Okay, why did it shift from Saturday to Sunday for worship? Go ahead. You want me to go?
The Question Introduced
Why did it shift? It's to commemorate the resurrection of our Lord. He arose on the first day and he inaugurated the new creation on the first day, which the old creation does point ahead to. So it's interesting, a lot of people who kind of balk at the idea that the fourth commandment applies for the first day.
They'll say there's no command in the New Testament. But what's interesting is there was no command actually until, explicit command until Exodus as well. But there was still,
Sabbath as Creation Ordinance
it is a creation ordinance that the Sabbath, God sanctified the Sabbath day and made it holy. We work six days and then we rest on the seventh. But that all points ahead to a consummation, it points ahead to something greater, it points ahead to a completion, and that comes in Christ Jesus, who rests first and then, who worked first, sorry, so that we might rest. And so people also don't forget that there are
Eighth-Day Sabbath Typology
eighth day Sabbaths in the Old Testament. Pentecost is an eighth day Sabbath, Jubilees is an eighth day Sabbath that are all pointing ahead to something far greater. So as well, even in the Old Testament, when Sinai is mentioned, the fourth commandment looks back to creation and the in Exodus 20, and it also recognizes redemption in Deuteronomy chapter five. So all that theology plays an important role when it comes to the new covenant and how the fourth commandment applies for us in the new covenant, not to mention Isaiah 56 and Isaiah 58 that speak about that, especially 56 with the eunuch, it looks ahead to the eunuchs who would come in to Acts chapter eight, which also talks about the Sabbath there as well.
So, it is a blessed time of rest and a blessed day that still looks ahead to a far greater consummation. One thing people seem to try to get us with is that Jesus is our rest. And I believe Jesus is my rest and there is a greater rest that is coming. But I do think
Hebrews 4 and Sabbath Keeping
Hebrews 4.9 does very clearly say there still remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. And what's interesting is the word that is used for rest throughout chapter four is pretty much the same until you get to verse nine and it changes to a Sabbath keeping rest. And then also the writer, I think Dr. Barcelos points this out and is getting the garden right, but Hebrews four, And he probably refers to someone else, Beal, probably, when it comes to chapter 10, connecting it with creation. 410.
Sorry, 410. For he who has entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his. So it changes to a singular name. They're referring, I think, to Christ.
It's not us, Christ has worked and entered his rest, just as God did from his. So there is a new creation or creation connection there, looking at Christ who has rest, who's worked for us, that we might rest in him. But even as we still work in this lower world, we start with rest as we still anticipate that final consummation. So there is a theology, and I do think there is some biblical war in the New Testament.
Another thing as well, as Jesus does say, the Sabbath was not made, man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man. And he could have referred to Israel there, but he does tarken it back to creation as well. So with the fact that it's a creation ordinance and we're of the new creation with the eighth day Sabbaths with Hebrews 4 with Jesus' consummation, with the fact that, you know, the early church, they met on the first day, they met on the Lord's day. All those things highlight why, namely, it's to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the inauguration of new creation.
And I would add in terms of law,
Threefold Division of the Law
we hold to what's called the three-fold division of the law. So, you've got the moral law of God revealed in the Ten Commandments, you have what's called ceremonial law in the Old Testament that regulated worship, tabernacle, priesthood, temple, those sorts of things, and then judicial law, where judicial law basically governed the body politic for life in the land. So, the fourth commandment is moral law. You need to remember the Sabbath day.
There is ceremonial or better positive aspects of it as well. So, positive law is something that God commands based on the covenant, based on a particular circumstance, based on something going on. It's not moral law. It's not a reflection of his moral perfection, but it rather is, you know, don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
That's a positive law. So
Moral and Positive Elements Distinguished
the fourth commandment has the moral aspect, one day out of seven, you worship God. But there's the positive aspect, which means whatever covenant you're in dictates what day that will be on. So the moral principle, meet for worship of the living and true God. The positive element is Saturday Sabbath keeping in the old covenant, Sunday Sabbath keeping in the new covenant.
And again, I would echo that 410, Hebrews 410, I think really does corroborate in the theology there in Hebrews 4, the parallel between the Father in creation and the Son in new creation, the Son ceasing, resting from His works on the day of His resurrection, and then the various passages.
New Testament Evidence for Sunday
They were in Troas for a week and they met the first day of the week according to Acts Verse 7, Paul tells them to set apart money on the first day of the week, 1 Corinthians 16, and then John is in the Spirit on the Lord's Day in Revelation 1. And that use, Lord's Day, there's only one other place in the New Testament where that convention is used, it's the Lord's Supper. So, it's kuriake, it's where we get the word Kirk. It's something possessed by or owned specifically by the Lord.
So, the Lord owns every supper you'll ever eat, but there is something that is specific about the Lord's supper. God owns every day that you have, but there's something specific about the Lord's day. It is owned by Him, possessed by Him specifically. So, I don't think there's a lack of evidence in the New Testament that the church worshipped on the first day.
And I don't think there's a lack of evidence that it was rooted in the fourth commandment and that perpetuity or that perpetual observance of a day in worship of God. So, moral law, meet, worship, glorify God. Positive law, Saturday Sabbath keeping in the old, Sunday, Lord's Day keeping in the new. And
Moral Law Transcends Covenant
just to highlight the moral nature of the fourth commandment, as Pastor Butler said, there's a difference between moral and positive and moral transcends covenant. And so we would recognize that the moral law is written on the heart of man. And so you do actually see this reflected even in pagans who recognize there's still a time to worship. They don't know which time, they're obviously worshiping the wrong God, but When we consider the first four commandments, the first commandment deals with who we worship, the second, how we worship, the third, our demeanor and approach in worship, but the fourth does deal with the time of worship as well.
And pretty much any pagan under the earth recognizes there's a time to worship. And thankfully, ours is regulated by the regular principle of worship and the new covenant as we commemorate what Christ has done on the first day. So working six, resting one is still binding even to people who are in neither the old or the new covenant? I think so.
Yeah. And I think that's where
The Confession on Light of Nature
our confession starts in terms of religious worship and the Sabbath day, the light of nature. That means general revelation. God's, you know, showing himself through the created order shows that there is a God who has lordship and sovereignty overall is just good and does good unto all. and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served with all the heart and all the soul and with all the might." Then it obviously says, but the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself. So, it acknowledges that through general revelation, man knows God is. but because he's a sinner, he's going to twist that and distort that and do what he wants to do versus doing what God says to do.
But the light of nature, I think, gets a lot, gets shortchanged, I think. And then in terms of the Sabbath day, paragraph 7, as it is the law of nature, that in general a proportion of time by God's appointment be set apart for the worship of God. So, by His word and a positive moral and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He has particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy unto Him. And then it speaks from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Jesus, last day of the week from the resurrection of Christ until He comes again in glory, the Lord's day or Christian Sabbath.
So, the light of nature is a very sort of, kind of a helpful ace in the hole for us. You know, the previous question about talking to homosexuals about their sin, at some level they know we're right. And that sounds probably bad or mean or vicious or unkind, but you know, what do sinners do? They try to suppress truth and unrighteousness, but they can't escape the law of God written, you know, on their heart distorted and messed up as it may be because of their own sin and their own suppression of things, it's nevertheless there.
So, we kind of have somebody on our side in their heart. And I think if we're wise and loving, we can show them that. Can I just say one more thing about the Lord's day?
The Lord's Day as Delight
A lot of people who kind of balk at the fourth commandment don't realize that it is such a delight. We're not trying to make it a drudgery, that God doesn't make it a drudgery, we make it a drudgery. But you know, I think it's Psalm 92 does say the Sabbath is meant to be a delight and it's a blessing to go to the house of the Lord. And he knows we're not disembodied spirits.
He understands we need rest. And the highest rest is worshiping him. And that's the highest privilege as well as to worship him. And so, a lot of people work hard six days a week, five days a week.
And in this time, certainly six days with other things as well. But if we don't have time to read theology, there is time on the Lord's day to read theology. There's time to pray. There's time to come and worship.
It is meant to be a great delight for the people of God. And if you understand it in that way, hopefully it changes your perspective on it, because the Bible does teach it and tell us that it is the light meant to be for our good. Amen.