A Rest for God's People
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Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.
I contrasted this spiritual house to the O.T. Tabernacle showing what the Author of Hebrews intended, that the Tabernacle under the law was only a representation of something better.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, it may be helpful in understanding this section better.
The writer of Hebrews now brings us to another type in the O.T. and contrasts it against what it represented - “The Sabaoth Rest”.
True legalism in Christianity seeks to convince people of the necessity of keeping the law, that it may be coexistent with grace!
But as I shared last time, Jesus is the end of the law to all who believe,
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Rom 10
Because He is the fulfillment of the law.
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
If we keep this straight, it will open your understanding for the more difficult themes and bring them to light.
If you were here last week, I spoke about God’s house which is a spiritual House, i.e. the Body of Christ.
I contrasted this spiritual house to the O.T. Tabernacle showing what the Author of Hebrews intended, that the Tabernacle under the law was only a representation of something better.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, it may be helpful in understanding this section better.
The writer of Hebrews now brings us to another type found in the law that points to its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
So this morning we will look at two main ideas:
I. The Law provides a picture of rest.
I. The Law provides a picture of rest.
A. The 4th commandment.
A. The 4th commandment.
We must remember that the law, as Paul says in Galatians, is our tutor to bring us to faith in Christ.
The imperative of the 4th commandment was to teach the Jews what it will be like when Messiah comes:
They will cease from all their work.
They will worship God for the duration.
They will come together in unity.
B. Exemplified by God in Creation.
B. Exemplified by God in Creation.
B. Exemplified by God in Creation.
B. Exemplified by God in Creation.
The legalist tries to circumvent the argument against keeping the sabaoth by insisting that it was established before the law, thus giving it special status.
Wrong!
The example Given by God in Genesis shows the clarity of a sovereign God’s eternal plan from the very beginning.
He worked a completed time of six days, and then ceased from all His works.
And that’s exactly what He was picturing in Genesis for us in Christ, to cease from all our work!
Only two of the ten spies were sold on it.
Because the Israelites unbelief that they should go into the promised land
The entire generation had to die before they could go in.
Only believers were allowed.
From that generation, only Joshua and Caleb went in.
Moses did not even enter because of His unbelief when he struck the rock the second time.
II. Grace brings us into the True Rest.
II. Grace brings us into the True Rest.
Because Jesus fulfills all the law, the entire decalogue (Ten Commandments), is fulfilled in Him.
Jesus even reduced the Ten down to one with two parts, bringing our attention not to the letter of the law, but to the spirit of it.
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
So if we take the 4th commandment which is, to keep the sabaoth holy (separated), and relegate it to the first part as Jesus taught, we can see the futility of any longer keeping the strictness of the 4th or any of the commandments as a way of attaining grace or adding to it.
Incidentally, Jesus wasn’t teaching anything new, only what the Jews already understood from the law itself.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
So, Grace brings us into the true rest -
A. Because there remains a rest. (4:1)
A. Because there remains a rest. (4:1)
The example of the promised land.
This picture from exodus is one of the most compelling examples!
Only two of the ten spies were sold on it.
The entire generation had to die before they could go in.
Only believers were allowed.
From that generation, only Joshua and Caleb went in.
Moses did not even enter because of His unbelief when he struck the rock the second time.
2. The absence of the Sabaoth day.
B. Because the rest is in Christ Himself.
B. Because the rest is in Christ Himself.
Our spiritual promised land.
Reflected in the kingdom of God.
As we find that Jesus is the kingdom.
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Rom.
and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ”
Matt.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Conclusion:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
You can live by the law, and believe that it somehow makes you a bit more holy, but if you are in Christ, you are as holy as you will ever be, because it is the blood of Christ that makes you holy, not your own goodness!
You also cannot live under grace and think that you can act or do whatever you like, because then you would not be under grace, because it would be obvious that you do not understand grace!
You can however live under grace by walking (conducting your life) in the Spirit, and therefore not making provision for the flesh.
And that’s exactly what He was picturing in Genesis for us in Christ, to cease from all our work!
You see, you can only do one or the other at one time.
The key to not sinning is to walk in the Spirit!
Pretty simple right?
So then, this is the key to living by grace!
Now, apply this to the topic this morning about the Sabaoth, and you will quickly understand that you can either keep the Sabaoth day under the law or you can rest in Christ who is the fulfillment of the law!
They are mutually exclusive of the other! or more simply put,
The practice of one cancels out the other!