THE
BELIEVERS REST
Introduction: There is a fable that
tells of three apprentice devils who were coming to this earth to finish their
apprenticeship. They were talking to Satan, the chief of the devils, about
their plans to tempt and ruin men. The first said, "I will tell them that
there is no God." Satan said, "That will not delude many, for they
know that there is a God."
The
second said, "I will tell men that there is no hell." Satan answered,
"You will deceive no one that way; men know even now that there is a hell
for sin." The third said, "I will tell men that there is no hurry.
"Go," said Satan, "and you will ruin men by the thousands."
The most dangerous of all delusions is that there is plenty of time.
Procrastination is Satan's sharpest and most useful tool."[1] Satan is still so
effectively using this strategy, and many are falling for it.
I
still vividly remember the date, place, and time. It was the night of October
30, 1984, the first day of a three-day youth retreat in our church. After
giving a fiery salvation message, the evangelist gave an invitation for young people
to come forward to accept Jesus. He urged us, saying there might be no tomorrow,
and today is the opportune time, and don't procrastinate.
The
Holy Spirit convicted me of my need to get saved; without hesitation, I stepped
forward in tears and surrendered my life to Jesus. Oh, what joy filled my heart
at that moment. I was so glad I made the most critical decision in my life that
evening.
The
next day the whole nation was under curfew; everything was shut down due to the
assassination of our Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Tomorrow may never be ours;
all we have is today. When we procrastinate, especially when making the most critical
decisions, we may live to regret for the rest of our lives. The most important
decision you could ever make in your life is to enter into God’s rest. I want
to title this message: THE BELIEVERS REST Hebrews 4:1-13
A BIT OF
BACKGROUND: Two
times in Hebrews chapters three and four, there has been a mention of Psalm 95.
Many Jewish people recited psalms in worship; at some point, Ps 95 became a
significant element in synagogue prayers. Psalm 95 shows that Israel's
wilderness generation rejected God's offer of rest in the promised land.
We
learned that the entire generation that had left Egypt had died in the
wilderness. Now under the new leadership of Joshua, God's promise of rest, one
way partially has been fulfilled with the entry of a whole new generation of
Israelites into the promised land.
In
the promised land, God's offering of rest after Joshua's day suggests that the
promise had never been completely fulfilled. (Joshua 1:14,15) What is this
unfulfilled promise of rest all about? Who is going to bring forth this
promised rest? Who are the beneficiaries of this promised rest going to be? Let
me explore the three types of rests that are mentioned in our passage.
I THE PHYSICAL
REST
Hebrews 4:1-6, "God's promise of entering his rest
still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to
experience it. For this good news that God has prepared this rest has been
announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they
didn't share the faith of those who listened to God. So, God's rest
is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed
to enter because they disobeyed God."
These verses were talking about the physical
freedom of rest that was promised to God’s people who were in bondage to
slavery in Egypt. The promise was that
God would deliver them from their enemies and lead them to a land full of milk
and honey where they can securely live. Unfortunately,
over 600,000 Israelites who had left Egypt could not make it to the promised
land due to their unbelief and disobedience; only their children made it. This
promised rest did not last forever. When that generation sinned against God, He
exiled them for 70 years in Babylon. Saint Augustine writes in his Confessions,
"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until
they rest in You." Perhaps Augustine's most often quoted phrase, it
captures something that resonates deep within the human heart, which is
restlessness.
No matter who you are, we all have
that desire to be filled and fulfilled.
We tend to seek that fulfillment in various places such as
entertainment, sinful pleasures, or idolizing education, wealth, and power. The
truth of the matter is the more we try, the more restless we become.
Restlessness in people is not new,
Jesus saw it during his time, Matthew 9: 36, "When he saw the crowds, he
had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd." He made an offer of rest, Matthew 11:28, "Come
to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you
rest." Let’s look at the second type of rest.
.
II. THE ETERNAL REST
The second kind was spiritual and eternal, referring to
the salvation of humanity. It is a promise of God for all those who believe in
Him. At salvation, all believers enter this rest, not by works but by His
grace. Is this promise of rest an afterthought or God had it in his mind from
the beginning? In Vs. 3, we read, "this rest has been made ready since he
made the world.
The preparations for this rest were laid in the garden of
Eden right after the Fall. Remember, when God was cursing Satan for the
devastation he caused? Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between you
and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise you on the
head, and you shall bruise him on the heel."
The seed of the woman was referring to Jesus. The
conflict is a foreshadowing of how Jesus will bring forth salvation, the
eternal rest. God wanted both kinds of rest for the generation that was
delivered from Egypt. In our passage, the author highlights that the promise of
both these rests is still applicable to all those who believe in God even
today.
III. SIZE
TODAY
Vs. 7-8, “So God set another time for entering his rest,
and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in
the words already quoted: “Today, when you hear his voice, don’t harden your
hearts.” Now, if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not
have spoken about another day of rest still to come.”
These verses show how three generations missed entering
God’s promised rest. Moses’ generation never entered God’s rest. The promise was
not fulfilled in Joshua’s time either. Only the generations of David (2 Sa
7:1,11) and Solomon (1Ch 22:9) came closer to enjoying God’s promised rest.
Even in the author’s day, Jewish people, prayed for God to give them rest.
In these verses, we read twice the word “today.” What did
the author mean by today? The biblical authors often used the word, “Today” not
necessarily referring to a twenty-four-hour period or a particular day in the
future, but to convey a sense of urgency and a prime opportunity. When it is neglected or delayed, the
listeners will face dire consequences. Today we are presented with the
opportunity to trust God. Only while we are alive do we have the choice to
accept or refuse it. Some of you who are listening have responded and have
entered God’s rest.
I want to appeal to you as the Apostle Paul did to those
who were procrastinating during his time. II Cor 6:1-2, “As God’s partners, we
beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.
For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you.
On the day of salvation, I helped you. “Indeed, the
“right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.in the end.” Dear friend, if
you are listening to God’s voice, do not harden your heart. Are you restless
today? Are you in need of assurance of salvation? What Joshua was failed to
offer to people who left Egypt, Yeshua, who is also known as Jesus, can provide
to all people. If you need eternal rest by faith, you need to repent and ask
Jesus to come into your heart.
IV. THE
BELIEVERS REST (9-11)
Vs. 9-11, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the
people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just
as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest,
so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” Let me summarize
these three rests. The physical, eternal and believers rest
The physical rest is to do with our physical day to day needs
for provisions, security, etc. The eternal rest is the ultimate salvation of
our souls. The believer's rest has to do with the promised life of rest that
comes by entering and enjoying the presence of God regularly.
The author equated that rest to the Sabbath rest, which
was introduced by God in the garden of Eden, Genesis 2:2-3, “On the seventh day
God had finished his work of creation, so he rested (ceased) from all his work.
And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy because it was the day
when he rested from all his work of creation.”
Sabbath rest, or the believer's rest, is God’s remedy for
our restlessness. God set this as an example for all humanity to follow. One
commentator noted, “God rested on the seventh day, not because he was weary,
but because nothing formless or empty remained. His creative work was completed,
and it was totally effective, absolutely perfect. It did not have to be
repeated, repaired, or revised, and the Creator rested to commemorate it.”
Similarly, we are encouraged to cease all our striving
and only believe in the completed work of Christ in our lives. We need to
recognize that we are not justified by our works but by His grace alone, we are
saved and made holy. We are to make every effort to enter and remain in the
rest that Christ offers to all of His believers. These days many things
distract us from entering that rest. Let us be intentional and protective of
that rest that God has promised to us. In closing, I want us to say together,
thank you, Jesus, for saving me and giving me hope and future. Amen!
[1] (William
Barclay: The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2 [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1975], p.
317. From a sermon by Matthew Kratz, The parable of the Faithful & Wise
Servant, 7/17/2010)
