THE LORD’S DAY
A. H. Munster
John 20: 1, 19; Revelation 1: 9, 10
It will be noticed that there are references to the first day of the week in the verses we have read in John’s gospel, and John on the isle of Patmos speaks about being in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I thought the Lord might have something to say to us as to those two terms which are used in relation to the same day.
This twentieth chapter of John tells us something about the Lord’s activities on that day on which He arose from the dead, and I believe He is a model for us as to how we would spend that day. The Lord was very active. He rose very early in the morning and He was still active in the evening. He came to the disciples in the evening when the doors were shut and He said, “Peace be to you”, so that His activities extended right throughout the day. Then in regard to the Lord’s day, it would suggest that the Lord has certain claims or rights in regard to that day, so that as we go through the Lord’s day we would not spend it in the same way as we would spend other days. We would recognise the. Lord’s claims and we would spend the day in a way which would be suitable, which would be pleasing to the Lord in regard to His day and in regard to His claims on that day.
I think we might say that in recent years there has been some progress made in regard to the assembling of ourselves for the Supper, and the time at which we do it. Probably most of us here will remember that there was a time when we did not break bread until nearly the middle of the day. Well, I believe that our brother Mr. Taylor felt that matter. He spoke about the tendency then to have a lie-in on Lord’s day morning, and he did not seem to think that that fitted in very well with the character of the day. As we know, the Lord took our brother in 1953, and it was not until Mr. McCallum’s ministry in London in 1958 that the matter came up as to having the breaking of bread earlier.
I think things have moved since then and I believe we can say that the affections of the saints for the Lord have been such that we would not desire the arrangement to be otherwise than it is. We are thankful if we can begin the day in good time, remembering the Lord as He has requested. Then as we go through the day we happily have other occasions when we come together; we come together to read the Scriptures, and also for the preaching. Then in between we go to our homes; a little visiting may be done, a little entertaining, but at any rate we spend part of the time in the homes. That is all part of the Lord’s day, and I believe that as we see what the Lord did on this day, how He was active and how He ministered to the disciples, we would seek that our activities might be in line with that, not only when we come together assembly-wise but also in our homes. We would seek to remember that it is His day.
In this scripture in the Revelation the apostle was in exile on the island called Patmos. He felt the reproach of the position; I suppose he was in isolation. We do not read of any brethren being there, but he says he became in the Spirit on the Lord’s day. It is interesting how that title is used. The apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, speaks about the Lord’s supper, or the dominical supper. So the apostle John says, “I became in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”, or the dominical day. It is the day when the Lord has certain peculiar rights. It has been pointed out that when the Lord passed with His disciples through the cornfields on the sabbath He said that He was Lord of the sabbath; that is to say. He wanted His disciples to be at liberty. The Pharisees were seeking to put restrictions on the disciples as to what they were doing, but the Lord wanted them to be at liberty; He was Lord of the sabbath.
But the Lord’s day is not exactly the sabbath. It is not exactly a day for rest in that way. I remember looking a long time ago at some dictionary as to the definition of ‘Sunday’, and it said ‘the Christian sabbath’, but I do not think that is quite the right idea. I think we have been taught that the Lord’s day is a thing by itself; it is not the sabbath, but it is a day in which the Lord has rights. He is the Lord of the sabbath, but He also has rights in regard of His day, the first day of the week, and we would desire to recognise the Lord’s rights, and that our activities on that day should be in accord with His rights. We would have liberty to do certain other things on other days, but in a special way I think the Lord makes claims in regard to His day. Well, I am sure the Lord would encourage us in this way. It is wonderful, the fellowship that we have together and how we can enjoy our links with one another, and I believe that if we are in one another’s houses on the Lord’s day it is an opportunity of getting near to one another and enjoying the links that we have in what is heavenly and what is spiritual.
There is another scripture in my mind, in 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter about love. It says there that “Love never fails” (verse 8). In matters that may come up certain difficulties may arise, but if love is in operation love has a way of solving those difficulties. So Paul says, “Love never fails”. But then the apostle goes on to say (verse 11), “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I reasoned as a child; when I became a man, I had done with what belonged to the child”. I believe that when the apostle says, “When I became a man, I had done with what belonged to the child”, he is speaking of his activities in a general way.
He is not just referring to the first day of the week, but to what he did every day. You might say that every day he had done with what belonged to the child, but I think perhaps it is a word for us. I think we would be encouraged to be on that line, of having done with what belongs to the child.
As we go through the week we may have some free time, and the thing is, what do we do? We would not want to occupy ourselves with things that belong to the child. I am sure the Lord would help us in that way and there are many things to engage us. The Lord has much teaching for us and there is much ministry that is available. We are very thankful indeed for the way that the Spirit is active, and He gives us ministry at the present time. In our comings together the Lord gives us ministry, but also we have the written ministry, much of it, and there is much labour too that enters at the present time into the preparation of current ministry so that it may be available to the saints. I believe there would be some profit in devoting some of our time to that, not simply that we have the labours of those who prepare the printed ministry, but also that we might take advantage of it and read it. I believe that that would help us to go in for what is mature. There are certain things which belong to the child which might be legitimate, and we might regard certain things as normal for children, but when we grow up we would want to be matured and we would not want to occupy our time needlessly with things which could be done without and which are really in themselves childish.
Well, my desire is that we might be helped in this way and encouraged, and the Lord is a wonderful example to us. The first day of the week is a day of special privilege, and it is a day when we are free. We have activities which rightly engage us during the week, when we are not so free, but on the Lord’s day we are free and it is a privilege to be able to use our freedom in a way which will be profitable, which will be for our building up and edification, and which will render praise to God too, as He sees something being worked out amongst us, something that builds us up in our souls. I am sure we all desire to be built up and to grow.
We are, I trust, growing and we would desire that our growth should continue, because there is a time coming when growth will cease. How good it is if we are occupied with what belongs to manhood; that would mean that we continue in growth, and so we find we make progress, we find some lasting satisfaction, something which will be for good and for profit.
So one trusts that we might be encouraged to think of the Lord’s activities as a model for us, that we should be active in that way, and too that we should recognise His claims and order our pathway in a way which is pleasing to Him, both in regard to how we spend the Lord’s day and also in our activities in a general way. If there is any time we have at our disposal, in which we may have a choice of activities, we would seek to use it in a way which would be comely for the position that we are in. Children and young people might have certain activities, but as we grow older we would seek to do what is normal to those who are matured, and so the Lord would help us. I trust that we may be encouraged in this way. As we think of the greatness of divine things, what we have in the Scriptures, and that we have the Spirit to open them up to us, how wonderful it is—well worth while going in for! So may we be encouraged on this line, and may the Lord help us, for His name’s sake.
Word in meeting for ministry, London
9 January 1979