Hebrews 3:1 - 4:13 The Preeminent Christ - Finding Rest

Kids going to camp: A week of chaos. A week of fun. Leaders come back needing a Sabbatical.

Someone equated camp like giving birth. Distruption, pain, struggle, and then joy. And its all worth it when its done. When the journey is done, then comes rest.

Life is like that too. Struggles, chaos, unexpected events.

We seek for times or rest, but don’t find it.

My personal testimony. Seeking something that would bring contentment and peace but unable to find it.

And then I found Christ. “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”

In the midst of the mess, I found rest in the Savior.

The writer of Hebrews continues to call out to the readers. In the midst of the struggles, the pressure to turn from Christ, to not live like He is preeminent --- he calls to rest. A rest promised to those who respond to Him by faith.

I. Finding Rest: Found only in Christ

A. A promise        Heb 4:1, 8-9

(ESV) Hebrews 4 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.

1. A longing for rest

2. A promise of rest

3. But many miss it

(ESV) Hebrews 4 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.

4. Not based in works

5. Works

a. Never enough

b. Always insufficient

c. Always misses the mark --- self focused

B. Intentionally sought   Heb 4:11

(ESV) Hebrews 4 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

C. Not through men        Heb 3:5, 16

(ESV) Hebrews 3 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, … 16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses?

1. Experienced Moses’ leadership --- faced down Pharaoh / A man of God

2. Heard about God from Moses  --- proximity to the truth

3. Yet not enough --- A leader is insufficient  ---

a. only a servant ---

b. only one who points to the true one

D. Only in Christ Heb 3:1-3, 6

(ESV) Hebrews 3 1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, … 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—….  6 but Christ is faithfulover God’s house as a son. …

1. Unique

2. Sent One from the Father – true revelation and understanding of the Father

3. High Priest --- true intermediary between God and man

E. By faith Heb 4:2-3

(ESV) Hebrews 4 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, …

1. Saw the miracles

2. Heard the message from God thru Moses

3. Not enough --- not faith

4. But the ones who have not seen but believe --- find rest

II. Finding Rest: Problems preventing rest

A. Rebellion         Heb 3:15-16; 7-11

(ESV) Hebrews 3 15 As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” 16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? …

1. Urgent message ---- Today / Hear Him calling you / If not you will become calloused and easier to not hear

2. End result --- resist / push away / refuse to yield

(ESV) Hebrews 3 7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, … 10 … ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ 11 As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ”

3. Harden

4. In times of trial/test/difficulty

5. Instead of yielding --- go another way

6. Don’t seek to know Him and His way

7. No rest

B. Sin Heb 3:17-18; 4:5-7

(ESV) Hebrews 3 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?

1. Choose to do the wrong thing

2. Ultimate consequences – fell

3. No rest unless you yield

ILL A horse fighting against the bit --hurts - unhappy for everyone / instead yield

(ESV) Hebrews 4 5 … “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.”

4. Received the good news --- truth of rest

5. WILL NOT find rest apart from responding to His voice

6. And the day appointed  to respond ---- Today

7. And some will find rest

C. Unbelief           Heb 3:12-13, 19

(ESV) Hebrews 3 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

1. The underlying issue --- unbelief --- lack of faith

2. Unable to please Him apart from faith

3. Leads to sin / rebellion / falling away from the true/living God

4. Exhort one another to believe

(ESV) Hebrews 3 19 So we see that they were unable to enter (into rest) because of unbelief.

III. Finding Rest: By responding to the Word of God

A. The living Word         Heb 4:12a

(ESV) Hebrews 4 12 For the word of God is living and active, …

1. Hear / read /listen --- more than just words and thoughts

2.

(ESV) 1 Peter 1 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God

(ESV) 1 Thessalonians 2 13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men butas what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

(ESV) Jeremiah 23 29 Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

B. The discerning Word             Heb 4:12b

(ESV) Hebrews 4 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.

1. It pierces like a sword

Close quarters dagger – two edges – slice both ways

Discerns the heart – thoughts / intentions

C. The exposing Word    Heb 4:13

(ESV) Hebrews 4 13 And no creature is hiddenfrom his sight, but all are nakedand exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

1. He sees all

2. The Word of God exposes our heart

D. So seek Him

1. He is at work in you speaking

(ESV) Isaiah 55 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

2. Respond

(ESV) Isaiah 55 6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

HE WILL GIVE REST if we turn to Him