Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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Announcements
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!
New Men’s Study starting next week: Experiencing the Spirit.
Books are $13.
Welcome to Mark Lanier (Jim B.)
Reading: Hebrews 4:1-13
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:
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:
You might notice a connection here.
Where does this rest come from?
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.
Even now, the promise remains:
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.
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