The Lord's Day
“The Lord’s Day”
Heb. 10:19-25
A. The term “Lord’s Day” has no meaning in our culture and it has lost meaning in the
church in recent years, but there was a time when Sunday was special. For example:
1. Businesses used to be closed on the Lord’s Day. It is not so now except for Chick-
fil-A whose late founder wanted his employees to be able to go to church.
2. I knew a preacher whose mother lived with their family in her later years. After
church one Sunday night when the preacher’s daughters said, “Can we get ice
cream?” As he headed to the store his mother said, “Since when do we buy ice
cream on Sunday?” He said, “We don’t mother.” He took her home and then went
to he store to get ice cream. (Sunday was different back in the day.)
3. People couldn’t buy liquor on Sundays.
4. Many churches now have what they call “weekend worship.” The Lord’s Day is
not unique to them.
B. The book of Hebrews was written to Christians who were apparently struggling.
1. They had left Judaism to become Christians, but it appears they were questioning
whether or not they had made the right choice. The situation was so serious that
Heb. 10:25 says some of them had withdrawn from the church and were not
assembling together. The writer says, “not forsaking our own assembling together,
as is the habit of some.”
2. No doubt they were not gathering with the church for worship on the Lord’s Day.
3. The thesis of this message is the Lord’s Day is not just another day—it is
significant for the Christian. Let’s look at two truths about the Lord’s Day.
The Lord’s Day is…
I. A HISTORY-MAKING DAY.
A. There are several historic events that make the Lord’s Day different from the other 6
days in the week. (John received the book of Revelation on the Lord’s Day.)
1. The day Jesus resurrected.
a. Mark 16:9a “Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week.”
b. The first day of the week became the “The Lord’s Day” when the Lord arose
from the dead. The fact that Jesus came to life never to die again made this the
greatest day in all of history. Every time the Lord’s Day comes around we
should be reminded, this is the day that Jesus rose from the dead!
2. The day Jesus was first preached.
a. Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost had come.” It was on this day when Peter
preached what is called the first gospel sermon. According to Lev. 23:16,
Pentecost began on the day after the 7th Sabbath following the Passover. 7 x 7
= 49. What day did the Sabbath end on? Saturday—Pentecost always began
on Sunday 50 days after the Passover ended.
b. What was Peter’s sermon about? It was about the Lord: His miracles, His
death, and His resurrection. Acts 2:36 “Lord and Christ”
3. The day people were first saved.
a. Acts 2:41 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that
day there were added about three thousand souls.”
b. The charter members of the church became Christians on the Lord’s Day. A
person can become a Christian any day of the week, any time of the day, I am
just pointing out the first Christians ever became so on the Lord’s Day.
4. The day the church was established.
a. Jesus was preached, people were baptized, and thus the church was began on
the Lord’s Day. Acts 2:47b “And the Lord was adding to their number day by
day those who were being saved.”
5. The day communion was served.
a. Acts 20:7a “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to
break bread.” (Study that passage you will find that Paul arrived in Troas on
Monday, but he stayed an entire week so he could take the Lord’s Supper on
the Lord’s Day with the Lord’s church.)
b. The only example in the New Testament of when the Lord’s Supper was taken
was on the Lord’s Day.
c. Charles Crane was President of Boise Idaho Bible College for many years. He
said, “I became a Christian on December 13, 1951, at age 13. We were in the
midst of one of the coldest weeks of my whole youth. Our church was in the
midst of a revival meeting. The building was heated by a stove made out of 2
50-gallon gasoline drums, with pipes welded between the two barrels. The
stove would glow red hot. At the close of the service I responded to the
invitation and waited while the baptistery was filled with very cold water. The
preacher wore fishing boots, but I was in my Levis in the water and by the time
I was baptized, I was about frozen. While drying off, before I had dressed, the
preacher, Stewart Baker, asked me to raise my hand and promise him five
things, one of which was that I would never miss the Lord’s Supper for the rest
of my life. I made that commitment.
Sometimes when I have been ill someone has had to bring it to me at home: my
father, an elder, or faithful deacon. Once while preaching in Africa, my wife
Margaret and I were at the rear of the church and it was a one-cup service. We
knew the people in the audience had malaria, HIV, TB and other assorted
diseases. Another time we were in Italy and could not find non-alcoholic grape
juice. We made our own out of grapes. Another time we were at 35,000 feet in
a jumbo jet. We had made preparation. Why did our preacher want me to never
miss the Lord’s Table? Was it so I could brag about it later? No. It was
because there are very good biblical, spiritual, and historical reasons. Yes, it
has to do with getting ‘to know Him and the power of His resurrection.’ I am
not suggesting that people who have missed the Lord’s Table are substandard
Christians, but only that they have missed a blessing by not being there.”
6. The day collections were received.
a. 1 Cor 16:2 “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a
sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come
no collections will have to be made.”
b. I find it interesting that people who criticize weekly communion by saying it
will become commonplace never criticize taking a weekly offering.
II. A DAY OF CORPORATE WORSHIP.
A. The Lord’s Day is the day the church gathers together to corporately worship God.
1. I heard about a fellow who was having trouble on a particular Lord’s Day. His
mother yelled upstairs to get ready that it was just about time for church. He yelled
back down, “I’m not going to church today for two reasons. Number one—I don’t
think anybody likes me. Number two—No one speaks to me.” She yelled back up
the stairs, “you are going to church today for two reasons, number one—you are 42
years old and number two you’re the preacher.”
A day of corporate worship to…
B. To hear the word.
1. Sometimes the reason people don’t learn anything in church is because they aren’t
hearing anything. What passes for preaching today is often a feel good message
that never addresses the real need of people the salvation of their sin.
2. The scriptural mandate for we preachers is 2 Tim. 4:2 “preach the word; be ready
in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and
instruction.”
3. Do you come hungry for a word from the Lord or do you come dull of hearing?
Do you come rested up from the day before or do you come tired and drowsy?
A day of corporate worship to…
C. To give and receive encouragement.
1. Heb. 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good
deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but
encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
2. Some people are better at encouragement than others—it is a spiritual gift, but we
all can and should be encouraging others. How do you encourage others?
1) Build them up with compliments and positive words.
2) Smile, sometimes it’s hard to smile.
3) Speak to people you don’t know and introduce yourself.
4) Sit by people who are setting by themselves.
5) Ask them how they are doing and mean it.
6) Inquire about something in their life you know/going on/important to them.
7) Show confidence in their ability to do things.
8) Give a holy hug or handshake.
9) Cards.
10) Focus on the positive and not the negative.
A day of corporate worship to…
D. To express gratitude to God.
1. Worship is a verb—it’s what we do not what we watch
2. Worship is a privilege—it’s what we get to do not what we have to do.
3. “Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks
because He’s given Jesus Christ—His son. And now let the weak say I am strong,
let the poor say I am rich because of what the Lord has done, give thanks.”
4. If you come to church with the attitude of “what I can get out of this?” you may go
away disappointed. We are here to pay homage to Jesus who died so that we might
live. We are here to put in not just take away.
5. What are you putting in? Did you bring your Bible? Do you have the right
attitude? Are you taking any notes to review later? Do you sing the songs?
6. Ps. 138:1-2a “I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You
before the gods. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your
name for Your loving kindness and Your truth.”
A day of corporate worship to…
E. To have mutual accountability.
1. The church is a family and we are accountable to one another.
2. When someone in the family starts missing, it is our responsibility to check up on
them. If they have left the fellowship, we want to encourage them to come home.
3. Luke 15:18-20 “I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I
have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called
your son; make me as one of your hired men.’ ‘So he got up and came to his
father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt
compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”
4. Parents, make your kids accountable when it comes to worship. Going to worship
should not be up for a vote in your house. Put your kids on drugs. I was drug to
church. For every kid who says, “I quit the church because I was made to go”
there are a more who are there because they were made to do so.
CONCLUSION
A. The legacy of my mother in regard to the Lord’s Day.