Fix Your Eyes on Jesus: Finding Rest in a Busy World

Introduction

As we continue in our study of the book of Hebrews, I remind you that this letter was primarily written to the first century Jewish Christians who may have been thinking of going back to their Judaism because this Christian walk proved to be hard. The writer of Hebrews builds a theological case against the idea of turning back to that which does not bring life nor the rest they are seeking. Because even the Law, as glorious as it was, could not provide the kind of rest only Christ can give.

Today as twenty first century gentile Christians we examine this divinely inspired letter as we extrapolate the transcendental principles that are very much applicable to our current context as we discover how God would have us live.

We now live in a culture that glorifies busyness, we measure our worth by how much we accomplish, how many plates we can keep spinning, and how fast we can move from one thing to another. We’re constantly going, constantly working, constantly doing, and somewhere in the middle of it all our souls grow tired.

We tell ourselves we will slow down “after this project,” after the kids grow up,” “after retirement. But real rest eludes us as it keeps getting pushed further away.

Shelley and I take frequent vacations, it is a good practice for our marriage because work, church, and children use up so much of our energy we need time for each other because those areas will suffer deeply if we do not continue to nurture our marriage. However, there have been so many times when we have come back from vacationing thinking we are refreshed only to be faced with one crisis after another that was waiting for our return.

Bags have not even been unpacked and we are already so loaded with frustration, anger, worry, that it is as if we did not take a vacation at all. Has anyone been there?

God invites us to something better. Something deeper, Something eternal. That something is more that a vacation, a slower schedule or a Saturday nap. It is a Person. The Book of Hebrews invites us to fix our eyes on Jesus–the Greater than Moses, greater than any escape this world offers Greater than Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or even Princes Cruises, the Giver of true rest.

We’re going to look at four major movements in Hebrews 3:1 through 4:11. And I believe this passage will call you to refocus your heart, realign your faith, and maybe even reclaim your rest in a world that refuses to slow down. (pray)

I. Consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of Our Confession (3:1-6)

In the first 6 verses of chapter 3, the writer urges believers—referred to as holy brothers and sisters and partakers in a heavenly calling—to fix their thoughts on Jesus, who is described as the Apostle and High Priest of their confession. The passage compares Jesus to Moses, a revered figure in Jewish history. While Moses was faithful in God’s house as a servant, Jesus is greater, being faithful as a Son over God’s house. The house symbolizes God’s people, and we are that house—if we hold firmly to our confidence and hope in Christ.

He uses the word katanoēsate, to consider attentively, to fix one’s eyes on, to turn the mind towards something until its full weight is felt. Compare this with what the writer said in chapter 1 concerning God now speaking through His son, or chapter 2 where he urges his readers in verse 1 to pay much closer attention.

So again he is telling them to consider, to fix their attention on, to deeply contemplate. This is not a casual glance, this is a stare, a gaze. He is telling his fellow Jewish believers, “brothers, partakers of a heavenly calling, look again at Jesus and do not lose sight of Him.

Then he acknowledges the greatness of Moses as prophet and deliverer and that Moses was faithful in all God’s house but as a servant. Or better yet, as part of the house. Jesus however is faithful over God’s house as a Son… as the owner of the house.

Moses was the greatest leader of the Old Covenant, but he was just part of the house—Jesus is the builder of the house.

Hebrews 3:4 LSB

4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

This is not just a comparison of two men—it’s a comparison of two covenants, two ministries, and two glories. One prepares, the other fulfills.

Zechariah 6:13 LSB

13 “Indeed, it is He who will build the temple of Yahweh, and He who will bear the splendor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” ’

Those two offices are King and Priest, a role only Christ fulfills.

John 1:17 LSB

17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 17:5 LSB

5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

At the Transfiguration, God interrupts Peter’s suggestion to honor Moses and Elijah equally: “This is My beloved Son… listen to Him!”

2 Corinthians 3:10–11 LSB

10 For indeed what had been glorious, [Moses and the Law] in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. [which is Christ] 11 For if that which was being brought to an end [Moses and the Law] was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. [which is Christ]

This is why, the end of 1 Peter 1:12 says that even angels long to look into these things, what things? the permanent glory of Jesus.

The writer of Hebrews zeroed in on whatever was supreme in the minds of his Jewish audience. He was writing to emphasize to them that Jesus is greater than the greatest things they could fathom. How do we translate that in our context today.

Application:

What are your eyes fixed on today?

Is it your calendar, phone, your many responsibilities, your accomplishments, your stress?

If you don’t regularly fix your eyes on Jesus, you will be shaped by whatever else you are staring at.

People say you are what you eat. I would challenge that, you are what you fix your eyes upon.

Jesus isn’t just greater than Moses—He’s greater than your schedule, your ambition, your anxiety, your phone, your to-do list, and your mental overload. The writer adds,

Hebrews 3:6 LSB

6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope.

We are His house—His people—if we hold fast. But this isn’t a condition for earning salvation; it’s the fruit of having it. True believers will persevere, and their endurance confirms their identity in Christ.

II. Don’t Let an Unbelieving Heart Turn You Away (vv.7-19)

The author builds on what he just said by the word “therefore.” So after establishing Jesus’s superiority to Moses, in the verses that follow 7-19, he addresses Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness. He quotes from Psalm 95 which is a warning Psalm. This is a similar warning to the one we saw in chapter 2. Psalm 95 recalls how the Israelites hardened their hearts and missed the promised rest because of unbelief and disobedience.

This is a reminder to the reader, and all believers, that it is possible to be among the people of God, seeing His miracles, benefitting of His provisions, and still fail to enter His rest because of a hardened, unbelieving heart.

Hebrews 3:7–8 LSB

7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,

This is a call to urgency, “today”

To harden your heart means to resist conviction, to stop listening, to ignore truth which is evil.

Hebrews 3:12 LSB

12 See to it brothers, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

He still addresses these people as brothers, this is a real warning to professing believers. Falling away, does not mean losing salvation, it means proving by ongoing unbelief that one was never truly saved.

1 John 2:19 LSB

19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they were of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be manifested that they all are not of us.

And so he says,

Hebrews 3:13 LSB

13 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.

The remedy to hardness is community encouragement. Sin is deceitful because it never tells you that it’s leading you toward isolation—and eventually apostasy. Consider the next passage which we will examine later in the series but it bears mentioning today.

Hebrews 10:24–25 LSB

24 And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Community is essential. We are the flock of God. And just like any gregarious creature under the sun, our greatest protection from danger is staying together. So community is essential.

Then the writer asks a question that the readers would have already known the answer.

Hebrews 3:18–19 LSB

18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

No matter how many Sabbaths they kept, they never entered rest.

Just like grace and mercy, disobedience and unbelief are inseparable twins.

One German pastor theologian executed for the cost of Christ as he opposed the Nazi regime said it best:

 “Only he who believes is obedient. Only he who is obedient believes.” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer

True belief always bears fruit in obedience. The Israelites saw God’s work for 40 years, but their hearts remained hard, and they died in the wilderness. Be warned, all of us

Proximity to spiritual things is not the same as participation in saving faith.

The original audience was tempted to turn back to something familiar–Judaism–under pressure.

The warning here is, do not retreat from Jesus. Stay tender, alert, obedient. Do not let external hardships give birth to internal unbelief. If you want to know how well you believe, watch your obedience.

Application:

What causes you to harden your heart today?

Spiritual fatigue?

Disappointment with God?

Bitterness, pride, isolation?

Israel thought that the danger in the wilderness were giants in the land while the real danger was unbelief in the heart.

Are you allowing small compromises, unconfessed sin, or habitual neglect of God’s Word to slowly harden you? Sin is deceitful, it does not feel dangerous when it’s happening.

The wilderness generation died with manna, heavenly bread, in their mouths, and after seeing things beyond our wildest imagination. They had provision, but no faith. Today, if you hear His voice, respond.

III. Fear Missing Out on God’s Rest (4:1-5)

The forth chapter opens with a continuation of the wilderness warning with the caveat that now the warning shifts into an invitation. While the previous generation missed out on God’s rest due to unbelief, the promise of entering His rest still stands. That means that there is hope though the tone of urgency still stands. Let’s read that first verse

Hebrews 4:1 LSB

1 Therefore, let us fear, lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have fallen short of it.

Let us fear is not paranoia, but holy caution. A reverent awareness that missing out on God’s res is a real loss. What is God’s rest

The Writer of Hebrews is not referring one kind of rest, rater he is pulling several layers of biblical rest to show how they all find their fulfillment in Christ.

The Promise Land Rest

This was the national rest promised to Israel after leaving Egypt—a physical land of blessing, peace, and identity under God’s rule.

They were to leave the wilderness and dwell in the place God had prepared for them.

But even after Israel entered the land, God was still speaking of another day of rest (Heb. 4:8). Why? Because that wasn’t the ultimate rest.

2. The Sabbath Rest (Gen 2:2-3)

This was the cosmic rest—God resting on the seventh day, not from exhaustion but from completed, perfect work.

The Sabbath became a weekly sign and symbol under the Law. A reminder that true rest is found not in doing, but in trusting God’s finished work. It was a shadow of what was to come.

Colossians 2:16–17 LSB

16 Therefore, no one is to judge you in food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17 things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

Each of these rests—Canaan, Sabbath, and Christ—build upon each other. The land pointed to peace, the Sabbath pointed to trust, and both pointed to Christ, who provides the true, final, and eternal rest our souls were made for.

This is all related to Jesus’s invitation,

Matthew 11:28–29 LSB

28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “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.

In Jesus, rest is:

• Present – through saving faith (Heb. 4:3: “we who have believed enter that rest”)

• Progressive – as we learn to trust Him more

• Future – in heaven, where we will rest from our labors (Rev. 14:13)

Take a look at the key contrast between the wilderness generation.

Hebrews 4:2 LSB

2 For indeed we have had good news proclaimed to us, just as they also; but the word that was heard did not profit those who were not united with faith among those who heard.

They heard the good news just like us. But hearing is not enough. Information must be undergirded with faith.

The danger here is not ignorance, but spiritual indifference.

Application:

• Are you striving for rest in all the wrong places?

• Are you mistaking relaxation for redemption?

• You may know the truth intellectually—but has it been united with faith?

You don’t enter God’s rest by working harder. You enter by believing deeper.

The promise land was a preview, the Sabbath was a shadow and Jesus is the substance.

IV. Don’t Miss what Still Remains: Strive to Enter God’s Rest (vv.6-11)

The writer now makes his point unmistakably clear: the promise of God’s rest remains open, but not everyone will enter it. This is both a sober warning and a gracious invitation. It’s not too late—but it can be, if you fail to respond.

This rest is not just for Israel—not limited to Canaan, nor confined to the Sabbath. The rest still remains for the people of God, and we are told to strive to enter it. That striving isn’t about earning salvation—it’s about faithful perseverance, spiritual alertness, and intentional belief

Hebrews 4:6–7 LSB

6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news proclaimed to them failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 He again determines 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.”

The promise still stands. God is speaking in the present tense. Not just through Moses. Not just through Joshua. But through David—centuries later—and now through the author of Hebrews.

If rest were only about entering the land under Joshua, the invitation wouldn’t still be open. “Today” is a divine word of opportunity—but also urgency.

Hebrews 4:8–9 LSB

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

The “Sabbath rest” is not a day, and not a destination—it’s a divine reality.

• This is God’s rest, first pictured in creation, offered in Canaan, symbolized in the Sabbath, and now fulfilled in Christ

The rest for the believer is:

Peace with God through Christ (Rom 5:1)

Ceasing from works-based righteousness

Full assurance in His finished work

Having His peace

Confidence of salvation

reliance on His strength

Hebrews 4:10 LSB

10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.

This rest is patterned after God’s own rest in creation—resting not because He was tired, but because the work was complete.

In the same way, when we believe the gospel, we rest—not because we’ve done enough—but because Christ has.

Hebrews 4:11 LSB

11 Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall into the same example of disobedience.

• “Be diligent” (Greek: spoudazō) — means to make every effort, to strive earnestly.

• This isn’t a contradiction to grace. It’s the proof of grace.Those who believe the gospel don’t grow passive—they grow in perseverance.

Application:

Have you grown casual in your faith, thinking you’re “good” because you’re around spiritual things?

Have you confused comfort with rest? Are you pursuing peace through work, effort, performance—or are you striving to believe deeper?

This isn’t a call to earn rest. It’s a call to enter it—through obedient, enduring, faith-filled trust in Christ.