Hebrews 4:1-13 Rest in God

Introduction

Last week we covered the illustration that both the author of Psalm 95 and the author of Hebrews used. Namely, the Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt and who saw the wondrous power of God were unable to enter into God’s Rest because of their unbelief. In Hebrews 3, we are called to self-reflect and ask the question Do “I” have an unbelieving heart? This is in line with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:22–23 where Jesus warns “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I/Jesus declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” We read from both Psalm 95 and Hebrews 3 that the heart of unbelief for the ancient Israelites was ultimately demonstrated by their refusal to take God at His word due to their fear of the inhabitants of the Promised Land. So we begin today by building on the question of: do I have an unbelieving heart that will not allow me to enter into that Eternal Rest? Here in chapter 4 the author of Hebrews continues to discuss the topic of God’s Rest.

Text Read

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.

Text Explained

While last week we focused on the eternal rest for those who believed, the idea of finding rest in God is so much more. So before we delve any further into today’s text, let’s first define our terms. Namely, the meaning of rest. First, rest, when applied to salvation means that we do not have to struggle in order to try to earn God’s grace by our feeble “good” works. Remember it is actually impossible, no matter how hard we try, to earn salvation because the best of our works, apart from Christ is as Isaiah 64:6 says “...all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment...” So the meaning of entering God’s Rest in regards to salvation carries the idea of resting in God’s perfect and free grace. This is the rest we focused on last week. That blessed future hope that we have. Yet God’s Rest is more than only a future hope. God’s rest also means freedom from whatever worries or disturbs you in the now. It does not mean a freedom from hassles and nuisances, but rather a freedom from being so easily bothered by them. It means that in the midst of trials and the difficulties of life, we can trust that God has a plan and that as Romans 8:28 says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” This gives a peace that while troubles may seem to be out of our control, they are not out of God’s control. Thus we can rest. This doesn’t mean we are to ask God to dig a hole while we lean on the shovel, but rather trust that through God and His obedient children, a hole will be dug. In short, as one pastor put it: God’s Rest “...means to be inwardly quiet, composed, peaceful. To enter God’s rest means to be at peace with God, to possess the perfect peace He gives. It means to be free from guilt and even unnecessary feelings of guilt. It means freedom from worry about sin, because sin is forgiven. God’s rest is the end of legalistic works (that cannot save) and the experience of peace (which is ultimately found) in the total forgiveness of God.” (Hebrews: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Rest means to lie down, be settled, be fixed, to be secure. All of these aspects of rest are true and implied in Hebrews 3 and 4 because in Christ, who is our Rest, we are able to enter into God’s Rest. Let’s get into our text. First, we see from our text that God’s rest is attainable by personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Personal Faith (1-2). Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, we all are given the promise of attaining His rest, 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, We have heard the saving message of Jesus but the message they heard did not benefit them, why? because they were not united by faith with those who listened. In other words, the Israelites knew of God’s promised rest, but because of their unbelief, the message did not do them any good. Illustration: If a person is driving and sees a sign that says bridge closed ahead, and ignores the message on that sign, that message does them no good. Perhaps they did not believe that the sign was accurate. Yet if a person sees the sign, they do stop and turn around, because they did believe, then that message was a benefit to them. This is what the author of Hebrews is calling us to do. Make sure you have believed the message that was given. This requires a personal faith. And if you have that personal saving faith, then God’s Rest becomes your rest because you have been united into Christ by faith.

God’s Rest is Our Rest if we are in Christ (3-5). Verses 3-5 gives us a contrast, the believing and the unbelieving. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, then he switches to the unbeliever as He has said, “As I swore in My wrath, ‘They the unbelieving shall not enter My rest,’” although/even though His/God’s 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 the unbelieving shall not enter My rest.” So here in verses 3-5 we see that those who have believed enter God’s rest, while those who do not shall NOT enter God’s Rest. Now, is this rest simply the rest which God gives, as in something He creates and hands to us or is this the rest that God Himself enjoys? As scholar F.F. Bruce states, “It means the latter: the “rest” which God promises to His people is a share in that rest which He Himself enjoys.” ( The Epistle to the Hebrews C. The True Rest of God May Be Forfeited (4:1–10) God does not give a variation of rest, but rather He welcomes us into the rest He already has. On top of this, our text makes it clear that the reason people, namely the Israelites in the wilderness, did not enter God’s rest was NOT because it was unavailable. Rather, our text makes it clear that the rest God Himself enjoys has been available since the foundation of the world when God Himself rested on the seventh day. Illustration: Sometimes we do some shopping for a new appliance or perhaps a gift, only to see a week later that the item we just purchased has gone on sale. It is frustrating because we the sale was not available to us because it came about after our purchase. Not so with God’s Rest. God’s own rest is available to ALL and it has been available since the foundation of the world.

God’s Rest is Available to All (6-7). 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.” It was hardened unbelieving hearts demonstrated by their disobedience that prevented an entire generation of Israelites from entering God’s rest. Yet today, their remains time to enter into God’s rest by repentance and belief. As Jesus said the fields are white unto harvest. (John 4:35) So to you who is hearing this message, you are hearing His voice, do not harden your heart. Repent and harden not your heart. Then our text moves into another comparison, this time between Joshua and Jesus.

Joshua Led God’s People to an Earthly Rest (8) 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So here, in case someone would argue that ONLY the earthly land was in view, the author of Hebrews makes it clear that Joshua brought the children of Israel only into an earthly temporal Promised Land, not the True Rest which the author of Hebrews is describing. On the other hand...

Jesus Leads God’s People to True Rest (9-10).  If Joshua was unable to bring them into the true rest, 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. You see, for the person who follows Jesus, there is promised peace and security throughout the storms of life b/c we are resting in the finished work of the Creator of ALL. Dear one, He beckons us to find rest in Him. There is indeed a rest for God’s people. Then the tone shifts as our text commands us to strive for this rest.

Striving for Rest. 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. Here the text seems to shift with a command to strive, to work, to DO something, which feels at odds with the idea of rest. However, let’s think about this in context. How are we to come to Christ? Through faith/belief. How is faith demonstrated? By obedience. Remember the Israelites failed to enter the Promised Land and God said their failure to act/do was because of their unbelieving hearts. We are to strive to enter that eternal rest, not because we are earning salvation, but because obedience to God is the fruit of salvation. In fact, 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. In other words, as we are listening to God speak through His Word, we will be convicted, challenged, and encouraged b/c God’s Word can/will separate even the most interconnected places in our hearts so that, if we have an unbelieving heart, scripture will reveal it. Dear one, do not think you can hide anything from God. In fact, as our text implies, you may be able to act the part, you may be able to fool others, but the Word of God discerns, separates your thoughts and intentions. It points out, not just what you do, but your “why”. God knows the reasons you do what you do, and you will give an account to Him. Verses 11 carries the idea that you and I are to do good works, for they are an outward demonstration of our faith. (Same as James teaches) Yet verses 12-13 warns that we are unable to hide the reasons of our good works. Do we do the good because it is the fruit of who are in Christ or for some sort of self-gain? To borrow imagery from John, God knows those who are in the True Vine and thus producing the fruits of righteousness and God knows those who may be only producing something that looks like fruit at a glance. So our text today closes with a similar thought to James 2:18 “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” So strive to enter God’s rest by bearing the fruit of righteousness.

Text Applied

Strive for Rest. Dear one, the Christian life is one of active obedience to our Lord. Yet bearing the fruit of righteousness in our lives is only possible by being connected to the True vine. So once again we are called to examine ourselves and ask: Have I a heart of unbelief or have I submitted to Christ as my Lord & Savior. Do I have that Promise of Future Rest?

Present Rest.

While the text today focuses on that future and ultimate rest that the believer has in Christ, there is rest for the believer today. You and I can go to our Heavenly Father, we can ask if there is any wicked way in us, we can confess where we are wrong and He will wash and purify us. Thus we can rest in the knowledge that my sins have been atoned for. My sins are forgiven. My debt of sin is paid in full and I bear them no more, praise God.

Not only that but we can take our heartaches, and our problems, we can take all our anxieties all our cares we cling to the Father and leave all of those things there, trusting that He cares for us. As the Apostle Peter said 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” You see, when we spend time with Him, giving care after care to Him, offering prayer after prayer and then humbly trusting in His perfect and sovereign will, we can have peace amidst the storms of life. This doesn’t mean that the storms go away, but rather we rest in the One whose voice controls the storms. Sometimes, this period of prayer striving for rest may take some time. Illustration: A few weeks ago, I was struggling with so many different cares and thoughts that I could not focus on my time in scripture with the Lord. As I tried to read scripture, another thought/concern/care/ dare I say worry bombarded my heart and mind. As they came, I prayed, I cast my anxieties upon Him. I gave full release to My Lord who sits on the throne. Then after almost thirty minutes of this care or that concern flooding into my mind and taking them one by one to the Father asking for wisdom, guidance, help for those who are hurting, I noticed that those anxieties began to fade and by God’s grace I was able to hear the Father’s voice through the reading of the Word. I was able to rest and listen. That didn’t mean everything was magically fixed, but I was able to present rest because the One who is in control and the One who cares more deeply than I ever could knew and I could trust that He would take care of it. And when He calls upon me to be His hands and feet I say “ Here am I.” I still had to get up and go about my day, I still had to put my faith into action, but that day was full of rest.

Closing Song Near to the Heart of God