Hebrews: A Journey of Faith: Week 2

Good morning, we are in our second week of the book of Hebrews. Last week we opened up the series by looking at Chapter 1 verses 1-4, in what was a rather in depth exegesis of the passages. In light of that, this week we are going to approach the sermon a bit differently. Now, just as a very quick recap, the book of Hebrews was written to an audience that needed a deeper understanding of Christ…to put it in the most basic way. The Jewish audience had been taught in the more traditional Jewish manner that the messiah would be a political figure that restores the nation of Israel and frees it from Roman subjectivity. The author of Hebrews lays out the reasons why that more traditional view was not correct and that Jesus actually represents so much more.

PRAY

Psalm 95:7–11

“For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.””

You might be wondering why I would begin with a passage from the book of Psalms, seeing how we are looking at the book of Hebrews. Stay tuned and you will know why!

Today we are going to turn our attention to a section of Hebrews 3 into chapter 4. It is a rather long section of scripture with a couple of different ideas, but one overriding theme. I’ve read through Hebrews multiple time throughout my years as a Christian. I’ve been to Bible studies and such where we will sit around and discuss Hebrews. For the most part, I thought I understood it. Not to suggest that what I knew was wrong, it wasn’t. However, preaching a series from Hebrews is altogether different…if the person wants to truly weave together the thoughts and theology of the author. I’ll give you one example. The author of Hebrews interprets the Old Testament differently than we do…in some cases…as we will see as we go through this series.

Let’s go ahead and get started by filling in the gap between what we looked at last week and what the Author is talking about this week. Then we will go through our passages…then we will end by applying the principles to our lives…remember, although the context and specific situation may be different, the principles still apply.

The preacher starts out Hebrews 1 with a description of the deity of Christ; He explains to the people that Jesus existed from the very beginning and was a central part of creation itself.

Hebrews 2:1

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

In other words, because Christ is who He is, we must be careful to not drift away. Chapter 2 then ends with the preacher talking about being tempted in the same manner as is common to humanity.

Hebrews 2:18

“For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

The preacher is building to the idea that Christ became our high priest…which is how chapter 3 begins

Hebrews 3:1

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;

The High Priest was the guy who performed sacrifices for the people in the Old Testament. He was the only one allowed to make the sacrifices for sin. The preacher’s audience would have been very aware of the role of the High Priest. Also, here in the beginning of chapter 3, the author talks about how Jesus is greater than Moses, who was venerated or looked highly upon by the Israelites, as he led them out of Egyptian slavery.

Starting in Hebrews 3 and verse 7 is where we pick up. While I normally do not read such a long portion of scripture, today we are going to read from Hebrews 3:7 to Hebrews 4:13 then we will talk about it.

Hebrews 3:7–4:13

Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. “Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways’; As I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ” Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.” For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just 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 said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.” Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

The text that I just read is a mini sermon from the author to his audience on the portion of Psalm 95 that I read a few minutes ago. The preacher begins in chapter 3 by quoting Psalm 95: 7-11, then he breaks the Psalm apart bit by bit. The preacher will point to the past as an example and then use that example to teach the people something important. The interesting thing…and this is just a side note…and it is one of the things that makes Hebrews such a difficult book is that the preacher breaks just about every rule of what we today deem as good and proper hermeneutics.

For example, the author begins by quoting psalm 95, which is about the children of Israel not having faith or having unbelief in God, and therefore they had to wonder in the desert for 40 years before entering into God’s rest…which would have been the promised land. Except, all of a sudden, the author then turn around and starts talking about rest in relation to God creating the earth.

The way we read the Bible today, the “rest” from God creating the world…or the sabbath is completely different from the “rest” that Psalm 95 is talking about. However, for the preacher in Hebrews, he combines them in order to teach his audience something important. In other words, the author of Hebrews uses 2 completely different, out of context concepts of “rest,” which goes against every rule of modern biblical interpretation. So, what was the author trying to teach the people…that is what we are going to focus on today.

So, the author begins by quoting a portion of Psalm 95, then he goes into, what would be his sermon introduction,

Hebrews 3:12–14

“Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,”

One of the most famous stories in the Hebrew Bible was that of the Israelites wondering around in the desert for 40 years. In the book of Exodus, God used Moses to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. It was then God’s intention that the newly freed Israelites travel to the promised land…the land that God promised to Abraham, hundreds of years beforehand. As most of us are aware, and as his audience was all too aware, God ended up not allowing them to enter the promised land…or their land of “rest” (a rest from slavery, a rest from being a people without a home). The reason that they couldn’t enter was because of unbelief…they were afraid of the people who were living in that land. Unbelief caused them to have to turn around and wonder the desert for 40 years. This is what the author is talking about, here in Hebrews chapter 3 and just like back then, where the Israelites found themselves struggling with unbelief, so too, some of them were wavering in their faith of Christ…perhaps doubting that Christ was, indeed the promised Messiah. This is what the latter part of Hebrews chapter 3 is all about...

Then, starting in chapter 4, the preacher begins to build on the idea of unbelief and incorporate the idea of “rest.”

Hebrews 4:1–2

“Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”

I’ve talked about this before, but whenever we read the word “Therefore,” it is important to understand what came directly before…in other words, the word “therefore” means that the author has stated a point…like, unbelief is bad…therefore, do what I say, in order to avoid unbelief.

For example, one of the most quoted passages in scripture is Romans 12 verses 1 and 2.

Romans 12:1–2

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We quote this verse, as it is a great reminder to live a holy life…but Paul was building an argument in Romans 11 that even though God was pouring out His spirit on the Gentiles, or those who were not Jewish, that did not mean that God rejected Israel. Paul says that God has not abandoned the Jews…therefore, present your bodies a living and hold sacrifice.

Continuing on in Hebrews 4, the preacher continues to compare the unbelieving Israelites to a portion of his audience, which is struggling with a lack of faith in Christ. Except now, the preacher begins to shift and talk about a different kind of rest…rather than the “rest” of the promised land:

Hebrews 4:3–4

“For we who have believed enter that rest, just 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 said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;”

This is where the preacher quotes the last line of Psalm 95...

“As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest”

…and this is where it can be confusing, because the author now begins to reference the creation account…which again, the audience would have known well. It can be difficult to understand why the author all of a sudden shifts from the idea of entering the promised land (which is what Psalm 95 is about) to God creating the world, and then resting. The only way that I can explain this is that the author knew his audience better than we do. He was using an example that they would have understood…as the sabbath was very important. Again though, in just a moment we will see, what I believe, is the main idea that the preach is trying to get across.

After the preacher makes the reference to creation, then he switches his attention back to Psalm 95 and mentions the author of the Psalm.

Hebrews 4:7

“He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.””

If you look carefully at what the preacher did, and I will try to explain it, so we can understand it…because it is quite brilliant. We see the preacher now focusing on the word “today,” he says it a number of times in this section of his sermon. The O.T. sabbath was a specific day…Saturday. It did not change. The Sabbath was not “someday,” or sometime in the past or sometime in the future. The Sabbath was a very “concrete” idea, something that does not change. Just like that, the preacher tells his audience that today, not some time in the future…but today, you must decide to believe. In other words, Today is the day of salvation, today is the day of belief…not someday. Does that make sense?

As our portion of scripture begins to come to a close, the author turns his attention to the Old Testament character of Joshua...

Hebrews 4:8

“For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.”

Now is when the preacher begins to reach his conclusion…or the thing that he wants his struggling audience to understand…For the Jewish people, especially those who had not fully accepted the messiah, or those who were newly converted…the entering of the promised land, after having wondered the dessert for 40 years is considered God giving the Israelite people “rest.” The book of Joshua details the account of Israel entering the promised land, it was Joshua who led the people into the land, after Moses had died.

Joshua 21:43–44

“So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand.”

The preacher is saying that the Israelites entering into the promised land is not their final rest and that God has something greater in store for them. Their true rest, their final rest can only come from Christ. Our portion of scripture then ends with vs. 11-13, which I’ll quickly read again.

Hebrews 4:11–13

“Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

For the ancient Israelites, the Messiah was supposed to usher in an era of divine rest…which He certainly did…but not in the way that they thought. The preacher here is redefining what their true “sabbath” or rest is supposed to be…and that is just as true today, even though we may have a different understanding of who the Messiah is.

The preacher is saying that unbelief and disobedience means that we will be excluded from divine rest, however, the opposite is also true, meaning that faith and faithfulness to God is is the entrance into our everlasting divine rest, or our true sabbath. This was not available through the ministry of Joshua, it is not available through the ministry of Mohamed or Buddha or through the security of our money, it is only available through utter dependence on Christ.

Although applied a bit differently, the preacher’s message is still very much relevant today for us. For the Ancient Israelites, they thought that the Messiah would bring about a situation, similar to that of entering the promised land…except the messiah would bring about a rest that absolved them of any problems, no more struggles…that they, as a nation, could be at peace with those around them…That was not what God had in mind when He sent Christ.

Ultimately, this is what I believe is what God’s word is saying this morning…that unbelief leads to a misunderstanding of the rest that Christ offers us.

So to wrap up today, let me give you 2 ways that a child of God can enter into the rest that Hebrews is talking about. These two things are not something I just thought up…but they come straight from the word of God. I would also argue that these are the only ways that we can truly enter into rest.

We can enter into our divine sabbath or our rest in 2 ways:

By Grace

Through Faith

Ephesians 2:8–9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Just as our salvation, or as Romans talks about, the gift of eternal life is by grace and through faith, our ability to truly enter into the rest that Christ provides is by grace and through faith.

Grace:

Grace is simply, God’s unmerited (or we did not earn it) favor upon our lives. We can even misunderstand what God’s favor can mean

We can often become upset or disillusioned when we are not entering into the “rest” that we think we deserve as a follower of Christ. We think that God needs our help to figure something out. We can even be guilty of judging the hardship of others…where we silently think to ourselves…well, they must have done something wrong, or God wouldn’t allow that too happen to them.

John 16:33

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

Most of us are familiar with this passage, but do not want to necessarily claim it for ourselves. As the body of Christ, one of our main jobs is to encourage one another, just like the preacher in Hebrews instructed his audience…so that no one succumbs to unbelief. Not that we are responsible to that person’s faith, that is not the idea…it is so we are all built up in our faith, living in the grace of God, so that no one falls through the cracks.

Through a personal relationship with Jesus, we access God’s grace so we can do what He’s calling us to do.

It’s so amazing to know that God is always with us, giving us His grace for everything we need to do in life. Trust God’s unconditional love for you today. Do what you can do and give Him everything else.

And when you find yourself getting frustrated or feeling overwhelmed, like you just can’t do it anymore, remember to stop, get your focus back on Him and enter into His rest, or in other words, His peace once again.

2. Faith

The book of Hebrews 11 says that Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen…in other words, faith is believing in or on something, even though we can not see it in front of our eyes.

Faith is often the hardest part of entering into God’s rest. Faith that the promises of God are true and we can believe them. We trust in God for our salvation, in the same way, we must trust that God is in charge and can give us the grace to endure whatever may come our way. You see, our “rest” in Christ is not a “rest” from something, it is in something. In other words, divine rest is not about escaping from work or a tough situation, rather, it is having that rest or peace in work or while we work or having rest in that tough situation.

When our faith is tested beyond what we deem acceptable, like Job or Paul, who was put in prison and was whipped and lashed and stoned…or like in Hebrews, where these Jewish converts were experiencing persecution for their faith, that is when the words of our Lord ring the loudest.

Matthew 11:28–30

““Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

The author of Hebrews was reminding the people that their rest can only be found in their High Priest…not even in being set free from slavery, whether that be the Egyptians or the Romans…that is not where their rest is found.

I’ll end by explaining the analogy of the yolk that Jesus mentioned .

Back before the modern use of farming equipment a farmer would take 2 farming animals, like oxen and place a yoke upon them. The purpose of the yoke was to even out the heavy burden of plowing a field. The “yoke” represents a heavy burden. In the book of Isaiah, God promised to “remove the yoke of oppression off of Israel.”

Isaiah 14:25

“to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder.”

In farming, the yoke is placed on the oxen, to distribute the burden of plowing a field. One very important thing for a farmer to keep in mind was the size of the 2 animals. Both of the oxen or horses had to be about the same size and the same strength, else the smaller one would get hurt and the larger one would end up bearing all of the burden…thus getting hurt as well.

Jesus is saying…that He will bear all of the burden…because only He can handle it. What we often do is find ways, outside of Christ to alleviate that burden. That burden is what leads to the unbelief that Hebrews is talking about…when we take on a burden we aren’t designed to carry. Christ tells us to put His yolk on us…which means that He is the One who carries the majority of the burden, not us.

What does that mean for today? It means that we must fight back on unbelief, it means that we must fight back and push back on the notion that we have any security outside of our Lord and savior and that only in Him can we find our true rest and peace. It also means that we, as a body of believers must care for and undergird those who are struggling with finding that rest and peace.