The Gospel of John: The Risen King reveals Himself to His Apostles (2)

First Baptist Church Leominster

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who is going to come and lead us in reading Matthew chapter 2, which of course talks about the birth of our

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Savior. So let's turn in your Bibles please to Matthew chapter 2.

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Thank you, David. Matthew chapter 2.

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Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the

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King, behold wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, where is he who has been born king of the

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Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

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When Herod the King heard this, he was troubled in all Jerusalem with him.

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And assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the

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Christ was to be born. They told him in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet.

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And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people

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Israel. Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.

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And he sent them to Bethlehem saying, go and search diligently for the child.

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And when you have found him, bring me word that I too may come and worship him.

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After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.

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When they saw the star, they rejoiced seethingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother.

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And they fell down and worshiped him. Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

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And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

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Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.

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And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod.

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This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. Out of Egypt, I called my son.

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Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious.

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He sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem in all that region who were two years old or under.

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According to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men, then followed and fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet

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Jeremiah. A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentations.

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Rachel, weeping for her children. She refused to be comforted because they are no more.

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But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying, rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel for those who sought the child's life are dead.

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And he rose and he took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

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But when he heard that the Achilles father Herod, he was afraid to go there.

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And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and he lived in a city called

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Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled.

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He shall be called a Nazarene. Let's pray. Our father, this is the

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Lord's day. This is the day that our Lord set apart for a day of rest.

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It's not our day of rest, Lord, it's our day to worship you, to fall down before you, to give thanks for the blessings that you have poured out upon us as individually and as families and our church.

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We are grateful, Lord. We are very grateful the gifts that you pour upon us.

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This is a new day, Lord. We pray as we hear the sermon read this morning.

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It might change our lives, might change our thinking, Lord. It might be something that we have never heard before.

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We pray, Father, that we could apply it to our walk this week coming, in our work, in our homes.

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Father, we're thankful that you have provided so well for us. Thank you for your people,

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Father. Thank you for your church. We pray your blessings upon our pastor as he preaches the word.

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We give thanks for him as well. Watch over us for Christ's sake. Amen. Well, let's turn in our

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Bibles to John chapter 20, please. And we're addressing this passage in which we read of our

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Lord, the risen King Jesus, revealing himself to his apostles.

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I thought we would maybe complete this passage this morning, but it looks like we're going to have to spend one more

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Lord's Day with the last few verses of this chapter. Of course,

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John 20 records our Lord having first showed himself to have risen from the dead to a woman, according to John, even

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Mary Magdalene, a woman out of whom Jesus had once cast seven demons.

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And she was the first to the tomb that that first Lord's Day morning, perhaps because she had been forgiven so much.

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She loved him much, and she thought to show him honored by coming to the tomb and maybe honoring him by anointing his body.

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But upon arriving to the burial site, she, of course, found the stone rolled away from the tomb, finding the tomb empty.

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Well, she first went to tell Peter and John what she had seen. And this, of course, resulted in them running to the empty tomb.

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They discovered it to be empty. Peter went inside first, and then

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John followed him. And of course, they found the grave clothes of Jesus still lying where his body had been lying formerly.

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But it was after that, that our Lord first showed himself to Mary. She failed initially to recognize him.

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She thought that he was the gardener. But upon the sound of her name, by that familiar voice of her master, she, of course, rejoiced with joy, unspeakable and full of glory.

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For her Savior was alive, having risen from the dead, and he now stood before her and stood for her.

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Well, the next recorded event of the day that John recounted took place in the evening of that first Lord's Day.

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Our Lord Jesus appeared to all of his disciples who were gathered together, except for Thomas, who was not present with them.

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We considered this last week. But then we read that when they gathered again a week later on the next

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Lord's Day, that Jesus appeared to all 11 of the apostles, including

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Thomas. Of course, Judas was gone by then. And so it's this second meeting with his apostles that we want to consider today.

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And this is found in John 20 verses 26 and following.

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But we want to get the entire context of this passage. So we'll read verses 19 through 31.

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Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the

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Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, peace be with you.

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When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. And then the disciples were glad when they saw the

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Lord. So Jesus said to them again, peace to you.

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As the Father has sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the

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Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.

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Now Thomas, called the twin, one of the 12, was not with them when

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Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, we have seen the

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Lord. So he said to them, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side,

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I will not believe. And after eight days, his disciples were again inside and Thomas with them.

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Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, peace to you.

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Then he said to Thomas, reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach your hand here and put it into my side.

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Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, my

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Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed.

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Blessed are those who have not seen yet have believed. And truly,

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Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the

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Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

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Last Lord's Day, we gave an outline for these verses. There are two major parts, verses 29 through 23, and then verses 24 through 29, but then we have an additional concluding statement, verses 30 through 31.

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Here's that outline, just by way of remembrance. First, Jesus appeared to the apostles.

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We'll not recite those four sub points. And then Roman numeral two, Jesus appeared again to his apostles, including

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Thomas. So these two major appearances are the focus of John's gospel. And regarding the second occasion, we have first the absence of Thomas from their first meeting is described.

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Secondly, Jesus again appeared to them and again pronounced to them the peace of God. That was the third time that this expression came forth from him.

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Jesus addressed Thomas directly, and Thomas responds to Jesus in faith. And then fourthly,

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Jesus pronounced those as blessed who believe apart from seeing. And we might just assert, if you're a believer, knowing you haven't seen

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Jesus, you are more blessed than Thomas was that night, even though he believed upon seeing

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Jesus, you are more blessed because of your faith, not seeing.

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Well, let's work through this second occasion in which Jesus appeared to his apostles with Thomas present.

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In this episode, we first read of the absence of Thomas from their first meeting, somewhat bridges between the first and the second episode.

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Now Thomas called the twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when

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Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, we have seen the Lord. So he said to them, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side,

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I will not believe. Now, the

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New King James Version refers to Thomas as being called the twin,

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Thomas called the twin. Interestingly, the King James Version does not translate the twin, but rather it gives the proper name of Thomas, and then it reads the second name, and his name was

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Didymus, but Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus. Actually, this probably translates better what

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John was conveying. Yes, the word means twin, which indicates

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Thomas were probably one brother of twins, but more is suggested.

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Thomas is Aramaic, that was the common language of the Hebrew people of that day.

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Didymus is the same name in Greek. Didymus means twin, but Thomas also means twin.

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One is in Aramaic, the other is in Greek. As one wrote,

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FF Bruce, Tomas is the Aramaic word for twin, Didymus is a

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Greek word for twin. The wording here and elsewhere suggests that in Greek -speaking circles,

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Thomas was called Didymus, and that's the Greek form in the italics,

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English, of course, spelling Didymus, just as Cephas was called

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Petras. We might therefore question why newer translators chose to give the meaning of Didymus, but they chose not to give the meaning of Thomas.

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So, I think probably the King James Version has it right. His name was Thomas, but he was also called

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Didymus, just like Peter's name was Peter, but he was also called

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Cephas. Whereas both Peter and Cephas mean rock, both

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Thomas and Didymus mean twin. There really is no reason why it had to be translated.

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Now we do not know why Thomas was not present on that first Lord's Day evening when the risen Lord appeared to his disciples.

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Maybe he was despondent, withdrawn, because his master had been crucified. Maybe he was not well, who knows.

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Maybe he had left town, as the two disciples had that morning, to travel home, as they did to Emmaus.

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Perhaps out of fear of the Jews, Thomas didn't gather with them that first Sunday evening, or perhaps it was due to his own sinful neglect or failure.

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Of course, nevertheless, it was ultimately for the glory of God, as well as for the spiritual benefit of all who have read and heard this account of Jesus, revealing himself personally and individually to, of course, that one who became known as Doubting Thomas.

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Donald Carson wrote this of Thomas, in his previous appearances, he has been less a doubter than a loyal, but pessimistic and previous somewhat obtuse disciple.

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The rubric Doubting Thomas is not entirely fair. Had he been present when the risen

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Christ first manifested himself to the disciples, doubtless he too would have believed.

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Why he was not present that first Easter day is not told us, but in the providence of God, and this is the point, in the providence of God, his absence and subsequent coming to faith have generated one of the great

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Christological confessions of the New Testament. My Lord and my

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God is what he said to Jesus Christ, and that's absolutely true.

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Thomas expressed his personal faith in Jesus when he said to him, my Lord and my God, and so in the providence and goodness of God, that Thomas was absent from that gathering on the first day, and we are blessed as a result.

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But for Thomas himself, it must have been a disappointment not being there that first night.

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By his absence, he missed our Lord's first appearance. He had not heard in person our

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Lord's words to his apostles. This incident has served many preachers since this recording, by the way, to admonish

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Christians not to miss the gathering of the Lord's people together, and I've heard it preached over the years not to miss

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Sunday evening services too, because it was an evening. Matthew Henry drew this application, note those know not what they lose who carelessly absent themselves from the stated solemn assemblies of Christians.

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Now we're very grateful that we have the technological means, of course, in these days to convey a portion of our worship service into the homes of folks who are not able to be with us in person, and we rejoice in that.

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It's a great blessing to them and to us also, but I suspect that if we were to query each one who does so weekly, he or she would say, yes, it's good, but it's not the same as being in church in person.

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Pastor Jason and I spoke to a man Friday, a friend who stated this very thing to me.

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I learned that he and his family sit down every week and and watch us and see the see the sermon, which is a wonderful thing.

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He expressed his gratefulness in having the technology to tune in, but he lamented the fact that he's not able to be here with his family at this time.

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His wife is very, has some very severe health problems and she's just not possible.

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The fact is that the Lord has promised that he would meet with his people and manifest his presence to them in a unique and special way when they gather together in his name.

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We need to understand that. The Christian is foolish who thinks

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I can do it on my own with Jesus and my Bible at home. That is not biblical, it's not wise, it's not spiritually healthy, and so although we will always employ this wonderful technology, we look forward to the day when we can all gather together once again and experience and enjoy the fullness of the

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Lord being with us. He's promised where two or three are gathered in my name,

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I will be with them in the in their midst. That's a promise to the gathering of the people of God together.

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Now Thomas failed to believe the witness of the other apostles who had seen and spoken with the

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Lord. In verse 25a, the other disciples therefore said to him, we have seen the

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Lord. No doubt they gave some detail of what they had witnessed. Jesus had initially announced to them, peace to you.

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He had showed them on that first occasion his hands and feet. The wounds of his crucifixion were still there, evident, and I suspect they're still there now in heaven.

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He's the lamb that as though it had been slain, John said in Revelation 5. They must have told

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Thomas of this which had convinced them it was indeed he. Jesus had also commissioned them saying, as the father said me,

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I also send you. Thomas missed out on this. And then Jesus had breathed on them whereby they received the

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Holy Spirit to empower them for the mission to which he had called them. Thomas had missed out on this experience in hearing the words of his

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Lord. Thomas must have been disappointed in this, but not only did

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Thomas fail to believe the testimony of his brethren, he seemed to be incredulous toward them. And this was in spite of their credibility as his friends and the fact that they were now filled with joy and hope of the

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Holy Spirit. How could he explain this except they saw the Lord? But Thomas had declared to them in verse 26, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side,

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I will not believe. And I would think that this expression of unbelief on the part of Thomas troubled them.

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Why would they lie to him about something so important? Why would he not accept what they had testified to have seen and heard?

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However, you'll recall these very same disciples did the same thing, respecting the witness of the women that very morning.

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They didn't believe the women and now Thomas doesn't believe them. We read of that in Luke 24, then they, the women returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

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There were others with them. It was Mary Magdalene. There were others with her, but she's always listed first.

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Joanna, Mary the mother, James, the other women with them who told these things, the apostles and their word seemed to them like idle tales and they did not believe them.

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Thomas responded to the disciples in the same way the disciples responded to the women.

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The fact is we tend to think ill of others for their failures. Perhaps they thought ill of Thomas for his unbelief, even though we have done and tend to still do the same things, don't we?

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And I have found, I saw especially as a young Christian when

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I was more the Pharisee than I am today and find some fault with somebody else and probably make it known to my wife or whatnot and I'd find in the next day or two

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I would commit something and after the fact realize I did the very thing I condemned that person for yesterday.

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The Lord has a way of turning those things around, doesn't he? We all are a little

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Pharisaic and perhaps younger Christians tend to be more so, I don't know. Actually this response of unbelief is a rather common way that people respond to a faithful witness of the person and work of the

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Lord Jesus. Even those close to us, our friends and even members of our own family do not immediately and readily believe our testimony of our

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Lord and Savior. I remember after I was converted I was so wonderfully pleased and happy, oh man my friends would love to hear this, was

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I disappointed and surprised. My brother said

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Mary ruined me. That was his explanation of the transformation that took place.

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Unbelief is characteristic of us all as fallen human beings, isn't it? Paul wrote of us all they are darkened in their understanding, this is before conversion, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of heart.

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Unbelief is really the result of the hardness of heart sin and so to believe something we've not personally seen or heard with respect to the true

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God and his son occurs only due to the grace of God and illumination that God imparts to the soul.

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The Lord Jesus must first open our understanding and then incline our hearts to believe the truth of God in Christ otherwise we don't believe.

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And John would later write about the grace that God gives to unbelievers to enable them to understand and know

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Jesus Christ and we know that the Son of God has come and he has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true.

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You cannot know Jesus Christ who is true in a saving way unless he himself reveals himself to you in this way.

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That's why your friends and family don't believe you. He is the true

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God and he is eternal life but it takes a work of grace from first to last.

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And again certainly not just non -Christians but true believers are in need of the grace of God for spiritual understanding.

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You and I as Christians today this morning need the grace of God. Paul was writing to devout

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Timothy, a pastor, a minister, think over what

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I say for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. You and I still need the illumination of the

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Lord don't we to understand the truth of matters and the implications and the importance of them.

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But though it takes the grace of God to reveal to a soul the truth of God in Christ we are nevertheless culpable and blameworthy in our ignorance and unbelief and Thomas was to be blamed.

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The scriptures speak of us being unwillingly ignorant or deliberately suppressing the truth and so Thomas was to be faulted by his failure and his refusal to believe the testimony of his fellow disciples.

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Matthew Henry cited some of the problems of Thomas and I thought these would warrant repetition before us.

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Thomas had either not heeded or not duly regarded what Christ had so often said that to according to the

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Old Testament he would rise again the third day. So that he ought to have said he is risen though he had not seen him nor spoken with any that had.

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He should have believed the scriptures declared so Jesus had declared he would. Secondly he did not pay a just deference to the testimony of his fellow disciples who were men of wisdom and integrity and ought to have been credited.

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He knew them to be honest men they all ten of them concurred in the testimony with great assurance and yet he could not persuade himself to say that their record was true.

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Christ had chosen them to be his witnesses of this very thing to all nations and yet Thomas one of their own fraternity would not allow them to be competent witnesses nor trust him further than he could see them.

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It was not however their veracity which he questioned but their prudence he feared they were too credulous.

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And third he tempted Christ, Thomas tempted Christ and limited the holy one of Israel when he would be convinced by his own method or not at all.

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He could not be sure that the print of the nails which the apostles told him they had seen would admit the putting of his finger into it or the wound in his side the thrusting in of his hand nor was it fit to deal so roughly with a living body yet Thomas ties up his faith to this evidence either he will be humored and have his fancy gratified or he will not believe.

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There was pride there too wasn't there sinful pride. And then fourth the open of vowel of his of this in the presence of the disciples was an offense and discouragement to them.

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It was not only a sin but a scandal as one coward makes many so does one believer one skeptic making his brethren's heart to faint like his heart.

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Had he only thought this evil and then laid his hand upon his mouth to suppress it his error had remained with himself but his proclaiming his infidelity and that so peremptorily might be of ill consequence to the rest who were as yet but weak and wavering.

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We should be careful what we say especially expressions of unbelief.

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But again even though Thomas was culpable the Lord Jesus was merciful to Thomas and he is to us thankfully.

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And so even after an initial and bold statement of unbelief Jesus would again appear to his disciples and assure that Thomas was present with them.

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Why was Thomas there that next Sunday night not the previous one the Lord appointed him to be there.

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The Lord would straighten him out and so Jesus addressed

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Thomas in his unbelief proving to Thomas that he indeed had risen from the dead and that's what we read in verse 26 and following we read after eight days his disciples were again in sight and Thomas with them and Jesus came the doors being shut stood in the midst and said peace to you.

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Pretty much a repetition of what occurred a week earlier. The Lord met with his apostles and John records it after eight days.

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Now when you and I read that reference of time we would tend to think that after eight days would indicate

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Monday eight days after the meeting on that first day of the week Sunday. But the expression after eight days was an idiom a

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Jewish idiom a common expression that meant exactly one week later. They would have counted the same day that Jesus had first appeared as day number one so they came up with eight after eight days would be exactly the following Sunday the first day of the week the second

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Lord's day after the resurrection. And that's a detail by the way that seems to have importance for John on both occasions.

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The Lord was absent from his disciples for a week. Where was he? Well we don't know and it's probably not wise to speculate.

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I think we can say he had not yet formally entered into heaven ascended into heaven because that occurred visibly and significantly 40 days after the crucifixion 10 days before Pentecost.

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When he ascended up into heaven and the disciples saw him physically going up into the skin of glory cloud in the sky.

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At the beginning of his ministry Jesus had been 40 days in the wilderness without being seen and now for 40 days after he'd risen from the dead he appeared to his disciples from time to time until he ascended into heaven.

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But here in John 20 we read of Jesus manifesting himself twice and each time on the first day of the week the

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Lord's day and this has a purpose. The Holy Spirit did not allow words just to drop without meaning.

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As one wrote the emphasis on the Lord's day may reflect peculiar theological interests of the writer.

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John if the readers are Jews and proselytes interested in the Christian faith it may be a subtle allusion to the origins of Christian worship on this particular day the

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Lord's day. So by Jesus showing himself to his disciples at these chosen and intermittent occasions he was conveying that he had risen to a new life and this life would be different in his relationship with his disciples than what they had formally enjoyed or experienced.

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Through his post -resurrection appearances he weaned his disciples from their relationship with him with their physical experiences in his physical presence he was preparing them for their future ministry after he finally and fully departed from them.

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Why did he show himself on these two occasions on the

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Lord's day? Well one wrote of a direct lesson to Thomas and through doing so to all believers that he

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Jesus might put a rebuke upon Thomas for his incredulity he had neglected the former meeting of the disciples and to teach him to prize those seasons of grace better for the future he cannot have such another opportunity for several days he'd have to wait a week.

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He that slips one tide must stay a good while for another a very melancholy week we must we have reason to think

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Thomas had of it drooping and in suspense while the other disciples were full of joy and it was owing to himself and his own folly.

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We bring a lot of problems upon ourselves don't we because of our failures and neglect. Now please understand that the historic understanding of Christians of the

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Lord's day Sunday to be the Christian Sabbath is based upon the emphasis in the

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New Testament of significant appearances of Christ and significant events occurring on the

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Lord's day. These coupled with descriptions of the churches gathering for worship on the

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Lord's day provide the biblical basis of the Lord's Sabbath day to have changed from Saturday to Sunday.

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And so I thought we should step aside for a moment and address this. We have in the past but it's a matter that needs to be repeated because people have questions about this.

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I had a radio listener call me about a month ago and wanted to ask me about this. I've had at least two others recently asked me about this very thing.

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I thought it would be appropriate since it's here the passage for us to address Sunday the

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Lord's day as the Christian Sabbath. That Saturday was the

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Old Testament Sabbath day is clearly biblical and acknowledged to have been so by both

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Jews and Christians. But several matters should be understood regarding the Old Testament Sabbath day.

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First the observance of the Sabbath is a law of creation for all humanity through all of history.

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It's not just for Israel. Some argue the Sabbath observance was for the nation of Israel only is not for others not for Christians.

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But the Bible itself teaches us the observance of the Sabbath day has implications for all human beings not just the people of God.

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And this is based on the fact that the observance of the Sabbath is a creation ordinance in other words a law based upon creation.

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Not only are merely a ceremonial law and many people set aside the

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Sabbath day because they argue it was a ceremonial law under Israel were no longer under the ceremonial law.

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But it's a creation ordinance based upon God's work of creation. He rescued himself on the seventh day as set forth in Genesis 2.

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Thus the heavens and the earth and all the host of them were finished and on the seventh day God ended his work which he had done.

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He rested on the seventh day. He didn't need to recuperate he rested to look back with satisfaction on the wonder and the glory and the goodness of everything that he created.

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And then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. It's a holy day because in it he

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God rested from all his work which God had created and made. And when

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God gave Moses the ten commandments many centuries later recorded in Exodus 20.

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God resting on the seventh day after six days of creation is said to be the reason for the day of rest being established on Saturday.

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And so Exodus 20 reads remember the Sabbath day fourth commandment to keep it holy six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is the

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Sabbath of the Lord your God in it you shall do no work you nor your son nor your daughter nor your male servant nor your female servant nor your cattle nor your stranger who is within your gates.

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And then the reason is given in verse 11 for in six days the

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Lord made the heavens and the earth the sea and all that is in them and rested the seventh day therefore the

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Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. And so in this way it can be reasoned and argued the

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Sabbath day is binding upon all humanity for all time. This is why our

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Baptist confession of faith of 1689 states the matter this way as it is the law of nature see creation that in general a proportion of time by God's appointment be set apart for the worship of God so by his word in a positive moral see not just ceremonial a positive moral and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages he had particularly appointed one day in seven for a

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Sabbath to be kept holy unto him which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week

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Saturday. But not only is the

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Sabbath day to be recognized and observed by all people everywhere because it's a creation ordinance we also read secondly the observance of the

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Sabbath on Saturday was a sign of the Mosaic Covenant for the nation of Israel it related to God according to that covenant and Sabbath observance by Israel was the covenant sign so it took on a new meaning and role when

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God established his covenant Mount Sinai with the nation of Israel the Sabbath day took on this additional meaning and quality and this is clear in the way we read of Moses repeating the

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Ten Commandments after 40 years of wilderness wandering before Israel was about a new generation about to enter the promised land he repeated the

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Ten Commandments to that new generation but when

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Moses asserted the fourth commandment in Deuteronomy he gave a different basis for its observance than what is recorded back in Exodus 20 which was based upon God resting after creation and so we can read in Deuteronomy 5 observe the

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Sabbath day this is the fourth commandment to keep it holy as the Lord God commanded you six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is the

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Sabbath of the Lord your God in it you shall do no work you nor your son nor your daughter nor your male servant nor your female servant nor your ox nor your donkey nor any of your cattle nor your stranger who is within your gates that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you and then verse 15 is the reason to keep the

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Sabbath day and the reason is different than what was given back in Exodus 20 based on creation and remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the

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Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm therefore the

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Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day and so you see it had a redemptive purpose didn't he didn't it it was to enable them to recall and celebrate that God had redeemed them from slavery from Egypt and set them free and now they could rest on that seventh day rest from their labor and so God had redeemed

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Israel from bondage in Egypt set his people free bringing them into the land of promise the land of rest and this was the reason that Israel as a nation was to keep the

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Sabbath in this way as stipulated in the Mosaic law Sabbath observance became the visible sign of the

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Mosaic covenant between God and the nation of Israel Israel's Sabbath observance with its rigid requirements and strict enforcement was to distinguish that nation from all the other nations of the world

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Sabbath day observance by Israel was a visible perpetual covenant sign for Israel as God's covenant people and so Moses declared this forthrightly back in Exodus the

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Lord spoke to Moses saying speak also the children of Israel saying surely my Sabbaths you shall keep for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations that you may know that I am the

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Lord who sanctifies you see your special people my chosen people you shall keep the

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Sabbath therefore for it is holy to you everyone who profanes it shall be put to death for whoever does any work on it that person should be cut off from among his people work shall be done for six days but the seventh is the

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Sabbath of rest holy to the Lord whoever does any work on the Sabbath day he shall surely be put to death therefore the children of Israel shall keep the

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Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant it is a sign

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Sabbath observance it is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever for in six days the

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Lord made heavens and earth and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed there's the creation ordinance but you clearly see

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Sabbath observance by Israel was a covenant sign and so we read

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Sabbath day observance was a covenant sign forever and of course that word forever has to be qualified by the context and the entire biblical context in other words as long as the

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Mosaic covenant continued as the basis of relationship between God and Israel Sabbath observance with all its strictures and severe penalties for transgressing the

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Sabbath were in force but that changed when Jesus Christ was crucified and rose from the dead

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Christ's death on his cross brought a full end of the Mosaic covenant and inaugurated the onset of the new creation the first day of the week and in time

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Christians came to recognize and acknowledge Sunday as the Christian Sabbath this is why the rest of that statement of our confession regarding the

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Lord's day states the following again and this is this is the common Protestant understanding really until about the 20th century as it is the law of nature that in a general proportion of time by God's appointment he set apart for the worship of God so by his word a positive moral and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages he had particularly appointed one day and seven for a

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Sabbath to be kept holy unto him which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week

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Saturday and then it adds this and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week which is called the

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Lord's day and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath the observation of the last day of the week being abolished and we understood we would say that that's what the

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Bible teaches whereas Saturday Sabbath of the Old Testament commemorated the old creation the

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Sabbath of the first day of the week of the New Testament commemorates the onset of the new creation it's the eighth day it's the first day of the week following the

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Sabbath the Saturday and so New Testament commemorates the new creation the first day of the week where Saturday Sabbath look back historically our observance of Sunday Sabbath looks forward to the future even to eternity in which we will dwell with God in the new creation of the new heavens and the new earth and Sunday is an emblem of that one day we will enter into our rest we're laboring now now is the day of labor and at the end we'll rest from our labors we'll go into our everlasting

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Sabbath and the worship our worship on the first day of the week reinforces that truth to us or it should when we're mindful of it well the third point we want to make the recognition and transition of Christians to observe

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Sunday is the Christian Sabbath Christian observance of Sunday is the Christian Sabbath occurred in the first decades of the

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Christian era it was probably not immediately recognized and observed as such by Jewish Christians you read in the book of Acts you read in the

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New Testament that Jewish Christians continue to observe Saturday as the Sabbath day but whereas Israel practice observance on Saturday the seventh day of the week

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Christians early on began to observe their day of rest and worship to be on Sunday the first day of the week commemorating the resurrection of the

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Lord Jesus again whereas the seventh day Sabbath observance was based on the creation of this world the redemption of Israel from Egypt the

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New Testament Sabbath Sunday celebrates the new creation which Christ inaugurated upon his resurrection and the redemption that he secured for his people and so it's granted that the

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Jewish Christians of the earliest decades of the Christian era continue to observe the seventh day Sabbath even as they continue to observe all the

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Old Testament ceremonial days and feasts but that practice came to an end when the

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Christian faith became a worldwide faith Gentiles and Jews the

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New Testament reflects the early church practice of meeting on Sunday the Lord's Day the first day of the week and in time

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Sunday observance came to be seen as the Christian Sabbath having supplanted that which had existed and been practiced before and so here are several scripture references that speak to the importance of the first day of the week and of the practice of early churches first Christ was raised on Sunday the first day of the week second the

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Lord appeared to his disciples on the first day of the week including twice in the gospel of John and that's found in all four gospels third the day of Pentecost occurred on the first day of the week the word

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Pentecost itself means 50 it was to occur the day after the Sabbath after Saturday 50 days after the feast of first fruits

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Pentecost Sunday an annual day observed by Israel through many centuries was always on the first day of the week

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Sunday for the book of Acts records a church has met for worship on Sunday the

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Lord's Day Acts 20 upon the first day of the week when they were gathered together to break bread that's a description of Christian fellowship and it was then that Paul preached to them he gave them the sermon because he departed on the following day

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Monday and he prolonged his speech you'll recall until midnight that night fifth

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Paul addressed the church at Corinth assuming they would gather collections during worship they would take place on the first day of the week first Corinthians 16 2 upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store as he may prosper that no collections be made when

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I come he's talking about the gathering from all kinds of different churches to take this money to Palestine to give it to starving

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Jewish people Christian people because there was a famine and he knew they were going to be meeting on the first day of the week he says take up these collections beforehand on the first day of the week so when

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I come I don't have to wait around for you to gather it all up so there not be collections when I come but and so take it up on the first they met on the first day of the week and then

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Revelation 1 the Lord Jesus appeared to John on the island of Patmos on the first day of the week

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I John both your brother and companion in the tribulation kingdom patience of Jesus Christ was on the island that is called

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Patmos for the word of God for the testimony of Jesus Christ I was in the spirit on the Lord's day a

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Sunday and I heard behind me a voice as of a trumpet saying I am the off of the omega the first and the last and so the scriptures in the

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New Testament speak about the Lord's day first day and clearly

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Christians met and worship but in addition to scripture as you look at the writings of early church fathers it's very apparent there's much testimony that early

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Christian churches regarded Sunday as the day of worship as well as a

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Christian Sabbath there are some who teach that Saturday should still be observed as a

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Sabbath maintain that the Catholic church changed the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday starting with the

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Sunday law enacted by Constantine the Great now he became emperor in the fourth century he certainly made a law declaring

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Sunday to be the Lord's day but he only put in law what had already been practiced he didn't create

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Sunday he didn't replace Saturday with Sunday he codified it in Roman law the early

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Christians referred to Sunday as the Lord's day in honor of Christ's resurrection from the dead and they observed this day for meeting together to worship

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God and fellowship with one another and the early Christian church fathers of the first and second centuries did not consider

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Saturday to be a day all Christians were obligated to observe their Sabbath they gave a different testimony they met and worshipped on Sunday the

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Lord's day and I included some quotes I've given these in the past but I imagine numbers of you haven't been exposed to these it's very clear that the early churches observed

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Sunday Ignatius he wrote a letter to the Magnesians in AD 110 roughly he was a bishop of Antioch Syria he wrote do not be deceived by doctrines or antiquated myths since they are workless for if we continue to live accordance with Judaism we admit that we have not received grace for the godliest prophets lived in accordance with Christ Jesus this is why they were persecuted being inspired as they were by his grace in order that those who are disobedient might be fully convinced that there is one

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God who revealed himself through Jesus Christ his son who is his word which came forth from silence who in every respect pleased him who sent him and then

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I put it in bold and italic if then those who had lived in antiquated practices came to newness of hope no longer keeping the

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Sabbath but living in accordance with the Lord's day on which our life also arose through him and his death and so he's describing of course

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Lord's day as the common practice of the early churches no longer of course was there to be practiced and observance as the

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Jews there's an early Christian writing called the didache and didache is a

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Greek word for the teaching of the 12 apostles perhaps written in AD 125 some projected back to AD 100 and the didache contains ethical instruction community rules for liturgy

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Christian liturgy leadership conduct and there's this expression in the didache on the

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Lord's own day gathered together and break bread and give thanks having first confessed your sins so that your sacrifice may be pure first day of the week epistle of Barnabas was an epistle not written by Barnabas it falsely attributed to Barnabas it was early regarded however by many

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Christians it was thought to be canonical until it was recognized later that it wasn't he wrote finally he

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God says to them I cannot bear your new moons and Sabbaths you see what he means it's not the present

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Sabbaths that are acceptable to me but the one that I have made on that Sabbath after I've said everything at rest

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I will create the beginning of an eighth day which is the beginning of another world and this is why we spend the eighth day in celebration the day on which

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Jesus both rose from the dead and after appearing again ascended into heaven that's AD 130.

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Justin Martyr he was obviously he was that's where we get the word martyr is he died as a martyr in his book the first apology

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AD 155 he wrote a long book chapter 67 he talks about the weekly worship of Christians we afterwards continually remind each other these things and the wealthy among us help the needy and we always keep together and for all things wherewith we are supplied we bless the maker of all through his son

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Jesus Christ and through the Holy Ghost and on the day called Sunday all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read

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Old Testament Gospels probably as long as time permits and then when the reader is ceased the president verbally instructs and exhorts to the imitation of these good things the sermon then we all rise together and pray and as before said when our prayers ended bread and wine and water are brought and the president in a like manner offers prayers and thanksgiving according to his ability and the people assent saying amen and there is a distribution to each and a participation of that over which thanks have been given and they who are well to do and willing give that give what each thinks fit and what is collected is deposited with the president who succors the orphans and widows and those who through sickness or any other cause or in want and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us and in a word takes care of all who are in need but Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly because it is the first day on which

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God having wrought a change in the darkness and matter made the world and Jesus Christ our savior on the same day rose from the dead so they're going back to creation and you know citing the first day in the beginning

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God created the heavens the earth and now he's talking about Christ with the new creation irony is ad 178 we're getting a little further on the duty of celebrating the mystery of the resurrection of our lord may be done only on the day of the lord

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Eusebius was the first church historian he lived during the days of Constantine but he wrote this before Constantine made

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Sunday an official lord's day the Ebionites they they were an early heretical group who denied the uh deity of Jesus they believed he was only a man cherished low and mean opinions of Christ for they considered him a plain and common man and justified only by his advances in virtue and that he was born of the virgin

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Mary by natural regenerate or by natural generation with them the observance of the law was altogether necessary as if they could not be saved only by faith in Christ and a corresponding life they were legalists these indeed thought on the one hand that all of the epistles of the apostles ought to be rejected calling him an apostate from the law but on the other only using the gospel according to the

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Hebrews they esteem the others as of little value they also observe the sabbath and other discipline of the

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Jews just like them but on the other hand they also celebrate the lord's day very much like us in commemoration of his resurrection but obviously his he's repudiating them for that and then also