“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25).
The word “forsaking” can be defined as “abandoning” like one would abandon a child on a doorstep. God is saying here do not abandon the local church. It matters not who you are whether you are a Gideon, or a part of the Youth For Christ, or involved with Child Evangelism, or the American Bible Society, or you have been saved for 50 years you cannot be a good Christian and abandon your church. No one can be a good Christian outside of his or her church.
Take note of the word “assembling” in verse twenty-five it is not the word “assembly” it is the word “assembling.” The word is like putting something together or assembling something. In this case it is assembling the members together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another as so the more as ye see the day approaching. The word “assembling” can mean bringing together for reproduction purposes.
I am alarmed at how Americans treat Sunday! I am more alarmed however how God’s people treat Sunday! This first day of the week, Sunday, is not the Sabbath, but it is a very important day to God.
Church is about those who are members assembling themselves together on Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Church is not some universal invisible thing for its usage in Scripture is always local until the Rapture. There has to be a marriage before there can be a “bride.” We are the “espoused bride” currently. I married a visible bride and in my case I have become more visible through the years!
The local church is not a place to worship God. One can worship God better by him or herself than you can in crowd. One can pray better by oneself rather than speaking words to impress those around you. One can win more souls on the streets and highways than one can at church.
There are more unsaved people on the streets than at church. Most people who walked the aisles of Longview Baptist Temple were led to Christ before they entered the doors of LBT.
What is it you can do at church that you cannot do outside the church? You cannot have the assembling of ourselves together to gain strength, encouragement, and fellowship which would led to reproduction or souls saved.
Sunday is the day that God has appointed to do that. God desired for his people to meet together. He knew we needed strength, fellowship, and so God designed it so that we would have a day to meet together.
The question is what day did God want us to have this assembling? Certainly it was not to be on the Sabbath Day! The Seventh Day Adventist and the Worldwide Church of God say it is the Sabbath Day.
The truth is all of the great Christians of the previous generations thought Sunday were something special in God’s sight and it was the Lord’s Day. D. L. Moody for example preached against the Sunday newspaper. Hold it I am not saying it is wrong to read the Sunday newspaper, but I’ll tell you what is wrong and that is when you read the Sunday newspaper more than you do the Scriptures on Sunday. I am not writing against the Sunday newspaper I am pushing more for the Scriptures to be read on Sunday.
BLOTTING OUT THE HANDWRITING OF ORDINANCES
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross:” (Colossians 2:13-14).
Whatever we are going to look at is blotted out! God said here something is blotted out. Verse fourteen says, “…that was against us…” Thus, whatever it is we must admit there is something that was blotted out that was against us. There was something that was contrary to us.
That verse also says it was taken out of the way. Then the same verse tells us that it was taken out of the way by “…nailing it to his cross.”
Whatever this is we are looking at there are five statements, which tell God’s children it is not for us anymore.
Blotted out
Against us
Contrary to us
Taken out of the way
Nailed to his cross
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or the sabbath days:” (Colossians 2:16).
God is speaking here of religious exercises when he says in meat, in drink, in respect of an holyday, new moon, or sabbath days. Thus it follows that these religious activities are blotted out.
Holy days were against us. Holy days were contrary to us. Holy days were taken out of the way. Holy days were nailed to his cross. Lenten (or is that linen) season, Good Friday, Fat Tuesday, or Skinny Wednesday are against, are contrary, are taken out of the way, and are nailed to Jesus’ cross.
They are killed in order to free us to access to redemption and Heaven.
Look at verse sixteen and you notice in meat, in drink, in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon mentioned. Wait a minute look carefully and you will also see “…or the sabbath days:”
God himself is saying that the sabbath days are blotted out, were against us, were contrary to us, were taken out of the way, were nailed to Jesus’ cross in order to free us to come to Jesus for payment of all of our sins and end up in Heaven.
There is no such thing for the New Testament local church as the observance of the sabbath days.
WHAT IS THE DAY GOD WANTS HIS PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER FOR THE ASSEMBLING?
There is a day God desires for his people to come out from the world and gather together for the “assembling” and it is Sunday the first day of the week. Now let me prove it! “But preacher I don’t believe it!” You will when I finish this article if you are an honest person.
Let me give you some obvious reasons why Sunday is that day. This is going to be somewhat controversial today, but in days gone by when America was a great moral nation our stores were closed on Sundays.
No college sports were played on Sundays. Soon they will be playing high school sports on Sundays. Athletic contests take no thought about church services on Sunday. They will play the Super Bowl on Sunday night when God’s people ought to be in attendance at their church.
Now we see all of these “born again” athletes thanking God and thanking Jesus for a touchdown or a Super Bowl victory on Sundays. If those men are born again they ought to be in attendance at their church.
SUNDAY IS A SPECIAL DAY
Jesus was raised on the first day of the week which means Sunday is a special day for God the father and God the Son. Is not your birthday a special day? Then how much more for the Trinity!
Some saints rose on the first day of the week, which makes it a special day in God’s sight for him to do such! When Jesus was raised from the dead the Scriptures tell us that bodies of some dead people were raised and walked about the city of Jerusalem.
Jesus at his death traveled into Paradise where the Old Testament saints were awaiting the full payment of Calvary. These Old Testament saints were redeemed on a layaway plan and Jesus transported these same saints in Paradise to Heaven.
Jesus chose these saints to rise on the first day of the week or the Lord’s Day! I am not telling you that Sunday is the Sabbath day for I am telling you that Sunday is a special day to God!
Jesus appeared to his people in church for the first time on Sunday. The New Testament church was started in Matthew chapter 10 and that church had the assembling on the first day of the week or Sunday the Lord’s Day.
When Jesus was raised from the dead they had church on the first day of the week or Sunday. Why is Sunday a special day: Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, some saints rose from the dead on Sunday, the New Testament church met for the first time after Calvary on Sunday, and Jesus appeared to those saints on the first day of the week. (John 20:11-19).
By the way he has been appearing on Sunday’s spiritually to local churches ever since then!
“And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said; Peace be unto you.” (John 20:26).
The next Sunday that same local church met once again. The Bible tells us that after eight days on the next Sunday they met. The first Sunday after the resurrection of Christ the church met and the second Sunday that same local church met.
The New Testament church was not started as a place of worship but was a place of service, fellowship, to gain strength, to baptize converts; teach the word of God, to organize to evangelize, and a place for the “assembling” of ourselves for reproduction.
Jesus rose on Sunday.
Saints rose from Paradise to Heaven on Sunday.
The local church met on the first Sunday after Calvary.
Jesus went to church on Sunday with his people.
That same local church met the next Sunday.
Twenty-six years later the same local church was still meeting on Sunday (Acts 20:7).
Appears to me like there is something pretty special about Sunday or the Lord’s Day. In Acts 20:7 they came together as a local church and every Sunday morning and evening we who are saved ought to come together to God’s house.
They came together on Sunday and Paul preached to them. They had the Lord’s Supper and they had preaching! Twenty-six years later after the resurrection day, after the upper room, after Jesus met with them on Sunday, and after twenty-six years they are still meeting on Sunday. Sounds like it is a pretty important day to God!
“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” (I Corinthians 16:2).
Obviously they gave tithes and offerings, which they had laid by in store, for when they gathered together on Sundays. Why? Because that is where they came together on Sundays!
So, throughout the Bible even before the Law and all the way through the Millennium the tithes and offerings were and will be brought to God’s house.
Jesus rose on the first day or Sunday.
The Old Testament saints went from Paradise to Heaven on Sunday.
The local church met for the first time on Sunday.
Jesus went to church on Sunday.
One week later the local church met on Sunday.
26 years later the local church is still meeting on Sunday.
The local church brought their tithes and offerings to church on Sunday.
The day of Pentecost occurred on Sunday.
“And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.” (Leviticus 23:11).
Pentecost was always on the “morrow” after the Sabbath. Jesus chose Sunday for the great power of God to fall and 3,000 precious souls were saved from going to a devil’s Hell. God chose Sunday for the spirit of God to move in power that launched the work of the local church of Jerusalem.
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.” (Revelation 1:10).
John is on Patmos in exile living by himself. This is wonderful for every word of the book of Revelation was given on Sunday or the Lord’s Day. This is 96A.D.! This is sixty-three years after the resurrection of Christ. John was in the Sprit on the Lord’s Day. My friend our God does nothing by mistake or accidentally.
If Jesus chose Sunday to rise from the dead.
If Jesus chose to met with his disciples on Sunday.
If they continued meeting on Sunday.
If 26 years later the local church is still meeting on Sunday.
If Pentecost came on Sunday.
If the local church members brought their tithes and offerings on Sunday.
If the entire book of Revelation was given to John on Sunday or the Lord’s Day.
If all of that were true then you mark this down Sunday is more important then man knows or makes it! May I write a word of thanks to my Mama who at ninety-eight went to be with the Lord on Christmas Day of 2010? She taught our family that Sunday was a special day to God.
I was not allowed to pick up a baseball let alone play baseball on Sunday. My dear wife did the same thing with out children. Hold it! I am not saying it is wicked to throw a baseball on Sunday. However I am saying that Sunday is far more special than we make it today. The truth is there is nothing wrong with throwing a ball on Sunday in my humble opinion, but don’t you dare tell me wife I said so!
“But preacher I need recreation?” Ok, then go soul winning, work a bus route, visit a Sunday school class member, clean up the church auditorium, sweep out a Sunday school bus, vacuum the church hall ways, pick up some converts for Sunday night church, or how about reading your Bible? That would give you some recreation!
Fellowshipping with God’s people is pretty good recreation! How about being an usher? How about singing in the choir and going to choir practice?
When America had character stores were closed on Sunday, but now we shut church down for the Super Bowl, Christmas, or New Years! Unbelievable! God’s house shut down because of a ball game?
In God’s economy one day out of seven is always a day of diversion. Every seven years the land was to be left unsown. Why? Because you can grow more in six years on the same land than you can in seven years.
One out of every seven days belongs to God! An example would be the Jews when they were in captivity for seventy years. Why? Because for 490 years they did not give God one out of seven days and God got them all back at one time in that seventy years of captivity!
“For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And Go did rest the seventh day from all his works.” (Hebrews 4:4).
In six days God did all the work of creation and on the seventh day the Sabbath Day he rested. This does not mean that God was tired or wore out. I heard a preacher preach about how tired God was on the seventh day. Foolishness! It simply means that God “rested” or he “admired” his six days of work.
“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:9).
The rest mentioned there for God’s people is found in Jesus Christ. Jesus is actually our Sabbath!
“For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” (Hebrews 4:10).
God worked and finished his work.
God then rested or reviewed his work on the seventh day.
Jesus worked and finished his work.
Jesus then rested in his work on Sunday.
In Genesis by the seventh day God had finished his work. Jesus cried, “It is finished” and rose on the first day of the week or Sunday the Lord’s Day to verify the nailing of those things that were in man’s way to redemption.
God worked and finished his work.
God rested on the seventh day.
Jesus worked and finished his work.
Jesus rested on Sunday.
God the Father’s work was finished by Saturday.
God the Son’s work was finished by Sunday.
God has his day on the seventh day.
Jesus has his day on the first day.
God’s Day is Saturday for his wife the nation Israel.
Jesus’ Day is Sunday for his bride the New Testament Church.
God worked and rested on Saturday while Jesus worked and rested on Sunday. The first day of the week is an important day to God and his Son.
“I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” (Psalm 2:7).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).
The Son of God was conceived in the womb of Mary on Sunday. Sunday is a very important day to God. I cannot prove to you that Jesus was born on Sunday, but I can show you that he was conceived on Sunday. He was conceived on the same day of the week that he was raised from the dead.
May I ask a question? Is there anything that binds me to celebrate February eleventh, my wife’s birthday? Is it a sin for me to forget my wife’s birthday? No! However, it is not very smart!
God does not say it is a sin concerning Sunday, but it is still a special day to God, thus it should be a special day to his children! Our consideration of Sunday expresses our love. Thus my consideration of my wife’s birthday shows my love and keeps peace in the family! The truth is it pleases God more when my wife celebrates my birthday!
We are not legally bound to observe any day. The Sabbath Day was nailed to the cross but God in his economy has made Sunday a special day.
Reason with me if Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, if the Old Testament saints rose from Paradise to Heaven on Sunday, if the local New Testament church met for the first time after Calvary on Sunday, if Jesus went to church and met his disciples there on Sunday, if the next Sunday church was held, if twenty- six years later in Acts chapter twenty the local church still was meeting on Sunday, if sixty-three years later after Calvary John exiled on Patmos on Sunday was in the Spirit and gave us the entire book of the Revelation, and if Jesus was begotten in the womb of Mary on Sunday I would commend to you that Sunday is a special day to God.
“The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:22-24)
Jesus is called the rock of ages for he is the stone that the builders rejected. Now if you disagree with me it is not because you read the Bible too much! “This is the day” here is God speaking of is the Lord’s Day or Sunday. John called it the Lord’s Day! We will rejoice and be glad in it!
Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday.
The local church met for the first time after Calvary on Sunday.
Jesus went to church that Sunday.
The local church met the next Sunday.
Jesus went back to church on the second Sunday.
26 years later the local church is still meeting on Sunday.
The Day of Pentecost was on Sunday.
The entire book of Revelation was given on Sunday.
John was in the Spirit on Sunday (He had church alone but he still had church).
God worked and rested on the seventh day.
Jesus worked and rested on the first day or Sunday.
Sabbath is God’s day with the Old Testament church of Israel.
Sunday is Jesus’ day with the New Testament church his espoused bride.
Jesus was conceived on Sunday.
The Psalmist said God made Sunday for us to rejoice and be exceedingly glad of it.
Ok, do this for me? Give me 15 things God did on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday? Our God has singularly chosen Sunday for every great event of the book of acts, which occurred on Sunday the Lord’s Day.