We are to praise the Lord every day. Hebrews 4:1-3 tells us we have entered into our Lord’s rest, i.e. Sabbath. The lesson of the Sabbath is more than setting aside one specific day of the week to worship God. It is a daily worship. We can be at peace, resting by trusting and loving God. Luke 9:23: (NIV) “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week, now called Sunday. Thus, the early church met on Sunday in remembrance of His resurrection.
Mark 16:1-2 (KJV), “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.”
Luke 24:13-15, “And, behold, two of them went that same day (the day Jesus was resurrected) to a village called Emmaus…And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And…while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.”
John 20:1, 19 (NIV), “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them…”
Here are three more scriptures about meeting together on Sunday:
John 20:26 (NIV), “A week later (on Sunday) his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’”
Acts 20:7 (NIV), “7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.”
1 Corinthians 16:2 (NIV), “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money…”
So, what is the Christian’s Sabbath?
The Apostle Paul wrote about our sabbath in Hebrews 4:3-5, 9-11 (RSV), “For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, ‘As I swore in my wrath, They (the Jews) shall never enter my rest,’…And God rested on the seventh day from all his works… 9 So then, there remains a sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever enters God’s rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest…”
Entering into God’s rest is not inactivity, because we are to “work out our own salvation” (Philippians 2:12). We are engaged in a spiritual work of faith. Christians have spiritual hopes, aims, and ambitions. Our “rest” is very meaningful; it is a rest from doing things our way (our will) and trying to do them God’s way (God’s will). By faith, we are – daily – keeping God’s rest.
Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast Episode #1127: “What Does the Sabbath Look Like for Christians?”
Discovering what the Sabbath really means for Christians
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes
Sermon: (Audio only) “The Rest of the Story,” Allen Springer
(Video) Video Version