Jesus Is Better - 5

Jesus Is Better - 5

Introduction

George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Any student of history knows this to be true. Human history littered with examples of those who failed to learn from past examples. One of the most famous examples of this phenomenon revolves around two of the most infamous men in history.

In June 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to invade Moscow. He sent 600,000 men into Russia, only to be greeted by Typhus-carrying lice, who began to take a toll on his forces. Despite all that, a weakened French army reached Moscow on Sept. 14, declaring victory in the largely vacated city. It was the return trip, however, that did Napoleon’s men in. [PIC] On the way back to France, temperatures plummeted to -22 degrees Fahrenheit, freezing the beleaguered soldiers' lips together and killing thousands of horses. As few as 10,000 men ultimately made it back home.

Fast-forward to 1941 as Hitler's army began its own June invasion of Russia, Operation Barbarossa. Believing victory would take only a few months — and despite owning several books about Napoleon — the Nazi leader sent his troops across Europe and into battle. [PIC] Once again, the foreign force was ill-prepared for the brutal Russian winter. Plummeting temperatures and a lack of warm coats and hats took a toll on Germany’s forces, and many men returned home without ears, noses, fingers and even eyelids.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In a sense that’s the lesson Hebrews is going to teach us. As we move from chapter 3 and into chapter 4, the writer of Hebrews teaches us a lesson from the past so that we might have a better future. In order to learn that lesson, we need to go back to the Old Testament book of Numbers to see what happened after the nation of Israel fled Egypt.

Back in the Old Testament the Israelites spent nearly 400 years as slaves for Pharaoh. They cried out to God for deliverance, and God sent Moses to confront Pharaoh. When Pharaoh wouldn’t listen, God unleashed a series of 10 plagues on Egypt. Pharaoh finally had enough and sent Moses and the Israelites on their way. When Pharaoh pursued them, God opened up the Red Sea and let Israel pass on dry ground.

The Israelites have seen some pretty miraculous things. Know what their God is capable of. Then, the time comes for them to actually go and get the Promised Land. So, Moses sends 12 spies out to see the land.  He wants to know how wonderful this land is. It’s good/bad news:

- “This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.’”

They started with good news, right? The Promised Land lives up to the promise. It is bountiful. It is flowing with milk and honey! This is everything God promised it would be! The good news is really good! But, the bad news is really bad! There are giants in the land. There are these huge people and we just can’t beat them.

As you might imagine, God is not pleased with all this. He has proven Himself faithful. He has done great wonders for them already. The fact that they won’t listen now – the fact that they trust the land of slavery more than they trust the God of their freedom – is unacceptable.

- “Then the Lord said, ‘I will pardon them as you have requested. But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it.’”

God decrees that the Israelites who refused to believe will never make it to the Promised Land. That means all Israelites 20 and older will die in the desert. Can you even imagine? These people saw the 10 plagues. They saw the parting of the Red Sea! And yet, they still didn’t trust that God would do what He had promised to do. Years later, Psalmist reflects on this time period. Asks the people of Israel to learn from this mistake. 

- “If only you would listen to his voice today! The Lord says, ‘Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

This now brings us to Hebrews. It will now look back to these Israelites and caution us: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Don’t do what they did! They wouldn’t listen. They wouldn’t obey. If we fail to learn from the past, we can forfeit our future.

- “As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

The Israelites failed to enter the Promised Land – they failed to enter this place of rest – because they would not believe: “…they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” What caused them to fall into unbelief? I see a couple reasons:

LONGING FOR THEIR OLD LIFE

In one of the weirdest twists in Israel’s history, they wanted to go back to the land of their slavery:

- “‘Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to one another, ‘Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’”

This is insane. Egypt was the land of slavery. The Egyptians beat them, and they want to go back. They are so afraid to take what is in front of them that they start to long for what’s behind them! Want to go back to how things used to be. We talk here about being people who are defined and driven by Hope.  This is the opposite of that. Hope postures forward...this is people living in and longing for the past.

2. LEANING ON THEIR OWN POWER

They trusted not in what God could do, but in what they could do.

- “Then the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.’”

It’s like the Israelites suddenly forgot that God was on their side! It doesn’t matter that these people are stronger than you. They aren’t stronger than God! What makes the Israelites’ unbelief so appalling is that they had seen God’s power. They should have known better.

Now, all this is really interesting given who this letter was intended for. Week one of this series, we said that Hebrews was written for Hebrew Christians. Jews who had accepted Christ, but now were tempted to give Him up. Author of Hebrews is telling them over and over again that Jesus is Better. Don’t go back.

What would cause someone to abandon Christ? What might cause them to want to go back to Judaism? Exact same things that made the Israelites want to go back to Egypt. There was this same longing for their old life. Christianity had brought all kinds of trouble to these Jewish believers. They were being persecuted. So, they look back on the life they used to have. 

There was this same temptation to lean on their own power. We love the concept of grace, don’t we? Want to know what we love more? The concept of law. You see, if I believe in Law, I can trust in myself. I can follow all the commands. Grace puts me at the mercy of someone else, namely God. If I rely on Law, I think I can make it. If I trust in grace, I have to admit I can’t do it on my own. We really want and need grace, but there’s a part of us that’s attracted to law. We want to be able to control the terms. Grace is outside our control.

So, you have these Hebrew believers who were looking back at this old life with rose-colored glasses. They were thinking of walking away from Jesus to get back to what they had. That’s why there’s this constant reminder that Jesus is Better. Listen to Him. Obey Him. Enter into His rest.

TS - So, what does all of this have to do with us? Spent a lot of time looking back at the Israelites and how they screwed it up, and the first century believers were being tempted to turn their backs on Jesus. What about us?

- “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.”

The promise of rest is still out there. Didn’t die with the Israelites out in the desert. There’s a promise of rest for us. So, what’s this rest? Multiple times in the NT, the Gospel is characterized as rest. One of the most famous spoken by Jesus Himself:

- “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Gospel promises rest. Jesus promises rest. He said this was what He was offering to the world. What does that even mean? This is what the rest of is about.

- “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.”

This is an incredibly difficult passage. We’ll probably say that a few more times in Hebrews. There is a tension here that we don’t often think about...between work and rest. The promise of the Gospel is a promise of rest. You don’t have to strive anymore. It’s the promise of grace, that God is giving you something you don’t deserve, something you could never earn. 

This is at the heart of what the Greek word ‘rest’ means. Not about laziness. It’s about finding rest from trying to do it on your own. To “rest” meant having freedom from worry. Your brain could rest from anxiety because it didn’t have anything to worry about. To “rest” meant to have a feeling of security. Not working to try and protect yourself. Feeling secure in where you were. To “rest” meant to have confidence in something. There’s a sense of rest that comes when you know something promised will happen.

That’s the sense of rest that the Gospel brings. We don’t have to worry or be anxious because Jesus has paid our debt. We can have security because Jesus has made us members of God’s household, adopted into his family. We can rest because we have confidence in Him. 

But, there’s another thread going on here. This idea that we are supposed to rest in Christ, but that we need to strive for that rest. Listen again to some of these phrases:

: “…while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.”

: “…those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience.”

: “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest…”

Do those strike you as odd? They should. We should fear not entering his rest? You can fail to enter the rest because of disobedience? We must strive to enter the rest? You have to work in order to gain rest?

TS - Let me tell you what I think is going on here. Because it speaks to the two issues the Hebrew believers were dealing with. Remember, they were longing for their old life and they were leaning on their own power. This tension between work and rest speaks to both of these issues. Let’s start by talking about rest.

REST REMINDS US THAT OUR WAYS DON’T WORK

We rest because we don’t trust in our own effort. We can’t hope that our good deeds will save us. Think about those Hebrew Christians for a minute. They were wanting to go back to the Law. They wanted to get back to this system where they felt like they were in control. Could make their own way.

But here’s the thing: The Gospel reminds us that’s not possible. The Gospel reminds us that was never possible. Couldn’t save ourselves by the Law. Couldn’t do enough good deeds to earn our way to God. The Gospel reminds us not to buy the lie that our work is going to be enough.

While it might be hard to rely on grace, it’s liberating. I can’t do this, and God knows that. So, God made a way for me. Jesus did the work so that I could rest in Him. That rest doesn’t make me lazy. In fact, the rest from the Gospel frees me up to do the work God wants me to do. Frees me up to be who God wants me to be. Frees me up to do what God wants me to do. Gospel tells me that I’m not saved by my work. But, God has saved me to work.

- “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Notice that we weren’t created because of our good works. We were created for good works. 

- “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’”

I love this verse and here’s why. Our deeds follow us. They don’t go before us and open up the way. They come behind us. Our work doesn’t earn us our rest. 

Knowing that we are saved by grace doesn’t make us lazy. But, it reframes why we work. I can work without fear that it won’t be enough. I obey, but I can rest because I know that even when I don’t obey, His grace is enough. I trust, but I can rest even when I doubt because faith of a mustard seed is enough.

2. WORK REMINDS US THAT GOD’S WAYS BRING REST

Israelites in the desert were looking back to their slavery. They were idolizing what they had in Egypt. Almost as if they had forgotten how terrible that was. They needed to be reminded that their former way of life was slavery. Here’s the thing: Obedience would have shown that. You see, obedience reminds us that God’s ways are better. When we walk in obedience, we see that Jesus is better as we live out his betterness .

Like the Hebrews, we might look back on our old life and think things were great then. Think about the friends you had and the things you used to do. But, some of you remember that old life was slavery. You were a slave to alcohol. You were a slave to work. You were a slave to money. You were a slave to sin. If it’s sin that leads to slavery, then it’s obedience that leads to freedom. This was certainly true of the Israelites. Had they obeyed, they would have entered into the Promised Land free.

For us, I think obedience to God does the same. It brings freedom. It brings us joy. I think that’s why Hebrews pushes us to embrace obedience immediately.

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

Notice how urgently he tells us to embrace obedience. Do it today! Don’t wait. Some of you would have to look at your life and admit that you are in a season of delay. Maybe you’ve heard God’s voice tell you something. Maybe there’s somewhere He wants you to go, something He wants you to do, and you keep delaying. Delay comes with a great risk. 

Paul David Tripp - “Delay is disobedience in a tuxedo. Delay gives you room to rebel against the authority of God while telling yourself that you have every intention to obey, and in so doing you’ve eased your conscience when it actually needs to be troubled.” 

Conclusion:

As we wrap up today, I have two challenges to issue. One of those challenges centers around work. The other around rest. Let’s start with the challenge to work. To obey. To get out there and do what God is calling you to do. For some of you it is very clear what God wants you to do. You’ve been waiting. You’ve been delaying. Let me remind you of what Hebrews says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Maybe for you, it’s not a matter of hearing what God said today. It’s about what He said yesterday/last week/last year. The call for you today is to work. To be obedient. If that’s you, don’t let another day pass without doing it. 

Others of you have the opposite problem. All you do is work. Feel like you keep fighting to get ahead in your spiritual life. Feel like you have to check all these boxes so that God will accept you and welcome you as His. So, you work and work and work. You figure one day you’ll work your way into heaven. If that’s you, the Gospel calling on your life is to rest. To step back. To rest confidently in the completed work of Jesus Christ. He’s already paid your penalty. He’s already paid your debt. He’s already done the work.

In the Gospel, we find that there’s no need for us to do it on our own. No need for us to kill yourselves trying to earn God’s approval. Jesus already did that. So, we rest in His sacrifice. We rest in His grace. We rest in Him.

BELIEVE/REPENT/CONFESS/BAPTIZE

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