Chapter Introduction
As we start our study in Hebrews chapter 4, verse one starts with another “therefore” statement. These statements keep stacking up as you make your way through the book of Hebrews. They are a logical progression, building on Christ's superiority. Each one builds on the previous truth.
In chapter 3, the writer said we need to consider Jesus. That word for consider wasn't a passing glance and a nod; it was a thorough examination. Our belief and trust in Jesus have eternal consequences, so we want to make sure we get it right.
Also, in chapter 3, the scriptures painted a picture of the Israelites who were disobedient. They had seen all the amazing things God had done for them, yet they didn't believe enough to take possession of the promise. They went right to the edge of the promise and then turned away. They didn't accept God's plan. They couldn't see how that would work out well for them. Joshua and Caleb were the only two giving a good report. They wanted to go take the land God gave them, knowing God was on their side. The people responded by threatening to stone them. The Israelites, under Moses' leadership, were standing right at the border of the wilderness and the promise. They all agreed they didn't like where God's appointed leader had led them. They decided to appoint their own leaders to lead them back to where they came from.
The writer of Hebrews held this story up to these Hebrew Christians and said this is no different than what you are doing if you turn away from Christ. This is hardening your heart. It is disobedience and rebellion. Those rebellious Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years. It was a 40-year funeral march, waiting for the death of all men and women who had been over 20 years of age at the rebellion. The Bible makes it clear that God was angry at this. Because they would not obey, they would not enter God's rest. They could not receive and experience the fullness of all that God had for them.
This is the truth that we need to know from Chapter 3 so we can proceed to the “therefore” statement of Chapter 4. Since God is angry at the sin of unbelief, they will not enter His rest. Therefore...
Hebrews 4:1-5
The writer is now taking this truth the Israelites learned and applying it to these Hebrews. We can apply that same truth to us. Coming short of that rest should be a fearful thing. Unbelief is a sin. It's distrust of the Lord's plan for your life. We saw how God dealt with it in the Old Testament. Since we know that, it should make us set up and take notice. We should fear so we don't come short of it.
The promise of entering into God's rest still remained. That rest is found in Jesus Christ. That rest is the end of our strivings. It's an end to our own lordship over our life. It's an end to the burden of knowing we constantly mess up. It's an end to knowing we aren't right with God. It's an end to our manmade religious acts of trying to appease God with our works when we know deep down inside those works are useless. The law convicts us. We are found guilty of violating God's holy Standard. It's in Jesus that we found rest from running from a just God, knowing that someday, God was going to catch up with all lawbreakers and give them what we deserve. We should fear coming short of that rest, which is our escape from the justice we deserve.
The gospel was preached to the Israelites, but the word didn't profit them. They didn't mix the word preached to them with the faith. They failed to enter the rest. That same gospel is preached to us. We must receive it in faith. It must be profitable to us. That means it’s more than hearing it and agreeing with it. Hearing it and receiving it by faith forms in us the courage to step forward. Even if it doesn’t look like it makes sense, we step forward to receive the promise.
To the Israelites, that looked like walking into a fortified land of Giants. To Joshua and Caleb, it looked like a gift from God. They said:
“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.
To one group of people, it was doom and gloom; to the other, it looked like a blessed gift from above. Faith makes all the difference. Isn't that the way the Christian life is? Those on the outside look in, and they see us. And they say that doesn’t make any sense. And it doesn’t. It makes no sense that God saved me or you. But He did, and that makes it all the more amazing.
Every day, men and women have that opportunity to be led out of their bondage to sin, just as Moses led the Israelites out. Men and women will see God’s hand guide them as the Israelites were guided from Egypt and through the Red Sea. They will come face to face with God just as the Israelites did at the mountain of God. Men and women will look into the mirror of the law, just like the Israelites did, and they will know they’ve failed terribly. Every person will then be shown the promise, just as the Israelites were.
For us, that promise is Jesus Christ. It’s the offer to come die with Him, crucify the Old man in Christ, and be born again in Him. Every day, men and women arrive at that place only to turn back in unbelief, just as the Israelites did. It's like saying, I'd rather do it my way and die in the wilderness than cross over in faith and obedience. Faith makes all the difference. The evidence of faith was receiving the promise. To the world, the promise didn't look like much. To the one of faith, it looks like life and liberty and hope in eternal things. It's trust in a God who loves us and will one day usher us into eternity. And this life, this time of suffering, pain, affliction, sorrow, and persecution, will all be a distant memory.
This rest is a very real thing. The author makes the case that it's not only real but also available to us. The people of God can enter that rest. The author proves this by showing the scripture from Psalm 95, saying those who don't trust Him won't enter. This Psalm was written long after Israel failed to enter their rest. It was written by David, and this shows that the rest was available long after Israel failed to enter their rest.
The presence of these words in David's writings proves that the rest went beyond the Israelites and the border of the Promised Land. The words themselves prove the point. If it was said that some would not enter, logically, we can also conclude that some will enter. Once again, this proves that this rest is available to the people of God then and still today.
This rest isn't some unfinished work or something incomplete. It is perfect and complete from the foundation of the world. It is patterned in the seventh day of rest after the six days of work. The rest came at the completion of that time of work.
The author shows us a subtle contrast. The rest is likened to the seventh day. The Lord created the entire world in six days and then rested from His works. It was perfect because the Lord instituted it in perfection. This is a picture of trust and faith. It's obedience and walking with the Lord. We have a rest here in this life, walking with Jesus. It's freedom from this world and hope for the next. That's the first kind of rest.
But we also work in this life. It's tiring, toiling, endless, and thankless. We feel like strangers in a foreign land. Then, a day comes when the work is done here in the foreign land, and we will enter that final eternal rest. That's the perfect rest.
This rest is one side of the contrast. The other side is the statement from Psalm 95, “They shall not enter my rest.” This is a picture of unbelief, rebellion, and disobedience. God was clear: Those who don’t believe, who rebel, and are disobedient will not enter His rest.
This is a stark contrast. It's the beauty of obedience, trust, and faith on one side, all of which bring rest, contrasted to disobedience, rebellion, and unbelief that denies rest. That's eye-opening. This rest is available by the mercy and goodness of God. It’s an insult not to accept it as it is, for what it is. There is not one thing we can or should do but believe in him and find the peace of being in His rest. If you feel as though you don’t deserve it, you are correct in that assessment. If you feel as though you aren’t good enough, you’re not. To try to deserve it or earn it is a useless religious act that is an insult to God’s mercy and grace. God’s rest for His people will never be any different than it is right now. It is eternal and perfect. There is nothing we can do to improve on it. We can’t add to it in any way. All we can do is accept it or reject it. As simple as that sounds, it stumbles many people just like it stumbled the Israelites.
Have you found your rest in Jesus Christ? Do you believe in God for his promises? We often answer those questions very quickly because we know what the answer is supposed to be. Of course, I trust Jesus and believe His promises, I’m at church, aren’t I? As we move along in this study, this claim to trust and believe will be tested. If you trust and believe, then there should be evidence of it.
It’s easy to trust and believe while sitting in comfort. But, will your trust allow you to step in faith where God says to step? Will your faith hold up when it is tested by suffering? The Israelites would have all said they trusted and believed God. After all, they walked all the way from Egypt with Him. Yet, their faith failed when it was time to step into the Promised Land. They disobeyed and rebelled. They would have argued,” Yes, but there were giants in the land. Yes, I believe, but there are fortified cities full of enemies. Yes, but…” You fill in the blanks.
Mankind is very good at justifying our disobedience and rebellion. We want God to explain His ways to us so we can weigh out our decisions to see if we agree with His plan. We want it all laid out before us. We do this thinking that we might be able to offer God some pointers on what might be best for us. This is our pride surfacing. The Israelites said, Let's see, there are giants. We'll have to fight them. There are fortresses that aren't good. But there is lots of fruit and food of all kinds.
If we can explain our decision, it isn't faith. We’re not supposed to analyze it. We simply have to answer the question, "Do you trust Him or not?” It’s not trust in the Lord if you enter the promise because of human wisdom and worldly logic. If it makes sense to us, it’s not of God, and it’s not of faith. Our prayer is, “Lord, I believe, help me in my unbelief.” I trust you, Lord, in obedience. But Lord, I confess I'm scared. I don't understand how you will keep these giants from walking all over me. I don't see how, in this Christian life, you can teach me to walk in faith. I don't see how I can walk in this body, in this world, yet be obedient to you. But I'm in, I'm all in. I step into that rest by faith. God takes that honest faith of a child and says, come walk with me, and let me show you.
Hebrews 4:6-10
Psalm 95 was written long after Moses's rebellious generation, yet the Psalm tells us the rest is available today. Similarly, Joshua took the next generation into the land, but they never took all the land, never subdued it completely. Entering the land of Canaan wasn’t the rest. It was the act of faith involved in entering. It wasn’t where their foot fell; it was the heart change that lifted the foot and moved it forward.
They rested, but it wasn’t the final, ultimate rest. David spoke of unbelievers not entering the rest. This means many did enter into the Lord’s rest by faith.
This is just more evidence that there is still a rest available. Yeshua (Jesus) and Joshua are essentially the same names in Hebrew. Another Joshua will bring the ultimate rest.
When we enter that rest, there is no more law, no more striving and working to try to find our way back to God, no animal sacrifices, no guilt or shame, no burden of trying to hide our sins from the Judge, and no fear of a coming day. We rest in freedom and liberty of our salvation in Jesus.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Today is the day. Don’t harden your heart; today, enter into his rest. It is available today, right now, in Jesus Christ. You not only don’t have to strive and work for it, you can’t strive and work for it. You can’t earn it. In Christ, righteousness doesn’t require your work. We can let go of trying to impress God with our righteousness. Besides, he is only impressed with the righteousness of Christ.
Hebrews 4:11
We enter by faith. It’s no small thing done in passing. We must be diligent. Those who fell in the wilderness weren’t diligent. If we aren’t diligent, we will fall, too. God’s children should be characterized by perseverance.
Over and over in this study of Hebrews, we keep seeing these words and phrases stressing the importance and priority these things should be given. We were called to give earnest heed lest we drift away. This was the important decision of knowing who and what your life is anchored to. Jesus said in Matthew, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me.” It’s important we know who we are yoked to lest that opportunity drift away. Don’t wait till it’s too late.
In chapter 3, we were called to consider Jesus Christ. We said this was not just a passing glance and a nod of agreement but a deep and comprehensive examination to thoroughly understand who Jesus is, what His life and Lordship mean to us, and then what that should look like in our life. Make sure you have the right understanding of Jesus and, therefore, the right Jesus. We do that by getting to know Him through His word and relationship.
And now we are called to be diligent in entering in. Our faith must be diligent, or else it will waiver. Don’t look at this diligence as some kind of work. It should be the picture of you clinging to the feet of Jesus. It’s holding on tight to Christ no matter what.
Hebrews 4:12-13
When we receive the word, it does its work on us. It pierces deep, working its way all the way into the inner man. It divides even the soul and spirit. How do you divide soul & spirit? Sometimes, the words soul and spirit appear as interchangeable, signifying the inner man. The words are different, though. The soul is the inner man, his will, desires, and emotions. The Spirit is more focused on the supernatural part of who we are. It is difficult, if not impossible, for us to discern the dividing of soul & spirit, but the word can. The word of God sees into the inner man. It discerns the intentions of the heart. It can judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart with the precision of a surgeon separating the joint and marrow.
Are you reading the word? Does it shape your life? As children of God, we do our work, but our work will be judged by fire. Our motive will be revealed. Our works are to be done in obedience to Jesus Christ, not to earn righteousness. Not as an effort to find favor with God. Nothing is hidden from God. He knows all we do and why we do it.
All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
In our life, people come, and people go; religions and manmade beliefs, trends, and fads come and go. False teachers and false ideas come and go. The thought police and the definers of what is politically correct come and go. But the word of the Lord is forever.
“ All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
But the word of the LORD endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25)
See also 2 Peter 1:10-11.
Hebrews 4:14-15
I wonder what these Hebrew men were thinking right now as they read this letter for the first time. They were looking to quietly escape the persecution but hold onto the blessings from God. They wanted to discretely go about denying Jesus but seek after God. Did they think they could parse their faith to create their own manmade rest? Did they reason that there was an easier way than walking with Christ? The enemy puts many things before our eyes. That’s why we must walk by faith. The reality is Christ; everything else is false, and it’s crowded there. This false reality is the broad way that leads to destruction. It’s doing it our own way.
For these Hebrew men, all the intentions of their hearts were laid bare by the word. Jesus knew them. He knew what they were up against. He knew their persecution. Jesus was their high priest. But not just any high priest; He is the Son of God, and He knows and understands their life as he knows and understands ours. He was tempted in every way that we are. The Hebrews couldn’t say, ”It’s hard, Jesus, you just don’t understand.” Jesus was mocked and spit on, whipped and beaten. They smashed a crown of thorns on his head, then they nailed Him to a cross, shot dice for His clothes, and taunted Him until He died. I think He understands all about suffering and persecution. These men were without excuse as we are.
Since we are without excuse, let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace. To those Hebrew men, this writer said, “When your walk with the Lord gets tough, you don’t shy away. You don’t run away and hide. Instead, run to Jesus.” He knows what you are going through. He knows what you are up against. Don’t get hardhearted, and allow unbelief to keep you from your rest.
We can come to the throne of grace boldly and with confidence. We don’t need to run from Jesus to escape pain and affliction. We need to run to Him. This access to the throne is part of our inheritance and citizenship. Take advantage of it, lay your case before the king. We, as the saints of God, have access to the throne. Think about that. To go before an earthly king, one went in fear and trembling lest they lose their head if the king didn't take a liking to them. We come to our king boldly. We have a relationship. We are on a first-name basis with the King. We are His brethren.
Yet, we should never forget, in this boldness, that we are approaching God. We shouldn't come in arrogance. Jesus is not our homeboy, our pal, copilot, or partner. He’s our Lord. Although we can go boldly, we must go reverently.
We cannot come before God on our own; we can only approach God through Jesus Christ. Our confidence is with Jesus so that we can receive mercy and grace. We are in trouble if we approach in any way but by his grace. At the throne of grace, we obtain mercy and grace in our time of need.
Amen.
© 2011 Doug Ford, Updated and revised 2019, 2024
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