Hebrews 4
Mike Barnett -
Hebrews
4:1-16 says:
1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest
still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short
of it. 2For 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.[a] 3Now 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.' "[b] And yet his work has been finished since
the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken
about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested
from all his work."[c] 5And again in the
passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest."
6It 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. 7Therefore
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."[d] 8For if Joshua had
given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own
work, just as God did from his. 11Let us, therefore,
make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following
their example of disobedience.
12For the
word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the
thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all
creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before
the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
14Therefore,
since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,[e] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to
the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let
us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Notes:
·
Since the
wilderness generation failed to enter, it must still be available for somebody
else.
·
His “rest”
does not just refer to the rest in
·
This rest
ultimately refers to salvation.
·
Those who
have believed in the Lordship of Jesus Christ have entered that rest.
·
Just as
entering physical rest in
·
The
wilderness generation did not enter it. (See Psalm 95:11)
·
Neither did
the children of the wilderness generation whom Joshua led into the earthly promised land. (Hebrews 4:8 referring to Psalm 95:7-80
·
THEREFORE
THIS REST IS STILL AVAILABLE
·
This rest
does not just refer to eternity and the new heaven and earth where there is no
suffering.
·
The rest is
beyond creation.
·
Believers are
already receiving this kingdom.
·
God offers us
this rest of blissful fellowship with himself.
·
Within the
Old Testament the earthy promised land was called rest because it was the place
where God’s people would be at rest from the oppression of their enemies and
from other hardships.
Deuteronomy 12:9-10 says:
9 since you have not yet reached the resting place and
the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you. 10 But
you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the LORD your God is giving
you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around
you so that you will live in safety.
·
They would
live in the rest of intimate fellowship with Him.
·
Thus the
earthy promised land was the appropriate type of picture of the eternal rest
that God has for his people.
·
The eternal
rest is the ultimate goal for God’s people both before and after Christ.
Insights learned from
Hebrews 4:
·
This rest
that the Hebrews’ author is speaking of is primarily salvation which includes rest
here and now on earth as well as in Heaven for all eternity.
Matthew 11:28-29 says:
28"Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
QUESTION: Does your soul need rest? If so, then come to Christ, just not for
salvation one day, but for strength today.
·
This “rest”
is available to us in Christ and is best received in a daily quiet time
consisting of Bible reading, prayer, meditation and thanksgiving.
·
·
When most of
us think of meditation, we think of Buddhist Monks doing yoga with incense.
·
·
To the
Christian, meditation is simply being still before God and focusing our
attention on Jesus and the truths he taught!
Hebrews 3:1 says: “FIX YOUR THOUGHTS ON
JESUS” – That is a meditation!
2. It is possible to fall
short of God’s rest through thinking wrong thoughts. To enter this “rest” a
person’s thoughts must be in alignment with God’s truth proclaimed in the
Scriptures. Vs. 1-6
3. Whereas unbelief and
doubt keep us from experiencing God’s rest, belief and faith in God’s promises
bring us into God’s presence, both here on earth and in the kingdom to come.
Vs. 1-5
4. God speaks to sinners
through grace – and the proper response is humility combined with faith. Vs.
1-3
Ephesians 2:8-10 says:
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not
by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.
James 4:6 says:
6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture
says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."[a]
5. The prerequisites for
entering God’s rest are rightful thoughts that lead to faith in Christ that is deliberately
acted upon. Vs. 1-6
1Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest
still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short
of it. 2For 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.[a] 3Now 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.' "[b] And yet his work has been finished since
the creation of the world. 4For somewhere he has spoken
about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested
from all his work."[c] 5And again in the
passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." Hebrews
5:1-5
·
Both have had
the gospel, God’s news preached to them. (4:2)
·
Both groups
make up the household of God and are heirs of God’s promise to Abraham.
·
The most
fundamental difference between the wilderness generation and Christians today
is not a difference in the gospel preached to each group.
·
The most
fundamental difference is the difference between the “believer” and “non
believer”, by definition it is one of unbelief and faith – it is not the
message.
6. If you try to intellectually
make sense of God’s promises you will struggle to believe – if you receive the
message by faith you will be given understanding and the eyes of your soul will
be opened as you continue to grow spiritually in Christ. Vs. 1-16
·
That’s why
the apostle Paul prayed an amazing prayer in Ephesians 1:16-20:
Ephesians 1:16-20 says:
16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering
you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may
know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes
of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which
he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which
he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his
right hand in the heavenly realms,
7) BIBLE KNOWLEDGE IS
USELESS UNTIL IT IS COMBINED WITH FAITH AND APPLIED TO MY LIFE. Vs. 2-5
2For 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. V. 2
·
They did not
believe and it is we who have believed who enter that rest. (4:3).
·
The
wilderness people did not believe, but there were Old Testament people who did.
·
During their
lifetimes, these Old Testament faithful looked forward to God’s eternal rest. (
·
We, however
who have believed after Christ’s coming actually enter that rest.(4:3)
·
As our high
priest, Christ provided for our hearts to be cleansed from sin. (
·
He thereby
established a new covenant characterized by heart obedience.
Hebrews 10:15-18 says:
15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this.
First he says:
16"This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds."[a] 17Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more."[b] 18And where these
have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.
·
Through the
cleansing from sin and continual intercession of our heavenly High Priest we
have access into the heavenly most holy place, the very presence of God.
·
Through
Jesus’ blood they have entered into a fullness of rest in God’s presence.
·
They are the
spirits of righteous men made “perfect” in the heavenly
·
Presumably,
when Christians die, they enter the same level of rest that these Old Testament
saints have now.
·
Both they and
we look forward to the full enjoyment of this rest when Christ returns (
8. Only a person who has
hardened their heart through unbelief in Christ and unfaithfulness to God
cannot enter this rest. Vs. 1-6
NOTE: Unbelief towards
God leads to unfaithfulness to God.
PROBLEM: When a person
turns away from the living God there is nowhere for them to turn when life
throws them a curve ball and it will because life on this fallen earth cannot
be controlled or predicted.
9.To enter this rest a
person must believe the Gospel message by faith in Christ – YOU DON’T EVEN NEED
TO BE PERFECT TO ENTER THIS REST…ALL YOU CAN DO IS TRUST THE PERFECT SACRIFICAL
LAMB WHO PURCHASED YOUR SALVATION FOR YOU. Vs. 1-6
·
Many people
want to experience God’s blessing before they fully trust Him, but the fact is, a person will not experience God’s blessings until he/she
fully trusts him.
Hebrews 11:1 says:
Now faith is being sure
of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
·
Sanctification
is a process of transmitting those beliefs into action over time.
·
WHEN WE HEAR
HIS VOICE, WE MUST NOT HARDEN OUR HEARTS.
·
The
wilderness generation – lost God’s blessing because those who heard did not
combine it with faith (4:2).
·
Anyone who
enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.
·
When we enter
his rest, we cease from the work of doing things our way.
·
We participate
in deep fellowship with God and in his own blessedness by yielding to him in
faith and obedience.
·
The
wilderness generation would not trust God so they took things in their own
hands.
·
They were
going to choose a leader and go back to
·
ALL BELIEVERS
ARE TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT SO THAT NO ONE FALLS BY FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF
DISOBEDIENCE SET BY THE WILDERNESS GENERATION (
·
IT IS GOD’S
REST THAT IS AT STAKE – LET
·
Hebrews
4:12-16
·
The Preacher
is focused on the Sinai picture.
·
The
wilderness generation refused to obey God’s word spoken on Sinai and were
excluded from the
·
We must obey
God’s word spoken in the son by following our pioneer into God’s own rest, prepared
from creation.
·
The proper
response to God’s word in the Son (1:1-2:4) is pilgrimage into God’s rest
(2:5-4:11).
10. A person is
enlightened when they take responsibility for their sin nature and call out to
Christ in faith for salvation. V. 4-6
NOTE: A person cannot be
truly saved or sanctified when they are in a mental state of unbelief or
rebellion to God. Vs. 4-6
·
Phrases like
“enlightened”, “tasted the heavenly gift”, “shared in the Holy Spirit” and “tasted
the goodness of the word of God” make it clear that the author is referring to
truly converted persons.
·
The Greek
word for “fall away” in verse 6 implies a willful and purposeful decision to
reject Christ.
·
Repentance is
impossible for such a person who makes such a choice.
·
This passage
is referring to professing Christians who blatantly and willfully sin with no remorse.
·
The clause
translated “because…they are crucifying the Son of God all over again” is often
translated, “while” rather than “because”.
·
This suggests
that repentance may not be impossible forever but that it absolutely can never
happen while a person is in a state of rebellion against God.
·
God is a
gracious God and I have never seen him reject a person who authentically cried
out to him for salvation.
·
THE GOSPEL
MESSAGE IS THE SEED AND PEOPLE’S SOULS ARE THE SOIL, SOME OF WHICH IS HARDENED
AND WEEDY AND SOME OF WHICH IS GOOD AND SOFT HEARTED. Vs. 6-7
Luke 8:4-20 says:
4While a
large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town,
he told this parable: 5"A farmer went out to sow
his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was
trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6Some
fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no
moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up
with it and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on
good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was
sown."
When he said this, he called out, "He
who has ears to hear, let him hear."
9His
disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said,
"The knowledge of the secrets of the
" 'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.'[a]
11"This
is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those
along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away
the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy
when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the
time of testing they fall away. 14The seed that fell
among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are
choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and
good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
·
Persons with
a hard heart/conscience will struggle to grow and mature in Christ and make
little progress over the years – they are stuck.
·
Christians
with a soft heart/conscience grow and mature more quickly in Christ.
11. EXPOSURE TO GOD’S
WORD SOFTENS A PERSON’S HEART/CONSCIENCE – IT CONVICTS THE SOUL OF SIN AND
THEREBY KEEPS THE PERSON’S HEART SOFT AND PLIABLE TO GOD’S DIRECTION. Vs. 12
12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper
than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
·
When God’s
word addresses us, it shows us how far the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts
fall short of what God requires.
·
The verse
emphasizes the effectiveness of God’s word to penetrate and expose our inward
beings.
12. GOD’S WORD IS LIVING
AND ACTIVE AND CHANGES THE BELIEVING HEART THAT RECEIVES IT. Vs. 12-13
·
Because God’s
word is alive, it does things, it accomplishes God’s purpose, it is effective.
·
This verse
emphasizes the effectiveness of God’s word to penetrate and expose our inward
beings.
·
Exposure to
the word of God exposes us to God’s own standard.
13. GOD KNOWS ME BETTER
THAN I KNOW MYSELF - God does not know us by what comes out of our mouth – He
knows us by what resides in our heart. Vs. 13
13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must
give account.
·
When we pray
that God opens the eyes of our heart, we begin to see some of the things that
lurk in the depths of our soul.
·
It is
impossible to hide what we really are from Him because nothing in all creation
is hidden from him.
·
Uncovered and
laid bare emphasizes the thoroughness of this exposure right before the very
eyes of God to whom we must give an account.
·
The word here
translated “account” is the same Greek term that is normally translated
“word”. The phrase could be more
literally translated “to whom in relation to us a word must be given.” The word or revelation of God (94:12)
requires an answering “word” from us (94:13).
·
Will it be a
word of faith or disobedience. Vs. 14-16
·
This High
Priest is so great because he has gone through the heavens, he is Jesus, and he
is the Son of God. (
13. WE HAVE A HIGH PRIEST
WE CAN TRUST BECAUSE JESUS HAS PROVEN HIMSELF FAITHFUL. V. 14-15
14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has
gone through the heavens,[e] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to
the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let
us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
·
Jesus is
sensitive enough to give us grace and is strong enough to give us power and
resources to enter his rest. Vs. 14-15
·
Other high
priests offered animal sacrifices and then passed through the first part of the
Tabernacle.
·
Sympathize
with weakness- To most modern speakers of English, the word sympathize denotes
a mere feeling.
·
However, the
Greek word here translated “sympathize” means to “actively help someone”.
·
The weakness
in question includes sinfulness.
16. JESUS SYMPHATHIZES
WITH OUR PAIN AND IS APPROACHABLE AND AVAILABLE TO US IN OUR TIME OF NEED – GOD
IS JUST ONE THOUGHT…JUST ONE PRAYER AWAY. V. 16
V. 16 – Let us approach
the throne with grace and confidence.
·
Confidence
can also be translated, “boldness”.
·
The high
priest opened the way for us (
·
Through the
work of our High Priest, God’s throne from which he judges evil has become a
throne of grace.
·
We will
receive mercy in the forgiveness of our sins and grace to help us in our time
of need. V. 16
·
Let us hold
firmly to the faith we profess and approach the throne of grace with
confidence.