“Let Us Fear”

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. the word...: Gr. the word of hearing not being...: Or, because they were not vnited by faith to For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. - Hebrews 4:1-4

    We ought to fear, lest we also, after hearing the gospel and professing to believe it, fall short of eternal life, like those Jews who perished in the wilderness. “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left [us] of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (v. 1; 1 Cor. 10:12; Phil. 2:12). Let us not come up short of the promise of eternal life, like those foolish virgins described by our Lord. Rather, let us ever run with patience the race that is set before us, ever looking to Christ, trusting his blood, seeking his righteousness, seeking to know him (Phil. 3:7-14). May God graciously make my heart pant for Christ, like David’s did, as the hart pants after the water brook (Ps. 27:4; Phil. 3:10).

    “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it]” (v. 2). There is such a divine authority which attends the preaching of the gospel that the most solemn business on this earth is the business of preaching it, and the business of hearing it (Rom. 10:13-20; Pro. 1:23-33). The word preached must be mixed with faith, received by faith, embraced in the arms of faith, or the word preached is of no profit to our souls.

    The gospel now preached to us was preached to the Jews by Moses and Aaron, as it had been by Enoch, Noah, and Abraham. It was preached to them by the types, promises, sacrifices and examples constantly held before them. But it did them no good. It did not save them nor profit them because they did not believe God.

    “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world” (v. 3). The rest spoken of here is the rest of faith in Christ. It is rest from salvation by works, rest from the yoke and burden of the law, rest from all human effort to gain God’s favor. Believers have ease of heart, peace of conscience, and comforting assurance, as we look to Christ alone for salvation. This is rest indeed! God has sworn that those who believe shall not perish (Matt. 11:28-30; Rom. 5:1; 8:1, 33-35).

    “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works” (v. 4). Believers do not keep a seventh day sabbath as they did in the Old Testament, or a first day sabbath as religious legalists would have us do today. We keep a gospel sabbath, the sabbath of rest in Christ. As God ceased from his own works at the end of the first week, so we cease from our own works when we trust Christ. As God rests in his love (Zeph. 3:17), so we rest , we sweetly acquiesce in our Savior, resting in his blood and righteousness, goodness and grace, power and providence, promise and person. Christ is our Sabbath.