Hebrews 4:1-13 • Jesus = True Rest • Kevin Perry

We're going to continue and Hebrews will be reading chapter

4, verses 1 through 13. Therefore since the promise to

enter his rest remains, let us beware that.

None of you be found to a fallen short.

For we also have received the good news just as they did, but

the message they heard did not benefit them since they were not

unite United with those who heard in the faith for we who

have believed entered the rest and keeping with what was said.

So, I I swore in my anger, they will not enter my rest even

though his Works have been finished since the foundation of

the world for somewhere. He has spoken about the seventh

day in this way and on the seventh day God rested from all

his works and again in the passage he says they will never

enter my rest therefore since it remains for some to enter it and

those who formerly received the good news, did not enter Because

of Disobedience. He again, specifies a certain

day. Today, A he specified this

speaking to David, after such a long time.

Today, if you hear my voice today, if you hear his voice, do

not Harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them

rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

Therefore a Sabbath, rest remains for God's people.

For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own

works, just as God did from his, let us then make every effort to

enter that rest. So that No one will fall into

the same pattern of Disobedience.

For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than

any double-edged sword. Penetrating as far as the

separation of Soul, and Spirit joints and Marrow, it is able to

judge the thoughts and the intentions of the heart.

No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and

exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

This is the word of God. Good morning.

It's been a minute since I have been able to share with you from

up here. The last time that I was headed

towards getting to share a sermon with you, I have kidney

stone and so I thank all of you who texted in and called in and

sent messages that you were praying for me.

I desperately needed it. I would affirm that.

Those are no fun to have for the holidays.

Yes. And it was something that took

me to a level of pain that I had never quite experienced before.

And so, when I got up this morning and everything felt good

and realized I was walking upright, I decided I would come

on in and enjoy this. I am Kevin Perry and I get the

pleasure of serving alongside Joel here at new Eden.

And I am I get to be the pastor for shepherding for you guys.

And I thoroughly Boy, what it is that God allows me to do on a

regular basis. And I really do enjoy it when I

get to come up here and share normally Joel's the fuck, the

person who is here on a regular weekly basis, but I enjoy the

chances to pitch in as we have, looked at the book of Hebrews

and I told Joel this when we first started looking at it,

this has been a difficult book for me in my Christian Life.

These may be some of the first time that I've ever gotten to

the place. Swear the warnings to some

degree began to make sense growing up.

I had a lot of friends who were not from my little Southern

Baptist bubble who did not believe in perseverance of the

Saints. And so they would often quote

Hebrews to me. And of course I would put up a

really good public front, you know, I was tried to defend what

I believed, but I had to admit that there were times in my

private moments that really makes you wonder and so I I have

thoroughly enjoyed trying to sit with the Holy Spirit and come to

an understanding of to what degree.

Do we take the warnings in and to what degree do we hold on to

the hope that stands on the other side?

Joel laid, some groundwork for you last week, kind of gave you

a some lenses that these passages can be looked seen

through, and I tend to agree with Joel, I'm going to have to

lean in on the side of A mixed audience.

And I believe this is to something that we who preach

have to understand that even when we're talking to a crowd

who in general, we would refer to as brothers and sisters and I

believe that the the preacher is right to refer to them that way.

We can only see what we can see. We can't see the heart and so we

don't know if there's something there that desperately need this

warning. I know that Jesus said in

Matthew chapter 7, that there's going to be those that have

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

testified of how they prophesied and cast out demons.

And we even worked miracles in Jesus name and yet, they never

came to know Jesus. And so, while we hope for the

best and look forward to the best, we also acknowledge that

the word of warnings If needed are incredibly important and

must be heated one of these days.

I hope that, you know, look forward to the time when it's

affirmed that we are all in the family and so let us look into

that from that standpoint this morning.

We were in a passage last week, the Joel made pretty clear was

passage of warning and it really continues right on into this

one. We do have to remember that the

breaks in between chapters or something that we've added for

ease and finding things not necessarily the way that the

writer would have broken it. Had he been Speaking to us.

So I want us to look back one verse into chapter 3 to just

kind of set up and remind ourselves of the context of

chapter 4 and chapter 3 verse 19, the preacher stated in his

conclusion. So we see that they were unable

to enter because of unbelief so now it makes sense that chapter

4 starts the way that it does. Let's read verses 1 and 2.

Therefore since the promise to enter his rest remains Let us

beware that none of you are found to have fallen short.

We've also the receives a good news just as they did, but the

message they heard did not benefit them since they were not

United with those who heard it in faith.

So the pastor the preacher is continuing to unfold this

warning but it is laced with really, really good news.

The promise to enter the Lord's, rest remains it is not something

that has gone by the wayside do. Those who may have previously

misunderstood disbelieved or even rebelled against it or not

too late to receive? It is a warning but is an also,

an opportunity for those that heat it, the good news benefits.

Those who believe it. The message is still valid We

look in verses 3 & 5 3 through 5.

We understand just how long this has been available.

For we who have believed in to the rest in keeping with what he

has said. So I swore in my anger, they

will not enter my rest even though his Works have been

finished since the foundation of the world for somewhere.

He has spoken about the seventh day in this way and on the

seventh day, God rested from all his works.

And again in that passage he says they will never enter my

rest. We who have believed have

entered into the rest of God. Into a rest that has been going

on since the foundation of the world. because on the seventh

day, God rested. And the cool thing is that even

though he is still moving his purposes forward, he is still at

rest. I mean, when we read about all

this swearing and anger, It could lead us to see God the way

that we see humans when they're responding and anger.

But, see the thing about it is angry humans are rarely walking

in the spirit. I'm not saying it's impossible.

Jesus did it? Jesus was fully in the spirit

and he was fully angry. But for us, most of the time

it's generated and it's energized by our insecurities,

the lack of getting it my way. Hurt feelings, fears of loss.

See, here's what's wonderful. God doesn't suffer from any of

those weaknesses. God is not insecure in himself.

He is not worried. He is not rattled even when we

think things are absolutely coming unglued.

It's absolute chaos. It does not mean that there has

been worried any kind of doubt in heaven.

God is it rest? He knows exactly how all of this

turns out. when God's angry, he has chosen to be it's a

controlled response to the sin which is marred, his creation

and created enemies out of those that He Loves He has good reason

to be angry and it is righteous. So the Preeti the preacher wants

his audience to be warned but also it's pretty clear that he

continually shifts. The focus back to Good News.

Mean we pick up in verse 6, Therefore since it remains for

some to enter it and those who formerly received the good news,

did not enter Because of Disobedience.

He again, specifies a certain day today he specified this

speaking through David, after such a long time today, if you

hear his voice, do not Harden your hearts for his, Joshua had

given them rest. God would have not spoken later

about another day. Therefore, a Sabbath.

Rest remains for God's people. There are more who are going to

enter. So for the third time in the

last 21 verses the preacher repeats, his exhortation The one

where he says today is the day for you hearing this warning

today is your day. Today is the day to respond.

It's not too late and the rest is something far greater than

you can ever imagine. Joshua, led the children of

those who fell in the wilderness into the Promised Land.

But that didn't fulfill all that God has in store.

That was not the final rest. The Sabbath rest is still to be

had God began his rest on the seventh day.

It's never stopped and it's never going to stop.

And we enter this rest when we believe the good news and verse

10. Helps us on how to understand

the evidence. You know, I mean, it's one thing

to say, I believe it's another thing to know in my heart from

proof in front of me that I have believed.

How's that done? Well, verse 10 tells us for the

person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works,

just as God did from his Can we know that, can we evaluate

ourselves and determine whether that's true?

Do we have the ability to look in our heart and just answer

honestly. How true does it feel to say

that I am at rest in the Lord? I mean if you just sit in that

like literally close your eyes and you marinate.

How true does it feel to me don't have to share with anybody

else? Nobody's going to know what I

answer, but how true does it feel to me to say that?

I'm at rest. How true does it feel to say

that? I'm his in the same way even

greater than I know I belong to my father and my mother here in

this life. Can I also feel that same sense

of security knowing that I belong to God?

When I think of the way God looks at me.

What's the expression on his face?

I mean, you know, there are times that I have spent a lot of

time. Walking all the way back from

the far country and I've been practicing the speech in my

head. I'm already used to the look on

my dad's face. I know it's not going to be

good. He's going to look disappointed.

He's going to look so just maybe even ashamed of me, right?

And I'm just asking for a pittance.

I'm not asking to get the whole thing back.

I'm just asking for a place to sleep, just my hard work, I can

do so that I can eat. And I've walked all the way back

from the far country and a come over there.

Ice. And I look and my dad is doing

something insane. My dad has jumped up off the

porch. He has hiked his long robes and

he is running in my direction. This doesn't make sense.

Jewish men. Don't do this.

And what's the look on his face? I can't read that story and make

any of it. Make sense.

If the look on his face is, I am so disappointed in you.

I am so done with your shenanigans.

Do you remember all that you took from us and have

squandered? It's gone.

It is not to be returned. I cannot make that story make

sense. If that's the look on that

father's face. None of the rest of what he

does. Makes any sense So what do I

think? When I close my eyes and I think

about God, looking at me, what's the look on his face?

Do I know the truth? What if anything must I still do

to be acceptable to God, like what's lacking?

What I mean is there more punch list?

I've got to go through before, he's going to be satisfied with

me. If my heart still striving, then

what I need to be honest about this.

I'm still trying to enter his rest on my own.

I'm still trying to do the work. I'm so confused about who does

the heavy lifting? Just like those Israelites who

after God had said, you will not enter.

Then they decided, okay, now we'll go, we'll go now that did

not work out well for them. Them trying to get into God's

promise land on their own efforts.

That that was a that was just chaos.

That was a Slaughter. Am I willing to give up?

Am I willing to admit? I don't believe I'm there.

Lord Hannah don't believe I can get there.

So, so you got help? The preacher now exhorts himself

and his audience and what to me just seems like a very strange

sounding appeal. Just listen to verse 11, let us

then make every effort to make every effort to enter that rest

so that no one will fall into the same pattern of Disobedience

make every effort. Okay I looked this up the Greek

word means labor, make haste bees Zealous to do something

especially as manifested in diligence.

Earnestness to the utmost. I can't help it.

I find this a little humorous. There.

We are exhorted to labor work. Give all we have to rest.

If entering In My Own Strength is not possible, then this or

excitation seems difficult to understand, but how do I make

this fit work hard so that I don't work hard.

What can I get busy doing? That would not be me trying to

get in by my own power. The preachers telling us all

those who have entered God's rest and those who still need to

enter that we can pay attention to the patterns that we're

producing. If we want to know whether we've

entered the Lord's rest and affirm that we're abiding in it.

Then we just need to look at her own heart.

We have what we need to evaluate ourselves.

First 12 makes it very clear. For the word of God is living

and effective sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating

as far as the separation of the Soul, and Spirit joints and

Marrow, it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the

heart. For Bethel.

Are it's a little word that also can mean because sometimes

things become clearer. If we just replace for with

because because the word of God, The logos of God is alive.

We have a person. Who is ready to show us the

judgement of the thoughts and the intentions of our hearts.

In John's gospel, he just straight-up personifies in from

the get-go. Same words being used logos.

Capitalizes it. So that we understand, he's

talking about Jesus. The preacher has already

declared this truth in his opening lines.

Think back to Hebrews, 13 with me.

The son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact expression

of his nature sustaining. All Things by his powerful word,

The word of God includes everything he has said in

scripture, but it is so much more.

The Sun, the radiance of God's glory.

The exact expression of the nature of God, Jesus Christ

cannot be contained in limited by a scroll or buy a book.

What has been revealed is necessary?

It is exactly what we needed to have revealed so that we could

know him. Put, it does not draw a box

around. All he is and all he will be.

The words of scripture are eternally, true and accurate.

But the Living Word of God. Jesus Christ.

He's the ones going to lay our hearts bear.

What we see is the exact representation of the harder.

God Heart Of God as he looks at our hearts, he's the person from

whom none of us can hide. Look at verse 13. no creature is

hidden from him but all things are naked and exposed to the

eyes of him to whom we must give an account I've spent.

So much time in my life. Trying to hide what it was that

was going on in my heart from God.

It's the outside looking in, you people all be laughing.

That is just a little bit silly. That any of us thinks that we

got a shot at keeping anything hidden from God.

If we thought our mothers were hard to get past, What in the

world are we up against with someone who sees everything?

Half the time. My mother was just trying to

convince me. She saw everything.

And because I was unsure, you know, a lot of times I had to

fess up. But with God there's no

confusion when he asked me a question.

There's nowhere to run. There's nowhere to hide.

I just have to answer it. I just have to be honest.

Because I know that lying is going to seem really comedic in

the moment. The preachers in agreement with

John the words a person. Jesus is the one that we were

naked and exposed in front of what can we do?

What is it that we can get busy doing?

You know, making every effort. Laboring.

What is that? What can that be?

It's listening to the Revelation, he gives us of our

own hearts. It's turning our attention to

him. It's focusing on what he is

revealing to us. And then I just need to agree

with him with brutal honesty. I don't need to try to reword it

or rephrase it, okay? If it's in, just call it what it

is. The older, I get, you know, old

people lose filters, you all aware of that.

Okay, everybody's all about adding filters these days.

Oh people, we're in the process of getting rid of them.

All right, we get to the point. We don't know how to put the

filter on some comes out of somebody's mouth and before we

even know it, we've told them the truth.

You know, I made this mistake whoa with it was what?

It was an accident. Okay.

Alright, what you did was you just accidentally fell into

that. Well, no, I chose it.

Okay. Well then let's find a word in

the English dictionary. That means what you're trying to

say. Why don't we look and see if

what you need to be saying is I send straight up.

That's what it was. It is rebellion against God.

It is exactly what he told me not to do.

It was me telling him, no, and I knew exactly what I was supposed

to do. That's what it was.

It was just send. That's, that's what it was.

Okay, well, at least. Now we're having an honest

conversation. I've struggled with this

passage. This is, this has been hard.

I mean I'm not embarrassed to admit.

This word document was blank at 10:30 last night.

This was some begging and pleading with God, lord, hi, I

just don't have anything. I don't have the first word to

say, I have studied and I've read and I Brenda preaching team

and I've read the commentaries and I have just exhausted myself

trying to gather information. Then I don't have the first

thing. I feel like I need to say about

this passage So, you don't have to help.

I've struggled with it. And part of the reason is

because while rest in God, is something that I believe I have,

it's also something that I'm continuing to learn.

It's like both at the same time. I got it, I'm in your rest but

at the same time, I need to rest better.

And I'm not talking about how I sleep or you know what I'm doing

with my time, every day I can do absolutely nothing sometimes and

not feel rested. Why I need to learn to respect

her. I need to continue to learn to

what it means. I set four years in church pews,

Before they were chairs, there were these long benches that we

call pews, and that's what I'm referring to.

I sat in church, pews for years, white-knuckling them, okay,

especially when they're singing Just as I am because I need to

go do it again. I need to go get saved again

because it didn't work the first time, and it didn't work.

The second time, it's still not working and my heart is still

messed up. And I'm scared.

What did I feel while? Sitting there singing that I

felt all sorts of stuff that I wasn't feeling.

Somebody asked me to sing. I surrender all.

And I'm like, what? I should have said about us

being honest. I can't can't say that.

So, what I'd like to do. Can we change the words?

I'd like to surrender all. Lord.

What I was feeling on the inside.

So often disagreed with the words of the song, or the words

in the passage, or what the pastor was saying, when I looked

inside, what I found was, shame and worry and a lot of times

just a really deep sense of failure.

Maybe everybody else gets this but somewhere along the line, I

missed it. I would read, I'd be sitting by

myself. Reading scripture and I would

read one of these doxologies were Paul's Just Waxing own

about all this. That he's just exploding with

that. He's feeling about God and I'm

thinking, I'm glad for you, but I just don't have that and I'm

beginning to get a little aggravated by.

Okay, this Christianity stuff is hard work.

Putting up a facade. That makes everybody think I got

it all together and I'm okay on the inside is exhausting.

And I am burning so much candle at both ends trying to keep this

thing up. And Paul, you're talking, like

it's something you were actually experiencing like you were

actually feeling that way. Well, I didn't want some of that

or I want out. Okay, that's where I developed.

Such a strong belief that apostasy is not possible.

For me, personally. I begged him on more than one

occasion, get out. You are making my life

miserable. I can't enjoy anything you or

anything else. Please just let me go.

I'm not worth it. And then he smiled again.

By God's grace, that came a moment.

After years of outwardly following Jesus, did he just

dawned on me? I'm his I'm still a mess.

There's still a bunch of stuff inside of me that doesn't line

up with him. but I can't get around the fact I'm his Thank

you, Lord. I don't know what to say.

What am I supposed to do with that?

Other than glorify you. And just tell you the juror

obviously a whole lot more awesome than I even understand

because I wouldn't have put the effort that you've put into me.

I wouldn't have put that effort in myself.

I would have found somebody that was better.

That had a better return. That was the beginning of my

rest. Standing in the back realizing.

I don't actually need to respond to this altar call.

Meaning, if I respond to the altar call, it would be just to

go up and tell the pastor that everything was awesome.

That is messed up as I was. I was gods.

My rest has grown Beyond, just the Assurance of my salvation.

My rest is grown in a bunch of other areas of life, all sorts

of different things, finances and relationships, and jobs, and

careers, and children, and there's all sorts of things to

be unrestful about And yet, every time I turn to God, he

keeps saying, I got it. I got it if you'll just trust

and Obey I'll take care of the outcome every single time

there's never going to be a time.

Then I'm going to call you in from the sidelines and go.

Hey hey you got to figure this one out.

It's on you. My wrist is not been less than

believing. I am United with Jesus, but it

has definitely become a whole lot more.

I was raised believing that Jesus was nothing more than a

choice between right and wrong. Since it was the only since it

was only a choice, all the responsibility was for own me to

decide and for others to decide for themselves.

The wait was unbearable. What if I did it wrong?

What if I wasn't as committed as I needed to be what if I didn't

truly ever understand? What if it was too late in my

window for finding Jesus was gone?

I had no realization. That in lowly gentleness.

Jesus was asking me the same question that God asked Adam in

the garden. Hey, Kevin, where are you?

What's going on on the inside? He wasn't asking because it

needed more information. He was just giving me the

opportunity to speak. The same way we do with our

children. There, anything that you want to

let Mommy and Daddy? No.

How would you like to start this conversation?

Jesus was giving me an opportunity just to tell him

what was going in my heart. Regardless of, whether it made

sense. Was right wrong or indifferent.

Me, think about it. Most of the stuff we go digging

around and turns out. It's messed up.

Otherwise, we would be better. It's not surprising that we find

crud when we go digging. Stuff that God wants to

sanctify. It was in the quiet of admitting

to Jesus all my doubts and worries and failures and the

hopelessness that I was able to hear him finally comfort me

speak, truth into my darkest places and clothed me with

himself. Tell me I was his and assure me

that he would never cast me out. These were all truths from

scripture. I had heard them before, I had

read them numerous times. but when his Spirit spoke him into

my heart, I believed I believe they were true.

They became mine. I actually owned them for the

first time ever. In my believing was not an act

of my will. I wasn't at Walmart, trying to

choose the best option. I was desperate.

I believe because he spoke his heart to mine.

Realizing what I needed from Jesus changed the way I viewed

others. Previously, I thought they ought

to quit being so hard-headed and just choose to believe. and that

tone comes out if that's what you actually believe on the

inside that will bleed through It does not spawn, great

conversations. Realizing their blindness was

not something. They could fix gave me

compassion for their condition and it changed the motive.

And the content of my words, relating to those who need his

rest became an exercise in exploring, where they were,

instead of trying to push them in the right direction.

I had ways. I thought they ought to go.

I just realized that I didn't listen till I heard Jesus.

Wrestling. And what they were going to find

when they got to Jesus made care in a corner there.

Blanket kind of an exercise in anticipation.

It's like, Matt is going to be good when you get there.

When he tells you the truth, your eyes are going to roll back

in your head. My plea, this morning.

Don't run away. If what you find is unrest.

If you look inside your heart and the honest answer is, I am

not at rest, don't run away from that.

Take the realization of your unrest and set it in front of

Jesus. Tell him the brutal truth of

what's in your heart. You will not be giving him any

new information. But you will be agreeing with

what he already sees. And far from condemnation, what

you will find is a gentle embrace.

And his words of understanding. You'll be able to hear him say.

I know you're weary and heavy laden.

And I want to give you rest. Jesus has been and will forever

be true. Rest.

The experience and expansion of that is never going to end.

For the his followers. One day, I'm going to draw my

last breath, or Jesus will appear.

And my wrist is going to advance to another level.

And then another day. When all is made new.

My wrist is going to join with the rest of everyone who has

entered his rest. And my prayer is that on that

day. Every last one of this is there.

Every last one of this is there.