The Day of Remembrance Why do you Christians
The Day of Remembrance
Why do you Christians meet on Sunday? ❖ Why not Saturday or Friday? ❖ Isn't it true "Sun-day" is dedicated to the worship of the "Sun"? ❖ Can't I worship God as well on Monday as on Sunday? ❖ Why keep Sunday? ❖ Where is an example of Christians meeting on Sunday? ❖ Is "the Lord's day, " Rev. 1: 10; Sunday?
The Day Set Apart ❖ Why is ANY day observed? ❖ Something important enough occurred on that day. ❖ Something of contemporary significance. ❖ This event calls for remembrance of the day. ❖ 4 th of July - not a holiday in England ❖ Remembered simply because of the event's importance
Resurrection & Appearance of Christ ❖ ❖ ❖ The most momentous events in all history occurred on the 1 st day of the week Jn. 20: 1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. Matt. 28: 1; Mk. 16: 2, 9; Lk. 24: 1 Jn. 20: 16, 17 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God. ’”
Resurrection & Appearance of Christ ❖ The other women Matt. 28: 9, 10 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me. ” ❖ Two disciples at Emmaus Lk. 24: 14 -35
Resurrection & Appearance of Christ ❖ 10 Disciples in the upper room Jn. 20: 19 -21 19 So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be with you. ” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. ” 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. ”
Resurrection & Appearance of Christ ❖ Appearance to Thomas Jn. 20: 24 -28 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. ”
Resurrection & Appearance of Christ ❖ Appearance to Thomas Jn. 20: 24 -28 26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you. ” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing. ” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Coming of the Holy Spirit ❖ Kingdom to come with power Acts 1: 4 -8 4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which, ” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. ” 6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel? ” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. ”
1 st Gospel Sermon - 1 st Christians ❖ 1 st persons became Christians on Sunday Acts 2: 37, 38, 41 ❖ 1 st gospel sermon preached Acts 2: 14 -36; 1 Cor. 15: 1 -4 ❖ Pentecost, Sunday, 1 st day of the week
Events of real contemporary significance ❖ The resurrection of Christ means the most - The evidences of His overcoming death: appearances - Mean more to the Christian than anyone else ❖ The Holy Spirit came on Sunday ❖ Sunday means something very special to Christians - 1 st Christians created on the 1 st day of the week - 1 st gospel sermon
The Day Claimed ❖ Belonged to the Lord Rev. 1: 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, - kuriakos - Thayer - Lord’s; of or belonging to the Lord - Lord’s supper - - day devoted to the Lord, sacred to the memory of Christ's resurrection BAG - The Lord's day, i. e. certainly Sunday
The Day Claimed ❖ Belonged to the Lord Rev. 1: 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, - John was in the Spirit on that day - A day well know among Christians - Specially belongs to the Lord - Nowhere used for the Sabbath day
Lord’s day = Sunday, 1 st day ❖ ❖ ❖ A. D. 115 Ignatius “Let every friend of Christ keep the Lord's day as a festival, the resurrection day, the queen and chief of all days (of the week). -The Anti-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, p. 63 A. D. 120 - Barnabas “We keep the eight day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose from the dead” Chapter 17 A. D. 140 - Justine Martyr “But Sunday is the day which we all hold our common assembly, because Jesus Christ, our Savior, on the same day arose from the dead” Apology, Chapter 67
Lord’s day = Sunday, 1 st day ❖ ❖ ❖ A. D. 150 - Irenaeus "The mystery of the Lord's resurrection may not be celebrated on any other day than the Lord's day. " Mc. Clintock & Strong Ency. Vol. V, p, 507 A. D. 194 - Clement of Alexandria “He, in fulfillment of the precept, according to the gospel, keeps the Lord’s Day when he abandons an evil disposition” Book 7, Chapter 12 A. D. 200 - Tertullian “We solemnize the day after Saturday in contradiction to those who call this day their Sabbath. ” Apology, Chapter 16
Lord’s day = Sunday, 1 st day ❖ ❖ ❖ A. D. 250 - Cyprian of Carthage “The eighth day, that is, the first after the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day” Epistle 58, Section 4 A. D. 306 Peter of Alexandria “But the Lord’s Day we celebrate as a day of Joy, because on it, he arose again” Canon 15 A. D. 324 Eusebius “They also observe the Sabbath, and other discipline of the Jews, just like them; but on the other hand, they also celebrate the Lord’s Days very much like us in commemoration of his resurrection” Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 27
Lord’s day = Sunday, 1 st day ❖ "The general consent both of Christian antiquity and of modern divines has referred it (the Lord's day) to the weekly festival of our Lord's resurrection and identified it with the first day of the week, on which He rose, with the patristical 'eighth day' or ‘day which is both the eighth and the first’” -Mc. Clintock and Strong Ency. Vol. V, p. 505
The Day Observed ❖ ❖ The example of the early Christians described in the New Testament The first Christians meeting in the world was on Sunday Acts 20: 7 And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. Not say upon “a” first day of the week - but “The” - separates the day from others like it - not separated from any other first days - meeting that occurred every first day
Paul considered the first day significant ❖ Waited 7 days at Troas, even though in a hurry Acts 20: 6, 16 6 And we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas within five days; and there we stayed seven days. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus in order that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. - Paul arrived on Monday & stayed until Sunday - Stayed in Troas through the sabbath day until Sunday - the day when the church was of a custom to come together - Only on that day - No other passage indicates a time - Any other day - without faith Rom. 10: 17
Collection Taken on 1 st Day ❖ Day of assembly 1 Cor. 16: 1, 2 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come. - The first day was a special day already - A day for assembling for the Lord’s Supper 1 Cor. 11: 23, 33 - The assembly is not to be forsaken Heb. 10: 24, 25; Matt. 28: 20
Contemporary significance ❖ First, the resurrection of Christ ❖ Evidences of overcoming death - appearances ❖ Revealed power over death ❖ Confirmed His claim ❖ Showed earthly ministry accepted ❖ Crowned the process of redemption ❖ Beginning of life eternal ❖ Beginning of the power & glory of the new kingdom
- Slides: 21
