We are called to urgently seek God's rest
Notes
Transcript
Scene 1: Being caught by surprise is very unsettling.
Whether it be physically,
Emotionally,
Or Intellectually!
When Matthew was in his early teens he decided it would be a good idea to try and sneak up on people and scare them.
Where we lived at the time there was a space outside the bathroom door that was suitable.
Over and over again he would try to hide there and scare us as we came out of the bathroom.
He wasn’t real successful as he just wasn’t quiet enough.
So you would come out of the bathroom and say, “Hi Matthew”
This really frustrated him.
But one day he succeeded.
Toni heard him hiding but then forgot that he was there.
Matthew said, “Hi Mum” and Toni immediately reacted with a fight or flight reflex.
Wack!
Matthew learnt a very important lesson that day!
Don’t ever sneak up on your mother and surprise her.
She will act with violence!
They both stood there looking at each other is stunned silence, then both burst into laughter.
Being caught by surprise is very unsettling.
When something unexpected happens to us or someone we love our faith can be unsettled.
Some of us have been caught by surprise when we are on the receiving end of an emotional outburst.
You don’t know what you have done but the other person just unloads on you.
It can be very unsettling,
Most of us don’t like conflict but we find ourselves under attack and we don’t really understand why.
A relationship is broken, and our faith can be unsettled.
Intellectually it can be the same.
Something catches us by surprise, it is something we haven’t even thought about and it causes us to question everything we know.
We call these the unknown, unknowns.
You can find yourself in the situation where you realise that not only didn’t you know how to answer this question about your faith;
But you didn’t even know that you didn’t know about it.
These sorts of things come totally out of left field and people find that the very foundations of their life are rocked.
People don’t know how to deal with these challenges and as a result many people find that their faith is wrecked.
Scene 2: The writer to the Hebrews understood this risk,
In chapter 3, the second half of verse 6 he speaks of our being God’s house.
But notice that there is a condition added on the end.
We are God’s house, the place where God chooses to dwell.
As another Biblical writer puts it we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. (The Apostle Paul 1 Corinthians 6:19)
The Spirit of Christ lives within us.
Empowering us, transforming us, day by day and week by week to be more Christlike.
Helping us to face each new challenge and to overcome the difficulties that life throws at us.
But if we do not keep our courage, if we do not remain confident in Christ and we turn away.
If we give up on his promise of eternal life.
If we reject his rule in our life.
Then we prove that God does not really dwell within us.
We need to understand that Faith that endures is real faith. (The next 2 chapters of Hebrews support this statement)
Faith that only lasts a short time and then withers and dies, hasn’t any depth.
Jesus himself told the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.
Where seed was sown on a hard path it never even grew, it was devoured.
Seed that was sown on rocky ground, springs to life and then withers and dies because it is scorched by the sun and can not send roots down to draw moisture from deep within the soil, so it to soon dies.
Seed that falls amongst thorns also springs to life, but is soon choked by the competing plants around it, it doesn’t produce much.
Only the seed that is sown in prepared ground and receives water is going to survive.
The rest simply doesn’t do well, most of it dies.
Faith that endures, faith that truly demonstrates that Christ dwells within us is faith that remains confident in the hope of the Gospel.
Faith that endures, chooses to believe God’s promises.
Faith that endures, is not caught by surprise by the things that come unexpectedly.
Rather, even in the midst of grief, or persecution, or hardship, or even doubt, it is faith that holds onto the hope of the gospel.
It is faith that says, “I do not understand why this is happening!”
But I do understand that whatever happens to me God’s promise of eternal life is true.
Wether I live or die I will be with Christ.
It is this confidence that proves that our faith has depth.
It is this confidence that demonstrates that our faith is strong and that we are sure of the certainty of our salvation.
Scene 3: The two greatest examples of this faithfulness are Christ & Moses.
We read about their example in verses 2 & 5
Both were given an enormous responsibility and both followed it through to the end.
Remember Moses story.
He spent 40 years in Egypt before running from Pharaohs’ anger.
He spent 40 years in the desert as a shepherd before returning to Egypt to set the people of Israel free.
God refereed to them as his chosen people, his house.
But Moses had to spend the next 40 years leading this bunch of stiff necked, rebellious, ungrateful fools round in circles in the desert.
Only two men in that nation—Caleb and Joshua—illustrate the attitude described in Hebrews chapter 3.
Everybody else in Israel over the age of twenty was to die in the wilderness and never enter the Promised Land (see Num. 14:26–38).
But Caleb and Joshua believed God and God honored their faith.
These two men of faith had confidence in God’s Word that they would one day enter Canaan.
While others were experiencing sorrow and death, as a whole generation died in the wilderness over a period of 40 years; Caleb and Joshua rejoiced in confident hope.
As believers, we know that God is taking us to heaven, and we should reveal the same kind of joyful confidence and hope.[1]
Caleb & Joshua lead the children of those who left Egypt into the promised land.
Moses wasn’t allowed to join them.
For 40 years he was the leader of God’s house.
Any other person would have given up on God’s chosen people.
All of this and the Scriptures simply call Moses faithful!
He stuck to the goal.
He didn’t let it go.
He got discouraged.
He was attacked.
He even got angry with God.
But he faithfully stuck at the task he was given.
He carefully considered who God was.
He remembered his first encounter with God.
He saw God at work in his life.
He remained confident in God’s promise.
And Moses delivered what God asked of him.
He brought the people of Israel freedom, he taught them God’s law and he delivered them to the promised land.
Moses’ life illustrated what Jesus was to do for us.
As Moses left the glory of Pharoah’s palace so Jesus left the glory of heaven to come to earth.
As Moses lived the simple life of a shepherd so Jesus was born a simple peasant & lived a humble life of service.
As Moses taught the people of Israel the law of God so Jesus taught us to write the law of God on our heart.
As Moses delivered the people of Israel from slavery so Jesus has brought us salvation and delivered us from slavery to sin.
As Moses brought the people to the gates of the promised land so Jesus has delivered us to the gates of heaven.
As Moses offered the people of Israel a relationship with the living God; Jesus has given us the right to enter into God’s presence
To do all this Jesus endured humiliation,
He suffered torture.
He even died a death reserved for criminals.
Knowing that the punishment for sin that we deserved was going to be poured out on him.
He still faithfully endured the cross.
Moses & Jesus had faith in God the Father’s promise.
We need to have faith in the promise of salvation that God offers through Christ.
Scene 4: If our faith is to be strengthened and we are to endure to the end then we need to act on the call to consider Christ carefully.
In verse 1 the author of this letter calls on us to do exactly this.
Consider Christ carefully.
What does this mean?
How do we do it?
How do we build a faith that endures?
A faith that is not caught by surprise and thrown off guard by the unexpected things in life?
Simply we can do two things.
Firstly and most importantly get to really know Christ.
Spend time with him.
Be in prayer, just talk to Jesus as you would talk to a friend.
Be still and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying.
Join in fellowship with other believers.
Discover the true nature of Christ as you read the Gospels which focus on Jesus.
His personality.
His motivation.
His compassion.
His challenge.
Get to know him by spending time with him; give your life totally to him.
Secondly, get to really know about Christ.
Take the time to study the Bible, to learn his teachings.
To see how he holds people to account for their motivation as much as he does for their actions.
To understand the full implications of his sacrifice for you.
To understand what he has actually saved you from.
To truly grasp that he the King of Kings & Lord of Lords.
To understand that there is absolutely nothing you could do to put you in right relationship with God.
That you are in fact totally dependent on Christ for the relationship you can have with God.
Scene 5: When we do these things we will begin to truly appreciate the greatness & privilege of knowing Christ and we will have real faith that lasts. V 3-4; 6a
Christ will be the centre of our lives.
We will know that we belong in God’s house.
We will experience the glory of God as we live in relationship with him.
Our faith will be secure, it will be strong.
And when the troubles and trials.
The unexpected surprises.
The hurts, suffering and even persecution come our way.
We will be secure, because we truly know Christ.
He is the one who saves us.
He is the one who sustains us.
He is the one for whom we live.
No matter what comes our way.
[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Heb 3:3). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.