Exalted in Rest
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Mission: Evangelize - Have you shared Jesus with someone? Tell us about it! We want to hear how God is working through you to reach others. Just tell me or Jim Bazzell. We’d love to celebrate God’s faithfulness with you!
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Welcome to Mark Lanier (Jim B.)
Reading: Hebrews 4:1-13
1 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.
2 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.
3 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.
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.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
12 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.
13 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.
Pray
I want to introduce you to a few folks you might know. Ron is a workaholic: he is enamored with stuff to do. He loves Jesus, mind you, but he always has to be involved doing something. His favorite hymn is an old one: “We’ll Work ‘Til Jesus Comes.” (I know a farmer whose Dad used to wake him up everyday signing that hymn!) Ron works and works and works, doing many great things.
Ron’s problem, however, is that he sees no value in rest. He identifies himself based on his efforts, his accomplishments, his aspirations. In Ron’s mind, his labor produces God’s favor. Ron sees the work of the Kingdom as never done, so he can’t quit now!
Then there’s Fred, who isn’t nearly as successful at doing good works as Ron is. Fred messes up…a lot. Like Ron, Fred finds his identity in his efforts. Unlike Ron, Fred’s identity is one of failure and lack of accomplishment. Fred feels beaten and worn, like nothing he does is ever good enough. If anything, Fred is hurting the Kingdom work rather than helping it.
Both Ron and Fred are restless. Ron will not rest and Fred cannot rest.
There’s someone else I want you to meet: Lou. Lou is definitely NOT a workaholic. In fact, Lou is not restless at all - he’s almost lethargic. Lou has so grasped the concept of rest that he doesn’t want to do anything at all! After all, Lou says, didn’t God tell us to “be still and know that he is God?”
In Lou’s mind, there’s no reason to labor at all. Jesus paid it all…He’s already done all the work for us, right? Lou sees God’s promise as the divine reminder that we don’t have to earn anything. So why not rest? Why not sit back and let God handle it. Faith, to Lou at least, means waiting on God to do his thing.
Three folks: Ron, Fred, and Lou. They all have problems. Ron’s problem is that he views rest as optional. Fred’s problem is that rest is unattainable. Lou, on the other hand, views rest as prohibitive. All of them have missed the promise of God’s rest.
God made this promise of rest from the early days of Israel. For a nation redeemed from centuries of slavery in Egypt, which had wandered through the wilderness for a generation, that promise of rest must have held a special place in their hearts. It was a promise that God gave to Moses even while in the wilderness. Moses begs God to go with them and to show him his ways. Look at God’s response:
14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
That promise of rest must have sounded surreal to a man who probably traveled more than 100,000 miles on foot in his 120 year life! Moses had more miles in his sandals than most cars get! And God promises him rest - true security and genuine relief from his toil.
This rest is God’s provision for his people. The land of Canaan, promised to Israel, represents this rest:
44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.
You might notice a connection here. Where does this rest come from?
Only God Can Give Us Rest
Only God Can Give Us Rest
We can look to all sorts of things to give us rest, but nothing will give us rest but God alone. Where have you been looking for rest? Have you been looking for rest at your work? It seems odd, but many do. They try to find rest in their achievements or in their status in the company. “If I can just move up, or get a better paycheck, or be recognized for my efforts...” You won’t find rest there.
Have you been looking for rest in a relationship? Some look for Mr. Right or Ms. Perfect, constantly seeking fulfillment in someone else. They believe that with the right person everything will be okay. They think that they will find rest in their “soulmate.” But you won’t find rest there.
Have you been looking for rest from your failures? Like Fred, you might feel like you’ll never amount to anything. You’ll never be good enough. You might try to read some self-help books or listen to motivational messages in hopes that you can find rest from your mistakes. That’s not the place where rest resides.
Only God can give us rest. God established rest, and he wants to give us a share in his rest.
But people are prone to wonder away from our gracious God. We murmur and complain. We transgress God’s laws. We look for other gods to worship, sometimes in the most hideous of ways. We disobey God’s commands and disdain any who dares call us to account for our sinful ways.
That’s where the author of Hebrews cautions us in chapters 3-4. He reminds us of our fathers in the faith who did not receive the rest that God promised because of their disobedience. They failed to enter into God’s rest because they did not listen to and heed God’s words.
We have, however, not completely lost that promise.
1 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.
Even now, the promise remains:
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.”
Today. God’s promise of rest is still good today. Now, if you’re anything like me, you can’t help but hear TV infomercial voices. “Act now; operators are standing by!” “If you buy in the next fifteen minutes, you’ll receive double the order...” (I always wondered as a kid how they knew you had ordered within that fifteen minute window.) I almost hear Billy Mays’ voice when I read that verse!
God’s promise is that we can experience his rest today. Not one day in the future, but today. Think of that. We do not have to labor for God’s acceptance or favor. We can simply rest. We don’t have to earn our way into his presence. We don’t have to buy his presence. We don’t have to jump through hoops, or gather enough support, or out-wit, out-play, or out-last others to win his presence. He will go with us. He will give us rest.
God’s Rest Is a Present Reality
God’s Rest Is a Present Reality
To all of you who see yourself as a kindred spirit to Ron, the restless workaholic, you need to hear that. God promises you rest in the present. Yes, there is a future element to God’s rest. But there is also an element to be enjoyed now.
That’s why the author of Hebrews says in verse 9:
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.
God’s rest has not yet been realized by all whom he is calling. We have a promise of rest and a God who fulfills all his promises. The rest remains. God beckons us to join him in his rest, to cease from our labors and to recline in his presence.
Now you might be thinking: “Sounds great! When do I get to enter this rest?” In fact, some people take this idea of rest too far and only want to rest. Remember Lou? Lou wastes his life because he is so ready to rest that he doesn’t even bother living for God in the here and now. He says things like “I’ll let someone else do that,” or “I’ve paid my dues.” Lou is spiritually in retirement, coming to church merely to be fed. But the author of Hebrews doesn’t leave us that option. Look at verse 11:
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
Wait, strive? That’s not very “rest-y” now is it? This is where we see another important point:
God’s Rest Has Present Requirements
God’s Rest Has Present Requirements
God expects us to strive to enter his rest. What does that mean? It means that there is work for us to do. Lou misses this - he expects that he can be lazy while God does all the work. That’s just not the case. We cannot sit idly by and expect God to do all the work for his kingdom. Look carefully at Jesus’ words:
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
We tend to focus on the rest here, and on the easy yoke and light burden Jesus promises. But look at verse 29 more closely:
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Do you see it? A yoke is an instrument of work. Jesus is telling us to get to work - but to work with him. Ron is right that there’s work to do, but he wants to do it all himself. Yoke yourself to me, Jesus says, and the work will be much easier for you. We cannot bear the burden alone, but God never asks us to. He asks us to put his yoke on our shoulders and to work with him.
This also helps the Freds among us, who are so worried that we will mess everything up. First, don’t you think an all-knowing, all-powerful God can overcome your mishaps and failures? If not, you got the wrong god! Fred need not worry when yoked with Jesus, cause Jesus bears the bulk of that yoke. Paul reminds us
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
We cannot do it. God’s calling is much too difficult for us to pull off. But it’s not too hard for Jesus. Yoked with him, we cannot fail! God works in us and through us to accomplish his will. We can be involved in doing God’s work and magnifying God’s name. Every believer ought to jump at the chance to further God’s kingdom.
That’s where Lou gets corrected, too. Lou wants to let Jesus be the only one yoked. “No thanks,” Lou says, “you go right ahead. I’ll just be over here.” But that’s exactly the disobedience that cost prior generations of God’s people access to the land of promise. They didn’t enter God’s rest because they refused to obey God. And know for a fact that God will find us out if that’s our attitude:
12 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.
13 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.
God’s Word is so sharp that it slices up our very thoughts and intentions. God discerns good and evil, right and wrong, true and false all with perfect accuracy. We will be held accountable for how we respond to God’s promise. Do we abuse it and do nothing but rest? Do we worry about our own inadequacies instead of trusting that God is good and powerful enough to work through us? Do we try to work on our own accord and do what we want rather than what he commands? Then we will not enter God’s rest. We will miss the promise.
Or do we trust and obey? Do we yoke ourselves with Jesus and work along side him, following his lead and doing his will? Do we believe his Word? That’s what it all comes down to - belief that follows through. The promise is still valid, but it only comes by faith.