Title: Step Into His Rest Text: Hebrews 4:1–11
- Have you ever had someone in your life who kept moving the goal posts? Everytime they demanded something from you and you reached that goal, they’d reset the goal.
- Its infuriating. As humans we thrive on order and die in chaos. And moving goals kill the soul///
- As Christians, we need to rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ, walk in it, look to the future and believe until Christ returns or calls us home.
- moving into the Christmas . Advent starts next week and we’re going to be walking through the 4 weeks of advent: Hope, peace, joy, love. These themes help us focus on the season
- today I want to tee up Christmas cause at its core, Christmas is the announcement of rest. The arrival of the Christ Child means the striving can end. Humanity doesn’t have to guess anymore. The Savior has come and now we can finally rest/// thrill of hope weary soul rejoices
- Before we go any further, you need to understand something: when the Bible says rest, it does not mean what Americans mean when they say rest. Rest in Hebrews is not doing nothing. It is not spiritual laziness. It is not passivity. It does not mean stop caring, stop growing, or stop following Jesus. It doesn’t mean spiritual drifting and lukewarmness
- Biblical rest is not the absence of activity. It is the absence of anxiety.//
- American rest is relaxation. Biblical rest is confidence.
- American rest is taking a break from work. Biblical rest is trusting that God has finished the work. Rest does not mean you stop following Jesus. It means you stop fighting Jesus.
- You stop resisting Him. You stop striving in your own strength.
- Rest is not doing nothing. It is living from what Christ has already done.///
- Today the writer of Hebrews, and your pastor wants you to step into rest.
- Step into Rest Because Christ CAN Save You (Just Believe)
- Hebrews 4:1–3 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest… For we who have believed do enter that rest…
- Now, at our church, and here today, most of you are saved and walking with Jesus, but I think its good to revisit the essence of the Gospel. The Gospel of rest is a Gospel of belief.
- The OT and the Hebrews were in a system of religiosity that required a ton of activities from them to establish and maintain a relationship with God.
- We walked through this in Exodus- the tents, the arks, the tablets, the tables and breads
- Walking with God was working for God and now walking with God is believing in Jesus. ///
- John 6:29 This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.
- What does that mean? That means that the culmination of the earthly ministry of Jesus was his death burial and resurrection. that event is the reestablishment of relationship w God and man
- You believe that Jesus on the cross, his blood paid for your sin and now you are forgiven.
- Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.
- When you ‘believe on’ you are saying- This story I heard about this Jesus on the cross, I believe that. That event paid for my sin and the sins of all humanity.
- So then romans says- Romans 10:9–10 – If you confess with your mouth… and believe in your heart… you will be saved.
- You go from “I heard that story” to “I believe that story” and live like its true. Christ can save me
- God’s rest begins with believing the gospel and trusting the finished work of Christ. Its finished.
- 1 Pe3:18 Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God
- That’s the Gospel- We have been brough to God in Christ Jesus! Praise God
- MEAN 2 YOU- Stop carrying the weight of proving yourself; trust what Jesus has already done.
- This is a very hard thing for us to be able to walk out as believers because we have been trained by the American work ethic of continual work and busyness. The siesta doesn’t exist here.
- Pretty much every other culture has a rhythm of rest ‘you’ll be better after a break.’
- Not us. We say, ‘Work harder.’ (being in Egypt, Israel, Ghana, etc always an afternoon rest)
- when you hear that the pathway to righteousness is simply to believe, it seems unbelievable.
- So the writer of Hebrews says “For we who have believed do enter that rest”
- From the hope of entering that rest to the reality of entering that rest- WHO HAVE BELEIVED
- Zechariah 13:1 In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
- Its like trying to do surgery on yourself before you go to the surgeon. Let them do their job.
- Some of y’all believe Jesus is enough you just don’t believe He’s enough for you.///
- There’s a difference between believing the cross can save and believing the cross has saved you./// Here’s the second part-
- You can step into his Rest Because Christ DID Save You (Peace With God)
- The writer of Hebrews 4:3 We who have believed do enter that rest.
- This verse is the crux of this passage- we believe- and the result is we enter the rest.
- And remember, this rest isn’t inactivity is living for what Christ has done.
- Romans 5:1 Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.
What does peace with God look like with the person who has believed in Jesus?
- One- you have to not let your past sins torment you in your mind
- This is so central to Christianity and our experience- its so hard to move past it
- You HAVE been forgiven, but somehow the experience often plays in your head
- Your old sin patterns try to drag you back. It happens to all of us.
- The outcome of that mental wandering is doubt. That’s it. There’s no value in it.
- You figure, how can I be saved and still think this way? Is something wrong with me?
- Colossians 1:21–22 – You… He has reconciled… to present you holy and blameless.
- Two- You have to not let your inability to overcome all sin in your life torment you
- Christians sin. This is one of the most surprising things about walking w Jesus. We struggle
- And if you really love Jesus and have met him, it HURTS when you do. Painfully so
- When that happens- you have a choice- continue in sin, or repent and move forward
- But if the guilt and shame gets the best of you- you’ll stay in your sin instead of going to the Savior to be forgiven and set free!///
- 1 John 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.///
- Once you are SAVED you have PEACE WITH GOD/// and have entered into that REST
- This cycle of never-ending sacrifices has CEASED and now you are SECURE in his REST
- Because here’s the crux either he saved you or he didn’t./// You’re not on shaky ground.
- What does it mean to you?
- You don’t need to fear the wrath of God anymore because you’ve be justified by faith
- Walk like it. Quit beating yourself up and allowing the devil to convince you otherwise.
- Reject the lie that God is disappointed in you; walk in confidence and acceptance.
- Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
- Micah 7:18–19 Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?… You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
- You are saved. You are forgiven. You are holy and you are Christs. You have entered his rest.
- If you have repented and came to christ– You can live like someone who belongs to Christ, you can sleep like someone that has peace with God.///
- Your identity is in him. Your stability is strong. No devil in hell can snatch you from his hand.
walk like someone who was made new. Do you remember your first car? Didn’t you want to just go out and sit in it or drive it around? Unbelievable it was yours. Don’t go ask. Drive it. - Jude 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
- Rest Because Christ WILL eventually Eternally Save You (Future Glory)
- He is going to present you faultless before the presence of his glory.
- Do you understand what God is doing? He is drawing people to Himself so He can bring them safely home.? He wants you to get to heaven more than you want it.
- You may partake in sin, but you will not be destroyed by sin bc you have been saved from it
- Hebrews 4:9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.///
- This scripture is a yes/and and a now/not yet. You have entered his rest RIGHT NOW but you still struggle in this earth while you are waiting for a FUTURE REST that remains
- The bible calls it 1 Peter 1:3–4 – A living hope… an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled.
Listen to me- this is central to Christianity. It’s the same as a right now and future kingdom - You are in his rest right now, but its impossible to fully experience that rest until its eternal.
- Revelation 14:13 They may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.
- The ministry of Jesus was always and is always a right now and future. There is a promise of future glory that is incomprehensible to the human mind but we are going to get there
- We have a future promise of Rev 21:4 No more tears, no more death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain.///Rev 22:3–4 to see His face and there will be no more curse.1 Cor 13:12 to know fully, even as we are fully known. Ph3:20–21 to be transformed into His glorious body.Rom 8:23 Full redemption of our bodies.1 Jn 3:2 We will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 2 Pe 3:13 A new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells.
- What does it mean to you
- Life is still hard because we’re still in a fallen world but the final rest is certain.
- Whatever you are going through on your way to glory is TEMPORARY./// Perfection is promised
- A vacation, deployment, graduation, a day to end. Every day ends. It certain. I hold on to it.
- the writer of Hebrews is saying- This is a foregone conclusion. Its going to happen///
- So we should Hebrews 4:11 Be diligent to enter that rest
- This is our hope John 14:1–3 I go to prepare a place for you.
- So for us, we can face the present without fear. No matter what you are going through, your story will end in the eternal presence and peace of God.
- You are SAVED but you are not yet home. You are IN rest now, but the rest will COMPLETE
- 2 Corinthians 5:1 – For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God… eternal in the heavens.
- This is what it looks like: we remind ourselves of our future home in glory and it gives hope to endure through every trial imaginable because this world and life is TEMPORARY.
- Finally we enter his Rest By Not Stopping Believing (Faith That Obeys Today)
- Hebrews 4:6–7 Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.///
- This is our call: don’t let your heart harden into unbelief
- We must Heb 4:11 – Be diligent to enter that rest. And we DO THAT by never stopping believing
- We believe we can be saved, that we are saved, that we are going to glory but we must believe
- We must maintain our belief in what God has promised “today if you will hear his voice”
- The writer of Hebrews is saying- you know the truth, you’ve heard the truth, stay in the truth.
- )))God can’t save me- BELIEVE. I’m not saved BELIEVE I’ll never make heaven BELIEVE
- You Jude 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God. You maintain belief through the trial.
- Heb 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
- What was the disobedience? UNBELIEF. Pure and simple.///
- The unbelief? Simply- God wont do what he said he would he didn’t do what he said he did.
- Hebrews 3:14 we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.
- What does it mean to you?
- Your job is to maintain your belief at all costs. Protect it at all costs./// Its your salvation.
- This is why I don’t fill my mind with voices that shake my faith- movies, books, tv etc.
- I guard my faith. I don’t put myself under voices that confuse my soul or dilute my belief. NEVER
- Colossians 2:6 As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.
- The calling of the Christian life isn’t a search for unknown deeper meanings of scripture its faith
- I know in whom I’ve believed and when I die and stand before the Lord only one question- why
- Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.
- I was in the army- someone told me- right place, right time, right uniform and follow orders and you’ll get through the army no problem. Don’t complicate. Do it no matter what.
- That’s the faith walk. You don’t need to understand it all, just understand him and obey
- Philippians 3:9 And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.
- And so today, that’s the rest. The rest from yearning. The rest from wondering. The rest from fear. You maintain your belief, you don’t drift, stay diligent to enter the rest of completion.
- Church, the invitation today is simple. Step into His rest. Stop striving. Stop proving. Stop dragging around guilt and shame like Christ didn’t already die for it. Stop acting like your future is a coin toss. Enter his rest and walk like the blood bought believer you are (unless you’re not)
- You are His. You have been justified. You are being kept. You will be brought safely home.
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