God’s Promised Rest Hebrews 4:1-13

How many of you would agree with this statement: God’s Promised Rest How many of you would agree with this statement:

How many of you would agree with this statement: “It is good to rest.” God’s Promised Rest How many of you would agree with this statement: “It is good to rest.”

God’s Promised Rest Most of us at some point look forward to rest Think about it – We use microwaves to save time cooking We talk on cell phones to save us time We use dishwashers so we can save time doing dishes Etc.

God’s Promised Rest Have all these time saving devices given us great amounts of time to rest and relax?

God’s Promised Rest Have all these time saving devices given us great amounts of time to rest and relax? NO!

God’s Promised Rest Have all these time saving devices given us great amounts of time to rest and relax? NO Not only have we failed to really find rest, but one could argue that we are less rested today than we used to be as a society

God’s Promised Rest The fact is we need rest God has designed us to need rest Most of the time it is not that we do not want it or need it, we just fail to find it Today’s lesson is designed to help us understand and find God’s Promised Rest

God’s Promised Rest Last week we talked about the Israelites who were led out of captivity in Egypt For us, that is symbolic of being led out of captivity to sin The Israelites grumbled and rebelled against the Lord and followed the path of a hard heart despite God’s continued work in their presence

God’s Promised Rest Now, the author of Hebrews tells the readers that they will miss out on the Spiritual Rest that God offers just like the Israelites missed our on the Physical Rest in Canaan, by following the path of a hard heart So, our question is “What is this Spiritual Rest that the author is comparing to the rest in the land of Canaan?”

God’s Promised Rest Background The Bible speaks of Spiritual Rest in a couple of different ways First, there is Salvation Rest This is the rest that is given to us from the Lord when we come to faith Jesus talks of this rest in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This is a rest that Jesus gives as a gift It is given through and by Jesus Christ when we come to Him in faith This would be the Peace with God which we find in Romans 5:1

God’s Promised Rest Background The Bible speaks of Spiritual Rest in a couple of different ways Second, there is Submission Rest Matthew 11:29: “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.” This passage tells us how to have that rest, “take His yoke” and learn from Jesus

God’s Promised Rest Background This rest for our souls, this Submission Rest, is also the Peace of God found in Philippians 4:6-7: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Which of these “rests” is being talked about by the author of Hebrews God’s Promised Rest Which of these “rests” is being talked about by the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 4?

God’s Promised Rest To find the answer, we need to start in Hebrews 3:18-19 “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.” Who was not able to enter that rest? Those who disobeyed and did not believe The generation that died in the wilderness that came out of Egypt

God’s Promised Rest To find the answer of the type of rest Were these people saved (Salvation Rest), or just not following the Lord in obedience (Submission Rest)? We find our answer in Numbers 20 in the story of the Waters of Meribah The people grumbled about having no water to drink God told Moses to speak to a rock in front of the people and water would come out of the rock

God’s Promised Rest To find the answer of the type of rest Moses gathered the people and said “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” He then raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff and water gushed forth But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give to them.” (Numbers 20:12)

God’s Promised Rest To find the answer of the type of rest At the end of Moses’ life, he was permitted to go up Mount Nebo and see the Promised Land from a distance, but he was not permitted to enter Canaan Moses did not enter God’s Rest in Canaan But Moses was faithful in all God’s house (Hebrews 3:2)

God’s Promised Rest To find the answer of the type of rest Moses disobeyed God when he did not have faith enough to just speak as God told him to and water would come out Instead, he struck the rock But we know that Moses was a man of God, one of God’s people that would enter heaven, but because of his disobedience and unbelief, he missed entering into God’s rest of Canaan

God’s Promised Rest Canaan Rest is Submission Rest Therefore, the rest that Canaan represents is not a Salvation Rest, i.e. heaven, but a Submission Rest, i.e. spiritual rest for our souls that you can feel and experience no matter the circumstances or situation

God’s Promised Rest The author of Hebrews reminds us that this Submission Rest is still available to us (Hebrews 4:1) This rest can only be entered into by faith – and faith that produces obedience The Israelites had good news preached to them – news of going into the Promised Land – but they did not walk in faith

God’s Promised Rest Those who trust by faith can enter that Rest Did the Israelites enter the Rest that God had promised?

God’s Promised Rest Those who trust by faith can enter that Rest Did the Israelites enter the Rest that God had promised? Yes and No

God’s Promised Rest After Moses died in the wilderness, Joshua fulfilled God’s promise of Canaan Rest The story is summarized in Joshua 21:43-45 where we find in verse 45: “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”

God’s Promised Rest Then do we have an apparent conflict when the author of Hebrews says in 4:8 that Joshua did not give them rest?

God’s Promised Rest Then do we have an apparent conflict when the author of Hebrews says in 4:8 that Joshua did not give them rest? No The rest that Joshua led them into was only a shadow and type of the true rest God wants to give

God’s Promised Rest Today, we tend to be much like the Israelites We seek fulfillment in the physical things, more money, bigger house, new car, better health, etc. While these things can be good things, they are only temporary, and a shadow of what we truly want

God’s Promised Rest The Israelites thought that being in the Promised Land would be the best – and it was good – but it did not really fulfill the desire of their hearts long term They had physical rest, but they did not have spiritual rest.

God’s Promised Rest Next, the author brings up something that seems out of place when talking about the rest God wants us to have and the physical rest that He offered in Canaan He starts talking about the command to rest on the Sabbath Day (Hebrews 4:4) He talks about God resting on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2) and then repeats what God said, “They shall never enter my rest.” (v 5)

God’s Promised Rest Those who died in the wilderness did not enter into Canaan rest But now, the author is equating that also with them not receiving rest on the Sabbath While many of them kept the Sabbath, they were an unbelieving people They may have had some physical rest, but they never got to experience the fullness of what God intended for a Sabbath rest

God’s Promised Rest Why?

God’s Promised Rest Why? Because of their sin and disobedience and lack of faith Even being led into the Promised Land did not give them the rest they longed for inside them As a result, Joshua did not lead them into the fullness of rest that God desired for them and for us

God’s Promised Rest That is why God sent Jesus Jesus fulfilled God’s promise of Sabbath Rest (Hebrews 4:9,10) There remains open a rest from God that can be experienced now in a way that gives true rest to our souls We can have this rest now, this Sabbath Rest

God’s Promised Rest Let’s look for a moment at Sabbath Rest The fourth Commandment is to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy Jesus repeats every one of the ten commandments in the New Testament,

except for the command of the Sabbath God’s Promised Rest Let’s look for a moment at Sabbath Rest The fourth Commandment is to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy Jesus repeats every one of the ten commandments in the New Testament, except for the command of the Sabbath

God’s Promised Rest When Jesus taught on the commandments, He internalizes them all instead of just telling us the physical manifestation of the command “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment’. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” (Matt 5:21-22)

God’s Promised Rest In another instance, Jesus said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt 5:27-28) While we do not see Jesus do this or repeat the Sabbath rest command, He does talk about rest – “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)

God’s Promised Rest We can experience Sabbath Rest by receiving the gift of salvation rest from Jesus and finding the rest that comes from submission by following His commands – being obedient We might say Salvation Rest + Submission Rest = Sabbath Rest We find the reality of spiritual fulfillment and Sabbath Rest in Christ

God’s Promised Rest Have you ever heard any one say: “Well, I have received Jesus and I am striving to follow Him, and while sometimes I feel the Peace of God, I do not always. Why is that?”

God’s Promised Rest Have you ever heard any one say: “Well, I have received Jesus and I am striving to follow Him, and while sometimes I feel the Peace of God, I do not always. Why is that?” Because we lack faith – in Jesus That is why the author tells us in Hebrews 3:1 to fix our thoughts on Jesus We lack faith in His Word, and do not believe it is powerful

God’s Promised Rest Notice how the author address that concern of His Word being powerful “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

God’s Promised Rest Think about what this means God’s Word cuts us wide open It slices through all the layers and lays us out bare before the eyes of God It judges the thoughts and attitudes of our heart We no longer try and hide from God No more pretense, no more hypocrisy No trying to “look good”

God’s Promised Rest Illustration of Vacuum Cleaner Did not seem to be working Made lots of noise and the wheels rolled over the carpet But it did not pick up anything When examined, the bag was full of lint, the hose was full of lint, everything was full to the brim The motor was working hard, but accomplishing nothing

God’s Promised Rest Illustration of Vacuum Cleaner That is the way many of us are in our spiritual life We work and work and work Our wheels spin and we makes lots of noise, but we accomplish nothing God’s Word has the power to open us up and clean us out Then, even our work will seem like REST

Do you desperately need some REST? God’s Promised Rest Do you desperately need some REST?

God’s Promised Rest Do you desperately need some REST? Are you tired of trying to do right, think right, look right? Are you tired of trying to be the perfect spouse, parent, friend, church member…? Are you tired of tying to look good enough to please everyone around you? Are you tired of trying to be good enough to please God?

God’s Promised Rest If you are tired, These words are for you There remains a Sabbath Rest for the people of God We must be diligent to enter into that rest (Hebrews 4:11)

God’s Promised Rest If you are tired, These words are for you There remains a Sabbath Rest for the people of God We must be diligent to enter into that rest (Hebrews 4:11) How?

God’s Promised Rest It is simple Open your Bible every day, read a few verses, stop and think about those verses, let them sink into your heart Talk about scripture to your family and friends If you give effort to reading, studying, memorizing, contemplating, and obeying God’s Word, you will enter GOD’S REST

Will you enter God’s Rest? God’s Promised Rest Will you enter God’s Rest?