2007 Book of Hebrews Series – “Rest Works”
Hebrews 4:1-10
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – March 4, 2007

Prayer Introduction: Presbyterians have long been known as liking things to be done “decently and in order.” Presbyterians love forming committees, operating under Robert’s Rules of Order. The Presbyterian constitution includes the Book of Order. Our theologians write Systematic Theologies.

            The Book of Hebrews is a fan favorite of Presbyterians for this reason – it follows logically and in order. Every new section begins with the word “Therefore” – following a progression of thought. The 4^th chapter of Hebrews has 5 “therefores” in it. I was hoping we could go through 3 of them this week, and the other 2 next week; but those first 3 have proved too big a chunk to try and bite off in one sermon.

Therefore, this morning I just want to go through – Hebrews 4:1-10 – and the first two “Therefores.” And in the next sermon we can go through the three therefores in the shorter section of verses 11-16.

            Indeed, our God is a God of order. So let us come before Him – as always – in prayer before we read His Word…We pray now for the preacher in the pulpit. He is not worthy, but by your grace he is able. And so it is through Jesus Christ that we pray – Amen!

Sermon Introduction: This morning we will go through the first 10 verses of Hebrews chapter 4 decently and in order. We will read a verse, or verses, and then attempt to understand and apply it.

I. Therefore, Heaven (4:1-6)

The first 6 verses – follows the progression of thought, which was started at the beginning of this letter to the Hebrews:

Jesus is supreme over the angels and all of creation. Therefore, we should pay more careful attention to what Jesus has said (and done [the Gospel]) than what the angels had said (the Law). Therefore, Jesus was made like us so that we can hear the gospel and receive eternal life. Therefore, we will be co-heirs, reigning over the new earth that Jesus will bring when he returns. Therefore, we are holy brothers who share in the heavenly calling, if we persevere in the faith. Therefore, make sure you persevere in the faith and do not fall in unbelief like the Israelites of old. Bringing us to chapter 4:

A. Heaven & Hell  (v.1)

“Therefore, since the promise of his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.”

There have been a couple of articles, recently, about the modern form of evangelism, which has tried “to scare the Hell out of people” – they have painted a horrendous picture of Hell, saying, “Repent now or you will be there.” The result has been a great deal of “Easy Believism” where people verbally proclaim to believe in Jesus – just hoping to keep them out of Hell.

That is not the biblical method of evangelism. As we see have seen in chapter 3 of Hebrews, and now continuing on in chapter 4, it is not the threat of Hell, but the threat of missing out on Heaven (falling short of the Promised Land) that is the emphasis.

What’s the difference? The difference between escaping Hell and inheriting Heaven is like the difference between escaping Cancer and inheriting Super Powers. Which one is more motivating?

Readers Digest tells me that eating Spinach means fighting off prostate cancer; but Popeye told me that eating Spinach means that I can pick up a house with one hand. I’m with Popeye.

Popeye didn’t get cancer (and he even smoked) and people going to Heaven don’t go to Hell; but inheriting Heaven is a lot more exciting that just avoiding Hell.

We have undersold Heaven. The picture of souls with halos playing harps on clouds is lame and wrong. Who wants that?

Instead, replace the halo on the bodiless soul with a crown atop your perfect, resurrected body. Replace the harp and cloud with sinless power and authority to rule over creation. Replace an eternity of boredom with an eternity of unspeakable joy and glorious riches.

This isn’t about escaping Hell. This is about the grand inheritance of the new Heavens and new Earth as co-heirs with Christ – standing in the presence of the Almighty God Himself.

Do you want to fall short of that?! No way. I want to persevere; so that I can stand at the judgment throne of God and hear him say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

The great movies are about people making it all the way. The original Rocky was all about “Going the Distance.” It was not about winning, but about going the distance – Rocky making it through all 15 rounds in the Heavyweight Fight. Late in the fight, Rocky gets knocked down and his trainer, Mickey, is yelling, “Stay down! Stay down!” But Rocky keeps getting up and goes the distance.

Satan is doing everything he can not only to knock you down, but also to surround you with people who will tell you to stay down.

It is Christ who gives the Christian that drive to go the distance. When Satan knocks you down, and the world around you tells you to stay down, call on Christ to help you get up and go the distance.

Knock Down: You’re just like your father; you’ll never amount to anything

Go the Distance: I am a holy child of God. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Knock Down: You’re laid off; you’re never going to get ahead.

Go the Distance: I am a man of God. He died that I might live and live abundantly and eternally.

Knock Down: You have cancer; you’re going to get really sick.

Go the Distance: I am healed of my spiritual cancer through Christ, and that was far worse.

            Let’s come to Christ right now in prayer – and call on Him together before we move on.

B. Hearing with Faith (v.2)

Verse 2 – “For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.”

Many times we may listen to the gospel, but not with faith. In some cases this means that faith has never existed; but even for Christians we sometimes try and coast through our reading of God’s Word.

Someone has said, “If you are coasting, you must be going downhill.”

We need to hear with faith, like we saw earlier in the service in the Gospel Reading of the Parable of the Sower – Luke 8:4-15.

It is possible to hear God’s Word with joy, but not have it take root – to believe for awhile, but not once the testing comes. This is the case for many who call themselves Christians. They heard the gospel, but it was of no value, because it was not heard with true faith – persevering faith.

Many of today’s professing Christians are like the Israelites of old, who thought they were God’s people; but their hearts were ultimately hardened to the word of the Lord. We are so afraid of approaching people who have fallen away – “because we don’t want to upset them and drive them away.”

But they already are away!

If they are true believers, then going to them will not “drive them away” – it will bring them back. If they are not true believers, then going to them with the gospel may result in their finally hearing with true faith. We have nothing to lose, and eternity to gain.

            Let’s pray right now – before we move on – that we would hear in faith, and so would others.

C. Holy Rest (vv.3-5)

Verses 3-5 – “Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, ‘So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest.”’ And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: ‘And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.’ And again in the passage above he says, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

            There is an already, but not yet, reality to this. We have already entered that rest – we are already resting in the finished work of Christ on the cross. We are already resting in God’s grace. At the same time we have not yet received our eternal rest from temptation and trials in this fallen world.

            This is the tension of our everyday lives; and supremely important to understanding how to live in this fallen world. Christians are sometimes under the mistaken notion that resting in Christ means that life will get easier. God doesn’t promise an easy life. God doesn’t promise to make us comfortable – but to be our comfort.

            When you face a temptation and trial in this life, you need to face it in the already, but not yet reality of rest. Rest in God’s grace as you face that temptation and trial. Do not conform to the world, but rest in Christ. Find your desire in Christ not in the world.

            Holy rest takes us from “I want this worldly thing” to “No, I don’t – I want Christ (and thank God someday I will only want Christ).”

            I want this family member to stop doing this. No, I simply want Christ (and thank God someday this family member won’t be doing this to me).

            I want famine to end. No, I simply want Christ (and thank God that famine will end when Christ returns).

            In these verses, our rest, which is already accomplished, is compared with the fact that God’s rest from creation is accomplished. God hasn’t “created” anything new since resting on the seventh day. God has been at a state of rest since then. This doesn’t mean that He has been doing nothing (as we often think of rest), but that he is no longer creating. He is no longer doing the work of creating; He is doing the work of redeeming.   The work of creation ended. The work of re-creation began.

            Let’s pray right now – before we move on – that we would rest in Christ.

II. Therefore, Today (vv.6-10)

And so we move on to verses 6-10. In the NIV the “therefore” is translated as part of verse 7, but the Greek “oun” is actually in verse 6 – “It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.”

God rested, not because He was tired. The Sabbath rest, then, does not simply mean – rest because you are tired. It is a holy rest. It is the Sabbath rest. It means rest from (take a break from) your worldly labors in order to engage in your spiritual labors.

            Rest from those things you won’t have to do in Heaven! Get a glimpse of your eternal rest! Do the wonderful works that we will get to do for all of eternity – worship, Christ-centered fellowship and service.

            The fourth commandment does not say, “Keep the Sabbath by sleeping in and doing nothing.” Rather it says, “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy [set apart].”

            This means taking the day to engage in spiritual labors; but Hebrews also shows us that it points to something more glorious – the eternal rest that awaits the true believer.

            Our “eternal rest” is not an eternity of sitting on a cloud with harp and a halo – BORING! Our eternal rest is so much more glorious.

            Again, we see the picture of God’s grace in all of this. That we must rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross, rather than attempting to earn our salvation by our own works. We must still do works, but they must flow out of our faith.

            Likewise, the present command of the Sabbath Day is not that we shouldn’t do work – but that our work must flow out of our faith. Specifically, we should be involved in doing faith-works on Sundays.

            Doing worldly work on Sundays distorts the picture of our eternal rest, in which we will still work; but as co-rulers with Christ. Spiritual rest does not mean ceasing to do works, but means applying the work of Christ in your life.

            Let’s pray right now, before we close, that our rest in Christ would produce our work in Christ.

            Continue to draw near to Christ – that he may help you to go the distance, hear with faith, rest in Him and do holy works (especially on this holy day) in him – glimpsing the eternal rest that awaits you.

MAY THE TRUTH SET YOU FREE – AMEN!