Hebrews 4:9-10

so we see that they were unable to enter, enter his rest, because of unbelief.

Once again, they failed to enter the rest of God. For a third example, it's actually the people not completing the conquest. So this is in verse 8, chapter 4, verse 8, says,

for if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.

So even though Joshua led the people of Israel into the promised land, true rest still was not realized. The author points out that David later in the Psalms, he recognized that God's rest was still waiting to be experienced in its fullness beyond Joshua's time. The people of God failed to fully cleanse the land in Joshua's time. They failed to fully worship God as the one true God alone. They failed to enter his rest. And finally, the fourth historic example comes from Hebrews 4.7, and it's David's warning that applies to us today. Hebrews 4.7 says this,

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.

This is actually a quotation from Psalm 95, which is a key part of the author's argument here. It shows that the Israelites' rebellion and unbelief kept them from entering God's rest at that time. And by repeating this word today, the author stresses that the chance to enter God's rest is still available, even today. That the promised rest was not just about entering the land of Canaan, but it was a deeper spiritual rest through a means that was yet to come. And these historic examples, they're not just intended to simply give some kind of theoretical contrast between the previous times and the present times of the author. Verse one of chapter four gives us what the application is of these historic failures, where it says this.

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.

The application that the author gives to all these historic failures, let us fear. Given the repeated emphasis to fear the Lord throughout scripture, we might assume that that's what the author's advocating for here. And while we certainly should fear the Lord, I think we're actually missing the real emphasis and thrust of this section if that's the application that we take. Because in light of this repeated failure of the people of God to fully enter the rest of God, the author is saying that what we must fear is actually a failure to enter the rest of God. It's a fear of the failure of the rest of God itself, of being just like previous generations, the disobedient, faithless generations. So it leads us to question, Do the patterns of our lives demonstrate that we've entered the promised rest of God? Friends, this doesn't mean that we should walk around constantly questioning our salvation. Think of this fear more in the context of Paul's exhortation in Philippians chapter two, where he commands them to work out their own salvation with fear and with trembling. This inward fear of not entering the rest of God, it might lead to inward realizations of our own hypocrisy, of our own disobedience. On the other hand, and perhaps even for some who are here this evening, a proper reflection and fear of repeating the patterns of disobedience may rightly lead you to reevaluate the genuineness of your faith. But for both the hypocrite, which is all of us at some point and in some ways, and for the deceived, the central verses of our text are good news, good news, which brings us to point two, rest remains. So I'll reread chapter four, verses nine and 10.

So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

Friends, despite the repeated disobedience of the people of God, the promise of rest remains. And as I've been even reflecting on these things in my own mind, the recurring thought has been, Lord, how can this be? How can you still, despite all of this disobedience, keep offering rest to such a rebellious people as us? The patience of the Lord is truly amazing. But this promised rest, it isn't just rest as in the days of Moses, or the days of Joshua, or the days of David, and it's not even just like the pattern of rest that God gave at the very beginning before sin. The rest that's talked about here, this Sabbath rest, it's even better than that, better than all of that. This Sabbath rest is the completed, fulfilled, consummate rest of God. The Sabbath rest described in verse nine, it's an extremely unique word. And this is not only the only time that this particular Greek word, it appears in the whole Bible, it's actually the first recorded use of the particular word Sabbath rest in any Greek literature in or outside of the Bible. It doesn't seem like the author is speaking of a specific day, a specific Sabbath day, the weekly Sabbath rest. Instead, this word is conveying two things. First, as verse 10 reemphasizes, it's highlighting that we can enjoy a present Sabbath rest by resting from our works-based religion and instead resting in the grace of God. And secondly, the Sabbath rest points us forward to the fulfillment of the image that is the Sabbath day. It fixes our hope on the promised ultimate eternal rest and worship. All of the redeemed worshiping God for all eternity. Those who enter this special Sabbath rest of God rest from all of their vain toiling and striving and receive the eternal blessing of enjoying God forever. And just as God is patterned arresting from his work, so we too will enter an eternal rest from all of our working and striving if we are in Christ. This Sabbath rest means that right now, right now, we can rest from our work and rest in the grace of Christ. And in eternity, that rest will be made complete. This Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God is this. But it begs the question, how do we enter this rest? How do we enter this Sabbath rest of God? Which brings us to our third point, rest entered. Chapter four, verse 11 says,

let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

The conclusion of this section circles back to the warning given at the very start. In light of the disobedience of previous generations, fear and striving to enter the rest of God. How though, how are we to enter that rest? In the text it gives us two answers, which are belief and obedience. First belief, verse three says,

for we who have believed enter that rest.

Belief in the gospel is the key that unlocks the rest that uniquely remains for the new covenant people of God. Belief, belief and faith, they're the same word. And like Dr. Wellam talked about over the weekend, apart from the completed work of Jesus Christ and his perfect life, his suffering, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, and his promised return, there would be no rest for the people of God. There would only be further faithlessness on our part and on God's part. His righteous wrath poured out upon sin. But in light of the gospel, there is true rest for us to enter by faith. As we reflected early on the command to fear, if you found yourself questioning the genuineness of your faith, or perhaps you've never believed at all There's only one application from this text today, and that is to believe, to believe and to enter His rest. Do not wait. Enter the rest of God. There is nothing better. Today can be that day. Right now, if you are in Christ, True rest remains for you as you believe. Rest from your striving to be enough. In yourself you're not, but Christ in you is. Enter his rest. Rest from your working for approval. God's particular love for you in Christ is yours. Enter that rest. Even so, do you sometimes find yourself struggling with a gap between what you know to be true about the rest that is yours in Christ and your lived experience? I certainly do sometimes. I'm feeling like I'm grasping at something that I know is there, that I know is true, that I know if I could just hold tightly to, I would be grounded in the rest that is the gospel. But sometimes it just seems to slip through my fingers. Chapter four, verse 12 tells us that the primary tool to tackle unbelief and disobedience is the word of God, which it says is

living and active. and sharper than any two-edged sword.

There are many, many places in the word that we could turn, but one in particular has stood out to me, and that's Ephesians 1, which is packed with the benefits of being in Christ. These are the types of benefits that are profound examples of the present rest for those who are in Christ to be enjoyed and to be entered into. So tonight, I want to encourage you, no matter how familiar or unfamiliar you are with that passage from Ephesians 1, I want to encourage you to take time on your own to reflect on that. Consider where is the biggest gap between your belief about the truths of Ephesians 1 and your lived experience of them. Where are you most inclined to just kind of brush past one of those truths without further meditation? And is that because you actually understand it deeply? Or could it be because of apathy in your heart or hardness of your heart toward those particular benefits of Christ? Consider meditating on these verses daily for a time and even committing them to memory. Consider even reflecting on this text with a trusted friend or mentor about where false beliefs form barriers between your regular experience, you and your regular experience of the rest of God. Pray that God will give you grace to believe them more fully, thereby entering the present rest of the gospel. So that was the first way that we enter the rest of God, belief. And then the second way is to rest, that we enter his rest is through obedience. Chapter four, verse six tells us that it was because of disobedience that previous generations failed to enter God's rest. And so if you were in Christ, just as grace is a means by which you enter the rest of Christ, belief, true rest remains for you also as you obey God. Our fear of God and trembling at the thought of not entering the promised rest of God should result in obedience. From the law to the prophets to Jesus himself, the word repeatedly affirms the blessedness of obedience. not as a salvific end in and of itself, but as the fruit of faith and a wise, blessed, rest-filled way of living in communion with the one who has saved us. The Bible gives us a picture of faith or a love for God that leads to obedience, that the fruit of that is rest and enjoyment of God. This can be clearly heard in Jesus's words to his disciples in John 14, 21, where he says this.

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

This passage is such a great example of the connection between faith, obedience, and rest. I'm gonna reread that verse again, but adding some commentary to help us see these connections, the clear connections between faith, obedience, and rest. So again, John 14, 21,

whoever has my commandments,

that would be the people of faith, the people of God, so faith, and keeps them, obedience, he it is who loves me, faith,

and he who loves me,

faith,

will be loved by my father,

rest, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. rest. Faith and love for God are inextricably with obedience linked to rest. These realities are meant to rightly orient our obedience so that it ceases to be just vain working and striving and instead becomes an aligning of our thoughts and actions with the transformed hearts that we've been given. Still, though we can truly, we can truly experience rest in this life, we cannot yet fully experience it. The eschatological implications of obedience and rest are clear in 4.13, which remind us that

all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him who must give an account, to whom we must give an account.

And this is the image where we began tonight. Naked and exposed before God. Yet all of this sits in the context of grace. the grace of a perfect righteous obedience undeservedly given to the people of faith in Jesus Christ. And it is that grace too that will ultimately lead the people of God into the perfect fulfillment of rest that is not yet but will be. the day when we will be with him, our faith and obedience perfected by his grace, true and total rest for our souls forever. This is the Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God. And because it is our inheritance in Christ, brothers and sisters, it will not be taken away from us. As we look at the examples of rest withheld throughout the history of God's people, let us fear not entering His rest. Let us rejoice and meditate upon the present and eternal Sabbath rest that remains for us. and let us strive to enter that rest through faith and obedience to Christ, a rest that will be complete when he returns. And with that, I will say, come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Would you pray with me? Oh, Father in heaven, our hearts long to be united with you, and we praise you that in Christ that is true through faith. I do pray that we would understand your rest more fully and enter it more wholly. To the glory of your son. Amen.