Enter God's Rest

Hebrews  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

8  do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

on the day of testing in the wilderness,

9  where your fathers put me to the test

and saw my works for forty years.

10  Therefore I was provoked with that generation,

and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;

they have not known my ways.’

11  As I swore in my wrath,

‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ”

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

4 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5 And again in this passage he said,

“They shall not enter my rest.”

6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 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.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Introduction

The book of Hebrews is particularly concerned for the well-being of the church as it faced all kinds of threats. These were the days in which Jesus warned his disciples about, the days when Jerusalem and all associated with Judaism would face the onslaught of the Roman armies. Regarding such days, Jesus said,
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9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The writer sees the signs of persecution coming and seeks to warn the church against, more than anything else, losing her faith. Of all the books in the New Testament, it is perhaps Hebrews that helps us understand saving faith and what it looks like, and the principle component he brings up time and again is that saving faith perseveres through the onslaught of trial after trial, storm after storm that pounds down upon it. This is why we find such severe warnings in this book, one of which we considered last week when we reflected back upon the judgment of God that came upon the people when Moses came down from the mountain and found them caught up in idol worship. Time and again throughout this book we see the need for faith to persevere. It is enough to challenge the oft-quoted statement, “once saved, always saved.” We will see that in this passage just as we will again in a couple of weeks when we get to chapter 6. You have to get this if you want to understand the book of Hebrews. Faith is under attack from every side and perseverance is absolutely paramount if you are to survive.
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13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

These warnings point us back, not to the stories of victory but the stories of failure in the Old Testament, stories in which people fall away and face the consequences of judgment. While the writer takes us down this road, he doesn’t leave us hopeless. That’s not his intent at all. At every turn he is showing the superiority of Christ over the Old Testament structures and institutions that existed to nurture the faith of ancient Israel. And that is the hope he gives to his readers as they brace for spiritual storms on the horizon.
This morning we see this character of faith.
This morning we see this character of faith.
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14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

Saving faith perseveres. In contrast, he warns of false faith, or “unbelief”
Saving faith perseveres. In contrast, he warns of false faith, or “unbelief”

“Today, if you hear his voice,

8  do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,

on the day of testing in the wilderness,

9  where your fathers put me to the test

and saw my works for forty years.

10  Therefore I was provoked with that generation,

and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;

they have not known my ways.’

11  As I swore in my wrath,

‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ”

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

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Saved through Faith

Here is the warning. The writer reflects upon which exhorts the people to heed the Lord as they gather to worship, to listen and not harden their hearts, and the warning he ties to that exhortation is the rebellion of the people of Israel in the time of Moses. After God had performed the many wonders of the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea to rescue the people from their slavery, he led them through the wilderness to the land that he had promised to give them during the days of their forefather Abraham. That day had finally come, or so they thought. As they camped at Kadesh-barnea, Moses sent spies into the land to scout it. When they returned they had grapes, pomegranates and figs and told of a land flowing with milk and honey. But they also told of fortified cities, strong people, even giants. And the people were afraid and rebelled against Moses, seeking to setup another leader. It was a disaster for the people and led to 40 more years of wandering in the desert until that faithless generation should die off. Only two had faith, Joshua and Caleb who urged the people to march on the land. They were the only two allowed to enter at the end of the 40 years.
What was the difference? They believed God could deliver them. This is saving faith. Did the other Israelites have faith? You would have said so, but testing revealed otherwise. Testing and trial revealed fear instead of faith. Their hearts grew hard and they sought a return to Egypt, the land of their slavery. Saving faith perseveres through trials.
Now, this is not to say that people with saving faith don’t have times of back-sliding. This is why we find so many warnings in the letters of the New Testament. There are warnings, confrontations, discipline all meant to help a person see through their back-sliding and lostness. This is what we see in the verses that follow:

13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

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Sin is deceitful.

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Sin is deceitful. In the wilderness there were many days that were filled with difficulties and apparent dead-ends. There were days when they longed for Egypt,
In the wilderness there were many days that were filled with difficulties and apparent dead-ends. There were days when they longed for Egypt,

4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

They did enjoy these things and in light of the difficulties of their journey, they remembered them and they sounded so good. What they forget is that it was in the context of slavery which wasn’t good. But that is how sin works, it’s a memory, a very selective memory, that entices you away from the promises of God and back to what is familiar and comfortable, or at least seemed so for a time. It lures you back into slavery. It is why we need each other around, sharing life, including our struggles, so that we might exhort one another every day!
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14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Saved...but not saved

As we continue to follow the chapter we see that, even though they had been rescued by God by grace out of their slavery, they never made it to the Promised Land. Why? It wasn’t because they hadn’t been good enough. It wasn’t because they had done things right. It was because of unbelief. They didn’t trust God to be strong enough to get them through. Saving faith is persevering faith that believes God is strong enough to overcome. Do you see?
Here is how the writer of Hebrews gives us hope. He keeps talking about the word “today.” Do you see that?

Rest

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4 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5 And again in this passage he said,

“They shall not enter my rest.”

6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 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.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

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The writer he speaks of rest, holding it out as this ultimate goal of our salvation. He uses it in a variety of ways.
Initially, he’s equating it with entrance into the Promised Land. In that sense he’s likening rest to the end of the wilderness, the end of the period of testing. It’s a time when they get to enjoy this God they’ve gotten to know and trust. It’s like getting married, going through the early rough years of testing and reaching a point where your insecurities fade away and you feel free to be naked and vulnerable with your spouse. That’s the rest that you enjoy that can only come from deep trust, and deep trust can only come through trials as trials prove, not just your faith, but God’s faithfulness. Time and time again in the wilderness God showed himself to be faithful. He provided food where there was none, water in the desert, deliverance from every enemy threat over and over again.
While this was the goal, it was never fully achieved. This is why he speaks of another day.
But rest in the Promised Land is not the end of what he means. This is why he speaks of another day.
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8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

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He also uses the term “rest” to refer to the seventh day of creation. This is God’s rest. In six days he created the universe and the 7th day he rested from all his labor and pronounced it good. It was a time when all was new and there was no sin in the world, there was no curse upon the world. It was good. There is a rest for those who hear his voice and don’t harden their hearts. Like God, it is a rest from your labor of trying to please others, of trying to please God, of trying to fix what is broken in yourself, of trying to get things right and acceptable. It is a rest from being enslaved to the “inner-murmur of self-reproach” as one writer put it.
There is one other use of the word rest and its found tucked away in 4:3

3 For we who have believed enter that rest

It is something that we can do today and we do it by trusting God through the trials we face in life. This is what Jesus invited us to do when he said,
Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Jesus’ work was finished on the cross. He even uttered those very words. It was finished so that we might see the depths he would go to prove he is trustworthy and capable of overcoming every trial that you will ever face, every sin that you will ever commit, every failure you will ever endure. And invites you to enter into that rest, that you might not fear God’s judgment, or the enemies that would
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