Finding The Rest You're Needing | Bellevue Campus | October 11, 2026

We're in the series right now, greater than, it's a study of the book of the Bible called Hebrews.

And today we're going to be in Hebrews chapter 4.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

If you want to turn in your Bibles or turn on your Bibles to Hebrews 4.

And I had a great precursor, kind of a set the tone moment for this message last week.

I went to Virginia, hung out with my brother and sister, went and saw one of my sons who lives down in Virginia.

But one of the things my brother and I did is hike a section of the Appalachian Trail.

We grew up down there with the trail kind of being part of your life.

I've hiked a bunch of it, but there's one of the most popular places in Virginia and on the trail called McAfee's Knob.

It's about a little over four miles up and back.

And this is these are the pictures.

Can we go back one?

Okay, there.

That's about a 60-mile view you can see into Tennessee, West Virginia, and North Carolina from there.

That's my brother and I on the point.

I'm the older brother, so I made him stand by the cliff.

Um that's and then there you can see that ridge in the background is where the Appalachian Trail keeps going.

We did not do that.

I don't know if you can see the top of my shirt, but just drenched in sweat because I have gotten used to Wisconsin hikes.

This was a Virginia hike.

And all the way up, like the air gets thinner, and for them, 80 degrees this time of year is nothing.

For me, it's something, and just kept stopping.

And my excuse was to take pictures along the way, but just kind of sucking wind.

And as I got to the top, as we got to that point of the knob, McAfee's knob, just a gorgeous view.

And there's a guy up there, 77 years old.

He still hikes it twice a week.

And he gets up there and he said, I help take pictures of families, I hold kids when parents want to go close to the ledge.

Like just doing what I can do to be available and just enjoyed the moment, and there's something about the camaraderie of everyone else who made the hike.

And just being able to rest and catch your breath, but there was a problem because we still had to go back down.

And two hours later, of just banging your toes on rocks and twisting your ankles along the way, uh, you get back down and you realize there's still more life to live along the way.

And it reminded me, and I was already kind of mentally getting into this message, that we get moments in this life of rest, but we don't truly know rest, like the Bible talks about.

In Hebrews chapter 4 today, we're going to talk about that rest that we've been looking for.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

And we're not talking about resting like napping or being able to enjoy your hammock or resting before a long journey.

This is a rest that's not in a short term or circumstantial.

This is God's rest.

The Greek word that's used in both Hebrews 3 and Hebrews 4, the meaning of it is a place of stopping, a place of sitting down, which we're going to talk about a little bit because that has meaning in Scripture.

And then a place where the journey ends, the ongoing battle ends.

And all of us can feel that that is near impossible in this life.

When you think about work or family or money or relationships or a job, it's ongoing.

And you may get little windows where you feel like, oh, I can finally catch my breath.

But in the words of the immortal Trace Atkins, we keep on trying.

And as we keep trying, it can be exhausting.

Anything but restful.

Today's message, we're going to talk about how we rest from work, but more we rest from our works.

A Sabbath rest.

We'll talk about that.

It means a spiritual peace and a salvation.

That believers, if you're a follower of Jesus, that we receive when we trust him, instead of trying to earn God's favor and hope that he loves us.

There's a rest in understanding the right place of that relationship.

We're going to see that God's original plan always included his rest.

And he set that example.

Even in Genesis 2 at the creation of the world.

And then we're going to see that there's a greater rest to come.

More than, like we talked about last week, more than Moses and Joshua entering a promised land.

There's an eternal rest that we look forward to as well.

So with this in mind, let's read the passage and then talk about finding rest that we're missing.

Hebrews chapter 4, beginning at verse 1.

Hebrews 4 · chapter mention

It says, Therefore, since the promise of entering is rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.

For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did.

But the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.

Now we who have believed enter that rest just as God had said.

So I declared an oath in my anger, they shall never enter my rest.

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world.

For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words.

On the seventh day God rested from all his works.

And again in the passage above, they shall never enter my rest.

Therefore, since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it today.

This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

For Joshua had given them rest, but God would not have spoken later about another day.

There remains then a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.

Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following the example of disobedience.

For the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

So what is he saying then about this rest?

As we read this, what do we see?

The first thing that we see that jumps out to us is the promise of rest is open today.

The promise of rest is open to us today.

Verses one through five.

It says, Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.

For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did, but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.

So some manuscript translations of this say they did not combine what they heard with faith.

You see, it's one thing to hear and kind of accept it as a mental understanding, but do we mix it and walk it out in our faith?

And sometimes I think us church folk are the worst at this because we'll sing about having faith and trusting Jesus and believing in Him, and we'll tell our friends, just pray about it, trust the Lord, but then let something hit the fan in our life.

I know what it is for me.

I can't speak about what it is for you, but I'll trust Jesus with everything.

But then all of a sudden something happens or or a doubt that continually creeps in, and there's what I've heard, and then there's the faith to put it together.

There's what I'm worrying about, and then there's the faith that's to overlap it that says, God, you've got this.

I don't know about you, but there are times at two o'clock in the morning where that cortisol kicks in, and I'm laying in bed going, okay, how am I supposed to handle this?

What am I supposed to do?

How do I deal with?

And it's anything but my faith, what I've heard, and the faith meshing.

What the author of Hebrews is saying is there's a place where we have to apply that faith to the circumstances, what we've heard, mix it with our faith, and that's where we find rest.

Now we who have believed, verse 3, now we who have believed, enter that rest.

Just as God said, I declare it on oath in my anger, they shall never enter my rest.

This goes back to Psalm 95 last week.

It's a group of people, we'll talk about it in a second, who saw God work, who heard the word of God, and yet chose to disobey.

And he says, Those who have heard and done nothing with it, there's no rest for you.

There's no rest when you're not walking in what God has laid out for us, either now or in eternity.

For those who are disobedient.

Then it goes on, and yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world.

For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day, in these words.

On the seventh day, God rested from all his works.

And again in the passage above, they shall never enter my rest.

So to paraphrase this, the rest of God is still available for us.

For those whose faith in Christ is reflected in our obedience.

The rest of God has been around for a long time, all the way back to Genesis 2, as I mentioned, when God rested.

And remember our definition: resting, a place of stopping, sitting down.

Sitting down in biblical terms, if a king sat down, it meant the decision had been made.

Everything has been decided.

There's nothing left to discuss.

When we read in Genesis chapter 2 of God creating the earth, we read over and over again where he goes, It's good.

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

It's good.

And it's good.

God is saying, you know what?

I don't need to add another bird.

I don't need to add another oxygen molecule.

I don't need to move the sun a foot closer or a foot farther.

What I've done, it's good.

And he rests in it.

Can we recognize what God has done and being able to sit down and go, God, what you've done, it's good.

It's not always easy, and as we're gonna see, there's still work to be done, but it's good.

I'll rest in what you've done.

Now we can enter that rest.

Is there still work to be done?

Absolutely, but we don't work for God's approval.

We don't work for hoping, God, give me a break.

God, if I can do this, this, and this right, then will you do something for me?

Like, can I even the scales out somehow?

It can't be done.

That was done by the work of Jesus.

Because of what Jesus has done, we can rest in our relationship with God.

And guess what?

That takes faith.

Faith in what Christ has done.

Is there still work to be done?

Yes, we don't work for a right relationship with God, though.

We work from it.

We understand He loves us, we understand what He did for us.

Now, our call is to be flashlights in the darkness.

Our call is to make a difference for the name of Christ.

We're not gonna save anybody.

You can't die for anyone, neither could I, neither can I, but we can be light.

We can be examples of Jesus yesterday.

Anybody part of Fallopalooza yesterday?

Can I see a show of hands?

Okay, cool.

Over 1,200 people here yesterday.

Roughly half of those had no tie to our church.

We got to be light to people who may not have ties to church otherwise.

And more important than church, ties to Jesus otherwise.

There's work to be done, there's blessings to be done.

And I go back to what James says, the very next book of the Bible.

James says, our faith without works is dead.

Out of our faith, out of our love for Jesus, out of our belief.

We live as lights to others.

Once again, we work from our salvation, our right relationship with God.

The work is done for that.

We're not trying to earn anything from there.

When Jesus was on the cross, the last words out of his mouth as he hung there was, it is finished.

That's our English translation.

The biblical word that he uses there, the Old Testament, the original language word was teletestai, which means paid in full.

There's nothing left to be done.

The work of right relationship, of salvation, of connecting with God, the work has been done.

Jesus says it's been paid in full.

The sin that separated us from God, paid in full.

We can rest in that salvation.

Once again, it's not about doing church, it's about being right with Jesus.

If we jump ahead to verses 8 through 11, it says, For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

There remains then a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.

Let us therefore make every effort to enter the rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

So this idea of Sabbath rest takes rest to a new level.

In the Old Testament, when you read it, God, setting the example for us, sent the seventh day of the week aside the Sabbath.

For us, it's our Sunday.

And the picture of the Sabbath rest, how the way they would live it out, is you get up on the Sabbath, you go and you worship with the family and other believers, the family of God, you glorify and honor Him, then you go home, you eat the meal, usually prepared ahead of time, you rest, you restore your body, mind, and soul, you enjoy the time and the fellowship with others, and the Sabbath was meant to restore you.

I think we've lost that along the way for what Sunday is.

But that's the picture, that's the rest that he says it's a snapshot of the rest we are to have in Christ.

Verse 10 explicitly links entering this rest to ceasing from our own works, just as God did from his.

It shows that true rest is a present spiritual reality found by resting in Christ's finished word, not a physical destination or an achievement like the land Joshua led Israel into.

If you've read the book of Exodus in the Bible, you know the story of Moses.

We talked about this last week as well.

Moses leading the way, Joshua bringing the people into the promised land.

Now, for people reading the Old Testament, they would have understood Sabbath rest.

Remember, we're talking to historical Jews in this passage, uh in Hebrews.

But there's something unique here as well because Joshua in the Old Testament is the same name as Jesus in the New Testament.

Joshua in the Old Testament, Yeshua, is the same name as Jesus, Yeshua in the New Testament.

So what does Joshua do in the Old Testament?

He takes a group of people who had been in bondage to Egypt, leads them through the wilderness, and then into the promised land.

Now it's not the permanent rest because when they get into the promised land, there's still fighting to be done.

There's still work to be done.

But then the writer of Hebrew says, You remember that Yeshua?

Let me show you this Yeshua because he's bringing us into a permanent rest.

What is this new Yeshua in the New Testament doing?

He's taking a group of people who have been in bondage, in slavery to sin, in darkness, separate from God, and he's bringing them into an eternal promised land.

An eternal rest.

That would have clicked with them.

So the promise of rest is open today, and it's very clear that our response matters.

Our response matters.

Because back then, unbelief leads to disobedience, just like it does today.

If we don't believe, why would we obey?

Verse 6.

It says, Therefore, since it still remains for some to enter the rest, since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it today.

This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

Today, this is here's an interesting way that Hebrews is saying, Today, salvation, right relationship with God, forgiveness for our rebellion to him is available.

Today, you see, God did it way back then, but he also chose another day to do it today.

So, what would he say to us today?

He would say, for those of you who may not be walking with Christ, for those of you who may not know his peace, there's a day for you to have that right relationship.

What day is it?

Today.

And then some of you are going, I don't know about this.

And God's gonna stir you tonight and tomorrow morning, and tomorrow morning you're gonna wake up, and guess what day it'll be tomorrow morning?

Today.

And guess what you can do tomorrow?

That's today.

Make things right with God today, tomorrow.

Hebrews is saying, there is no time.

If you're still above ground and sucking air, there is no time.

That's not the right time to make things right with God.

It's available to us today.

This is another reference to a group of God's people who knew what God had done in their history.

They knew, once again, Hebrews, Jewish background, they knew how God had called them out and led them through the wilderness.

They knew how God had provided.

They were a part of the church, so they knew what Jesus had done.

They had heard the Lord's calling and repented.

Turn from your rebellion and rest.

But it says they chose instead to disobey.

The writer of Hebrews captures David's words when he says, They won't enter my rest.

But today there's a rest for those who will obey.

This verse directly connects a lack of faith to a hardened heart and disobedience.

They serve as a warning that hearing God's promises is not enough.

What did we talk about in the first part?

They must be actively acted upon.

Our faith should be reflected in our works.

The words already quoted, once again, is from Psalm 95, verse 7 and 8, that their hearts were hardened.

Psalms 95:7

It was the people who, even though God was doing miracles all around them, they chose not to pay attention.

Verse 11.

It says, Let us therefore make every effort to enter the rest, so that no one will follow or perish by following their example of disobedience.

Let us do our best to enter.

One translation says, We will enter.

Now, if you've got a middle school or early high school, you've heard this question.

Who's we, bro?

Anybody with middle schoolers in the room?

High schoolers?

Ooh, okay.

I'll save that one for next service.

Maybe they'll get it.

But who's we?

Like, who's who's we?

Maybe you've heard someone say, we're gonna do this, and you're in the first thought is who's we?

I'm not gonna be a part of that.

But the writer of Hebrews is saying, let us.

That's a collective us, those of us who are God's people, those of us who have called on Jesus, let us do our best to enter by living out the faith.

So the promise rest is still open to us.

Our response to that offer does matter.

And there's no playing games with God because this is the last thing we see in this passage.

Because God sees the truth of our response.

Not the niceness we play in church or around certain people, not the things we hide.

He sees the truth of our response.

His word, the scriptures, our Bible, exposes our hearts.

The next passage we have, I'd like us all to read together.

It'll be on the screens.

Right here.

Ready?

On three?

One, two, three.

For the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword.

It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.

It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Go ahead and the next part of the verse.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Remember all the way back, I think it was two weeks ago, we talked about we've got a priest who understands.

So don't play games.

And in his hand is a double-edged sword.

Ephesians talks about the sword of God that's that we're equipped with.

And it's scriptures.

But a double-edged sword, it's not your knife and your cutting drawer.

Both sides are sharp.

And it was a Roman weapon in war because if I missed you the first time, I could get you the second.

And it was sharp.

It was meant to do damage the first try.

Soul and spirit, joints and marrow, thoughts and attitudes, all of these are interconnected.

Interconnected.

When we think of the soul, that's our mind, our will, and emotions.

Think of how that impacts your spirit.

What's going on in your mind, how it impacts the way you think about God as well.

In your will, what do I surrender it to?

Do I surrender it to what I want?

I do what I want because I do what I do because I want what I want, or do I surrender it to the will of God?

Our emotions, what drives our emotions?

It says scripture cuts between that and our spirit, the parts of us that connect intimately with God.

He'll deal rightly with those.

Your joints and your marrow.

Your joints are what holds your body together.

Your joints are where movement can happen.

It's the only way it happens.

Your marrow is where the life flows through your body.

He says, I'll cut through it.

Whatever you're building on that's not right, the word of God will cut through and divide it.

That it can be put together well.

And then your thoughts and your attitudes.

Do your thoughts affect your attitudes?

Yeah.

Do your attitudes affect your thoughts?

I'll speak for me, but there are moments where I'm like, what are you doing?

What are you thinking?

How far down this rabbit hole are you really gonna go?

And that thought will affect my attitude.

And sometimes my attitudes have to be changed, and it'll directly affect my thoughts.

It says scripture cuts right between them.

What are your thoughts?

Are you thinking on things above?

Are you renewing your mind?

And then what's your attitude?

Let your attitude, let your mind be like that of Christ.

Let your attitude be one of being a light, being an example.

There's no amen.

There's no games with God.

His word deals with our lives, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Nothing is hidden from his sight.

So let's do the take-homes from this passage.

First of all, remember this: there is a Sabbath rest.

There's spiritual peace and salvation that believers receive by trusting Jesus instead of trying to earn God's favor through their works.

How do we enter that rest?

First of all, by faith.

Believers enter this rest right now.

It's available what day?

Today, by believing the good news of Jesus.

As we believe, be obedient.

Be obedient.

It's the trademark of being faithful.

Be obedient.

And realize God sees and honors and respects and praises your obedience.

It's not just he waits for you to screw up and then he shows up to drop the hammer.

There's a well good, well done, good and faithful servant for obedience.

And we have a faithful high priest who gets it when we're in a struggle.

And then thirdly, there's no more striving.

Stop stressing, worrying, working to prove your worth to God because Jesus finished the work of salvation on the cross.

Rest today.

Find your place of stopping, sitting down, taking a deep breath, ending the hard journey.

It doesn't mean the hard stuff is over, but we know whose hands the hard stuff is in.

Stop trying to please God and doing everything right and rest in the finished work of Jesus.

Would you bow your heads with me, please?

This morning in the room, maybe online, lakeside room, family room, the first question I want to ask is Have you taken that step of obedience to say, I'll surrender to Jesus?

You may have known religion, you may have known church, but Jesus is a different story.

You may be here because of a family member or a friend, or maybe life has just hit the wall so many times, you're like, I gotta try something.

You've had anything but peace or rest.

This morning, today is the right time, the right day to make things right between you and God.

The Bible says, For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son that whoever believes in him won't perish, but have eternal life, that eternal rest that Hebrews is talking about.

And the King can begin now as we put our trust in Jesus.

If you have not been following Christ, there's not a checklist I'm gonna run by you for this.

It's a matter of a right heart, a right relationship with Christ.

If you're not there and you know it, today is the day of salvation, Scripture says.

Save from the judgment of God for our rebellion against Him.

If that's you, would you just raise your hand up?

I'd love to pray with you this morning.

Okay, thanks.

Thanks.

There's nothing magical in the prayer if you're here and maybe tomorrow will be your today.

It's just a matter of recognizing, Jesus, I see who you are.

Your God, my Lord, and my savior, as we heard in the testimonies during this baptism.

For the rest of us, I'd like to ask, like, where is the area where you lack rest, where you lack peace?

I know what it is for me.

I know what I continuously have to put in God's hands.

I know what I keep trying to take out of his hands to deal with myself.

But can we take a moment in silence and just say, Lord, hear this.

Give me your rest.

Lord, I don't know what to do with this, but my faith will be lived out in my trust of you.

Just take a moment in silence and reflect on that.

Lord, it's not always easy.

You said in scriptures, in this world you will have trials, you will have troubles, but be of good cheer.

Keep your hat up, because I've overcome this world.

God, we're still in it.

We still face the battles and the struggles, and we thank you that you're a high priest who understands what we've gone through.

Lord, I pray for this morning for everyone in the room, those watching online, wherever we may be, even for myself, God, to be able to remember to put my faith, my trust in you, and find my rest there.

God, I'm not the source.

You are.

My job is to be obedient.

Just be faithful, and may I find my rest there.

I pray these things in Christ's name.

Amen.