The day of resurrection has arrived. The day of rest and gladness is here. And it comes on the first day of the week. Now, from our standpoint, 2,000 years after the fact, it might be easy to miss, but this evening, don't miss the fact that the day of resurrection comes on the first day of the week, as we see it here plainly in John chapter 20. John doesn't just want to record for us the historicity of the resurrection. John also sets before us the ongoing and continuing life of the church. And that you're probably ahead of me already having to do with the Christian Sabbath, the Lord's day for our purposes this evening. John sets before us the continuing life of the church as it has to do with the Lord's day, the Christian day of rest. On the first day of creation, God spoke into the darkness and said, let there be light. And there was light. This is how the scriptures describe the first day of creation. But now in John chapter 20, we see at the dawn of a new creation on this day, the son of righteousness rises up with healing on his wings as we read from Malachi chapter four at verse two. In Christ Jesus was life and that life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. So as John's gospel unfolds, though nearly overcome by the darkness of her despair, the light now shines upon Mary in verses 1 through 18. And though nearly overcome by the darkness of their fear, the light now shines upon the disciples in verses 19 through 23. And though nearly overcome by the darkness of his unbelief, the light now shines upon Thomas in verses 24 through 29. As then this reminds us of that great and glorious truth that in Christ Jesus was life and that life was the light of man and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot comprehend it and cannot overcome it. Indeed, truly the son of righteousness now rises up with healing in his wings. John sets before us a new day. He sets before us a day of a new creation and a new ordering of the day, and Christ would give life to his church. John sets before us a new day of resurrection life for a new creation. The Old Testament Sabbath, you remember, took place on Saturday, the last day of the week, the seventh day. This, of course, followed the pattern of creation itself. Six days God labored and on the seventh day he rested. We know this. That pattern became law in the fourth commandment. Remember, the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. The Old Testament Sabbath was observed in remembrance of creation. We see that in Exodus 20. And in remembrance of redemption, we see that in the second giving of the law in Deuteronomy 5. As well as in anticipation of the eternal day of rest. even as God labored for six days and then entered into His rest on the seventh day. And so the Old Testament people of God rested on that last day of the week. But now as we look at John's Gospel, what do you remember happening on the Old Testament Sabbath day as we read it there this evening? What has happened on the Old Testament day of rest? What has happened on that last day of the week? What has happened between John 19 where Jesus bore the cross and burial and now John 20? As we look at John's gospel, absolutely nothing. You move from chapter 19 to 20 and you move directly from crucifixion to resurrection. As John describes things in his gospel, the seventh day is completely skipped over. Jesus' body is in the grave on the old Sabbath. Jesus was buried in the darkness of the grave, buried in the darkness of death. Jesus does not rise from the dead on the Old Testament Sabbath day. He does not rise from the dead on that last day of the week. His body remains in the tomb. He was dead on the Old Testament Sabbath day. We might, again, think of these things in terms of creation, the scene on the Old Testament Sabbath, similar to the scene In Genesis 1 verse 2, the darkness hovering over the face of the deep, the creation began in darkness, ready to be pierced by the light. And so also the Old Testament Sabbath now begins in darkness, looking forward to the morning light to break forth into new life. When does Jesus rise from the dead? Not on the last day. He rises on the first day of the week. Notice now how John sets it before you there in verse 1. Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Verses 1 through 18 occur on the first resurrection day. These things occur on the first day of the week. Notice verse 19. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week. Verses 19 through 23 occur again on that same first day of the week. And then to drive his point home further, note the words later in verse 26. Eight days later, his disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, peace be with you. Now, yes, it says eight days later. But when counting consistently, like we count the number of days that Jesus was in the grave, then you see that John is referring again to the first day of the week. It is the next Sunday, we might say. It's called inclusive counting, right? Friday, Saturday, Sunday, three days in the grave. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Eight days later is the first day of the week. The next time Jesus meets with his disciples, when Thomas is present, is on the second Lord's Day. That event that we read about in verses 26 through 29 occurs on the second first day of the week, we might say, the second resurrection day. And so what we see here described for us in John chapter 20 are three encounters with the risen Christ on the first day of the week. The risen Christ meets with Mary on the first day of the week. The risen Christ meets with his disciples on the first day of the week. The risen Christ meets with Thomas on the first day of the week. The three encounters here, all of them taking place on the day of resurrection on the first day of the week. Do you think John's trying to tell us something? I happen to think John is trying to tell us something. Tell us something very important. John places before us in this chapter nothing less than a new day. He places before us in this chapter nothing less than a new day. He places before us the new day of rest, the Lord's day, the day of resurrection. He places before us the first day of the week as the new day in which the light penetrates into the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. It is on this day that Jesus arose from the dead. And it is on this day that Jesus meets with his people. Children, have you ever wondered why we go to worship on this day of the week, on the first day of the week? You know the fourth commandment, we've mentioned it already this evening, that commandment speaks of the day of rest and the day of worship as the last day of the week, the seventh day. Have you ever wondered why then your parents bring you here on the first day and not the seventh? And the reason this change has been made is described for you here in John chapter 20. And that reason, and for no other reason, that reason is because on this day Jesus Christ rose from the dead. We gather for worship on this day because on this day Jesus left us with an empty tomb. This is the day of rest and gladness in Christ's triumph over death. But John adds more to this. Here John sets before us not only a new day, but a new order of the day. You remember that the Old Testament Sabbath was measured from sundown to sundown, from the setting of the sun on Friday to the setting of the sun on Saturday. And that means that the Old Testament Sabbath began in darkness, and in beginning in darkness, it is meant to anticipate the dawning of light. This pattern reflected, again, creation itself. You remember the refrain, there was evening and there was morning the first day. That's the pattern of the Old Testament Sabbath, anticipating the dawning of a new day of light to come. But now in John 20, we learn that the new Christian Sabbath, the Lord's Day, begins with the end of darkness. The new Christian Sabbath begins with the end of darkness. The darkness is driven away by the light. John sets the day of resurrection before us as nothing less than the glorious day of a new creation. And then notice what happens on the day of resurrection. Notice what happens on this first day of a new creation for the people of God. The risen Jesus meets with, he speaks with, he communes with his people. The risen Christ meets with Mary in the morning hours of the first resurrection day and overcomes her despair. The risen Christ meets with the disciples in the evening hours of that first resurrection day and overcomes their fears. The risen Christ meets with Thomas on that second resurrection day and overcame his unbelief. You see, dear saints, there's the pattern for the church. A pattern for the church that has been observed for the church's history and throughout the church's history. For the church through her history here has gathered together on the first day of the week to meet the risen and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We assemble on the first day of the week to meet with the risen Christ, to be met by him, to be spoken to by Christ, to commune with the risen Christ, where he lifts us up from despair, where he dispels our fears and where he confirms our belief. And if there is no belief where he will bring life out of death, And so let me ask you, what is the desire of your heart? What is your longing? And let me say this in this context. We have struggled throughout this past year, haven't we? The pandemic has challenged us in these gatherings on the first day of the week. And that challenges our hearts, doesn't it? And let me say that while many of us have been providentially kept from assembling, your heart is still meant to yearn for it. There should not only be a missing of the saints, but also a missing of the meeting with Jesus in the assembly of the saints, but also A missing of a meeting with Jesus in the spiritually significant and special way. This is a matter of the desire of the heart, isn't it? To meet with the risen and exalted Jesus. And the assembly of the saints. There ought to be especially a heightened desire as we have gone through this year. when God has providentially taken that which is so very good for us away for a season? Do you think he might be trying to tell his church something? Now my concern, maybe even my fear that Jesus needs to dispel, is that many Christians just don't care. to return to assembling with the saints, and that the digital assembly will be all that's desired. A little over a year ago now, when gathering for worship seemed so very ordinary, so very normal, and maybe even easily overlooked or easily skipped, way back then, Was coming together on the Christian Sabbath difficult for you to do? Was coming to meet Christ with his people something that just seemed like maybe it didn't matter at times? Well, no. Given our providential circumstances that we have gone through, given this passage from God's word, I pray that to meet with the risen Christ in the assembly of God's people would, above all else, truly be your delight and your joy. Might our prayer be, Father in Heaven, grant to us the privilege of coming together with joy and gladness in our hearts, with the great expectation that the Lord would meet with us, speak with us, commune with us, dispelling our fears, our despair, our unbelief. That there would be a new sense of urgency and even a spiritual yearning among God's people to come to worship, to dwell in the house of the Lord, to meet with the risen Christ, to hear him speak to us and to commune with the risen Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. When we gather together, we do so that God would minister His grace to us. Isn't that why we come? To meet with Jesus that He would set before you His finished work, His death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead. Isn't that why we gather? Since we of all on earth have tasted of the riches of Christ, where else would we rather be than meeting with Jesus, our risen Savior, in whose presence is fullness of joy? John sets before us a new day, this day of resurrection because it is Christ who was raised from the dead on this day. This day is the day in which the light breaks through the darkness and the darkness is not able to overcome it. On this day, Jesus rose from the dead to our great blessing and delight. And then finally for this evening, John presses us a bit further once more. setting before us this new day as a day in which the risen Christ by his spirit gives life to his church. Our Lord and Savior has left us with an empty tomb. A new day of rest and gladness has come. And this day of resurrection points us beyond this world to another. You note in particular verses 11 through 17, here that endearing Rabboni passage, where Mary clings to Jesus, clings to Jesus wanting to keep him here. She does not want him to go. She does not want him to ascend. Mary clings to Jesus wanting to keep him here in this world. He doesn't rebuke her. for her obvious love and devotion. Jesus tells her, and I think we can imagine it, he tells her softly and tenderly because we know that's our Lord. Jesus tells her not to cling to him. He must ascend to the Father. He must ascend to a better world, a world where our risen and exalted Savior Jesus Christ is preparing a place for us, a place he will bring us. Jesus' intention here was not to restrict Mary's love and her devotion in any sense, but to show her, as one writer has put it, that her desire for real communion of life with Jesus would soon be met in a new and a higher way, a better way, when Jesus would ascend and pour out his Spirit upon the church. We belong, dear saints, by the power of the Spirit, we belong to a new world. A new creation wherein we dwell in the presence of the living God. If you have been raised up with Christ, Paul says to the Colossians and to the Ephesians, you have been seated with Christ in the heavenly places. We belong by the power of the spirit of God. We belong to a new creation as new creatures wherein we dwell in the presence of the living God himself. And as we dwell united in Christ's resurrection power, this is the new day that we are privileged to participate. And this day of resurrection takes away our despair, takes away our fear, takes away our doubt. Here in Christ, our faith is confirmed. In her despair at the death of Jesus, Mary did not recognize her savior after meeting him. And with one word, Mary, she says, I have seen the Lord. In their fear at the death of Jesus, the disciples gathered together in that fear until Jesus stands there in their midst and utters those salutation like words, peace be with you. And the pastoral point is clear, I think, dear saints. Christ binds himself to his people, so that when we gather as an assembly of the saints, he is here in our midst. And he proclaims to you, and you may very well be afraid. Because we fear, don't we? Are you full of fear? Are you afraid? Hear Him speak as He speaks to you. Peace be with you. And as a peace, it is a peace that is beyond understanding. And oh yes, people of God, A new day has arrived in the resurrection of Jesus where peace reigns in his people. Thomas misses Jesus altogether on the first resurrection Sunday and doubts the resurrection even happened. He meets Jesus on the next Lord's day and his doubts are turned into a confession of faith, my Lord and my God. And this dear saints is our confession, Lord's day by Lord's day by Lord's day, that we belong to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. My God. A new day has arrived in the resurrection of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. And this, this day of resurrection is a day of joy for the church of Jesus Christ. We do not belong to a dead God. We belong to a living God, a living God and Savior. He has left us with an empty tomb, and He meets with His people when we gather together at His church, as His church even now in this evening hour of worship where He ministers His grace to you, where He ministers eternal life to us. For in Him was life, and the life was the light of men, And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. John has proved the point here in this chapter. Though nearly overcome by the darkness, the light now shines upon Mary's despair. And for Mary, things could never be the same again. And though nearly overcome by the darkness, the light now shines in upon the disciples fear for the disciples. Things could never be the same again. And though nearly overcome by the darkness, the light now shines in upon Thomas's unbelief for Thomas. Nothing could ever be the same again. And dear saints of God, what about you? What about you? There is one more encounter here in chapter 20, isn't there? We have Mary, the disciples, and Thomas, but there is one more encounter here in chapter 20, and it's there in verse 30 and 31. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name. Jesus encounters you on the first day of every week, the day of resurrection, with the fact that he is alive. Do you believe, right? Has the light driven away your darkness? God said, let there be light. And there was light. That's how the scriptures described the first day of creation. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it for the glory of God gives it light and its lamp is the lamb. That's how the scriptures described the eternal day of the new creation. And here in John 20, the apostle teaches us that it is our privilege, Lord's Day after Lord's Day, to gather together to meet with him. To meet with him and to be met by the risen Christ himself. And when he grants us that privilege, he gives you a little taste of that eternal day. We get to do this. Sunday after Sunday after Sunday, Lord willing, until the dawn of the eternal Sabbath, where we shall be forever with the Lord. And so truly, dear saints, a new day has arrived in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a new day of rest and gladness, a new day of joy that has no end. Let's pray.