Scripture Reading: Matthew 28 | Sabbath: September 14, 2024
Memory Verse: Exodus 20:8
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Weekly Proverb: Proverbs 7:2
Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
Introduction: In the Bible, how many days did the Lord ordain as holy? Did He ordain Sunday? Did He ordain Sunday and the Sabbath Day? Let us search the scriptures and find what the Bible does say about Sunday.

1. In the beginning, what record is given about the first day? Genesis 1:1-5.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Answer: On this day God creates; just like five of the other days. He does not bless or sanctify it as He does in Genesis 2:1-3.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
2. How did the gospel writers describe the first day? Matthew 28:1-6,Mark 16:1-6, Luke 24:1-6, John 20:1-10.
Matthew 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
Matthew 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
Matthew 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
Matthew 28:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
Matthew 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
Matthew 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place
Mark 16:1 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.
Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
Mark 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
Mark 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
Mark 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
Mark 16:6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Luke 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
Luke 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
Luke 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Luke 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
John 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
John 20:2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
John 20:3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
John 20:4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
John 20:5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
John 20:6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
John 20:7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
John 20:8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
John 20:9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
John 20:10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
Answer: None of them described it as a holy day. They spoke of the women’s experience at the tomb. They did not speak of the day itself. They did not make any special connection between the day and the resurrection.
3. What can we learn about the first day from the narration of John about the meeting of Jesus with his disciples on that day? John 20:19.
John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Answer: The verse sheds no light on the first day itself. The disciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews; not because they thought there was something special about the day.
4. Did the apostles ever meet on the first day? If so, why? While in Troas, why did the disciples meet on the first day? Acts 20:6, 7.
Acts 20:6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
Answer: This verse says that they came together to break bread. Paul was a special guest; he kept the Sabbath with them; after sunset on the Sabbath Day, now the first day, they would have had their evening meal with their special guest; and Paul preaches because he was leaving the next day. The morning of the next day, Sunday, Paul would have
departed. This verse teaches us that there is nothing special about the day because he traveled on that day.
5. Before we travel, we prepare. Before we have special guests in our house, we prepare. What instruction is Paul giving the Corinthians? 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2.
1 Corinthians 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
1 Corinthians 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
Answer: Paul does not instruct the Corinthians to prepare for the first day; he instructs them to prepare for the day following the first day. Obviously, Paul was going to arrive on the second day of the week, and he did not want them to wait until he arrived to start their charitable collection. There was no meeting on the first day at all; there is nothing special about this collection on the first day.
Conclusion: What is special about the first day? Nothing! We can search the entire Bible and we cannot find anything special, holy, or sanctified about the first day.