Enter His Rest

Introduction

Well, good morning!

If you have your Bible, and I hope that you do, go ahead and open it up with me to Hebrews chapter 4.

Now, if you weren't with us last week, Kyler finished up chapter 3 for us, and so I just wanna take a minute and remind us where we've been.

Remember, the writer of Hebrews, he’s been showing us over and over again that Jesus is greater. Right?

He's greater than the prophets. He's greater than the angels. And in chapter 3, we saw that He's greater than Moses.

And then the writer began using Israel's history to give us a very serious warning.

He took us back to the wilderness generation.

These were people who had seen God do incredible things. They seen His power. They had seen Him deliver them out of Egypt. They had heard His voice. They experienced His provision.

And yet, when God brought them to the very edge of the Promised Land, they refused to believe Him.

They hardened their hearts. They rebelled against Him. And because of their unbelief, they never entered the rest that God had promised them. And that's where the writer leaves us at the end of chapter 3.

Look at verse 19:

“So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

Now, that brings us right into chapter 4 this morning. Because the writer isn't finished with that warning.

In fact, chapter 4, its gonna take that same story and its gonna press it directly into each of our lives. And listen, we're gonna hear a word that we're gonna see over and over again in this passage.

Rest.

God's rest.

That's really what we're gonna be talking about this morning.

…

Now, I wanna say something right here at the start because this passage, like a few we’ve come to already, it contains some verses that, if we're not careful, they can be misunderstood.

You are gonna hear words like “fear,” and “strive,” and “unbelief.”

Some people have taken passages like this and twisted them into saying, “You better work hard enough, or you might lose your salvation.” But that's not what Hebrews is teaching us. You’re gonna see that towards the middle and the end of the book. That’s why I keep repeating myself. I don’t want you to leave with those misunderstandings. You can’t take one passage, without the context of the book or the message and develop an entire theological framework.

The Bible doesn’t teach us that Christ saves us and then leaves us wondering whether we've done enough to keep ourselves saved. Our salvation doesn't rest on how well we perform. Our salvation rests on Jesus Christ and what He’s already accomplished for us. Through faith alone and grace alone.

And so when Hebrews gives us these warnings, we need to understand them rightly. These warnings aren’t telling God's redeemed people that Christ might lose them. They're warnings against unbelief. They're warnings against presumption. They're warnings that expose a false profession and call us to genuine faith in Christ.

And so listen, for the Christian this morning, that's actually good news. Because if your hope is in Christ, then your confidence isn't in yourself. Your confidence is in Him. And that's exactly where the writer wants to take us in this passage. Because there's a rest that God’s promised His people. And the incredible thing is that God's people, they’re not being called to create that rest. We're being called to enter that rest. We're being called to stop trusting in ourselves and to rest in what God’s already accomplished.

That's why I've titled our message this morning: “Enter His Rest.”

And as we walk through these thirteen verses together, I want us to see three simple things.

First, Hear the Promise.

Second, Trust the Promise.

And third, Rest in the Promise.

Because listen, that's really what this passage is calling us to do. God calls His people to rest in what He’s accomplished rather than depend upon themselves.

And so this morning, I want you to think about that.

Where are you looking for rest? What are you trusting in? Are you trying to find peace in your own goodness? Are you trying to find security in your own performance? Are you trying to carry the weight of your salvation on your own shoulders?

Or listen to me, are you resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ?

Because the rest that God promises us isn't ultimately found in what we can accomplish. It's found in what He’s already accomplished.

…

And so, if you're there with me in Hebrews chapter 4, let's stand together as we read God's Word this morning. Its says this, starting in verse 1:

Hebrews 4:1–13 ESV

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. 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. 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. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.” Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 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.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 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. 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.

Thank you, you can be seated.

[Prayer]

Again our three points this morning…number 1, Hear the Promise…number 2, Trust the Promise…and then finally, number 3…Rest in the Promise.

And so, if you’re there with me…let’s look at this first thing together.

I. Hear the Promise (vv. 1-5)

Again, point number 1…Hear the promise.

Look at verse 1 with me again.

“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.”

You guys see that little that I see? Right there at the very beginning…“Therefore,”…It’s connecting us back to chapter 3, right?

The writer, he’s just taken us back to the wilderness generation. God had promised them rest. He had delivered them from Egypt, He brought them through the wilderness, and listen, He’s brought them right to the edge of the Promised Land. But they refused to believe Him.

And so verse 19 of chapter 3 again, it says:

“So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” And now chapter 4 says, “Therefore…”

In other words, pay attention to what happened to them, because there's a warning here for us. Notice what the writer says:

“The promise of entering his rest still stands.”

I love that.

Israel's unbelief didn't make God's promise disappear. God's promise, it still stands. That's where the writer begins this morning. God, He’s promised rest to His people…even in our own rebellion.

But then the writer says something that sounds a little bit strange: “Let us fear…”

The Greek here, it literally means, “Let us be afraid.”

Now listen, he's not telling Christians to live their lives terrified that Jesus might stop saving them. He's not saying, “You better perform well enough, or you might lose your salvation.” That's not the gospel.

The fear that’s being described here, its a sober fear of unbelief—a fear of hearing God's promise and responding to it in the same way that Israel did.

And that's exactly what verse 2 explains. “For good news came to us just as to them…”

Think about that.

They heard good news. And we've heard good news.

They heard God's promise. We've heard God's promise.

They heard about what God was gonna do. We've heard about what Christ has done.

But then the writer says:

“…but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.”

There's the problem.

They heard, but they didn't believe. And that raises an important question:

Why?

Why can two people sit in the same church, hear the same sermon, hear the same gospel, and yet one believes and another doesn't?

The problem isn't with the gospel. The problem’s with the human heart.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:14 that the natural person doesn’t accept the things of God.

Why?

Because we're sinners by nature. We don't naturally run toward God. We don't naturally love Christ. We don't naturally see the beauty of the gospel.

We need God to do a work in us.

That's why Lydia’s such a beautiful picture in Acts 16.

Paul preached. Lydia heard. But Acts 16:14 says: “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.”

That's the difference.

The gospel’s preached outwardly, but God has to work inwardly.

Jesus said in John 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

Listen, that's why God's sovereign grace is such good news. Salvation doesn't ultimately depend upon us being smart enough, or good enough, or spiritually perceptive enough to find God.

God gives life to dead sinners.

God opens blind eyes.

God gives new hearts.

God brings His people to Christ.

And when He does, they come.

Jesus says in John 6:37: “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

So when Hebrews gives us these warnings, don't twist them into saying that a genuine Christian can lose their salvation.

The warning’s not: “Try harder so that you can keep yourself saved.”

The warning, its: “Don't hear the promise and remain in unbelief.” It’s a litmus test.

There's a difference between hearing the gospel and believing the gospel. You can hear the gospel every Sunday and yet never believe it. You can grow up in church. You can know the songs. You can know the Bible stories. You can know all the right answers. You can serve in your church. And yet still never come to Christ. Because salvation isn't inherited. It's not something you get because your parents are Christians. Or because you attend church or hear enough sermons.

There has to be belief. Faith…And even that faith is God's gracious gift.

Ephesians 2:8 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

And so the question this passage puts in front of us isn't simply, “Have you heard?” The question is: “Have you believed?”

Look at verse 3:

“For we who have believed enter that rest…”

Notice who enters the rest…Those who have believed.

Pay attention here, notice what you aren't being told to do. You're not being told to earn the rest. You're not being told to maintain the rest through your own performance.

You're being told to enter it, right? Because the rest God offers isn't something we accomplish. It's something God’s accomplished. And that's why this passage is so beautiful.

Your hope isn't in your ability to hold onto Christ. Your hope is in Christ.

Your confidence isn't in how perfectly you perform. Your confidence is in the One who’s finished the work.

That’s what God wanted the Israelites to see in the wilderness.

As John Calvin said, “We’re justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.” In other words, genuine faith produces a changed life. But the changed life isn't the foundation of our salvation. Christ is.

And so, church, hear the promise. God's promise of rest, it still stands. The gospel, its still being preached. Christ is still sufficient. And listen, the invitation, its still before us: Come to Christ.

Stop trusting in your goodness.

Stop trusting in your performance.

Stop trusting in yourself.

Trust Christ.

Because the rest God promises isn't found in what you can accomplish. It's found in what He’s already accomplished.

And that's exactly where the writer goes next. Because this rest, that we’re talking about, it’s much greater than the land of Canaan.

Joshua didn't give God's people the final rest. There’s a much greater rest still remaining for the people of God. And that's what he shows us next.

But listen, before we move on, hear the promise: God has promised rest. And if you're in Christ, you can rest—not in yourself, not in your performance, but in the finished work of your Savior.

That’s what verses 4 and 5 explain to us. He wants us to see that God’s paved the way for our eternal rest…and listen, He’s modeled that in the Sabbath rest.

But hear the promise. Heed the warning…How you respond to the gospel today, determines the kind of rest you have eternally tomorrow.

II. Trust the Promise (vv. 6-10)

Point number 2…Trust the promise.

Look at verse 6 with me again.

“Since therefore it remains for some to enter it…”

Listen, the writer, he takes us back to that same idea again.

It remains.

God’s promise of rest, its still standing.

The wilderness generation heard the promise, but they didn’t enter the rest because of unbelief. But that doesn’t mean the promise of God failed. It means they failed to believe the promise. And that's important. God's promises don't fail because people refuse to believe them. God's promises remain true whether you believe them or not.

The question here, its whether you’ll trust those promises. That's why our second point is: Trust the Promise.

Because you can hear the gospel without trusting the gospel, right?

Look at verse 6 again:

“Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience…”

They received the good news. They heard the promise. They knew what God had said…But they didn't enter.

Why?

Because they didn't believe.

Unbelief isn't simply disagreeing with God intellectually. Unbelief is refusing to trust God.

God says, “I’ll provide.” Unbelief says, “I need to provide for myself.”

God says, “I’ll save you.” Unbelief, it says, “I need to save myself.”

God says, “Rest in My provision.” Unbelief says, “I'll make my own way.”

That's what Israel did in their disobedience.

God had delivered them from the hands of Egypt. He parted the Red Sea. He provided manna in the wilderness for ‘em. He led them with the cloud and the fire. But listen to me, when they stood at the edge of the Promised Land, they looked at the giants instead of looking at God.

Unbelief always makes our circumstances bigger while making God smaller. And guys, we all do the same thing.

God says He’ll never leave us or forsake us, but we look at our circumstances and we say, “I don't know how I'm gonna make it through this time.”

God says He works all things together for good, but we look at our situation and we say, “I don't see how any good can come out of this.”

God says Christ, He’s accomplished everything necessary for our salvation, but we look at ourselves and we say, “I don't think I've done enough.”

That's why we have to come back to the promise.

Do you trust God?

Not just do you hear Him. Or do you know what He says. No, do you trust Him?

…

Look at verse 7 with me.

“Again he appoints a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David…”

And then he quotes Psalm 95:

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Notice that word: Today.

Hundreds of years after the wilderness generation, David writes these words. And now hundreds of years after David, the writer of Hebrews is still saying: Today.

Why?

Because God's promise of rest hasn't expired. God’s still calling people to trust Him.

You hear the gospel today.

You’re confronted with Christ today.

You’re called to trust Him today.

Listen, there’s a danger in hearing God's Word over and over again without responding to God's Word.

You can sit under preaching week after week. You can know the Bible. You can have a biblical answer to every question I give you. And yet your heart can remain hard toward God.

That's why the writer says, “Today.” Don't presume upon tomorrow.

And so for the believer here this morning, don't think trusting Christ is something you did once and then you never need to do again.

We live by faith.

We continue trusting Christ.

We continue resting in Christ.

We continue looking to Christ.

Not because Jesus’ work is incomplete. It’s finished. But because genuine faith continues to cling to the One who finished the work.

…

Now look at verse 8 with me again.

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

This is where the writer makes something very clear for us. The rest Israel found in Canaan, it wasn't the ultimate rest. Joshua led them into the Promised Land. God fulfilled His promise. But Joshua didn't give them the final rest.

And how do we know that? Because David came along later and said, “Today.” There's still a promise of rest. There's something greater. Canaan was pointing to something else.

The ultimate problem isn't that we need a piece of land…We need to be reconciled to God. We need rest from trying to earn God's favor. We need rest from trying to justify ourselves. We need rest from the burden and guilt of sin. And listen to me, the gospel, it comes along and it says: Christ has done all that for us.

That's why Jesus says in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Notice what Jesus doesn't say.

He doesn't say, “Come to me and accomplish enough, and I'll give you rest.” No, He says, “Come to me…and I will give you rest.”

That's the promise.

…

Now look at verse 9.

“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God…”

The writer, he’s drawing our minds back to Genesis 2. God created the heavens and the earth, and then when He was done He rested from His work. Not because God was tired. He rested because the work was finished. Creation was complete. There was nothing left for Him to add. That's the picture the writer’s giving us here.

There’s a rest for the people of God because God’s accomplished the work. Our salvation isn't a project we finish. Christ lived the perfect life we could never live. He died the death we deserved. Christ bore the wrath of God. He rose from the grave. And listen, when He finished that work, He sat down.

Hebrews 10:12 says that Christ, “offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”

And why did He sit down? Because the sacrifice was sufficient. The work was finished. That's what makes Christianity different from every system of human religion.

Religion says, “Do.”

Perform.

Achieve.

Work harder.

Try harder.

Maybe you'll be accepted.

But Christianity says, “It’s all been done.”

Christ accomplished what you could never accomplish. And so we don't work for our salvation. We work from our salvation. Amen?

We don't obey Christ in order to make Him love us. We obey Him because He already loves us. We pursue holiness because Christ, He’s accepted us.

And then verse 10 makes it even clearer.

“For whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

Now, that doesn't mean Christians stop working. Ephesians 2:10 says we're created in Christ Jesus for good works.

The writer’s talking about the works we would have to do to earn our standing before God.

When you trust Christ, you stop trying to earn what Christ has already purchased.

You rest.

You trust.

You say, “Christ is enough.”

“I can't save myself.” Christ can.

“I can't make myself righteous.” He’s provided righteousness to me.

“I can't pay for my sin.” He paid for it.

“I can't make myself acceptable to God.” Christ, on His own account, through His own merit, He’s reconciled me to God.

That's rest.

And church, even Christians can fall into the trap of living as though everything still depends upon us. We trust Christ for salvation, and then we spend the rest of our lives trying to prove that we're worthy of Him.

But the gospel keeps bringing us back to the same place: Christ is enough.

Yes, pursue holiness.

Yes, fight sin.

Obey Christ.

Persevere in faith.

But guys, don't confuse those things with earning God's acceptance.

Your obedience is the fruit. Jesus’ work, its the foundation.

And so when Hebrews warns us to be diligent, it isn't telling us to earn our salvation. It's telling us to keep trusting Christ. Don't go back to unbelief. Don't turn away from the One who’s sufficient. Don't abandon Christ for the empty promises of the world.

Trust the promise. Because the promise isn't ultimately about a place. The promise, its about resting in the finished work of Christ.

So hear the promise.

Trust the promise.

And if you’re struggling with that, this passage isn’t saying try harder to believe…its not saying to have more faith. Again it’s a litmus test.

If you’re struggling to trust Christ with His promise, the question Hebrews puts in front of us is this…then who are you? Because Jesus says in John 10:27: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

If you’ve been given a new heart…if you have genuine faith…you know your Shepherd’s voice and you trust Him.

Does your life right now…does it reflect that kind of trust?

…

III. Rest in the Promise (vv. 11-13)

Point number 3…Rest in the promise. God wants us to enter into that promised rest.

Look at verse 11 with me again.

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest…”

And so, we've just spent the last several verses talking about resting from our works, right? And now the writer says, “Strive to enter that rest.” It’s a little strange, right?

And so which is it?

Are we supposed to rest? Or are we supposed to strive?

The answer’s both—but not in the way you might think.

The writer’s not telling us to work hard enough to earn our salvation. He's not saying, “Jesus did most the work, but you'd better finish the job.” No. The whole argument of Hebrews is pointing us toward the sufficiency of Christ.

And so what’s he mean when he says, “strive to enter that rest”? He's talking about earnest perseverance in faith.

Strive to keep believing.

Strive to keep trusting Christ.

Strive against unbelief.

Strive against the temptation to turn away.

Strive against the temptation to put your confidence in yourself instead of Christ.

In other words, don't be casual about your faith. Don't treat the gospel like it's something you've heard so many times that you no longer need to pay attention to. Take it seriously. Because the opposite of striving here isn't resting. The opposite is drifting. And Hebrews has already warned us about that.

Back in chapter 2, verse 1:

“We must pay much closer attention to what we’ve heard, lest we drift away from it.”

That's the danger.

Not that Christ suddenly stops being sufficient. Not that Christ loses one of His sheep. But that someone who’s professed Christ demonstrates by their continued unbelief that their profession was never genuine.

And that's why these warnings matter.

God uses warnings to preserve His people.

When God says, “Don't go back,” His people hear His voice and say, “Lord, keep me faithful.”

When He says, “Don't harden your heart,” the believer says, “Lord, soften my heart.”

When He says, “Don't drift,” the believer says, “Lord, keep my eyes on Christ.”

And so when the writer says, “Strive to enter that rest,” he's not saying, “Work harder so that God might accept you.” He's saying, “Don't stop trusting the One who’s accepted you.”

And then notice why.

“…so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

The writer takes us right back to Israel.

They heard. They saw God's faithfulness. They experienced God's provision. But they refused to believe. And listen, their unbelief, it showed itself in disobedience.

That's always how unbelief works. What you believe eventually determines how you live.

If you believe God’s faithful, you'll trust Him.

If you believe God’s good, you'll obey Him.

If you believe Christ is sufficient, you'll rest in Him.

But listen to me, if you believe that you know better than God, eventually your life, it’ll reflect that belief.

That's why we shouldn't separate faith from obedience.

Obedience doesn't earn salvation. But obedience is the fruit of genuine faith.

A Christian doesn't say, “I obey so that God’ll accept me.” A Christian says, “God’s accepted me in Christ, therefore I wanna obey Him.”

That's a completely different motivation.

…

Now look at verse 12. This is one of those verses that almost everybody in the church knows.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…”

And so why does the writer bring up the Word of God here? Because God's Word exposes what's really going on in our hearts.

Remember, he's warning people about unbelief, right? And God's Word doesn't just tell us what we wanna hear.

It cuts.

It exposes.

It reveals.

You can fool me. You can fool your spouse. You can fool your friends. You can fool the people sitting around you in this room. But you can’t fool God. And listen, you can’t hide from His Word.

The Bible doesn't simply tell us what we should do. It shows us who we really are.

That's why sometimes you'll sit in a sermon and all of a sudden you’ll think, “Pastor must’ve talked to somebody.”

No.

Sometimes that's just the Word of God doing its work. God's Word, it has a way of getting past all the excuses. It gets past the appearance. And past the religious language. It gets past the outward behavior. And listen it gets straight down into the heart.

That's why we preach the Word.

That's why we study the Word.

That's why we need the Word.

Because we don't need a message that simply makes us feel better.

We need the truth.

We need God's Word to show us where we're wrong.

We need God's Word to expose our sin.

We need God's Word to point us back to Christ.

And notice the language:

“Living and active.”

The Bible isn't a dead book. It isn’t just some ancient wisdom. When we open Scripture, God speaks to us through His Word.

It’s living.

It’s active.

It does something.

It convicts.

It corrects.

It encourages.

It exposes.

It transforms.

And sometimes it hurts. But sometimes the thing that hurts is the very thing that heals.

And then look at the end of verse 12.

“…discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

And so its not just our actions. Its our hearts. God knows why you did what you did.

You can do all the right things for the wrong reason. You can give generously and want everyone else to notice. You can serve in the church and secretly crave recognition. You can pray publicly and yet be far away from God privately. You can look faithful on the outside while your heart is drifting on the inside. And God's Word exposes all that stuff.

That's why this passage isn't talking about entering God's rest someday. It's asking us: Are you trusting Christ today?

Where’s your heart?

What are you depending upon?

Are you resting in Christ?

Or listen to me, are you still trying to prove yourself?

Are you trusting God's promises?

Are you fighting unbelief?

The Word of God cuts through all of it.

And then verse 13 brings it home.

“And no creature is hidden from his sight…”

No creature.

That means you.

Nothing’s hidden from God. We can hide things from other people. We can hide sin. We can hide motives. We can hide doubt. We can hide bitterness. We can hide unbelief.

But guys, we can’t hide anything from God.

“…but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

That's sobering.

One day every person will stand before Him.

There’ll be no excuses. No pretending. No hiding. No blaming someone else.

God sees everything.

And if your hope is in yourself, that's a terrifying place to be. Because if I'm standing before God based on my own performance, I don't have a chance.

I've sinned.

I've failed.

I've fallen short.

But if my hope is in Christ, then this same truth becomes the reason I can rest. Because my salvation isn't based upon what God finds in me. It's based upon what God’s accomplished for me in His Son, Jesus.

That's the gospel.

God knows everything about you.

He knows the sin you don't want anybody else to know. He knows the thoughts you've never spoken. He knows the motives behind your actions.

And yet, for everyone of us who’ve trusted Christ, there is no condemnation.

…

Why?

Because Christ has already borne the judgment for your sin.

Christ is enough.

And so the writer says: Strive.

Not to earn. But to persevere.

Believe.

Trust.

Don't drift.

Don't harden your heart.

Keep your eyes on Christ.

And when God's Word exposes your sin, don't run from it. Run to Christ. Because the goal isn't to make you despair. The goal is to bring you to the only place where you can truly rest.

Christ.

That's where this entire passage takes us.

We hear the promise.

We trust the promise.

And then we rest in that promise.

And as a believer, that’s the good news:

Your rest isn't found in how well you performed this week.

Your rest isn't found in whether you had a perfect quiet time.

Your rest isn't found in whether you prayed enough or whether you were good enough.

Your rest, its found in Christ alone.

And so stop trying so hard to earn what He’s already purchased. Stop trying to carry what He’s already carried. Stop trying to accomplish what He’s already accomplished.

Rest in Christ.

Because the promise of God is still standing. And the promise is this: Christ is enough.

Closing

Would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?

Listen, maybe you're here this morning, and as we've walked through this passage, God's Word, its exposed something in your heart.

Maybe you've realized that you've been hearing the promise, but you've never really trusted the promise.

Listen, I wanna talk to you for just a moment. The Bible gives us bad news, it gives us some even worse news, some good news…but it also gives the best news of all.

The bad news is that you're a sinner. And I'm not saying that to insult you. I'm saying it because God's Word says it. You've sinned against a holy God.

Every one of us has.

We've lied.

We've lusted.

We've hated.

We've been selfish.

We've been proud.

We've broken God's commandments.

And Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

That's the bad news.

But here's the worse news.

You can't fix it.

You can't work hard enough to undo your sin.

You can't be good enough to make yourself righteous.

You can't go to church enough.

You can't give enough money.

You can't get baptized enough.

You can't clean yourself up enough.

You can't earn God's forgiveness.

Hebrews 4:13, it says that you're gonna stand before God, and nothing about you, nothing at all will be hidden from Him.

That's terrifying if you're trusting in yourself.

But here's the good news.

God sent His Son.

Jesus Christ came into this world and lived the perfect life you could never live. He died the death you deserved. He bore the wrath of God in the place of sinners. And listen to me, He rose again from the grave.

He accomplished what you could never accomplish.

Christ did it. That's the good news.

But here's the even better news…the best news.

You can have Him.

You don't have to clean yourself up first.

You don't have to become good enough first.

You don't have to fix everything first.

Jesus says, “Come to me… and I will give you rest.”

That's the promise.

And if you're here this morning and you've never trusted Christ, stop trying to save yourself. Stop trying to earn what you could never earn.

Come to Christ.

Repent of your sin.

Believe in Jesus.

Trust in His finished work.

And you’ll find the rest your soul’s desperately been looking for.

…

And dear Christian, let me just say this to you.

Maybe you've been carrying something that you were never meant to carry.

Maybe you've been living like everything depends on you.

Maybe you're exhausted from trying to be good enough.

Or you've forgotten that your standing before God isn't based upon how well you performed this week.

Your rest isn't found in your performance or your circumstances. It’s not found in your ability to hold everything together.

Your rest is found in Christ.

And so strive to keep believing. Strive to keep trusting. Fight unbelief. Fight sin. Keep your eyes on Jesus. And when God's Word exposes your heart, don't run from Him. Run to Him. Because Christ is enough.

As I just told the unbeliever, He’s done what you could never do. He’s accomplished what you could never accomplish. Don’t forget that.

And so this morning, hear the promise.

Trust the promise.

And then—rest in the promise.

…

The praise team’s gonna play for us…we’ll have some pastors up front…I’ll be in the back…This is your time…Respond to the Word of God!

Amen?

You take this time.

[Prayer]