with two disciples on the road 09:38 to Emmaus on Sunday. 09:39 He appeared to the eleven disciples on the 09:42 evening of Sunday. 09:43 A week later He appeared again to the disciples on Sunday. 09:48 God poured out the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost 09:51 on a Sunday. 09:52 The first proclamation of the gospel took place on Sunday 09:55 on the day of Pentecost. 09:56 And the first baptisms occurred on Sunday. 10:01 So he says all of these things prove that Sunday 10:03 was a special day, a significant day above every other day. 10:08 But the question is, why did Jesus resurrect on Sunday? 10:12 What people don't realize is that Jesus resurrected 10:15 on Sunday not because Sunday was important, 10:18 but because the day before Sunday was important. 10:22 You see, Jesus had to rest in the tomb on the Sabbath. 10:26 So the important day is not the day He resurrected, 10:29 although that is a very important day. 10:32 The important day is the Sabbath. 10:34 He had to rest in the tomb on the Sabbath. 10:37 That would make it necessary for Him to resurrect 10:39 on the first day of the week. 10:41 You see, at creation we're told, in Genesis 2:1, that God... 10:47 And by the way, when it says, "God," it's talking about Christ 10:50 who is actually doing the creating. 10:51 Read John 1:1-3. 10:54 Christ finished His work on the sixth day 10:58 and ceased on the seventh day. 11:00 So it says He finished the sixth day, ceased on the seventh day. 11:04 In redemption, the same thing occurred. 11:07 Jesus said, "It is finished," on the cross, 11:10 John 19:31, and then He ceased by resting in the tomb 11:15 on the Sabbath. 11:16 And when God restores all things, creates a new heavens 11:19 and a new earth, He will say, according to Revelation 21:6, 11:24 "It is done." 11:26 And then Isaiah 66 tells us that God's people will rest 11:31 on the seventh day as a sign of a completed new creation. 11:37 So the important day was not that Jesus 11:39 had to resurrect on Sunday because He was saying that 11:42 Sunday was now going to be the new day of rest. 11:44 No. Jesus had to rest in the tomb on the Sabbath. 11:48 By the way, He rested 24 hours in the tomb on the Sabbath. 11:52 That would make it necessary to resurrect 11:54 on Sunday. 11:56 Let's go to text number three. 11:58 Mark 16:9 12:13 Does this verse tell us that Sunday is the Lord's day? No. 12:18 Does it tell us to keep Sunday holy? No. 12:23 Does it tell us that we're supposed to attend church 12:25 on Sunday? 12:27 Definitely not. 12:29 Does it say we're supposed to keep Sunday in honor of the 12:31 resurrection of Christ? 12:33 No. 12:35 What the text does tell us is that Sunday 12:38 is the day after the Sabbath. 12:39 Sunday is the first day of the week, 12:42 whereas the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. 12:46 Some Christians use a psychological argument 12:49 in favor of Sunday. 12:51 They say something like this... 12:54 "The Sabbath was a sad day for the disciples 12:57 because Jesus was dead in the tomb. 13:00 However, Sunday was a day of joy and victory 13:04 because Jesus resurrected. 13:06 Therefore," they say, "we Christians keep the joyful 13:09 and victorious day, not the sad day." 13:13 This argument is based on human reason 13:16 and logic that contradicts what the Bible says. 13:20 First of all, there was no reason why the disciples 13:24 should have been sad on the Sabbath. 13:29 Why? Because Jesus had repeatedly told them that 13:32 He was going to Jerusalem, He was going to suffer at the hands 13:35 of the religious leaders, and He was going to resurrect 13:38 on the third day. 13:40 If they had listened to what Jesus said, 13:43 Sabbath would have been a day where they would be saying, 13:47 "Oh, this is a day of rest. 13:48 Jesus has accomplished His work of redemption. 13:51 Now tomorrow He will be resurrecting from the grave." 13:55 It would have been a day of joyous expectation. 13:59 It wasn't Christ's fault that Sabbath was a sad day. 14:02 Because He had told them that He was going to 14:04 resurrect the third day. 14:06 The second indication that this psychological argument 14:10 has no basis is that on Sunday evening the disciples 14:15 were still sad. 14:18 You see, they did not believe that Jesus had resurrected 14:20 on Sunday night. 14:22 So how could Sunday have been a day of rejoicing and joy? 14:26 Notice Mark 16:9-13. 14:53 So the morning of the resurrection, 14:54 the disciples did not believe. 14:55 So they couldn't be happy because Jesus resurrected. 14:58 Verse 12... 15:05 These are the two disciples on the road to Emmaus 15:07 late on Sunday afternoon. 15:09 And notice verse 13. 15:14 So the two disciples go to Jerusalem, they tell 15:17 the disciples who are gathered in the upper room, 15:19 and they did not believe them either. 15:23 So how could Sunday be a joyful happy day 15:25 if the disciples did not even believe that 15:27 Jesus had resurrected? 15:29 You see, this argument is based on psychology. 15:34 It's not based on Scripture. 15:36 Let's go to text number four. 15:38 John 20:1-2 16:04 In other words, Jesus is not around. 16:06 Now here's some important points about these two verses 16:12 that we've just read. 16:13 It does not say that Sunday is the Lord's day. 16:17 We are not told that it is a memorial of the resurrection. 16:21 We are not told that Sunday is holy, 16:23 or that we are supposed to go to church on Sunday. 16:27 None of those things are mentioned in the text. 16:29 Now here's an important point. 16:31 According to scholars, the gospel of John 16:34 and the book of Revelation were written by the same person 16:38 in the same time frame. 16:40 That is, at the very end of the first century. 16:43 Around the year 95 AD. 16:46 By this time, more than 60 years had passed 16:50 after the death and resurrection of Christ. 16:54 And yet, in spite of the fact that John is writing this, 16:57 he simply says that Jesus resurrected 17:00 the first day of the week and they did not find Him 17:03 because He wasn't around, because He had resurrected. 17:06 You know, if Sunday was the day of rest, 17:09 after 60 years passing it would have been a golden opportunity 17:12 for John to say, "Now we're supposed to keep Sunday holy. 17:16 We're supposed to commemorate it in honor of the resurrection. 17:19 It's the day we're supposed to go to church." 17:21 He doesn't say any of those things. 17:22 60 years after the resurrection of Christ, 17:25 he simply states that Jesus resurrected 17:28 on the first day of the week. 17:30 In fact, all the gospel writers wrote their books 17:34 at least 30 years after the resurrection of Christ. 17:38 And not one of them singles out the first day as a special day 17:44 that we need to keep. 17:45 The text simply tells us that Jesus resurrected 17:49 on the first day of the week. 17:52 Let's go to text number five. 17:54 Luke 24:1-3 18:20 Let me ask you, do these verses tell us 18:24 that Sunday is the Lord's day? 18:27 No. 18:28 Do they tell us that Sunday is holy 18:30 and we're supposed to keep it? 18:31 No. 18:33 Does the text tell us that we're supposed to attend 18:35 church on Sunday? 18:37 No. 18:38 Does it tell us that we're supposed to keep Sunday 18:40 in honor of the resurrection? 18:42 Another no. 18:43 It simply tells us that Jesus resurrected 18:47 the first day of the week. 18:48 Which means the first day of the week, Sunday, 18:52 that means that the day before Sunday would be 18:56 the seventh day Sabbath. 18:59 As we examine the sequence of days in Luke 23:50 through 24:1, 19:06 we see clearly that Jesus died on Friday, 19:09 it's called the Preparation, Jesus rested in the tomb 19:12 on the Sabbath, the seventh day, and Jesus resurrected 19:16 on what we call Sunday, the first day of the week. 19:19 Let's read that passage, Luke 23, and we'll actually 19:23 start at verse 54 through chapter 24 and verse 3. 19:28 It says there... 19:34 So the day that Jesus died was the Preparation. 19:54 So notice, Friday was the Preparation, 19:57 the Sabbath was drawing near, the women prepare spices, 20:01 then they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. 20:03 Which commandment? 20:05 Obviously the fourth commandment, folks. 20:07 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 20:09 They were still keeping the Sabbath 20:10 after the death of Christ. 20:12 So they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. 20:15 And then we have the resurrection. 20:17 Chapter 24 verse 1... 20:34 Once again, no evidence whatsoever that Sunday 20:37 was a special day of worship, a holy day, 20:40 a day to go to church, a day to honor the resurrection. 20:44 We noticed that Friday is the sixth day, Preparation, 20:47 they kept the Sabbath according to the commandment, 20:50 the seventh day, and Jesus resurrected 20:52 the first day of the week. 20:53 So Sunday is not the Sabbath. 20:55 The Sabbath is the day before Sunday. 20:58 And I repeat once again, Luke wrote 30 years 21:02 after the resurrection of Christ. 21:04 He tells us that the women rested on the Sabbath day 21:08 according to the commandment. 21:10 They kept the Sabbath after Christ died. 21:13 Therefore, Jesus did not abolish the Sabbath 21:16 when He died on the cross. 21:19 You know, it's very interesting, Christians celebrate 21:23 the entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday 21:26 once a year during Easter or Holy Week. 21:31 Likewise, Holy Thursday they celebrate once a year. 21:36 Good Friday they celebrate, again, once a year. 21:41 So the question is, why then do they celebrate 21:45 the resurrection Sunday every week? 21:48 There's no place in the Bible that tells us that we're 21:51 supposed to keep Holy Week at all. 21:53 And yet, Christians, they say all during the week 21:56 of Holy Week, you know, "This is a yearly celebration." 21:59 But when it comes to the resurrection of Christ, 22:01 they say, "Well, you have to keep that every week." 22:05 The simple fact is, the Bible does not tell us to do that. 22:10 The sixth text we find in John 20:19. 22:17 It says the following... 22:18 This is speaking of Sunday night now. 22:41 This text does not tell us that Sunday is the Lord's day. 22:44 It does not tell us that we're supposed to attend 22:46 church on Sunday, or that Sunday is holy, 22:49 and we're supposed to honor Sunday because 22:51 Jesus resurrected on that particular day. 22:55 Many Christians have attempted to prove that Sunday 22:58 is God's new rest day because they were gathered 23:01 on the first day of the week. 23:03 And they even say that Jesus celebrated communion 23:07 with the disciples when He met with them 23:09 there in the upper room. 23:12 But you'll notice something very interesting here. 23:14 We are told the reason why the disciples were gathered 23:17 in the upper room. 23:19 They were not gathered to celebrate 23:21 the resurrection of Christ. 23:23 They were gathered there because they feared the Jews. 23:27 You see, the Jews had crucified Christ. 23:30 And they said, "Wow, we better kind of hide 23:32 because people know that we were following Him, 23:35 and we might suffer as well." 23:37 So the text tells us why they were there 23:40 gathered in the upper room. 23:42 It was not to celebrate communion, 23:44 or celebrate the resurrection. 23:45 It was because they were there for fear of the Jews. 23:48 And we've already noticed that they did not even believe 23:51 that Jesus had resurrected at this point. 23:54 So they weren't celebrating anything. 23:57 Now this idea that they were gathered together 23:59 to celebrate communion, and that Jesus actually 24:03 maybe joined them for communion, 24:05 has no biblical foundation whatsoever. 24:07 Let me give you several reasons why this theory 24:11 that Jesus instituted communion there to tell His disciples 24:15 that they should honor His resurrection 24:17 simply doesn't hold water. 24:19 First of all, as I mentioned, the text tells us that they were 24:22 gathered together there for fear of the Jews. 24:26 Secondly, Jesus could not have joined them 24:29 to celebrate communion because Jesus had instituted 24:33 communion on Thursday night. 24:35 And that very night Jesus told His disciples 24:38 that He would not celebrate communion with them again 24:41 until He entered His kingdom. 24:43 We find that in Matthew 26:29. 24:46 Jesus said to His disciples... 24:59 So how could Jesus be gathered to celebrate communion 25:02 on the evening of the resurrection if he said 25:05 that He was not going to drink the cup again 25:08 until He entered His Father's kingdom 25:11 and met with His disciples in the kingdom. 25:13 Another reason why we know that Jesus was not 25:16 celebrating communion there on the evening of the resurrection 25:20 is because we're told what He ate. 25:22 He did not eat bread and wine. 25:24 We're told in Luke 24:42-43... 25:37 Furthermore, communion does not commemorate 25:41 the resurrection of Christ. 25:43 It commemorates the death of Jesus. 25:47 So why would He celebrate communion on Sunday night 25:50 to commemorate the resurrection 25:51 if communion commemorates His death? 25:54 Notice the biblical foundation. 25:56 Matthew 26:28 25:58 At the communion table, Jesus on Thursday night said... 26:07 So when He institutes communion, He says that the grape juice 26:12 represents His blood which He is going to shed. 26:16 1 Corinthian 11:26 is even more explicit. 26:20 The apostle Paul wrote... 26:29 So celebrating communion on Sunday in honor of the 26:32 resurrection of Christ is not what Jesus said 26:35 we're supposed to do. 26:36 We celebrate communion to commemorate His death. 26:39 And He died on Friday. 26:40 He did not die on Sunday. 26:43 Another evidence that we find that the expression 26:47 that the disciples were gathered to break bread, 26:50 they say, "Oh yeah, break bread. That means communion." 26:52 No. because the disciples broke bread every day. 26:55 It's talking about a simple meal. 26:57 Notice what we find in Acts 2:44 and 46. 27:01 I'm reading from the New International Version. 27:18 So very clearly they ate bread every day. 27:22 So this was not a communion service in the upper room 27:25 the evening of the resurrection. 27:28 Point number six, Jesus instituted communion 27:31 on Thursday of passion week. 27:34 What a golden opportunity it would have been for Jesus 27:36 to celebrate communion on the evening of the resurrection 27:40 and say, "Now, this ceremony is to remind you Christians 27:44 that you're supposed to meet in church and celebrate communion 27:47 on the first day of the week." 27:49 That simply did not happen. 27:50 Jesus did not institute communion on Sunday. 27:54 He instituted communion on Thursday night 27:57 because it pointed to His death the following day. 28:00 The final point is the greatest blow against this entire 28:04 argument that Jesus met with the disciples 28:07 to celebrate communion is the fact, as I've mentioned before, 28:11 that the disciples did not believe even that Jesus 28:14 had resurrected from the dead. 28:16 Luke 24:9-11 tells us... 28:25 This is the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. 28:37 This is the evening of the resurrection. 28:45 So in other words, they did not believe the women, 28:47 and they did not believe the two disciples 28:50 on the road to Emmaus when they came back to the disciples 28:53 in the upper room and told them that Jesus had resurrected. 28:57 Mark 16:10-13 is even more explicit. 29:02 It says there... 29:22 So Sunday morning the disciples did not believe 29:25 that Jesus had resurrected. 29:27 Verse 12 then speaks about the same thing 29:29 that we read in Luke 24. 29:31 It says there in verse 12... 29:38 That is Jesus is walking with the two disciples 29:41 on the road to Emmaus. 29:46 In other words, now they go back to Jerusalem 29:48 and they tell it to the rest. 29:53 So the evening of the resurrection they're not 29:55 believing that Jesus had even resurrected. 29:58 So it says in verse 13... 30:16 And it's interesting that the disciples were 30:18 sitting at the table. 30:19 What were they doing at the table? 30:21 Celebrating communion? 30:22 Absolutely not. 30:24 They were eating their regular meal. 30:26 Now let's go to text number seven. 30:29 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 30:33 Here, an offering is mentioned. 30:36 And I want to go there to chapter 16 of 1 Corinthians 30:44 and we will read verses 1 and 2. 30:50 It says there in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2... 30:53 "Now concerning the collection of the saints, as I have given 30:56 orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also. 31:01 On the first day of the week let each of you lay something aside, 31:06 storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections 31:10 when I come. 31:12 Now this offering, according to Romans 15:25-28, 31:16 was for the poor members in the church of Jerusalem. 31:21 Now these verses are not talking about 31:23 a regular gathering at church on the first day of the week. 31:27 Every Bible version that I consulted states that this 31:32 offering was to be set aside at home on a weekly basis. 31:37 Why would members set it aside at home 31:41 on the first day of the week if they were gathering 31:43 in church on Sunday? 31:45 Should not they have rather taken it to church? 31:48 Not one Bible translation instructs believers 31:51 to take the money to church. 31:54 Let me read a commentary by Adam Clark. 31:57 He's half right, but he actually says that the command is 32:01 to take it to church. 32:02 That's not what the text says. 32:04 How is he half right? Let me read the statement. 32:10 In other words, reckon how much the person had earned. 32:19 So in other words, after a work week he was supposed to 32:22 calculate how much God had blessed 32:23 and then give the offering. 32:25 Now here's the second part of what Adam Clark, 32:27 the Bible commentary, says which is wrong. 32:41 Absolutely nothing does the text say that he was supposed to 32:44 take it to the church or assembly and he was to 32:46 put it into the common treasury. 32:49 You know, Albert Barnes was more accurate. 32:52 The commentator Albert Barnes. 32:53 He wrote this... 32:55 "Let him layup at home, treasuring up 32:59 as he has been prospered." 33:01 So he quotes the verse, and then he makes this commentary. 33:26 Let me read you several Bible versions 33:29 how they translate these verses. 33:32 First from the NIV, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. 33:36 "Now about the collection for God's people, 33:39 do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 33:41 On the first day of every week, each one of you should 33:45 set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, 33:50 saving it up, so that when I come no collections 33:54 will have to be made." 33:56 New American Standard Bible: 33:58 "Now concerning the collection for the saints..." 34:17 The English Standard Version: 34:20 "Now concerning the collection for the saints..." 34:40 The Revised Standard Version: 34:42 "Now concerning the contribution for the saints..." 35:04 The Weymouth Translation: 35:06 "On the first day of every week, let each of you put aside... 35:23 One more version, Wests Version... 35:26 "One every first day of the week..." 35:47 All these Bible versions speak about setting aside a sum. 35:51 Nothing about taking it to church 35:53 or putting it in the common treasury. 35:57 It is dishonest to use these verses to prove that 35:59 Sunday is holy and that people were going to church on Sunday, 36:04 the first day of the week. 36:06 The text is not speaking about meeting in church at all. 36:09 It is referring to putting apart money at home 36:13 so that when Paul would come he would be able to 36:16 pick up all of the money that they had saved. 36:20 However you might ask, why did Paul command them 36:23 to set it aside on Sunday? 36:26 The answer is very simple. 36:27 Simply because the work week ended on Friday. 36:31 And Sunday would give them the first opportunity 36:34 to sit down and figure how much they should set aside. 36:38 You see, they would not do this on the Sabbath, 36:41 the day after they finished working late on Friday 36:44 because no commercial transactions were to be done 36:48 on the Sabbath. 36:49 The first opportunity to take a look at how much they had earned 36:53 and how much they should give 36:54 would be on the first day of the week. 36:58 So this text does not teach Sunday observance. 37:00 What it teaches is faithful stewardship. 37:04 It is not suggested, but commanded. 37:07 The apostle Paul commanded the Corinthians to do this. 37:11 It was not for church operations, 37:13 it wasn't for church budget, 37:15 but it was for the poor and needy in Jerusalem. 37:19 It was the practice in other churches, 37:21 if you read 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. 37:25 And it teaches that we're supposed to do this regularly. 37:29 We are supposed to do it personally. 37:31 The apostle Paul said, "each one of you." 37:34 We're supposed to do it privately at home. 37:37 Not when the offering plate is coming towards us. 37:39 "Oh, what am I going to do?" 37:41 So we take out a dollar bill and put it in. 37:43 And it also tells us the amount we're supposed to give 37:46 according to the way in which God has blessed us. 37:50 So there's no basis in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 37:53 for the observance of Sunday as the day of rest. 37:58 So let's go to our last text. 37:59 We're running out of verses here, folks, 38:01 that refer to the first day of the week. 38:03 This is the last one. 38:05 Acts 20:7-12 38:07 Now this is a very significant passage. 38:09 This is the most used passage to try and prove that 38:13 Sunday is the day that we're supposed to keep, 38:16 and that people were meeting on Sunday, 38:18 and they were celebrating communion, 38:20 and they were remembering the resurrection of Christ. 38:22 Let's read the passage. Acts 20:7-12 39:29 And so, you find this passage where Paul is having a meeting 39:33 on the first day of the week. 39:34 They met to break bread. 39:36 He was going to depart on the very next day from there. 39:40 He preached until midnight. 39:42 And then he ate. 39:44 And he continued preaching until dawn. 39:48 And in between that you have this young man 39:50 falling out of the window, and Paul resurrecting him. 39:54 Now the text tells us that this meeting took place 39:56 on the evening of the first day of the week. 40:00 When would that be? 40:02 Well in the Bible, the evening is before the morning. 40:05 In other words, the dark part of the day comes 40:07 before the light part of the day. 40:09 This means that the Sabbath begins on Friday 40:13 when the sun sets and then the dark portion begins. 40:17 And then on the Sabbath, the light portion 40:20 is when people go to church. 40:22 So if this meeting took place on the first day of the week 40:27 in the evening of the first day of the week, 40:29 the evening comes before the morning, 40:30 it must mean that this meeting took place 40:33 on a Saturday night. 40:36 Now this was not an ordinary meeting. 40:40 It was a farewell for the apostle Paul who was going to 40:44 leave the very next day. 40:46 So let me explain exactly what happened. 40:50 The apostle Paul preached that day on Sabbath 40:53 to all of the brothers and sisters 40:55 who were gathered there. 40:57 And he was going to leave the next morning 40:59 so the church members said to Paul, 41:02 "You know, you're going to be leaving tomorrow morning. 41:05 Would you continue preaching to us?" 41:07 So on Saturday night the apostle Paul gathered with the brethren 41:12 and began preaching. 41:14 He became long-winded, he preached till midnight. 41:17 And then he ate after he had resurrected Eutychus. 41:22 And then after that he preached till dawn, 41:26 and then traveled the next day, as we're going to see. 41:30 Now this passage gives us no justification 41:34 for meeting in church on Sunday morning. 41:37 There's no justification, it doesn't say that Sunday is holy, 41:40 they were to honor Sunday because Jesus 41:42 resurrected that day, that we're supposed to 41:44 go to church on a regular basis on Sunday morning. 41:47 The text simply does not say that. 41:50 The apostle Paul makes it very clear which day of 41:53 the week he kept all throughout the book of Acts. 41:56 Let's notice some verses from Acts on which day 42:00 the apostle Paul met with believers. 42:03 Acts 13:14, 42, 44 42:20 This is after the resurrection of Christ, after Pentecost. 42:23 They go into the synagogue, which was the church 42:25 of that day, on the Sabbath day and sat down. 42:29 Verse 42... 42:39 So notice, the Gentiles are saying, "Would you preach 42:42 these things to us next Sabbath?" 42:44 Not tomorrow, Sunday, but the next Sabbath. 42:47 Verse 44... 42:55 So the apostle Paul met with believers on the Sabbath. 42:59 Acts 16:13 43:01 Some people say, "Well, he went to the synagogue 43:03 on Sabbath because that's the day the Jews met." 43:06 But the apostle Paul met with believers also 43:08 in places that were not synagogues. 43:11 Notice Acts 16:13. 43:26 Notice, on the Sabbath day he went and met with these women. 43:33 Acts 17:2-3 43:39 Notice that this was a habit. 43:50 So notice, his custom was to go into the synagogue on Sabbath. 44:08 Once again, Acts 18:1-4. 44:11 And we'll only read one of those verses. 44:14 It says, "And he reasoned in the synagogue..." 44:21 See, not only Jews, but Greeks. 44:24 Acts 18:11 tells us something very interesting about 44:28 how long the apostle Paul met there with 44:30 Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth. 44:43 So what was his custom? 44:44 For a year and six months he met in the synagogue on the Sabbath. 44:49 By the way, that is 78 Sabbaths. 44:52 To ignore these clear texts about which day the apostle Paul 44:56 kept and to say that Sunday is the day based on this unusual 45:01 meeting of his farewell is simply not honest. 45:06 Incidentally, the apostle Paul walked 35 miles 45:10 the next day on Sunday to Assos because he was going to depart. 45:15 If Sunday was such an important day, why would the apostle Paul 45:20 not be meeting with believers on Sunday 45:22 but rather traveling 35 miles on Sunday 45:26 to then take a ship and travel? 45:29 Incidentally, I had an experience similar 45:32 to that of the apostle Paul. 45:34 In fact, I've had this experience more than once. 45:38 I worked in Colombia as a theology teacher 45:41 for about six years. 45:42 And while I was there I visited a city in the tropical 45:46 rain forest of Colombia, the city of Quibdó. 45:49 Very interesting, you know, the turboprop would come 45:54 down, down, down, and all you could see was trees. 45:57 It looked like the plane was going to land on the trees. 46:00 And suddenly the clearing would appear 46:02 where the plane was to land. 46:07 And what I did that weekend, because it was on a Friday 46:11 and I was going to spend there on Sabbath, 46:12 on Sunday I would return because I had to teach on Monday. 46:15 So I preached my first sermon at 11:00 o'clock, 11:00 to 12:30. 46:20 And when I finished, they said, "You finished already?" 46:22 I said, "Well, yes." 46:24 They said, "Oh no, no. You've got to preach again. 46:26 You know, ministers who come here, we go months 46:29 without ministers visiting us." 46:30 And so I said, "Okay, I'll preach another sermon." 46:34 So I preached another sermon. 46:35 The service ended about 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon, 46:38 they said, "You're finished already?" 46:39 I said, "Well, yes. I preached twice." 46:41 They said, "Oh no, you've got to preach again." 46:43 So I preached another sermon. 46:44 Finally at about 3:30 in the afternoon we broke for lunch. 46:48 And then the minister who was in charge of that congregation 46:53 said, "You know, we are going to meet again at 6:00 o'clock 46:57 this afternoon for our final meeting." 47:00 Well, we met at 6:00 o'clock. 47:02 I preached my sermon, ending at about 8:00. 47:05 And they said, "Oh, you can't finish yet. 47:07 You know, you're leaving tomorrow. 47:09 We don't have special visits by outside pastors 47:12 except once every few months. 47:14 You've got to preach another sermon." 47:15 So I preached another sermon. 47:17 And then another sermon. 47:18 And another sermon. 47:19 Believe it or not, I ended preaching at 3:00 o'clock 47:23 in the morning, and I was going to leave the next morning. 47:26 So I had an experience like this. 47:28 Does this mean that because I met with believers 47:32 on Saturday night that it indicates that now, 47:37 Saturday night of course would be the first day of the week, 47:40 that now we're supposed to keep Sunday as the day of rest? 47:43 That is absolutely absurd. 47:46 So now we have examined every single text in the Bible 47:50 that mentions the first day of the week. 47:52 And we have not found any evidence that Sunday 47:56 is the day that Christians are supposed to keep 47:58 according to the Bible. 48:01 But there's one final text. 48:03 And that is Revelation 1:10. 48:07 It says that John was in the spirit on the Lord's day. 48:13 And because people call Sunday the Lord's day today, 48:15 they say, "Well 2000 years ago the expression, 'Lord's day,' 48:20 meant the same thing as it means now." 48:23 You know, it's interesting that patristic literature, 48:25 the literature of the early church fathers, 48:28 never uses the word, "Lord's day," 48:31 or expression, "Lord's day," to refer to Sunday 48:35 until the very end of the second century. 48:38 And it's mentioned in the apocryphal gospel of Peter. 48:42 It's not valid to take an expression that is applied to 48:45 Sunday at the end of the second century 48:48 and take it and apply it to the end of the first century. 48:53 Because by the end of the second century the Sabbath 48:57 was in the process of being changed by the church 49:01 to Sunday as the day of rest. 49:04 Frequently I ask other denominations, 49:07 ministers of other denominations, 49:09 three questions. 49:10 I say, "First question, to whom do the light, 49:15 the firmament, the vegetation, the sun, moon, and stars, 49:19 the fish, the birds, the land animals belong? 49:26 To whom do all of those things that God created 49:28 the first six days belong? 49:30 Oh, and the answer is, "Well, they all belong to God." 49:34 So then I ask a second question. 49:37 "Why do they belong to God?" 49:40 They have an immediate answer. 49:42 They say, "Well, they belong to God because God made them." 49:44 God made the light, God made the firmament, 49:46 God made the plants, God made the sun, moon, and stars, 49:49 God made the fish and the birds, God made the land animals, 49:52 God made man and woman the first six days of creation. 49:56 So everything belongs to Him because He made everything. 50:00 So then I have a third question. 50:03 And the third question is this. 50:05 "For whom did God make all of these things the first six days? 50:10 And immediately the answer comes, "Well, you know, 50:12 He didn't make them for Himself because God owns the universe." 50:15 God made everything the first six days for us. 50:19 As a blessing for us. 50:23 Now, I don't know whether you've caught the reason 50:25 why I have asked these three questions. 50:29 You know, if Christians took this to the logical conclusion, 50:33 they would understand that the Sabbath is God's rest day 50:37 which God created for us. 50:38 You say, how is that? 50:40 Well, let me ask, who made the Sabbath? 50:44 Well, God made the Sabbath. 50:46 Who did He make the Sabbath for? 50:48 Well, He made the Sabbath for man, according to Jesus. 50:51 "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." 50:55 So if what God made the first six days He made for us, 51:01 for whom did He make the Sabbath 51:03 which He made during the same week? 51:05 It's obvious that He made it for man. 51:09 So that's the reason why in the Bible 51:11 the Sabbath is never called the Sabbath of the Jews. 51:14 Or the Jewish Sabbath. 51:16 Because there was no Jew at creation. 51:18 The Sabbath was created before sin. 51:20 It was created before the old covenant. 51:23 It was created at the same time as everything else. 51:26 So the logic is that if everything God made 51:30 during creation week He made for all human beings, 51:34 then He made the Sabbath for all human beings. 51:37 Never in the Bible is Sunday called the Lord's day. 51:41 Never is Sunday called the Sabbath. 51:45 Never does the Bible tell us that the Sabbath 51:48 was made for the Jews. 51:50 In the Bible we find four references to the way in which 51:54 the Sabbath is addressed. 51:56 "The Sabbath of the Lord your God." 51:59 Exodus 20:11 52:01 God says, "You shall keep My Sabbaths." 52:06 No the Jewish Sabbaths. "My Sabbaths." 52:08 That's Ezekiel 20:12, 20. 52:12 God refers to the Sabbath as, "My holy day," 52:16 in Isaiah 58:13-14. 52:19 And Jesus said, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." 52:24 Never once in the Old or the New Testament 52:27 do you find that the Sabbath is called the Jewish Sabbath 52:31 or the Sabbath of the Jews. 52:33 Now when it comes to the Hebrew feasts, 52:36 those are called the feasts of the Jews 52:39 because they ended when Jesus died on the cross. 52:43 For example, in John 2:13 is says the Passover 52:47 was the Passover of the Jews. 52:50 In John 5:1 it refers to the Passover as a feast of the Jews. 52:56 In John 6:4 it refers to the Passover, a feast of the Jews. 53:01 In John 7:2 it says the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles. 53:06 And in John 11:55 the Jews' Passover was nigh at hand. 53:14 And so you'll notice that in the Bible, yes the Hebrew feasts 53:17 are called feasts of the Jews because they applied to 53:22 the Jewish nation until Jesus came and fulfilled them. 53:25 But not once does the Bible refer to the Sabbath 53:31 as the Sabbath of the Jews or the Jewish Sabbath. 53:35 That is simply a human invention. 53:39 So we have studied all of the text that mention 53:45 the first day of the week in the Bible. 53:48 And we have studied Revelation 1:10 53:51 which is used to try and prove that Sunday 53:53 is the day of worship. 53:55 We have not found one single text that explicitly tells us 54:01 that Sunday is the Lord's day. 54:04 There is not one single verse that tells us that we are 54:08 supposed to keep Sunday holy. 54:11 There is not a single verse that tells us 54:13 we're supposed to gather in church on Sunday 54:18 and that we are to keep Sunday in honor of the resurrection 54:23 of Jesus Christ. 54:25 You say, "Oh, but my preacher says..." 54:28 Well, remember the story of Aristotle? 54:31 Aristotle said. 54:32 But Aristotle was wrong. 54:34 When you actually went and counted the legs of the spider 54:38 and discovered that the spider isn't an insect but an arachnid. 54:43 So ministers who say, "Well, don't pay any attention 54:46 to those Adventists because they keep the Sabbath, 54:49 but now the Lord has established Sunday," 54:51 you need to ask them, "Where does the Bible say that? 54:54 Where does the Bible tell us that Sunday is the day 54:57 we're supposed to keep? 54:59 Give me a verse." 55:00 "Well, Jesus resurrected that day." 55:01 "Well, where does the Bible say that we're supposed to 55:04 keep that day because Jesus resurrected that day?" 55:07 "Well, but it's a holy day. 55:08 It's now the Christian holy day." 55:10 "Where does the Bible say that Sunday is a holy day?" 55:13 "Well, it's the day that we're supposed to go to church." 55:15 "Where does the Bible tell us that we're 55:17 supposed to go to church?" 55:19 You see, folks, Protestants pride in the idea 55:24 that they follow what the Bible says. 55:27 But if we follow what the Bible says, we must keep 55:31 the holy Sabbath, the Sabbath of the Lord our God. 55:35 The Sabbath was established at creation. 55:38 And I'd like to end by reading the fourth commandment. 55:42 Let me ask you, do the ten commandments 55:44 apply only to the Jews? 55:46 Is it just wrong for the Jews to commit adultery, and to steal, 55:50 and to bear false witness? 55:52 That's only for the Jews, right? 55:54 Of course not. 55:55 All of the ten commandments are for all human beings. 55:58 Notice Exodus 20. 56:01 The fourth commandment of God's law is explicit. 56:05 Exodus 20:8 56:07 "Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. 56:12 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 56:15 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. 56:20 In it you shall do no work: 56:23 you, nor your son, nor your daughter, 56:26 nor your male servant, nor your female servant, 56:30 nor your cattle, 56:33 nor your stranger who is within your gates." 56:36 And now comes the reason. 56:38 It's not because, you know, God delivered Israel from Egypt. 56:42 That's a secondary reason for the Jews to keep the Sabbath. 56:45 But the primary reason includes all human beings. 56:48 Verse 11, here's the reason why God said 56:52 we're supposed to keep the Sabbath. 56:53 "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, 56:58 the sea, and all that is in them, 57:01 and rested the seventh day. 57:05 Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day 57:09 and hallowed it." 57:10 That is, made it holy. 57:13 What would the world be like if everyone in the world 57:17 kept the Sabbath? 57:19 You know, there's a lot of talk about 57:20 needing a day of rest as a result of the coronavirus. 57:24 I say, hallelujah. Praise the Lord. 57:27 Let's make Sabbath a day when the environment rests. 57:30 When God's people go to church and rest from work. 57:34 The environment will greatly improve. 57:37 But what's being said today is that Sunday, we need to 57:40 make Sunday the day of rest to improve the environment. 57:45 That simply does not hold water. 57:47 Because the Bible tells us that we are supposed to keep 57:51 the Sabbath as the rest day that God established at creation 57:56 and has never been changed. 57:58 I trust that we will all study and be willing to be obedient 58:03 to the Lord's counsel. |
Revised 2021-07-19