Striving For Rest

Welcome

Memory Verse (May Focus): Proverbs 3:5-8 “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” Let this verse remind you to trust God’s Word and strive for His rest.

Announcements:

Prayer on Tuesday night @ 7p

†CALL TO WORSHIP based on Psalm 130:5-7

Pastor Austin Prince

Minister: I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.

Congregation: My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.

Minister: People of God, hope in the Lord! There is no darkness in him.

Congregation: There is no darkness with you, O Lord. For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plenteous redemption.

Minister: Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Congregation: Let us worship God!

†PRAYER OF ADORATION AND INVOCATION

O Lord our God, who art worthy to be praised and to be had in reverence of all those who are before you; Grant unto us, as we come to you in worship, the gift of thy Holy Spirit, that being cleansed and sanctified we may serve you with gladness, and find our joy in worshipping thy glory.

†OPENING HYMN OF PRAISE #241

“O God Beyond All Praising”

†CONFESSION OF SIN AND ASSURANCE OF PARDON

based on Psalm 30

Minister: To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!

TIME OF SILENT CONFESSION

PASTORAL PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Almighty God and heavenly Father, we poor, miserable sinners confess that from our childhood until this very hour we have sinned against your commandments by evil thoughts, words, will, and works, which we cannot count, and first of all by vast unbelief. Therefore, we are not worthy to be called your children, nor lift our eyes up to heaven. O God and Father, we wish that we had never provoked you to anger.

In your mercy and for the sake of your glory, we ask you to receive us into your grace by the forgiveness of our sins.

Amen. — John Oecolampadius

Minister: You have heard the prayers of your people. In Christ our sins are forgiven.

Congregation: You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

CONTINUAL READING OF SCRIPTURE Numbers 14:5-19

Steven Hoffer, Elder

THE OFFERING OF TITHES AND OUR GIFTS

CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

†HYMN OF PREPARATION #243

“How Firm a Foundation”

SERMON Hebrews 4:1-13 // Striving for Rest

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

Teach us thy ways, O Lord; we will walk in thy truth. Unite our hearts to fear thy name. Amen.

TEXT

Hebrews 4:1–13 ESV

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.

AFTER SCRIPTURE

The ordinances of the Lord are sure, and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold.

Introduction

When we think about rest, we often think about it as a passive experience -- laying down, sitting poolside, reading a book, taking a nap, etc. But there are also times when you are aiming for rest, when rest is your ambition, but you have to work to get to it. When you, as I tell my children at times, that you have to go get some rest.

Think of it this way: There is a pristine lake at the top of a mountain. You know that it is up there, tucked behind the peaks. The lake is crystal blue, still, and looks down upon a valley of gold and green. But to get there, to see it, you have to hike. You have to take up your gear, tread the narrow path, cross over boulders, and strain before you can see it.

That's the way that this passage is speaking about rest. It's not just the passive experience of rest, but the active pursuit of it. Striving for rest may seem like a bit of a paradox, but it is a continuation of Hebrews preaching on endurance and perseverance.

We often speak about resting in Christ, and primarily we do mean it in the Pauline way of resting from our works righteousness to rest in Christ's finished work. That is how the Bible speaks about rest in many cases, but here it is a look at the active pursuit of rest, one that every believer is called to as they live a faithful life.

“This striving isn’t about earning God’s love—Christ has already done that. It’s about trusting and obeying His Word.”

As Hebrews has reminded us over and over again, it's about keeping your eyes on Christ, seeing Him for who He really is, measuring Him up against any other hope or marvel, and finding Him supreme.

Today, we’ll see that God’s rest is a promise we must actively pursue through faith, lest we miss it like the Israelites did.

I. The Promise of Rest Still Stands (Hebrews 4:1-3)

The writer of Hebrews begins with a sobering reminder: “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” (v. 1).

God’s promise of rest is not a distant hope—it’s available to you now. But the warning is clear: we can miss it.

The Israelites in the wilderness heard the good news of a promised land, but it didn’t benefit them. They never made it. Why? (v.2) Because “they were not united by faith with those who listened” (v. 2).

They had the opportunity to enter God’s rest, but they made a willful choice to turn away. Their lack of faith led to disobedience, and God declared, “They shall not enter my rest” (v. 3).

They could have entered -- it had nothing to do with ability, but they chose not to. Their hearts turned away. This is the warning.

Not entering this rest means failing to persevere. So, the question for us is: Are we uniting the good news we hear with faith? The promise still stands, but it will not do just to hear Christ or see Christ, we must respond to Christ. We must trust Christ. We must believe Christ.

(This is the summary statement, let’s see what the author means by this rest and how we do this)

II. Another Rest Awaits (Hebrews 4:8-10)

The writer goes on to clarify that this rest isn’t the same as the rest the Israelites sought under Moses, Joshua, or even David.

v.8, “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on” (v. 8).

The idea is this: the rest of the Promised Land was for a specific people, and they eventually entered it, but it was still just a shadow of something greater—a Sabbath rest. David, who was in that promised land, is the one who is calling for rest in Psalm 95. The rest has always been about God.

We are told that this rest mirrors God’s own rest on the seventh day, when He paused to delight in His completed creation (v. 4).

Here's an interesting thought about active and passive rest. When the text here is making a comparison for our rest, it compares it to God resting on the seventh day.

But was God resting from His works righteousness? Was God self-righteous but on the seventh day He was humble? No, that doesn't work.

What about fatigue? Was God resting because He was so tired from creating that He had to stop and take a breather? No, God isn't limited like a man is in strength or endurance.

What are we told about God's rest on the sabbath? We are told that God enjoys and delights in His finished work—He saw that it was good. It's not a passive resting but an active one of appreciation and acknowledgment.

And that's the type of active rest that we are called to from this text. An active looking at what God has done, what He is doing, and what He will do, and holding onto it in faith, which in practice looks like obedience.

This is really helpful for me in my understanding of the sabbath day, what we are doing today. There is an active element that gives so much rest. We read the scriptures, we sing God's praises, we pray, and we take of the supper. Why? Because we also need to actively look around and be reminded at how good God's work is. We have to stop and look up to see that all has been made right.

The sabbath isn’t a checkin out, it is an engagement of worship and sight.

We have to look up beyond our fears and doubts and fatigue and frustration and guilt and shame and weariness, and see what is the truth about what God has done on our behalf. The sad thing is, it's a fight to do that. It's a striving to rest in that way -- an active attempt at rest.

And that's a rhythm that we must keep util that rest comes in full. A striving to enter that rest. A now and the not yet is what theologians frequently call this dynamic.

So, that is what we are called to do -- to enter that rest, ant that rest is to acknowledge and admire the finished word of Christ, but the text calls us to two actions as we obey that call.

III. Therefore, Fear and Strive (Hebrews 4:1, 11-13)

Because this rest can be neglected, the writer urges us to fear and strive. Verse 1 calls us to “fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.”

This isn’t a paralyzing fear -- it's not manipulation that is to keep you without security so that you keep on working to earn God’s love. It's not that at all.

But it is a holy caution—a recognition that we can forfeit this rest through unbelief or disobedience. It's a warning that the heart can grow hard and cold.

Why would you forfeit all the benefits of Christ? Why would you walk away?

Sin makes us blind.

Maybe you’ve experienced that yourself or heard someone talk about how when they were in the clutches of their deception they couldn’t see Christ — they couldn’t see their blatant hypocrisy and sin.

Sin does that.

If you are in an affair, or are sustaining lies, or indulging in secret sins, or bound by lust, or arrogant in you pride, you may desperately need to heed the warning of this text, but you might not even be able to hear it.

As one pastor said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” ― R Zaccharias

Wow, that really says it well, and the statement is true, but the pastor who is famous for this quote was found to have been living unfaithfully to his wife for years and was disgraced as he ended his ministry, after he quoted these words.

One call from this text is to fear.

It's a fear of ourselves. As the hymn says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love."

Verse 11 doubles down with the second call: “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

Striving for rest sounds like a paradox, but it’s the heart of the Christian life. We strive against our wandering hearts, we fight the fight of faith. We abide in the vine. We hold onto Christ. We keep an active position of looking to Him.

Encouragement: Will God help? Yes, the next 4 chapters are about how Christ is the faithful high priest who intercedes for us. But how? How do we strive?

IV. How? Application: Give Yourself to the Word

So, how do we strive for this rest?

Look at where the text takes us next: We strive by submission to God’s Word, which is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (v. 12).

This imagery is likely that of the short Roman double-edged swords. They were really lethal, very good at cutting through organs and limbs to get the job done.

And its God's word that does that —it pierces to the core of who we are. It divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and discerns the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Nothing is hidden from God’s sight; we are “naked and exposed” before Him (v. 13).

Did you catch that? The text says that the word pierces us, but that we are naked before Him. When the word speaks, God speaks. When the word pierces us, it is Christ piercing us.

When we read Scripture, it is scripture that is reading us. It gets inside behind all of the exterior pageantry that pretends to be ok. It knows the secrets of the heart. It knows the false beliefs that are trusted to be true, and the word convicts us of sin, the word reveals to us our need, and it's the word that points us to Christ.

It's the word that takes the glitter out of the poison apple of unbelief and complaint against God. It's the word that brings clarity to the mind and breaks the spell of sin.

It’s the Word that wakes us up, convicts us, and sets us free.

The word brings clarity. For some, it will bring conviction and they will repent and trust in Christ for rescue. For others, the word sees us naked, and will bring condemnation.

“Take a moment: Are you actively trusting God’s Word today, or just hearing it?”

But if you are hearing this sermon, remember v.1: while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it” (v. 1).

Don't just hear God's word. Give yourself over to it. Obey it. Walk in it. Although it is described as a sword that pierces, it's in the hands of a surgeon who isn't cutting you to destroy but to heal.

Watch yourself if you are neglecting time in the word. Watch yourself if you are just going through the motions of a reading plan. It may be that you can only get to a few verses a day, but trust them, obey them, actively seek that rest as they tell you the truth.

Application: Don’t just read the Bible—let it read you.

God’s word is a searchlight seeking you out. It is a spotlight revealing your true self, and God’s word is a lamplight for your path.

This is what striving for that rest looks like. If we are to strive to see, God’s word is where we see ourselves and where we see God.

If you’re anxious, let Psalm 23 remind you of God’s care. If anger consumes you, let James 1:19 guide you to patience. If you feel far from God, read John 15 and pray to abide in Christ. Even a few verses a day, trusted and obeyed, will lead you to rest. If you’ve never trusted Christ, hear His promise today: “Come to me, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Turn to Him now.

Pause for Reflection: Take a moment: What’s keeping you from God’s rest today? Ask God to help you trust His Word.

Lean not on your own understanding, but in all of your ways acknowledge Him.

Scripture is not the basis of our salvation, that’s Christ, but it is the basis of our knowledge. And there is no alternative than to give yourself over to the word.

V. When? Today, Not Tomorrow (Hebrews 4:7)

The urgency of this passage is captured in one word: “Today.” Quoting Psalm 95, the writer says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (v. 7). This isn’t just David’s voice—v.7 says that it is God’s voice, speaking through David in Scripture. The Psalms aren’t just sentimental poetry; they’re doctrine, calling us to action.

God appoints “today” as the day to respond. Not tomorrow, not next week, but now. The parable of the sower reminds us that the one who bears fruit is the one who hears God’s Word and responds with faith (Mark 4:20). Those who stop hearing, who harden their hearts, miss the rest God offers. So, today, let’s embrace what God’s Word exposes and combine that with faith.

Application:

For those who may not be walking with Christ, the call to faithfulness today and the promise that the rest still stands for you is a mercy and a grace right now, in this moment. Something is happening right now to you, an offer to come and rest in Christ. Do not harden your heart, do not reject it. It will not be that availability was closed to you, it will be whether you chose or not.

For those who are walking with Christ, this is a call to perseverance. And that perseverance necessitates the ministry of the word. If we do not see what we are striving towards, if we do not see the truth amongst the lies, if we do not see the finished work of Christ , and all we see are our sins and our guilt, and our struggles and our circumstances, then our hearts may grow cold, and we will grow discouraged, even better. The word keeps us and gives us sight of our savior. It is a joy to actively see him and rest in him, as God looked on his finished work with great delight.

The charge is this: the promise of rest still stands for you, strive to enter that rest. Read this word and let it read you but respond to its piercing with belief and trust and obedience.

Conclusion

Today, not tomorrow, is the day to strive for God’s rest. This isn’t a passive rest but the active looking to Christ, persevering, and surrendering to God’s piercing Word. Fear the deception that hardens your heart. Embrace what God’s Word exposes, and combine it with faith. Like the good soil in the parable of the sower, keep hearing, keep believing, and keep striving.

And how can we enter this rest when others don’t? By keeping our eyes on Christ! He is the Word who pierces us, the Savior who accomplished our rest, and the one who says, “Well done, good and faithful servant—enter the joy of your master.” So, today, let’s strive to enter His rest, trusting in the One who has already secured it for us.

†PSALM OF RESPONSE #119E

“Teach Me, O Lord, Your Way of Truth”

THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

Minister: Lift up your hearts!

Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.

Minister: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

Congregation: It is right for us to give thanks and praise!

CONFESSION OF FAITH

The Apostles’ Creed p. 851

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE

This table is for those who belong to Christ through repentance, faith, baptism, and continuing union with his Church. You who do truly and earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbors, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God and walking in his holy ways: draw near with faith, and take this holy sacrament to your comfort; and make your humble confession to almighty God.

PRAYER

Minister: Let’s pray together.

Congregation: We do not presume to come to this thy holy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table: but you are the Lord, who is always able to have mercy.

Grant us therefore, by thy grace, so to eat the flesh of thy dear son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his most sacred Body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS

SHARING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

“Eat and drink.”

THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

†OUR RESPONSE #234

Tune: The God of Abraham Praise

The whole triumphant host gives thanks to God on high;

“Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!” they ever cry.

Hail, Abraham’s God and mine! I join the heav’nly lays;

all might and majesty are thine, and endless praise.

†BENEDICTION: GOD’S BLESSING FOR HIS PEOPLE

The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever more. Amen.

Grace Notes Reflection

Here is the text with grammatical corrections, preserving the author's voice and style:

Hebrews 4 continues with the theme of perseverance and endurance, calling for us to strive to enter into God’s rest. The striving is not to be confused with working to earn God’s love or forgiveness—that’s not what is meant by striving here. This is a striving for sight, an active pursuit to see ourselves rightly and to see God rightly. As we all know, we are “prone to wander.” If we are not actively pursuing rest, then fatigue, fear, complaint, and hardness can overtake us, like those in the wilderness who could no longer see God’s grace and goodness though He had worked miracles before their eyes. The truth is, God is working miracles and flooding you with grace all the time throughout your life, but we still find ways not to notice, ways to be irritated and feel slighted by God. This text calls for us to fear, lest we harden our hearts. We are to be aware of this dynamic within us. Sin blinds us to the glory and grace of God—a spell cast over our eyes that curses our lives and damns us to hell. We’ve been eating chocolate-covered razor blades all our lives, and we know that we can be duped by the offer of them again, as foolish as it seems.

Again, this text calls for us to listen to God’s voice “today” and respond, uniting what we hear from God with belief and action—obedience. But how are we to strive to see? What aids us amid the confusion? What are the smelling salts that shock the system and wake us up to our need and to our Savior? This text takes us to the ministry of the word. Like a sword, it pierces between bone and marrow, getting inside the intentions of the heart, leaving us naked and telling us the truth. But it is the truth that sets us free. It is the truth that ruthlessly shows us how we are dead in our trespasses and sins, but it is also the truth that shows us our Savior and His amazing grace.

This week, what will striving for that rest look like? How will you see yourself and see God rightly? If you aren’t already, commit to taking up God’s word and reading it. Find a reading plan (here), or take up the text of an upcoming sermon and read. But that is only part of what the striving looks like. We must not only be hearers of the word, but doers of the word. As you read, go slowly and reflect upon what the word is calling you to believe, to repent of, or to do. In other words, obey the word. As George MacDonald famously put it, “obedience is the great opener of eyes.” Striving is tough, but it is like the parable of the man who was shoveling dirt until he struck treasure—treasure that he sold everything to acquire. Lean into the reading of God’s word, the discipline of it, the slowness of it, the exposure of it, and obey—it will set you free, hold you to the vine, and light your path.

**Corrections Made:**

1. Changed “meant my striving” to “meant **by** striving” for correct preposition usage.

2. Changed “see yourself rightly” to “see **ourselves** rightly” for consistency with plural “us” in context.

3. Added a period after “prone to wander” to correct the missing punctuation.

4. Changed “complaint” to “**complaint**” for consistency in the list (no change needed, but noted for clarity).

5. Changed “all of the time for all of your life” to “all **the time throughout your life**” for smoother phrasing and grammatical clarity.

6. Changed “aware about” to “**aware of**” for correct preposition usage.

7. Changed “chocolate covered” to “**chocolate-covered**” for proper hyphenation in a compound adjective.

8. Changed “all of our lives” to “all **our lives**” for conciseness (no grammatical error, but improved flow).

9. Changed “among the confusion” to “**amid** the confusion” for precise preposition usage.

10. Changed “how much we are dead” to “how **we are dead**” for grammatical clarity and conciseness.

11. Capitalized “**Savior**” for consistency with standard capitalization of divine titles.

12. Changed “text in upcoming sermon” to “text **of an** upcoming sermon” for grammatical correctness and clarity.

13. Changed “opener of eye” to “opener of **eyes**” to correct the plural form in the quote.