050 - The Promise of Rest Still Stands

You pick up your Bible and one is there more here than meets the is there something here for me. I mean it's just words printed on paper right may look like just print on the page but it's more than eight. Join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our own. As we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than just what you want to do you know that well because I know to get back so you don't give me no pressure no because you don't believe me you're not going to get it exactly what happened to Israel and all mankind today, more than eight good morning and I yeah we are sitting in a dining table like really. We are always so so glad you can join us figuratively speaking, but this is our context for a relaxed discussion about God's word is just a wonderful way that we, through which director dialogue to sit down and and share.

We soon reread this because this is her fastening passages 300 Hebrews 40 are you excited I actually wish that you all were sitting here with us with your Bibles open because that's really what I love to do is to sit with the word open and talk live with people who are actively responding survey showing the reading and so I can miss that because I'm not doing that during the summer.

The way I do during put up with now, but this is good for us, so that meant you were going to read Hebrews 4 and in this is, I got to say this gets rapidly more more fascinating is so is coming to Fort on my favorite sections in tiny test and you might see why. Second, here, so let's just let's just start reading it and will see what goes on you will lead us into that sure sure I Hebrews 411. Therefore, O will have to talk about that, therefore, well, the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it for good news came to us just testing them but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened. You now can we stop that sure them that therefore right because of writer. He has been talking about believing and about unbelief and about disobedience and about pay attention don't drift. Don't neglect hold fast to the truth that you been taught and so you know he had just said that they weren't able to enter God's rest because of their unbelief.

So who are they bright the Israelites just talk about them in chapter 3, and we look to looked at about the fact that God promised them once they left Egypt the day which he would take him to land he promised about working a land flowing with milk and honey, and just wonderful place to live. That was a place they had never seen never could not imagine.

And God promise he says no cross my heart hope to die him.

Given this for quite like not quite like that. But I'm serious promise, and yet they got round the breach with the sent spies into, check it out. Spies came back and said we don't want to go to giant except to the 12 spies encourage you to go back and read that as with all ways in the New Testament, but particularly with the book of Hebrews. It's really important that you go back and read the Old Testament narrative that's being quoted as alluding to the very center shelves, especially here so you can find this particular account of them going up to the edge of the land sending spies in and then refusing to go in themselves in numbers 13 and 14 and those who believed God were Moses who sent the spies in and then Joshua and Caleb Josh all the rest of that entire generation did not believe, nope, even though they heard the report of the land so that even though God's promise stood got there. I'm going to take you in the land right and as we find out at that juncture in our history got that okay I will take you in, but not you guys not now.

I'll take your children and you are going to die in the wilderness for you as a closed chapter 3 said that the issue is a fundamental issue of unbelief which right.

Basically, I don't believe that God can be true to his word. What he promised, don't think he'll do what he says he likes. I can't see that's really a very fundamental disrespectful thing of God. When God goes to all this trouble, place, and they said no don't think so and so. So really that's what he brings to be in chapter 4.

Here they are saying we don't think that God can do this we will not put our trust in his promise to us in the astonishing thing is what they had seen him do very come up to history writing had brought them out of Egypt with all of those miracles. All of those plagues. They had seen fire on the mountain they had seen the pillar of smoke and fire with them as they had even Mamma every day. Had water appear out of the rock right all of the state that God had done for them while they were making this journey and they came right up to the edge and said nope were not to believe this are God's not big enough for those giant) factors are there to work, bleed them, fund of which, when you translate more accurately mean someone who is just un-persuadable angel where you can talk them into nothing you can say will not change my bike and obstinate. I've set my course, this way I will not believe that God can do this and that's why God said so you want to rent my rest right action accepted.

So that's where he starts out here so so so therefore know the promise of entering his rest, it still stand right. God did not retract that prompt like but it didn't happen for those particular people because they wouldn't believe what you believe what that God would do what he said he would do right even though they couldn't see it right right now it's interesting we start off this chapter he does something kind interesting in the time sent to me.

We were talking about historical past about is your mom going in because it would believe God.

But then when he starts the subject chemicals in the present tense. He says you know, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear right lest any of us should seem to have failed to reach its own away you saying in the same way that the Israelites would not obstinately believe God's promise to them.

We are in a similar situation where there's a peril to us, were a promise from God. I stands we may not be believing that he can carry through. This is serious business right and so we need to probably remember back in chapter 3 verse 12 said now take care brethren, lest they should be in anyone you an evil, unbelieving heart and falling away from the living God.

So we even as believers are vulnerable to those times when we don't think I really meant that I don't think you really deliver on that promise and and this writer says that is evil and unbelieving and will lead you to not enter the rest. God's promise you so so we like them of the beneficiaries of tremendously beneficial promise from God him endlessly and yet, although he is not retract that promise, we can miss it if we don't think you'll do it so that that's what he's saying right here in verse two. Since a look.

The good news came to us and this is the good news of God's promise of life upon the elect us the good news came to us just did them message they heard didn't benefit them. Why won't because it wasn't united by faith and faith is really that persuasive confidence that what God says is going to happen.

It wasn't united by faith with those who listen to you listen and you can read receive the promise by listening, but a list somewhere inside you embrace it.

That's the faith part then doesn't really matter. Are not the promise still stands, but you won't get yeah okay so working to see this word rest rest rest rest rest dozen times or more.

In this evening's half of this chapter so you know you use the word life and that is synonymous probably with this idea of God's rest, but the writer of Hebrews says rest because that's the picture that God had given so what rest is he talking about ceasing from your labor, but a place of provision of rest from all of your hard labor to satisfy yourself and resting. And when God is accomplished for you and what God promises you, what we know from the rest of the New Testament that that rest is only found in Jesus got a solution and so will circle back to that little bit yeah my easiest parallel when you talk about this word rest for him is there's a Psalm Psalm 95 he pulls out from here in the middle of that he quotes this thing about God being our Shepherd and this is where his people and the people of his pasture. Will that pastor, that place of rest and wonderful abundant life. That's rest that that pastor for the customer talk and you get into that rest by believing God, so we need to come back to the passage because some night was my Psalm 95 is going to be three or four times by the time we finish this really does so in verse three he says for we have believed enter that rest, as he said in here. He quotes on 95 as I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest.

Although his works were finished from the foundation of the world, for he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day. In this way and God rested on the seventh day from all his works and again in this passage, he said, and they shall not enter my rest. Okay, so let's look at some 95 for second cousin verse 10 of Psalm 95 which is part that he didn't quote it says God says for 40 years. I love that generation, and said they are people who go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways. Therefore, I swore in my wrath I shall not enter my rest sitting refused to know in a way that change them ways yeah and his in his ways were meant for their benefit that that's a great contrast to the part about the people was passed through the sheep of his hand. It says in Isaiah 53 all we like sheep going right right right so what we've done is we go away from God longer rest and pasture for us and and verse 10 just going Psalm 95 God's as they go astray in their heart again.

You can hear the promise from life but unless you embrace it. You go astray right heart if you want go independent and rebellious and that's actually the status of mankind as their born there really is an independent from God. While God has for mankind promise of abundant life, a plan laid down and put together at me know at the beginning of the universe that they are in is waiting for us.

And that promise is there but you can miss it if you don't embrace well in the promise is predicated on believing the one whom he has sent Jesus the son, and he'll be pivotal in the second discussion goes on. So you just you just wrapping up force after three about.

Remember the Israelites in the desert. Remember the promise stood remember the promise was good and they would going because they would not believe I used to know refused to believe me then you don't have to enter the rest. That is the entry requirement believing God, what a great picture that word is rest because it's actually putting down your labors putting down your burning putting down your striving to achieve something you know, benefit, and he says you enter place forgot God himself is already done the work and he's rested right so it's all put in place. It's all done.

It's ready to go and you need to. In the same way, put down your works as well so probably the most famous places where Jesus talked about rest and you all know this is in Matthew 1126 to 28 when he said come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest right and he actually was making reference to Jeremiah 6 there where it says exactly the same thing come to the old ways and you will find rest for your souls. But Jeremiah goes on to say, but they would not do. I had rather let my own way. That's the issue here right that is deliberate and persuadable unbelief. So you're seeing here at home with the philosophical way mankind resistance to receiving from God right and preferring instead to try and create it themselves that that's working for you and all mankind is the very thing I know I'm not can accept what he gives me. I'd rather do it myself. And you know if you know anyone who lives in an agrarian background like a farmer or something like that.

We talk about taking a day off from the farm.

It's it, so that's a slightly terrifying prospect. It is because you know in an agreement since if you don't stay on it. You know, the pests can get you the drought can get you you need to stay on it or else your crops will fail.

It's it's it's something we don't really relate to really well in modern society to a big deal for God asked him to take a day off and find rest.

That was the issue with keeping the Sabbath. He said don't work your crops and is working correctly. Just trust me, provide for what's what's employed there is if you take a day off. God watch the farm for it really is the Sabbath ideas a Sabbath is the idea of trade and extracting the receipts is really a change into receiving from God in a very dependent way and that that picture of rest every seven days, reminding them that in the big picture. This is what God intends for us as life with him.

His life provided from him that we receive heart tissue. It's hard. Let's read on. Yeah it's Rena earlier. Okay, so read verse six and since therefore it remains for some to enter it.

Contrast and those who fluidly received the good news enter because of disobedience. Again, he appoints a certain day today saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted again here. Come Psalm 95 today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, so it's a heart issue.

It's a hard issue and it's a current event issue in our lives not just talking about something applied to the Israelites for their trend. When Israel is a current of its occurrence promised us. We had good news preached us, but you don't want to fail because you will not embrace it. So it is not don't you harden your heart right right don't you haven't us toughen up, stiffen up your heart. Let the word of God bounce off instead of penetrate and and if you think your immune to that kind of believe I'm in again. Remember, the Israelites are a great example. They saw the Red Sea parted and they still wouldn't believe the got to carry through this process. Have you seen the Red Sea parted.

Well, not exactly right in so many other way silly figurative ways of life. So your you're prone to this as well. So don't harden your hearts don't say I don't think I've got this. But what's interesting is that he uses an interesting present tense issue. If indeed going into the promised land was way back when, I mean way before David right and yet when David writes this song he says to today so this promise still remains for us to enter God's rest and has nothing to do about moving into Palestine. God is always speaking today its current event you are living, breathing, and got ears in your head and connect to your heart today as God is speaking, David worn some centuries after when their already priced/penniless dairying promise rains for more life from God. So don't harden your hearts, like they did the desert and that extends us right now onto the writer of Hebrews is using this argument to say look a promise stands from God, for your benefit for real life real pasture for the sheet. Even here, even now, he's not just about sex geography right don't ignore this is right still pending. It's right there, its offer to you don't harden your hearts, and that's actually from a New Testament vernacular.

That's the good news that is the good that is the good news that God had always promised his people that he would remove their hearts of stone and give them a heart of flesh, a heart of flesh that was filled with his spirit and wanted to walk in his ways.

You can find that in Jeremiah 31 you can find that in Ezekiel 36 you can find that in that where's that of the killing consultant 11 so now that God had promised that let's read because it let me let me take from you because okay here's his whole contemporary things he says look if Joshua had given them rest. This verse eight. If Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day. Later on, 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. Again this brings it up into contemporary stuff. There's right offer being made.

Joshua did give them rest to a certain degree, but not really coming rest in terms of the definition moving the promised land, Joshua brought the promised land, but God has spoken of another day. Later on, and that us entering the rest provided through Christ. So all that accidents and entering the promised land under the guidance of Joshua was real time. Real people, real place real history picture picture of the floor promise from God. Yeah, Paul Conlin packs that in first Corinthians 10, so you can go back and read that chapter in put two and two together and said this is the good news.

God has made a promise of rest and life and provision and love for all mankind but mankind. Many of them just stiff armaments. I don't want one. Do it myself. God's promise still remains. And so we want to be part of that but one of the prerequisites in verse 10 is that we have to to enter God's rest, his provision is providing force right. We have to rest from our works. That is trying to create it for ourselves. So are you primarily in position were you receiving from God. What these great benefits or are you still trying to kinda do it on your own. That's the fundamental conflict right here and you know, do you remember in John six when Jesus had had to defend the crowd and they followed him across the lake and they said you know what work do you do show us the works of God.

What works must we do, and he's she said this is the work of God's word, believe in him whom he sent so he has just taken a whole idea of the only work required of us is to believe in the word of God made flesh in the person of his son Wright and his son will do the works that are required and we can receive them right so it's a whole different posture changed will this move on.

Verse 11 so let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of… Passes and just operate there because I is this is just a great thing is striving is not working. Strive he really is the idea of going quickly. Don't hesitate, don't. Don't let anything stop it.

Go now go right now. Don't wait yet. It's a time as you destroy thing to enter the wrist so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience and that disobedience is the word I referred to earlier.

That's the one bumping unpersuadable or optional. Don't be obstinate, don't don't don't don't do that. The same sort of option. It's 12 for the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart, no creatures hidden from his site, but all her naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

So if you're wondering about yourself are you are you struggling with that same kind of what he says he disobedience to sink out obstinate refusal to accept what God does. Are you do you are you like it or not you so I don't know.

I can't tell my heart. He says I'll tell you how you can find out, and that's regression to 12 about the word of God the Word of God, which is living and active. Right now it's not dead words on a page. Hence the title for our program. There more than Inc. exactly how God can expose what you know I three things really batted me here he says is like a two-edged sword.

It penetrates and divides the very deepest part of you is a little aside, it can discern your thoughts and your intentions know what's it what's going on inside of you and expose it make known to you as God knows prejudice is when we come into encountering the word of God and letting it open us up and expose our hearts to us. And this isn't something that God needs for him to benefit Howard and understand the 713. Look, there is no creatures hidden from his side and he knows what's going on but if you want to understand whether not you somehow harboring a disobedient and apathetic and persuadable heart. The word of God make that clear and that is a very murky inside we don't know ourselves as well as we think we do need a soul and spirit.

He's using kind of a kind of an idea about butchering an animal here right taken and I'll part with the with the knife you see the hidden insides but will the word of God is like a little is not a butcher, but what it does is it separates and makes known what's unseen inside and knows how you're connected how to raise work and how to take them apart to expose what's really there right and it can many times be sort of ruthless but that's okay because I want God to be upfront with me about where my hearts really had.

I may have heard I might have listened like they did in the desert. They listen to the promise. But have I really embrace the promise and said I'm all in.

I'm all in. I trust your promise on phone you here we go, because for those for those 12 spies, 10 of them heard the promise, but they didn't embrace it, but to her the promise and they embraced it so I want to really no worries. My heart is with the two spiders with the 10 spies was warming. We must all give an account right everything is open and exposed to the God with whom we have to do. This is the God who is ending.

We must give an account to him for what he spoke to us right did you believe what I told you.

Do you believe me now yeah exactly.

So as we come to this section the end of the section on rest. This idea won't go away, but this whole thing paints what the benefit is for why we need Christ.

I mean we all want that rest we went that life of receiving from God.

This is what's at stake. This is what's at stake. How do we get there. We know that our own hearts or our worst enemy. Word of God reveals it to us. Remember, Jesus himself is that word as well. So how do we get there. How do we make sure that we participate in this promise of God and what's the role of Jesus and all of this because he's critical and so that's what is going to segue to next is the role of Jesus to get us here to get us to God's rest to get us into this place of soul rest when talking about a life where you do nothing exact a life where you are deeply profoundly at rest in your soul the past year has replenished your salvation you target were talking to John. John 10 Jesus is on the good Shepherd you know you bring just to abundant life, not just like but abundant life.

That's the rest that's were going towards what is his role is that so he's gonna segue now and what Jesus does for us and he's going to spend most of the rest of the book talking about Jesus role in terms of bringing us to this place of rest, this great promise from God for up abundant living that promise always stands but our own hearts can be the biggest problem. How does Jesus figure into how this all works. So that's what we work to next. As we going to the next section. What we're like at a time that went so fast that once professed stuff talk about.

We know you will just have to come and sit at the table with the rest of God's marvelous picture of God's intention for relationship with mankind not to be distracted by a striving and trying to earn her own happiness, but actually receiving that life from God directly. Life and fellowship with so were glad you're with is some Jim and you can read ahead will find out more about how Jesus as our high priest figures into getting us into this place of rest, so we hope you join us next week on more than Inc. lovable to