58 Hebrews 4: Preaching/Teaching

Spiritual Rest Available!

Introduction:

Not only has Texas experienced Covid with the rest of the world. But we just went through a freeze. The night before Heather and I were covering up all our trees and pipes.

Less than 24 hours in all the electricity is off and we are scrambling. A couple of families from our church ended up at Drew’s house. Our family alone is 8 people. When we are at Drew’s we were like: “What about Yoda”. Drew was like sure. But I could tell he was a little uneasy about him peeing. So long story short we had two animals Yoda our dog and a fish.

Glad we took Yoda because the fish died. So that night I tied Yoda to my leg because I did not want him peeing. Grateful but since Snow Maggedon I have been tired. When I am tired I am grumpy and do not have the energy that I am used to.

We were created for rest. Obviously we all need physical rest. Many times when we over work ourselves we will literally become sick.

But could you picture living spiritually like I did the last couple of weeks from Snow Maggedon?

I lived a lot of my life spiritually tired because I was missing out on the rest of God.

Today I want to look at three truths about rest so we don’t miss out on God’s great gift. The first truth about rest:

1. It must be recieved by faith (1-3, 6-7).

Hebrews 4:1 NASB95

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

When we see a therefore we must ask why is it there.

God is telling us that this rest is available right now.

Different Translations:

Found to have fallen short of it.

Some might fail to experience.

May seem to come short of it.

But his audience did not quite look like they were people who had the rest of God. Their talk and their walk were not matching up.

His audience is a group of believers who had made professions of faith. They have said we have recieved Jesus Christ. But they were not maturing like they were supposed to be maturing.

How true today for us as believers to not have our walk and our talk match up.

Your lives don’t match up to what you say you believe.

We are supposed to mature. My goal as a parent is to raise my kids up and they mature. They will get married and then have kids.

The natural thing for believers is supposed to be maturity, if someone is not maturing that should be the exception and not the rule. Even thought you say you entered the rest it does not look like it.

Hebrews 4:2 NASB95

For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

We have two options when good news is preached to us:

We can respond by faith

Or we can respond by disobedience.

He uses an Old Testament example:

The good news was not only did I deliver you from the Egyptians but I am going to give you the promise land. All you have to do is have faith.

Hebrews 4:3 NASB95

For we who have believed enter that rest, just 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.

He preached good news to us:

But our good news is greater today. We have a God who paid our penalty. God has anger he hates sin, all sin. But he loved us even in our sin that he came to earth and died (Jesus is our propitiation he took the anger of God) on the cross so that we would not have to be separated from him. He paid our death penalty and is still alive today. All we have to do is accept his payment on our behalf.

Application:

Hebrews 4:6–7 NASB95

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

When the word of God is preached we either believe it or we reject it. It is that simple.

Why were they disobedient. because they did not believe the good news.

I shared how tired I was physically because of Snow Maggedon.

But I love this, even from last week we see that the author continues to use the word today. Today if you hear his voice. Will you put your faith in Jesus. I remember when I went to JBU as a freshman I placed my faith in Jesus and for the first time in my life I experienced spiritual rest and it was so good. We would go to chapel at JBU and one of my instructors was sitting by us and he said many you really must have accepted God’s gift because anyone who sings as bad as you

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible C. The Possibility of Rest for God’s People 4:1–14

The writer used the term “rest” as Moses did, as an equivalent to entering into all the inheritance that God promised His people (Deut. 3:18–20; 12:9–11; cf. Heb. 1:14; 3:11, 18; 4:3–5, 10–11; 6:12, 17).

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible C. The Possibility of Rest for God’s People 4:1–14

4:3 A better translation of “we who have believed” would be “we who believe” (Gr. pisteusantes, aorist active participle). The

The next truth about rest we need to see is so we don’t miss out on God’s great gift.

2. God’s rest cannot be added to (4-5, 8-11).

Hebrews 4:4–5 NASB95

For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.”

We can’t add onto what God has already done.

God created us for rest.

When God created the world and rested there was nothing else to add it was pure enjoyment.

It was not just good it was really good.

What Jesus did on the cross cannot be added to, it is finished. When Jesus died on the cross he said it is finished. And for whatever reason we think that we have to add onto what he has done for us.

But I will ask people this question all the time:

In your opinion what does it take to get to heaven.

Good works-this is adding onto what God has already done.

Some will say I believe in Jesus and I have to go to church. We try to add onto salvation.

Some will say it is a philosophy.

God created us to work. Matthew 9:37-38, we were working in Cuba full days, wondering if we would be sent home. I just remember getting to rest it was so beautiful.

Hebrews 4:8–11 NASB95

For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

Hebrews 4:8 NASB95

For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.

Joshua-This is Ironic because in the Hebrew Joshua is the same name as Jesus.

But what is amazing is that we have seen in this book that Jesus is greater. The ultimate rest could only be given by the one who is the greatest the God man.

Even if Joshua could have given them rest it would be insufficient.

Hebrews 4:9 NASB95

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

who are the people of God: Those who believe in Jesus.

This is available right here and right now.

Hebrews 4:10–11 NASB95

For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

Remember these believers who were not looking so much like believers were not being diligent to enter int their rest. They were not maturing like they should have been maturing in their faith.

As christ followers God has a plan for us he wants us to be faithful to him where ever we are and the reality is that we have access to that rest here and now.

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible C. The Possibility of Rest for God’s People 4:1–14

Christians will enter into our rest when we receive our inheritance from Jesus Christ at His judgment seat (2 Cor. 5:10).

The last truth about rest we need to see is so we don’t miss out on God’s great gift.

We must examine our lives in light of God Word (12-13)

Hebrews 4:12 NASB95

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

tight rope story

A lot of people think they are believers who are not

Would it not stink to think your whole life that you are a believer only to get to your day before God and realize you never trusted in what he has done for you.

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible C. The Possibility of Rest for God’s People 4:1–14

The Word of God can express and distinguish what is “soulish” (natural) and what is spiritual in our motivation and actions. It can do so even when those elements are as close to each other as our joints and marrow. It is even able to expose our thoughts and attitudes (cf. 1 Cor. 4:5).