Sunday Worship?

When did God cease from His works? This very passage tells us...

Hebrews 4:4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;

He that is entered into his rest he ALSO ceases from his own works as God did from his (on the seventh day)

Sorry, this can't be anymore clearer!

Can you please show me through scripture where the first day is the Lords day in His own Words? Where He blessed and sanctified the first day and made it holy for man or for God? Where is the commandment to keep the first day holy? Do you think one is mocking God for obeying Him the way He asks or using something God deemed as a working day Exo 20:9 and making it a holy day exalting it above the day He claimed to be His holy day in His very own Words. Exo 20:8-11, Isa 58:13 Gen 2:1-3

I see it a bit differently... so, I'm sorry, but your way isn't so clear.
You only quoted a small portion of that Scripture... and added your own ideas to it.

Heb. 4:4-10 (ESV)

4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5 And again in this passage he said,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

The writer of Hebrews seems, to me, to be saying that "Today" is the day to enter into God's rest... not talking about any particular day. And then goes on to say that "God would not have spoken of another day later on." etc.
All that seems to indicate that our Sabbath rest is something other than a particular day of the week.

Add to that, that other Scriptures talks clearly about us not being under the Old Covenant laws including sabbaths, (regardless of Sabbatarians protests against that interpretation.), the idea is clear to me that we are not required to observe Sabbath like the Jews did, under the old covenant.

I understand that you are set in your beliefs... so am I... and others here are as well.

The Sabbath is about rest. But it's not a physical rest. God didn't need to rest. He wasn't tired. The rest is found in the cessation of a thing. God rested because He was finished.
Under the law there is no rest. There is no time the law stops placing a demand upon us. This is why Jesus invited the weary and heavy laden. They could not find a cessation of the law's demands.
In Him, the law no longer makes any demands. This is why Christ is the end of the law for Christians. The law doesn't end. But it's demands have. Thus, He is our Sabbath. He caused the demands of the law to cease for us.

SB,

Were you born into a SDA family or did you join the Adventists later in life?

Romans 10:4

I agree God does not tire, but He rested on the seventh day as an example for man as man is made in the image of God to follow Him.

I prefer to go by what God says, as He will never lead us astray.

This is God speaking and writing and there is no greater Authority than He!

Exo 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

I have done a lot of studying on this passage and I did not add anything to the passage, it speaks for itself, but it is hard to understand as there are two different rests referenced here not one. It's also a continuation of Hebrews 3.

Lets start with Hebrews 3 as it sets up the background for Hebrews 4 which is really a quote from David Psalms 95 as referenced in Hebrews 4

Hebrews 3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but [b]exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Please note the rest in these verses is not the seventh day Sabbath. It is this rest:

katapausis: rest
Original Word: κατάπαυσις, εως, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: katapausis
Phonetic Spelling: (kat-ap'-ow-sis)
Definition: rest
Usage: (in the Old Testament of the rest attained by the settlement in Canaan), resting, rest, dwelling, habitation.

You have to be familiar with the story of Moses and what the Israelite's disobeyed and never entered into their rest (Canaan)

Ezekiel 20:12 Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. 13 Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.

Ezekiel 20:20
20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ 21 “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.

Also keep in mind Moses reviewed the Ten Commandments which includes the Sabbath commandment 40 years after they were given by God and right before entering into the Promises Land (their rest) and told them to diligently keep, so it would be a dangerous mistake to think we can follow their same example of disobedience Hebrews 4:11 to receive our rest in Christ Heb 4:10

So with this background it should make understanding Hebrews 4 easier. This whole passage is about how we are not to follow their same example of disobedience Heb 4:6 Heb 4:11 and why the Sabbath-rest (keeping) remains (not changed) for God's people. Hebrews 4:9 NIV and the rest in this verse literally translates into Sabbath-keeping

sabbatismos: a sabbath rest
Original Word: σαββατισμός, οῦ, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: sabbatismos
Phonetic Spelling: (sab-bat-is-mos')
Definition: a sabbath rest
Usage: a keeping of the Sabbath, a Sabbath rest.

Hebrews 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Those who enter into His rest ALSO cease from his works as God did from His.

When does God cease from His works?

This very passage tells us.....

Hebrews 4:4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; Which is a direct quote from the 4th commandment Exo 20:8-11 and Creation Gen 2:1-3

Those who enter His rest also rest on the seventh day (Sabbath keeping) just as God did Exo 20:11. Man is made in the image of God to follow Him.

Sabbath keeping never ended for the people of God, but remains which is why we are not to follow the same path of disobedience of the Israelites. Heb 4:11 In God's rest there is no rebellion to Him or His commandments and the Sabbath is a commandments of God that remains for His people.

Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Isa 48:18

I pray this helps.

Colossians 2:16-17

I'm sure you are familiar with Romans 1. In it, one of the things taught is the invisible things of God are known by the things seen. The Sabbath is visible. What is it teaching concerning God?

The Sabbath is about our relationship with God that started right at Creation. There are lots of gods people make, but there is only one true God of Creation and when we keep the Sabbath we know that we are worshipping the God of Creation Eze 20:20 the everlasting God Rev 14:7 the only God that can sanctify us Eze 20:12 but the deeper meaning it shows our allegiance to God and trusting in Him and His Word. Just like in Eden, the tree was more than a tree, it was about our first parents' allegiance to God. Sadly, they chose to listen to the other spirit instead and we too can also make that same mistake. Our only safeguard is obeying God the way He asks. Scripture is filled with examples of people doing their own thing instead of obeying God, we should learn from their mistakes.

No one can obey the commandments. Having a relationship with God based on obedience always leads to death. There is only death awaiting all who try to relate to God this way. Why choose a failed paradigm and end up the same?

Really? You think God would give us commandments that are impossible to keep. Do you have a scripture that says this? Sin is what separated us from God (breaking God's law) through Jesus we can overcome which leads us back to reconciliation Rev 22:14

My bible tells us we can overcome sin and keep God's commandments and God has a people that does!

Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Through Jesus we can overcome sin and keep His commandments and He doesn't make us do it alone, but it requires our cooperation John 14:15-18

Whoever is teaching you that you can't overcome sin is not doing anyone any favors. Our salvation is from sin, not in sin Mat 1:21 and Jesus is stronger to keep us from sin, than the devil is to keep us in sin, at least that's what I believe.

Need to run for now. God bless all!

Romans 6:23 teaches that all sin. You cannot keep the law. You don't even know the whole law. You don't know what is required in the keeping of each commandment inwardly and outwardly. You cannot keep everything commandment to the uttermost. You cannot keep each commandment continuously.
Neither can you, by my own effort, overcome sin. You may be able to appear outwardly pure, but you can't change your own heart, regardless of how hard you try. And the heart is the real problem. You will become a Pharisee...outwardly a whited sepulcher, but full inwardly of dead men's bones.
Jesus, however, can keep every law, both inwardly and outwardly, continually, and to the fullest. If we walk in the Spirit, Christ will live in and through us.
So I believe we can live sinlessly...but we aren't responsible for it. It is Christ who lives in me.

Romans 3:10-12

You have inspired me.

Here's something I posted a while ago as an example of the differences between the old covenant and the new:

It is helpful for us to compare between the old commandment and the new. The reference to a “new” commandment by implication implies that there was an “old” commandment. So what is the “old” commandment?

The “old” commandment is found in Matthew, chapter 22:34-36, “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’”

Now, you’ll note that. Indeed, a lawyer, under the law could only ask Him a question about the law. He couldn’t ask Him about the new commandment; he was unaware of the new commandment. So the context of this question and the answer, both have to do with the law. What is the greatest commandment?

Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” (Inserted-Matthew 22:37-40)

His answer, summarized the teachings of the Law and the Prophets and in this, His answer is solidly to be found in the Law. This is the very thing that is to be replaced. But today most people think if you keep the 10 commandments and if you love your neighbor as yourself then you have done everything that God could have required. Now if you look at these two commandments you will immediately observe that they are foundationally different. Why? Because the standard is different.

In the first case the “new” commandment has this as the standard: “…as I have loved you, so you should love one another.” The “old” commandment has this: “With all of your capacity to love so you should love God and so you should love one another.” Well you will notice that the standard of the “old” commandment is, of course, appropriate for the Law because the Law can only require you to do as much as it is possible for you to do. Objectively and theoretically it is possible to keep the Law because it does not require any more than all that you are capable of doing. It doesn’t say, “All that you feel like doing,” nor does it say, “All that you want to do.” It says, “All that you are capable of doing.” So when the Law says, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart...” all of your heart means all of the capacity that lies within you to do. All, in fact, means all. It doesn’t say, “All that you want to do, all that you feel like doing, all that on certain occasions you may be inclined to do.” No, it requires all. So in that sense, the Law and the standard of the Law is not haphazard but it does point out that it is all that is humanly possible. Furthermore, the Law was designed to keep the Jews alive. God could not ask a man to give up his own life under the Law. There was no promise of a new life in the Law. To ask a man to give up his life would be to make the Law unrighteous. A man cannot give up his own life and simultaneously keep his life.

The standard is appropriate for the Law because if the Law asks of anyone more than all then by the existence of the Law you’ve been made lawless. In other words: if it is all plus 10% then the Law makes you lawless because it has exceeded your capacity to respond. But the Law begins and ends with what you can do. And it has a lesser standard for loving your neighbor. Its objective standard regarding loving God is all that you are capable of doing. Its lesser standard in regards to loving your neighbor is, “…as you love yourself.” The presumption is that you love yourself pretty thoroughly. Now what if you didn’t love yourself? The Law simply requires you to love your neighbor in the same fashion, to the same extent.

What is the standard of the new and how is that different? The standard of the new is: “…as I have loved you.” Who is the “I” that is the measurement of this standard? The “I”, of course, is Christ, the one speaking. He is also the Living God. So the standard is: as Jesus has loved us so we are to love one another. Now what if you don’t love yourself? Well that is an irrelevant standard. He didn’t say, “as you love your neighbor, so you should love one another…” or “as I have occasionally loved you so you must love each other.” “As I have loved you” means “I, as God, have loved you perfectly; therefore I require you to love as God loves.” This is a fascinating standard because it’s the same standard for God as it is for man. The standard of love is the same for God as it is for man. That standard of the new commandment makes God and man equal on the matter of love. That’s an incredible observation. On the matter of love, God and man are equal.

Now don’t take my observation for that. Look at this: this is from Matthew5:48, Jesus is speaking. Now this verse of Scripture is very troubling. Matthew 5:48 says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” What we’ve done is we’ve read that verse out of its context and we have inferred meanings to it that it does not mean. For example we’ve inferred that it means “be perfect in power” and so people come up with thoughts like, “if you’re not healed it’s your fault; you don’t have enough faith, you do not exercise enough power.” So if things go badly it’s your fault. God has given you all power, God has given you all faith, and so on, and if you do these things less than perfectly then it is your fault. Well that’s garbage because God would not require us to be perfect in power, whatever power we have is His power given to us, and no one is made "all powerful". Therefore we could only operate in whatever measures of power He has given us. This Scripture is not about being perfect in power; it’s about being perfect in love.

Note the context: jump back to verse 43 “‘You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies…” (so the context is love) “..and pray for those who persecute you…” Now why should you do that and how is this different? You must do that so that you can be sons of your Father in heaven, "..that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” It means that just as natural children resemble their natural parents and the nature of natural children is like the nature of their natural parents, so the nature of the children of God is like the God Who is perfect in love. So it’s not surprising to us that the same standard would apply to God as would apply to us… in the matter of love. So that you will be as sons of your Father in heaven.

And then He gives us some examples of how he loves His enemies and does good for those who persecute Him. “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous…”. Then He contrasts and He says, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that?” In short, to be like your Father in heaven it means that you do not simply love your enemies as you love yourselves or you love your neighbor as yourself; it is that you would love your enemy by preferring them over your own life and in that sense, and within that context it says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

The “old” commandment, under the Law, basically required you to love the extent of your capacity to love… love God as much as you are able and to love your neighbor as you are inclined to love yourself. That’s the “old” commandment. The “new” commandment says, “…as I have loved you.” And it establishes Christ as the standard for love. Christ being the Living God, the standard is the same for God as the standard is for man. Now the reason why the standard is the same is because, according to 2 Peter 1:4, the intent of God is that we be made to be partakers of the divine nature…"

“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” and "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature..."

The divine nature, the nature of God, is to love and to love perfectly; to love by preferring the life of another over your own life, to give up your life to God so that God would live through you. Now what’s left unanswered for us is: why? And furthermore, how does this prepare us to overcome the evil one?

Revelation 12:11 “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”) In this respect we are meant to be exactly as God—perfect in love—the same standard that applies to God applies to us and this is the measure that displays the reality that we are partakers of the divine nature.

By this it is abundantly clear that the “new” covenant is not simply the “old” covenant rehashed. It has the elements of a totally different standard, the same standard for God and man.

It says all has sinned, not all continues sinning.....scripture says one can keep the commandments Rev 14:12 Jesus wouldn't ask if it was possible to keep. If you read my post, I never said it was due to our own efforts, it is through Christ, but we have to cooperate. It's those daily decisions- if we are weak, we can call on Jesus and He will help us overcome, Jesus changes us from the inside out so we want to keep His commandments through love and faith Mat 14:15 1 John 3:5, Exo 20:6 John 15:10 Romans 3:31

Jesus not only asked, He led by example.
John 14:15, Mat 5:19-30 Exo 20:8-11 John 15:10 Luke 4:16 1 John 2:6

There is no scripture that says the Sabbath commandment ever ended, so until God tells it does, my faith is in His every Word Mat 4:4