Hebrews 4:1-16 - ”Salvation At Rest”

The Old Testament reading this morning

is Psalm 95.

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us

make a joyful noise to the rock of our

salvation.

Let us come into his presence with

thanksgiving.

Let us make a joyful noise to him with

songs of praise.

For the Lord is a great God and a great

king above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth.

The heights of the mountains are his

also.

The sea is his, for he made it, and his

hands form the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

For he is our God and we are the people

of his pasture and the sheep of his

hand.

Today if you hear his voice, do not

harden your hearts as at Meabbah as on

the day at Massa in the wilderness when

your fathers put me to the test and put

me to the proof though they had seen my

work.

For 40 years I loathed that generation

and said, "They are a people who go

astray in their heart and they have not

known my ways.

Therefore I swore in my wrath they shall

not enter my rest."

The New Testament reading is Hebrews

4:es 1-16.

Therefore, while the promise of entering

his rest still stands, let us fear lest

any of you should seem to have failed to

reach it.

For good news came to us just as to

them. But the message they heard did not

benefit them because they were not

united by faith with those who listened.

For we who have believed enter that

rest, as he has said,

as I swore in my wrath, they shall not

enter my rest, although his works were

finished from the foundation of the

world.

For he has somewhere spoken of the

seventh day in this way. And God rested

on the seventh day from all his works.

And again in this passage he said they

shall not enter my rest.

Since therefore it remains for some to

enter it and those who formerly received

the good news failed to enter because of

disobedience

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."

For if Joshua had given them rest, God

would not have spoken of another day

later on.

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest

for the people of God.

For whoever has entered God's rest has

also rested from his works as God did

from his.

Let us therefore strive to enter that

rest so that no one may fall by the same

sword of disobedience.

For the word of God is living and

active, sharper than any two-edged

sword, piercing to the division of soul

and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,

and discerning the thoughts and

intentions of the heart.

And no creature is hidden from his

sight, but all are naked and exposed to

the eyes of him to whom we must give

account.

Since then we have a great high priest

who has passed through the heavens,

Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast

our confession.

For we do not have a high priest who is

unable to sympathize with our

weaknesses,

but one who in every respect has been

tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to

the throne of grace that we may receive

mercy and find grace to help in time of

need. This is the word of the Lord.

>> Thanks be to God.

Well, good morning church.

So, every human longs for rest.

[clears throat] Not simply just a a

physical rest, but a a rest for the

soul.

So this week I was I read about a

fascinating trend in New York City.

Hundreds [clears throat] of young adults

have begun joining what they call rest

clubs.

Yes, exactly what it looks like. They

gather in a park not to exercise, not to

network or learn, but to simply lie down

together in silence.

Um, having as many kids as I do, that

does sound appealing.

The organizers say people are exhausted

by constant pressure to produce,

perform, achieve, and to stay connected.

And like I said earlier, they're not

just physically tired, they're

emotionally tired, relationally, and

spiritually.

I think that that does say something

about our our current culture.

We're anxious, distracted,

we're entertained and and yet still feel

empty.

We're busy and deeply unsatisfied.

The problem isn't that we we've stopped

searching for rest, but possibly that

we're searching for rest in the wrong

places.

Our culture tells us to purchase

uh to buy something that it will satisfy

you. uh the next relationship will

complete you, the next promotion will

make you feel successful

or or the next experience to to make you

feel happy.

Yet desire without truth never produces

rest.

We're also told to create our identity,

find our own identity. Just, you know,

then you'll be happy when you forget who

you are.

And it's into this restless world that

Jesus speaks these words in Matthew

Matthew 11:28

11:28.

Come to me all who labor and are heavy

laden and I will give you rest.

Jesus doesn't say first offer us uh or

first offer us a better schedule. He

offers himself.

rest is a person,

not a place,

not something you do in a park in New

York.

So that invitation becomes the heartbeat

of chapter 4 of Hebrews.

So before we dive into chapter 4, we

need to understand a bit more about the

book itself. So unlike Paul's letters,

Hebrews never identifies its author.

Throughout church history, suggestions

have included Paul, Barnabas, Luke,

Priscilla, and Apollos.

um Richard Bockam, who Emmery likes, and

I know he's watching, I'm sure, um at

some point. Uh the the author, uh he

says the author was almost certainly a

highly educated Jewish um Christian

shaped by the apostolic mission of of

Paul.

The the early church origins said, "Who

wrote the epistle?" And truth, God

knows.

that may fit this book well as Hebrews

isn't trying to draw attention uh to the

author. It's trying to draw attention to

Jesus. So Hebrews is also a unique

unique because and it's simp it is

simply not a letter. It's a it's a

sermon.

In Hebrews 13:22 the author calls it a

Hebrews 13:22

word of exhortation. So this this phrase

is used um uh after a synagogue. Uh

there's a sermon that's that's shared

after the scriptures have been read. So

the preacher isn't merely teaching

theology. He's shephering weary

believers,

warning uh drifting believers,

encouraging suffering believers, calling

them to persevere.

So if you if you could summarize Hebrews

in a sentence, it would be Jesus is

better

better than the prophets, better than

the angels, than Moses, than Joshua,

than Aaron, than the sacrifices,

better than the magnificent temple.

The preacher keeps saying, "Don't go

backwards

when you have the fulfillment standing

in front of you."

Most scholars believe Hebrews was

written before 70 AD while the the

temple still stood. So every day you'd

see sacrifices were being offered. Smoke

continuously rose from the altar. And if

you were tempted to return to Judaism,

everything around you seemed to say this

is where God is.

Meanwhile, following Jesus had become

increasingly costly.

Some believers had been publicly

ridiculed, uh, some imprisoned,

some had their property confiscated

because of their faith, and others had

simply grown weary,

not because they had stopped believing,

but because following Jesus was

expensive.

Thomas Long in in his commentary writes,

"Hebs is written for believers who have

not rejected Christ, but who are in

danger of slowly drifting away."

David Dilva says, "The greatest danger

danger was not persecution itself, but

the temptation to abandon perseverance."

And if we're honest, it sounds a lot

like uh us today. Not because we're

tempted to return to a temple, but we

we're tempted to drift at times. I think

we can all say we've observed it and

been there ourselves.

Everything in Hebrews 3 and 4 turns on

this remarkable word

today.

Today if you hear his voice, do not

harden your hearts

as in Mirabel as on the day of Massa in

the wilderness when your fathers put me

to the test and put me to the proof.

Though they had seen my work for 40

years, I loathe that generation and said

they are a people who go astray and

their heart

and they have and said they are a people

who go astray in their heart and they

have not known my ways. Therefore, I

swore in my wrath, they shall not enter

my rest.

William Lane says, "Today demonstrates

that God's invitation to enter his rest

remains open long after Joshua entered

Canaan."

The entire argument turns on this this

one word.

Hebrews 4:1 says, uh, "Therefore, while

Hebrews 4:1

the promise of entering his rest still

stands,

let us fear lest any of you should seem

to have failed to reach it."

So, the f the first thing the preacher

wants us to know is this. God's promise

has not expired. I think we as

Christians can all say we know that. Um,

Israel failed. God did not. The promise

still stands for us today.

William Lane says this is one of the

great encouragements of Hebrews. God's

saving purpose has never been withdrawn.

But then comes the warning.

Let us fear.

[snorts] So this isn't a fear that God

is unwilling to save. It's the sober

recognition that unbelief is dangerous.

Hebrews constantly holds together these

two truths,

these two promises.

God's promises are sure and our

responses matter.

So the warning isn't against asking

questions.

It's against allowing our hearts to grow

hard against

uh drifting, against trusting the voices

of culture more than the voice of God.

The invitation is still open, but it

must be received by faith.

For good news came to us just as to

them. But the message they heard did not

benefit them because they were not

united by faith with those who listened.

So [snorts] the preacher now answers an

important question.

If God's promises still stand, why did

Israel fail?

The problem wasn't God's promise. The

problem was with their response.

Israel heard good news. Not the complete

gospel as we know it today,

but God's promise to rescue them,

dwell with them, and bring them into his

rest.

Israel heard the gospel in promise and

Christians as Christians we hear the

gospel in fulfillment today.

The issue wasn't information. No

generation witnessed more miracles. The

they they saw the plagues. They crossed

the Red Sea. They ate mana from heaven.

They drank water from a rock.

The issue wasn't evidence. The issue was

trust.

Faith in Hebrews is never a mere

agreement.

Faith is an obedient trust.

It believes God's promises enough to

follow him.

This makes the passage deeply personal.

We can know the Bible stories. We can

attend church, memorize scripture,

even admire Jesus. But Hebrews asks a

deeper question.

Have we entrusted ourselves to him?

[snorts] The Christian life isn't built

on knowing more facts.

It's built on resting and trusting in

Christ.

Hebrews 4:3-5 says, "For we have

Hebrews 4:3–5

believed,"For

who have believed enter that rest. As he

said, "As I swore my wrath, they shall

not enter my rest."

Although his works were finished from

the foundation of the world,

for he has somewhere spoken of the

seventh day in this way. And God rested

on the seventh day from all his works.

And again in this passage he said they

shall not enter my rest.

So the the the preacher now takes us

back to Genesis

reminding our each other that this topic

is on rest. Find salvation as rest. Why

why would he take us back to Genesis?

Because God's rest did not begin with

Israel. It didn't begin with Moses or

Joshua. It began with creation itself.

Notice the focus of verse three.

We who have believed enter rest. Not

will enter someday, but enter.

Already through faith in Christ, we

began participating in God's rest.

While still looking forward to its

fullness when Christ returns.

So Hebrews holds uh this tension in a

beautiful way. Uh we're already

reconciled, already at peace with God,

already citizens of his kingdom,

yet we're not fully home,

not free from suffering,

not yet in the fullness of eternal rest.

So we as believers participate now in

God's rest while awaiting its final

consummation.

So creation is lacking nothing.

Everything was exactly as he intended.

There was shalom, you could say.

The New Interpreters Bible writes,

"God's rest is the enjoyment of his

completed work."

Rest is not simply inactivity, but

delight in creation brought to its

intended goal.

So, think about Adam. His first full day

wasn't spent working. His first full it

wasn't in in cultivating gardens. Um

before he named an an animal, before

exercising dominion, he enjoyed

fellowship with his creator.

And you could say that's a biblical

pattern. We have our identity before our

vocation. Grace before obedience,

relationship before responsibility.

Augustine said, "You have made us for

yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are

restless until they rest in you."

And that explains why vacations,

promotions, possessions never fully

satisfy.

They can refresh the body, but only

Christ can give rest to the soul.

So if God's rest began in creation, why

wasn't Joshua's conquest the

fulfillment?

And preacher answers this next

[snorts]

since therefore it remains for some some

to enter it

and those who formally received the good

news failed to enter it because of

disobedience. Again

he points to a certain day. Today

saying through David so long afterwards

in words already quoted today. If you

hear his voice, "Do not harden your

hearts."

For if Joshua had given them rest, God

would not have spoken of another day

later on.

So the wilderness generation failed to

enter that rest because of unbelief

produced by disobedience.

As Ross mentioned a couple weeks back,

uh this leads to sin. Unbelief,

disobedience leads to sin.

Hebrews refuses to separate the two.

When we stop trusting God,

eventually we stop obeying him.

Then comes this key word again, today.

David wrote Psalm 95 nearly 400 years

after Joshua led Israel into the

promised land. Think about the argument

here.

If Joshua had already given God's final

rest, why would David still write today?

The answer is obvious.

Joshua's rest wasn't the final rest. The

promised land was never the destination.

It was a signpost pointing to something

greater.

William Lane says the entire argument of

Hebrews 3 and 4 turns on this word

today.

So the Greek name for Joshua

is the very same name used for Jesus.

Joshua led God's people into Canaan.

Jesus leads God's people or led God's

people into the very presence of God.

Joshua provided a temporary rest and

Jesus provides an eternal rest.

Everything Joshua accomplished pointed

beyond himself to Christ.

The invitation still stands today. Not

yesterday, not tomorrow, but today.

The question isn't whether God still

invites people into his rest.

The question is whether we will respond.

Many people assume that because they've

been around the things of God that

they've entered the rest of God. Israel

had the land, they had the temple, they

had sacrifices.

Yet David still says today,

"Coming to church isn't the same as

resting in Christ or trusting in Christ.

Knowing Bible stories isn't the same as

trusting Christ. Having a Christian

background

is not the same.

The invitation is always personal

today.

So what remains?

Verse 9 mentions there remains a Sabbath

rest for the people of God.

You could say that this is the the

climax of the argument.

After creation, after Moses, after

Joshua, after David,

there still remains a Sabbath rest for

the people of God.

So the word that's used here is

different than some of the other words

that are used in the New Testament.

Um the word translated Sabbath rest is

unique in the in the New Testaments. It

it's sitsos

meaning sabbath

celebration or sabbathke keeping. The

preacher intentionally is using a

different word here to show that this

isn't merely about observing one day uh

each week. It points to a deeper reality

that every Sabbath is anticipated.

The weekly Sabbath was never the

destination. It was a signpost signpost

pointing towards Christ. So just as God

rested

when his work was finished, believers

rest because Christ's work is finished.

We don't work for our salvation. We work

from our salvation.

So that the cross changes everything.

Often times we do find ourselves working

to prove something, to have an identity,

to perform. But that's not what's being

asked here.

When Jesus cried, "It is finished," he

declared that the work necessary to

reconcile sinners to God had been

completed.

Our acceptance before God is not built

on our performance,

but on Christ's perfect obedience.

Tim Keller says,

"Religion says, I obey, therefore, I am

accepted."

The gospel says, "I am accepted through

Christ, therefore I obey."

That changes how we live. We no longer

obey to earn God's love.

We obey because we already have it in

Christ.

We don't strive to make God pleased with

us because because of Jesus, the father

already delights in his children.

This doesn't produce laziness. It

produces a a joyful obedience, a

resting.

A heart at rest works differently than a

heart trying to prove itself.

Hebrews 4:11 says, "Let us therefore

Hebrews 4:11

strive to enter that rest so that no one

may fall by the same sort of

disobedience." So at first glance, this

does sound like a contradiction.

Strive to enter rest. The word here is

spudessmen.

It means to uh it means to be eager

to be diligent to make every effort.

So how do you strive to rest? So

striving isn't earning salvation.

U the striving is a persevering in

faith.

It's resisting unbelief. It's refusing

to drift.

Hebrews repeatedly warns against a slow,

subtle departure from Christ.

Drifting rarely happens all at once. It

happens through neglecting prayer,

neglected uh time in worship,

scripture reading, isolation from God's

people,

the hardening of the heart develops

gradually.

The Christian life is one uh of

continual returning to Christ in faith.

So every day we have to preach the

gospel to ourselves. Every day we have

to remember that Christ is enough.

People will let us down. Things won't

work out the way we want. Christ is

always faithful and we can find our rest

in him.

For the word of God is living and

active, sharper than any two-edged

sword, piercing to the division of soul

and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,

and discerning the thoughts and

intentions of the heart.

And no creature is hidden from his

sight.

So the passage isn't primarily about

having a good quiet time.

It's about God using his living word to

expose unbelief before it destroys us.

The book of Hebrews begins with long ago

um at many times and in many ways God

spoke. But then he immediately says in

these days he has spoken to us by his

son.

Then in Hebrew 3 is the author Hebrews 3

the author quotes Psalm 95 but he

doesn't say David said he says as the

Holy Spirit says present tense. God is

still speaking to us today.

Thomas Long points out that this

scripture is never treated as a dead

historical document. Every time it is

proclaimed, God himself addresses his

people.

That's exactly what's happening right

now in Hebrews. The preacher isn't

merely explaining Psalm 95. God is

speaking through Psalm 95 to this

congregation. And God is speaking

through it to us today. I think that's

amazing.

Sharper than any two-edged sword. So the

the Roman shorts sword

uh was famous for being able or being

sharp on both sides. So it could cut in

any direction. The author uses the

picture because God's word cuts where

nothing else can. The image is one of

precision rather than destruction.

The purpose isn't to wound, it's to

expose. A skilled surgeon uses a scalpel

not to harm, but to heal. And sometimes

healing requires cutting.

And the word does the same. It cuts away

self-deception,

pride, hidden unbelief,

false security,

not to condemn us, but to restore us.

That's why it's important to be able to

ask these questions and wrestle through

figuring what our faith is in in church.

Hebrews 4:14

Hebrews 4:14

says, "Since then we have a great high

priest who has passed through the

heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us

hold fast to our confession.

For we do have a high priest, who we do

not have an high priest who is unable to

sympathize with our weakness,

but one who is in every aspect has been

tempted as we are, yet without sin."

Let us then with confidence draw near to

the throne of grace

that we may receive mercy and find grace

to help in time of need.

After the warning comes one of the

greatest encouragements you could say in

in scripture.

Our hope is not found in how tightly we

hold on to Jesus. Our hope is found in

the fact that Jesus holds on to us.

Unlike the priests of the Old Testament

who entered the most holy place once a

year with the blood of another, Jesus

entered true heavenly sanctuary through

his own sacrifice. His work is complete.

His sacrifice is sufficient. And his

intercession for us never ends.

He sympathizes with our weakness. Jesus

knows what it's like to be tired, to be

misunderstood or rejected, to be

betrayed and tempted, to be let down.

Yet, he never sinned.

But he fully experienced the weight of

living in a fallen world.

There's no sorrow you carry that Christ

does not understand. There's no

temptation he can't help you overcome.

CS Lewis says, "Only the one who resists

temptation knows its full strength."

Because Jesus never gave in, he

experienced temptation

at its fullest extent.

He is the perfect high priest.

So therefore, the preacher says,

"Let us come with confidence."

Draw near to the throne of grace,

not with arrogance,

not pretending that we have it all

together, not putting your best foot

forward, but confidently

because we can rest in Christ in his

finished work.

Also notice what kind of throne it is.

It's not a throne of condemnation. It's

not a throne of judgment. It's it's not

a throne uh of shame,

but a throne of grace.

There we we receive exactly what weary

sinners need,

mercy for our failures, and grace for

today's needs.

Later in Hebrews, the preacher tells us

what a life of resting in Christ looks

like.

In Hebrews 10:22-2,

let us draw near with a true heart and

full assurance of faith. Let us hold

fast to the confession

of our hope without wavering. And let us

consider how to stir up one another to

love and good works. Not neglecting

meeting together, but encouraging one

another.

Notice the progression here.

Draw near, hold fast,

encourage one another.

The Christian life was never meant to be

lived alone.

There's a lot of emphasis in our culture

as when people view Christianity as it's

this personal relationship with Jesus.

That's partially true, but it is fully

realized in community.

One of the enemy's greatest strategies

is isolation.

When people become weary, we often

withdraw from God's people.

Hebrews says exactly the opposite. When

you're weary, lean into church. Gather

with God's people. Receive his word.

Sing together. Pray together. Encourage

one another. God often ministers his

rest, his healing through his people.

So yeah, our our world is exhausted.

People are searching everywhere for

peace. They pursue success, pleasure,

comfort, experiences, achievement. Yet

none of those things can carry the

weight of the human soul.

The invitation of Hebrews

is the same invitation Jesus gave. Come

to me.

The rest God offers is not merely a

break from work, a reprieve.

It is a sec reconciliation with him. It

is forgiveness of sins. It is freedom

from striving to earn his acceptance.

It is knowing that Christ has finished

the work we never could.

So today, the promise still stands.

If you hear his voice, do not harden

your heart. Come to Jesus.

Rest in his finished work. Trust him.

Hold fast to him. And encourage one

another until the day when faith becomes

sight and we fully enter his eternal

rest.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you from at

the very beginning.

Your desire has to be has been to bring

your people into your rest. We thank you

that

when we wandered because of sin, you did

not abandon us.

Lord Jesus, thank you that your work is

finished.

Thank you that you are our great high

priest and understand our weakness and

that you intercede for us. Teach us to

stop striving and to earn what you have

already given by grace in Jesus name.

Amen.