09-21-2025 Why Worship on Sunday

Text: Acts 20:7

                    Most people go to church on Sunday and consider it their day of worship.  The expression ‘wear your Sunday best’ relates to the clothes you wore to church because back in the day you had to look your best when you went to church.  But did you ever wonder why Sunday became the day to go to church?  Well the Bible lays it out clearly.  Our text today is Acts 20:7 where Luke wrote:  “And upon the first day of the week (which is Sunday), when the Disciples came together to break bread (by that point after the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven,  Sunday had become the main day of worship for Christians), Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continue his speech until midnight (in other words, Paul preached a long time.).”  By this point, the day for worship for Christians became Sunday.  Jews had always set aside Saturday as their sabbath and day of rest.  But why did Sunday become the time for public worship?  Under Jewish law the Sabbath, which is Saturday, is the day for worship.  It’s really quite simple.  Sunday was the day of Resurrection, the event which gives all believers new life. 

                   Luke 24:1 tells us that on the first day of the week the women went to the tomb to tend to the body of Jesus but learned He had risen.  That Sunday so long ago proved the deity of Christ as Paul wrote in Romans 1:4:  “…And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the Resurrection from the dead.”  Jesus was the Son of David regarding His humanity and the Son of God regarding His deity, which is His immortal nature as the Son of the Almighty God.  I Corinthians 15:14 and 17 tell us that without the resurrection there would be no church because preaching would be in vain and there would be no hope of eternal life with Christ.  The resurrection authenticated the teachings of Jesus.  He said in John 2:18-21 that if you “destroy this Temple, in three days I will raise it us.”  This was His answer to those looking for a sign of authority from Him after He had cleared out the temple of the selling of sacrificial animals and money changers for the out-of-town visitors for the Passover feast.  They mistakenly thought Jesus was going to destroy the temple where they worshiped.  But He was talking about His resurrection from the dead.  And that day is a fitting day to gather to celebrate the new life given to us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

                   Our text confirms that Sunday was the day of worship for early Christians.  Just what is it that makes a day a day of worship?  It’s when we use it as a day to pray, to preach, to listen to the Gospel of Jesus.  And it’s a day for fellowship with other believers, to celebrate Communion, and to give our offering to the Lord. 

                   Early Jewish Christians went to the Temple on Saturday to listen to the teaching of the ancient texts and Jewish laws from the rabbis, but they worshiped Jesus on Sunday in church meetings.  Today, Christians use Sunday to commemorate their deliverance from the Law because it cannot justify us before God as Paul tells us in Galatian 2:16.  We’re justified only when we accept Jesus into our lives and are absolved of our sins by God.

                   Jesus died to deliver us from the Law because no person can be justified by keeping the Law.  We’re saved by grace through our faith in Jesus as the Son of the living God.  Ephesians 2:8-9 tell us “(8) For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves:  it is a gift from God.  (9) Not of works, lest any man boast.”  Grace calls us to a higher standard than the Law because Christ paid the penalty for our sins so that we can now be led by the Holy Spirit to a life that gives us a new way of living through faith in Jesus.  What He did on the Cross sanctifies us meaning the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross purifies us from our sins and sets us apart from non-Christians.

                   So it has been for centuries that Christians have made Sunday the day of rest and worship.  Ignatius of Antioch, an early Christian who was the third bishop of Antioch, a writer, a martyr, and is known for his influential letters that shaped early Christian theology and church doctrine.  He said in AD 110:  “Those who walked in the ancient practices attain unto newness of hope, no longer observing Sabbaths, but fashioning their lives after the Lord’s Day on which life also rose through Him, that we may be found disciples of Jesus Christ, our only teacher.”

                   It’s true that keeping a certain day of worship doesn’t save us.  What saves us is the grace of God because of our believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  But growth in grace comes through public and private worship.  It’s important that we have private worship every day where we take time to read our Bible and pray.  Sunday is a fitting day for public worship with those who share our Christian beliefs and faith. 

                   But, we have to be careful.  Paul wrote in to the Colossians 2:16-17:  “(16) Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect to an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath Days:  (17) which are a shadow of things to come; but the Body is of Christ.”  The body Paul speaks of is the Church of Jesus.  He is also referencing the Jewish dietary laws and the festivals and holy days celebrated monthly such as the New Moon and weekly Sabbaths.  We learn as we study our Bible that all of the Old Testament laws, holidays, and festivals pointed toward Jesus.  Paul calls them “a shadow” of the reality that was to come.  Jesus is that reality.  When Jesus came, He removed the shadow.  The early rituals distinguished the Jews from their pagan neighbors.  Failure to observe them could be easily noticed by those who were keeping track of what others did.  Some of the Jews held these practices over the heads of others.  But now Paul was telling them – and us – don’t allow yourself to be judged by the opinions of others, because Christ has set you free to follow Him.  You don’t have to follow human rules that try to tell you how to follow Jesus.  All you need is the Bible.  Christ Himself has made it clear to the world.  Paul is also telling us that the moment we add any man-made rule or regulation to the finished work of Christ, we have just abolished the grace of God.  Christians should not criticize others about their diet or their religious ceremonies.  We aren’t to pay attention to or take to heart the restrictions or criticism of legalistic people who insist on rules that go beyond what the Bible teaches.  Believers should focus on their personal faith in Christ alone and not outward observances.  Our worship, traditions, and ceremonies can help bring us close to God, but we should never criticize fellow Christians whose traditions, and ceremonies differ from ours.  When we’re connected to Christ through faith, we have all that we need to please God.  No one can condemn you because only you alone are accountable to Jesus for your salvation.  Should we help others who are lost or confused?  Absolutely yes.  But don’t condemn them, show them what God’s Word will have them do and you will never be wrong.  So study your Bible and trust Jesus to be your guide on Sunday and every other day of the week.  Then you can be a living example of what Jesus can do to change a life when it is centered on Him.

                   Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.