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Hebrews 4:11

An Exhortation to Rest

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 27, 2019

The Bible, including the New Testament, is full of various exhortations. Many of them are connected to other ideas which must not be dismissed when trying to understand what we’re exhorted to do. In Hebrews 4:1-10, we’ve seen how “God’s rest” is still available for us to enter. It’s not the departure from Egypt that the writer is addressing or the rest Joshua would bring when they entered the Promised Land, but it was Jesus’ rest. It was a more profound kind of rest. It was rest for our souls. The writer compared it to creation rest. After six days of creation God stopped or ceased. The Sabbath (see Exodus 20 devotions) is a time to cease from all our works and focus on the finished work of God. Those who have entered into Jesus’ rest have ceased from their own works just as God has ceased from His on the seventh day. The Israelites were exhorted to stop working and focus on the work that had been completed for them. The same is true for us today. The rest for us is on the Lord’s day. It’s the day we focus all our attention on the work that Jesus completed for us and which He personally proclaimed as “finished” on the cross.

Based on all this discussion, the writer then exhorts his readers in Hebrews 4:11 saying “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” This exhortation is just like the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy. How do you keep it holy? “You cease from all your works.” It’s an exhortation alright, but it’s an exhortation to “stop working” and “rest” in the finished work of Christ. Trusting in the complete sufficiency of Christ is not easy. We live in a world of sowing and reaping and it’s nearly impossible in many cases to stop relying on ourselves and our own efforts and simply trust Jesus. I like the brief comment by another commentator: “We must enter that rest. Clearly, the rest is entered by faith; but it takes diligent faith. This shows us that faith is not passive; it takes diligence to trust in, rely on, and cling to Jesus and His work for us.”[1]

When the writer mentions “the same sort of disobedience” he’s referring to those at Kadesh Barnea who, instead of trusting in God and His promises, looked to themselves and their own abilities. Disobedience in this case is “unbelief” as the author mentioned earlier. The exhortation is to trust God and His work and not follow the example of those in the wilderness. The Handbook for Translators explains this Greek word for disobedience. It says, “The Greek word means ‘example,’ …it should be made clear that a bad example is meant.”[2] The point of verse 11’s exhortation is to rest confidently in God’s work. It’s not an exhortation to try harder to be a better person, or do more, or give more, or serve more. Another commentator says, “…although we live in one of the most hurried, tense, tumultuous societies that has ever existed, we can experience His perfect rest by maintaining and cultivating our relationship with Him. But we must take time out from our own busy lives to do that.”[3] If we’re ever going to experience Jesus’ rest we have to stop relying on ourselves and fully trust Him.

[1] David Guzik, Hebrews, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Heb 4:11.

[2] Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 82–83.

[3] J. Dwight Pentecost and Ken Durham, Faith That Endures : A Practical Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2000), 84.

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Hebrews 4:8-10

Trusting in Jesus’ Work

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 27, 2019

I’m of the opinion that the writer of Hebrews is careful with his language with regard to how he addresses his readers. He wants them to be clear on the fact that he’s talking to believers here. He has referred to them as brothers and sisters earlier and included them with himself in those anticipating their heavenly homes. In Hebrews 4:8-10, he refers to his readers as “the people of God.” He writes, “For 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.”

The translator’s handbook makes this passage a little easier for us. It says, “If the noun rest is rendered as a verb, ‘to rest,’ then that God had promised may be translated as ‘in the way in which God had promised them.’”[1] God had “rest” in mind for His people but it wasn’t the kind of rest they would experience by just sitting down and wiping the sweat from their foreheads. God promised them something much more significant. It would be of a more permanent nature and would be a “rest for our souls.” It was a rest that wasn’t based on what we could earn or deserve. It was a rest based on a finished work of God. It was a true rest from the demands of our lives in a fallen world where sowing and reaping is the rule. It is a rest from all our “falling short.” It’s a rest from all our “failure to measure up.” It’s a rest from all the religious demands and expectations. It’s a true deliverance from the heavy burdens of life and religion that always leave us stressed out wondering if we’ve been good enough. It’s rest from those nagging reminders that we always could have done more!

“God’s rest” is the rest that Jesus calls us to. It’s Jesus’ rest. It’s a rest from the stress and strife of trying to measure up because through our faith in Christ, we know He has measured up to God’s standards for us. He came not to destroy the laws of sowing and reaping or to eliminate the laws of good and evil, but He came to completely satisfy them on our behalf. I don’t measure up. You don’t measure up. Nobody measures up! The writer of Hebrews is well aware of the fact that his readers believe that Jesus opened the door for them and welcomed them into the household of the people of God but they are insisting that to stay in that room, one must keep another list of religious obligations and expectations. There’s no rest in that room. Our eyes are on Jesus until we enter the room and then we must take them off of Him and put them on ourselves again. Once again, we’re trusting in our own works and not in the finished work of Jesus. The only way to enjoy God’s rest in Jesus Christ, is to trust completely in His work realizing it’s so complete, we can add nothing to it! There’s the rest Jesus calls us to.

[1] Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 79.

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Hebrews 4:6-7, Matthew 11:28

Rest from all our Works

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 21, 2019

The author of Hebrews wants his believing readers to understand that the enjoyment of, or entering into, God’s rest is something that must be done every day. There are moments in life where I would catch a glimpse of the grand salvation by grace through faith alone that we have in Christ, but then I go back to work. The alarm goes off on Monday morning. The boss calls me into his office. A homework assignment is due tomorrow. A task must be accomplished by a certain deadline. The bills have to be paid by the end of the month. This world of sowing and reaping in which we all live everyday will drag us back into the “you get what you deserve” system so fast it makes your head spin. But we’re not to let that destroy our faith and trust in Jesus. His rest is still there waiting for us to come back. The author writes in Hebrews 4:6-7, “Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 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.’”

Jesus wanted us to remember him regularly in the communion service. The bread represents Jesus’ body that was offered up for our sins on the cross. The wine represents His shed blood through which we find forgiveness of all our sins. We are called to regularly reflect on the work that Christ accomplished for us. It is something we could never do for ourselves. He was the perfect sacrifice. He was the only “human” that could die a death for all mankind. He not only took upon himself our sins when He died on the cross but also through faith, He transfers His perfect righteousness into our bankrupt accounts. In Him we have peace with God through faith. In Him we indeed find true peace even though we fail in the world of sowing and reaping so often. No one lives up to the standards of the law. Admit it.

Jesus’ invitation to “come to me, all who are burdened and heavy laden” is still there. It has been preserved in Scripture for us all every day. But religion hardens our hearts! We have learned from an early age that we must pay for our own sins! We have numerous ways of saying this in our society. We made our bed and now we must lay in it. If we want to dance we have to pay the piper. If it’s to be, it’s up to me! There’s no such thing as a free lunch! If it sounds too good to be true, it is! Yes indeed, salvation by grace through faith alone sounds too good to be true for religious people. They insist on judging others on a standard of performance that is completely unattainable. With hearts hard to their own sinfulness, the religious people were confronted by Jesus with their own failures. They have hated. That means they have committed murder. They have lusted. That means they have committed adultery. Only hard hearts continue to insist on their own righteousness and measure others based on their own standards. We’ve all fallen short in our own ways and our only hope for rest is in the arms of He who died for our failures and purchased a place for us at His own expense. “Come to me,” He says, “and rest from your works.”

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Hebrews 4:4-5, John 19:30

The Work is Done!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 21, 2019

The Hebrew word for “seven” and the Hebrew word for “rest” are the same word. That of course finds its source in Genesis 2 where God created everything that exists in six days and then took a day off. That seventh day became known as the Sabbath. After the seventh day, a day of rest, God did not pick up His creative activity again. There was nothing left to do. He had accomplished it all. Pentecost says, “Because the work of creation was completed in six days, it was not necessary for God to resume work after a temporary rest. Instead, with the completion of creation, God entered into a permanent state of rest. While God worked in six days to bring creation to its desired conclusion, once that work was completed, no additional work was necessary.”[1] The author of Hebrews begins verse 4 of chapter 4 with this statement: “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, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

There is a “rest” available to you and me today. Those who trust completely in the finished work of Christ can enjoy this rest. Those who reject Christ have no rest. My mother used to say, “There’s no rest for the wicked.” But I think this writer is referring to Christians who will not enter into God’s rest in this life because they are still trusting in working for it themselves. He has called them “brothers” too often to be speaking to unbelievers. This rest comes in relying completely on the finished work of Christ. Pentecost goes on to says, “How interesting that God Himself is the author of rest! And the divine rest God instituted following creation is still continuing today. That means that although we live in one of the most hurried, tense, tumultuous societies that has ever existed, we can experience His perfect rest by maintaining and cultivating our relationship with Him.”[2]

All the Israelites who left Egypt were God’s people. Yet not all God’s people enter into His rest. In fact, the disobedience of unbelief kept them out and it keeps us out often as well. Don’t think you can enter into God’s rest by doing something to earn or deserve it. Don’t think you can enjoy peace with God if there is still something remaining to be accomplished. If there is something more to be done then we’ll never rest. When Christ said on the cross “it is finished,” He was referring to the work of salvation. When God finishes His work, everything that needs to be done has been done. When Jesus finishes His work, everything that needs to be done has been done. There will never be rest, even for believers in Jesus, for those who do not trust fully in the finished work of Christ.

[1] J. Dwight Pentecost and Ken Durham, Faith That Endures : A Practical Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2000), 84.

[2] J. Dwight Pentecost and Ken Durham, Faith That Endures : A Practical Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2000), 84.

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Hebrews 4:3, Galatians 2:21

Resting in Christ

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 21, 2019

In verse 3 of Hebrews chapter 4, the writer says that along with some others he has enjoyed the experience of having entered into God’s rest. He seems to argue that it’s available for all Christians but many do not enjoy it for one reason or another. He writes, “For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, ‘As I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest,’ although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.” I like the way one commentator explains this verse. He writes, “At the moment—in principle but not yet in full realization—we are entering that rest. As long as we keep our eyes fixed on ‘Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith’ (Heb. 12:2), we enjoy the rest God has promised, and eventually we shall be with him eternally.”[1]

Much of the material Christians read and listen to today presents a flawed view of the Good News of God’s rest for believers. They say that the Gospel is just the starting point for true believers. It’s the door by which we enter, but once we’re in the room, we now turn back to religious expressions and practices in order to grow in our faith. My contention and that of some others is that the Gospel is not a door that gets you into the room in which you try harder. It’s the entire room itself. We enter into the Christian experience by faith in Jesus and what He’s accomplished for us on the cross. But the Gospel message of salvation by grace through faith alone is the place we must abide to enjoy God’s rest. Another commentator says, speaking about this verse, “The author’s application of this principle is that when we—by faith—enter into a life of rest, it is no longer necessary to attain, but only to maintain that rest into which we have entered by faith.”[2]

There is no rest for those who live on the cusp of God’s acceptance based on their own behavior and performance. We’ve already failed on that principle and that’s the very purpose of the law. Paul says it was given to make us aware of our sinfulness. Paul adds in Galatians 2:21, “…for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” Once we believe in Jesus we don’t move on to something better because there is nothing better. We don’t receive our salvation by grace through faith and then perfect it through our own works. The many exhortations directed at believers in the Bible are all, in one way or another, to stay or abide in Christ’s finished work on our behalf. You can’t add anything to that! Relax! Or should I say “rest?”

[1] Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of Hebrews, vol. 15, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 107.

[2] J. Dwight Pentecost and Ken Durham, Faith That Endures : A Practical Commentary on the Book of Hebrews, Rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2000), 84.

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Hebrews 4:2, Matthew 11:28

Resting in God’s Work

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 21, 2019

Hebrews 4:2 continues the writer’s discussion about God’s rest. He uses the phrase “good news” as a synonym for “God’s rest.” He writes, “For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” I believe he’s still talking about the rest promised to the children of Israel when Moses led them out of Egypt into the wilderness. They came to the borders of the Promised Land and sent in the 12 spies. Joshua and Caleb came back with a great report about the quality of the land and confidence that God was going to give it to them. But there were 10 other spies who agreed that the land was most desirable but didn’t trust God to give it to them. Instead of focusing on God’s promises and remembering all His miracles on their behalf, they looked at the enemy and the challenge before them. Even though they were the chosen children of God and had followed Moses out of Egypt, they did not get to enjoy God’s rest in the Promised Land. They simply did not trust God’s work on their behalf. They looked at themselves only and missed the joy of God’s rest in the land of milk and honey.

Now, the same “good news” was preached to us according to this verse. We call this “good news” the “Gospel.” It’s referred to throughout the New Testament as “God’s Word” as well. It’s the message of God’s love demonstrated for us on Calvary. God’s love for us, expressed on the cross, was God doing for us something we could never do for ourselves. God Himself, in the perfect humanity of His only begotten Son, became the perfect sacrifice for our sins in order to destroy our enemy and acquire “God’s rest” for us who believe. In Genesis, God finished all His work and He “rested.” The seventh day, the Sabbath, was God’s rest that the fourth commandment calls us to remember as well. We should not work on that day because the work has all been accomplished by God.

Just as God completed all His work in Genesis and said on the seventh day, “It’s finished.” So too did Jesus accomplish all the work necessary for salvation saying “It is finished.” The most important work of God was done through the frailty of His son. The law which condemns us all has been satisfied by His perfection. But like many in Caleb and Joshua’s day, we don’t reap the benefit of God’s work on our behalf because we’re still focused on ourselves. We’re grasshoppers! The sad thing is, we like to be reminded that we’re grasshoppers. It feels good to be convicted of our failures. We like to be told we’re missing the mark so we can try harder. We’re Christians alright but in our flesh we listen to all the voices around us reminding us of how we should try harder and become more dedicated and do more for Jesus. Jesus did not say, “come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I’ll give you something else to do!” No. He said “come to me and I will give you rest.” Don’t listen to the plethora of voices reminding you that you’re grasshoppers! Hear, listen to, and keep your hearts focused on the good news of God’s love for you once and for all demonstrated on Calvary.

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Numbers 13-14, Hebrews 4:1, Psalm 95, Matthew 11:28

Enter His Rest!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 21, 2019

The author of Hebrews goes on with his comparison of the Israelites at Kadesh Barnea and the Christians of his day (and our day). All the Israelites in the wilderness were called out of Egypt. They heard Moses’ call from God, packed their goods, gathered their children, and followed Moses through the Red Sea and into the Sinai Peninsula. Yet they did not enter into God’s rest. When quoting Psalm 95, the writer states that it’s unbelief that prevented them from “entering My Rest.” It is God’s rest that is being discussed. His rest, God’s rest, is the subject of this passage and what follows. The handbook for translators says, “The key word in this new stage in the interpretation of Psalm 95:7–11 is rest, found in the last line of the quotation. This line is quoted in 3:11, repeated for emphasis in 4:3, 5, and linked in 4:4 with Genesis 2:2, which also speaks of God’s rest.”[1]

The Hebrews author wants his readers to know that this promise of God’s rest is still real. He writes, “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 reference in Genesis 2 is speaking of God’s Sabbath rest after creation. The 10 commandments makes the seventh day a “holy” day because God finished all His work and rested. We too can enjoy that rest when we cease from our own striving and just trust God’s promises. Jesus calls us into His rest in Matthew 11:28 saying, “Come to me all of you who are over-burdened and burned out on religion and I will give you my rest.” God does all the necessary work. He promised Israel He would do the work at Kadesh Barnea but they didn’t believe Him. He promises us now that just as it was all finished by the seventh day, so too was the work necessary for us to enter into God’s rest accomplished thousands of years later when Jesus said on the Cross “it is finished.”

Many Christians, true believers in Jesus, are not enjoying God’s rest offered through Jesus Christ because they are still afraid of not living up to God’s standards of the Law. Preachers don’t often help that situation by continually hanging heavy loads and religious obligations over the heads of the congregation instead of feeding them with the Good News of Christ’s complete sufficiency. God calls each of us today to not only believe in Christ but to rest confidently in His finished work on the cross on our behalf.

[1] Paul Ellingworth and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on the Letter to the Hebrews, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 71.

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Numbers 13:28, Hebrews 3:16-19, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 5:8

Unbelief is Disobedience!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 21, 2019

Those who lost out on rest in the Promised Land, according to the author of the book of Hebrews, were those Israelites who failed to trust God to deliver on His promises. He promised them a physical land that was flowing with milk and honey and when the 10 spies saw this land they certainly agreed that it flowed with milk and honey and some of the largest fruit they’d ever seen. There was one word that followed their acknowledgement of the desirability of that land. That one word is “but.” That’s found in Numbers 13:28. They give a favorable report of the land and then say “But the people who dwell there are strong…” They were looking only at their own abilities and resources and ended up saying in effect, “God can’t keep His promises.” We know our own limitations and don’t believe that God can or that God won’t bring about His own His promises to give us rest in this wonderful land. The “disobedience” referred to by Hebrews is not breaking any of the laws of Moses, disobedience is their failure (and ours) to trust in God’s good intentions toward us.

Hebrews 3:16-19 makes that very clear. It says, “For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”  Notice the first part, they heard God’s Word, His promise, but yet couldn’t believe it!

This unbelief is tantamount to an unbelief in God’s pure love for mankind. The Bible, Old Testament and New, speak to us of God’s “steadfast” or “everlasting” love frequently. From the earliest times in Genesis through the final thoughts of Malachi, it’s recorded that it’s God love for man that moves Him to promise and fulfill those promises. All creation speaks to us of God’s love. Even the destruction of evil speaks to us of God’s love for all mankind. He has good intentions for them and for us. But we, like the 10 spies at Kadesh Barnea, sometimes see physical evidence that contradicts this fact. Faith is not believing that God exists. Even the Devil does that. Faith is believing that God loves me and has good plans for me and my future. Jeremiah exhorts his people in the midst of great trials with God’s words, “I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord; plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” To receive God’s love is to receive Jesus Christ because Paul wrote another “but.” He said in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Failure to trust God’s love is disobedience.

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