Well, let us turn to God's Word and I want to turn back to the chapter in Hebrews that we were looking at last Thursday and the Thursday previous. We were considering then the opening verses here in Hebrews 4 But I want to turn now as we conclude this short series from this part of Holy Scripture turning to the verses 9 through 11. Hebrews 4 reading then at verse 9 through 10 and 11. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."

To say something with regards to what we might term the final rest that is being spoken of in these verses that we've just read. the theme then that we want to consider and dividing really what I'm going to say into into two parts to consider how this rest commences where it has its beginnings and that's under the gospel in the day of grace and then secondly to try to understand where it will find its completion and that will be of course in heaven in glory.

But just to remind you briefly what we said on those two previous occasions when we were looking at the passage from verse 1 through to the beginning of verse 3 and as we looked at the opening words then of this particular chapter I initially sought to say something with regards to how in the Lord Jesus Christ we have the fulfillment of all the rest that are spoken of previously in the Old Testament.

Of course the first rest is that of the Sabbath, that creation ordinance that is associated with God's great work After he'd completed the work in six days, we're told there at the beginning of Genesis 2 that God rested on the seventh day, and he sanctified that day. It was set apart. It was to be observed as a day of rest. That's the first great rest that we read of in scripture and then subsequent to that of course in God's dealings with his ancient covenant people the children of Israel he brings them out of the bondage which was Egypt into the rest that had been promised to Abraham Isaac and Jacob the promised land it was very much a land of rest

well both of those Old Testament rest ultimately direct us to the gospel and Christ himself is the fulfillment of rest and so we were thinking secondly of that fullness of rest that is in the Lord Jesus Christ what a fullness and I went into that rest last week we were thinking of the parts of that rest. How do we rest in Christ? By faith and repentance. This is how we come into the experience of gospel rest.

And we also said last time something with regards to the paradox. Although we're resting in Christ, in this day of grace, there's also conflict, the good fight of faith. the truth of the perseverance of the saints. I often think how when we consider those famous five points of Calvinism, the fifth one, we might expect to speak in terms of the preservation of the saints. That's a truth. We're kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last time. But those who gathered at Dortrecht and drew up those canons, they spoke more particularly in terms of perseverance. The rest of faith involves perseverance, pressing onwards, contending against sin and Satan and self. well those are some of the things we've we've considered and now to turn to this gospel rest which is really being spoken of in this passage that begins at verse nine there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God and reading the verse we might initially imagine that he is speaking of heaven and the rest of heaven well we'll come to that presently but we have to recognize here that the word remaineth is actually in the present tense so he's speaking of something of the here and now not something in the future the present tense is used and so the reference really is primarily to what we have in the day of grace gospel rest

the words of the Lord Jesus come unto me all ye that are burdened and heavy laden and I will give you rest that gracious word of the Lord Jesus at the end of Matthew chapter 11 and in a sense what the children of Israel would experience when they entered into the promised land is a type of that resting in the gospel, and we've said that that's clear from what we have in the passage. It's not just chapter 4, also previously in chapter 3, we've observed how that there the apostle is also speaking of this rest, and right at the end of chapter 3, verse 18, as he speaks of those who didn't enter into the Promised Land because of unbelief, because they didn't believe the good reports of Joshua and Caleb, but the evil report of the other spies who've gone out into the land, to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believe not.

We see then that they could not enter in because of unbelief, because of unbelief. It was that that prevented them from entering in. They did not have that saving faith. And so here, in the verse previous to our text, in verse 8 of chapter 4, if Jesus, literally Joshua, speaking of Old Testament history, if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day? There remaineth therefore a rest. He's speaking of the gospel day. He's speaking of the day in which the Apostle Paul himself, of course, was ministering to these Hebrews. They need to see that the rest that they require is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But now, what we have in the Old Testament is such a remarkable type of that gospel rest when we think of all that was entailed, the content of the land that those spies had gone out to search out. It was a land flowing with milk, and with honey and we read certain things concerning the land what they were able to bring out of the land and to show unto the various tribes of Israel the language that we have there in Numbers 13 and verse 23 They came unto the brook of Eshkol, and cut down from the ends a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they buried between two upon a staff, and they brought of the pomegranates and of the figs, the fruit of the land.

Verse 26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran to Kadesh, and brought back word unto them. and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came into the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it."

The very content then of the land, such a fruitful land, and how it's representative really of all that fullness and that richness that is in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah speaks of it. the language that we have there in Isaiah 25.6, in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. Oh, what a great measure of Blessed fruit is found then in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The great doctrines of the Gospel, the great truths of justification by faith, of the remission of sins by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, that in Him is found all that is necessary. Who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. that as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." Oh, the fullness of the Gospel then. The fullness resides in Jesus, our Head, and never abides to answer our needs, says the hymn writer.

Well, the land of Canaan is a type of that rich content that we find here in the Gospel. But it's not only typical in the sense of the fruitfulness, the land flowing with milk and honey, but also the experience of those people who would enter in, the conflicts, the conflicts of the gospel. I know that Canaan is often represented to us in the hymns as a type of heaven, but it can't really be that. I think of some lovely hymns, in particular that hymn of Isaac Watts, 1022 in the book, and it speaks clearly there of Canaan as the heavenly land, a better country. That is a heavenly is the text at the head of the hymn.

And then in the last two verses, so could we make our doubts remove, these gloomy doubts that rise, and see the Canaan that we love with unbeclouded eyes? Could we but climb where Moses stood, and view the landscape, or not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood should fright us from the storm? It's a lovely hymn, the land of pure delight, where saints immortal reign. And yet, it's not really correct with regards to the teaching of Scripture, because we know that the land of Canaan was not really the land of rest, it was a land of conflict for the children of Israel.

In Joshua, Joshua 17, 12, we are told that Canaanites would dwell in that land. And so they did dwell in that land. They were not able to rid the land of all those peoples. What conflicts there were throughout the Old Testament Scriptures for those who were to be the inhabitants of that land of promise. And again, we have it there in Deuteronomy 7. Verse 22, The Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little. Thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beast of the field increase upon them. It was only by degrees. They didn't enter in to the fullness of the rest of that land. It was to be a place where they had conflict.

And so too, of course, with regards to believers. We mentioned it last week with regards to that paradox of the rest. Believers are in conflict whilst they're in this world. The whole world lies in wickedness. God doesn't take his people immediately to himself. We're left in this fallen world. And Satan himself is the prince of the power of the air. We are exhorted, aren't we, not to love the world, love not the world. Says John, know that the things that are in the world, all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the Lord Jesus himself tells us in the world, tribulation. In the world, tribulation. All believers will have to conflict then. with this present evil world and satan we wrestle not against flesh and blood says the apostle the principalities and powers the rulers of the darkness of this world those mighty forces in heavenly places satan and his host of demons

And we are to be sober. Peter says, Be sober, be vigilant, your adversary, the devil is a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Oh, there's conflict all the time. The believer even has to conflict with himself. The flesh, lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these contrary one to the other. And ye cannot do what ye would, says Paul. Oh, the old nature is still there within the child of God. And what a conflict it is! That which is born of the flesh is flesh, says the Lord Jesus. It never changes, never improves. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. And so, Paul, I find in the law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

And so, when we think of the land of Res Cainan, the fruit of the land, yes, it's a fruitful land, and the gospel is filled with all the blessed fruits of the grace of God, all those great fruits of the Spirit of God. but it was also to the Israelites a place where they knew much of conflict and warfare but then also that land was one in which they would enjoy communion with God or they knew communion with God when they first entered into the land they were able to establish Shiloh as the place of worship they set up the the tabernacle, that tent of meeting that they'd had to carry about with them throughout all the wilderness wanderings, but now there was a place. It was Shiloh, and then in the days of King David, of course, it's removed. 2 Samuel 6, David establishes the worship in Zion, in Jerusalem.

And the Psalmist, the Psalmist speaks of these things, doesn't he? That was God's blessed place of rest. The language that we have in Psalm 132, verse 13 and verse 14, The Lord hath chosen Zion, yet desired it for his habitation. This is my rest forever, he says. Here will I dwell, for I have desired. how important Jerusalem was to them. It was where, of course, the tribes were to gather for the three great feasts every year. They were to go up to Jerusalem. We have the songs of degrees, the songs of ascents there in the Book of Psalms. It was a place of communion with God. Just as God had said that He would meet with them between the cherubim, and there he would dwell forever and when we come to the New Testament we say that promise is all fulfilled every believer himself is a temple of the Holy Ghost Paul to the Corinthians you are the temple of the living God as God has said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people

And the Lord Jesus in his great prayer, his high priestly prayer, I in them and thou in me that they may be one in us. John then can say truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. All the fullness of that communion that they knew onto the Old Testament dispensation with God dwelling in the midst of Zion, now God dwells in the midst of his people. And when we gather together, of course, often chapels might go under the name of Zion or Mount Zion. It's a place where the Lord God comes. Christ has said, where two or three are met together in my name, there am I in the midst. And so what we have here really is the fulfillment of all those wondrous rests that are spoken of in the Old Testament Scriptures. And what do we read in verse 10? He that has entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works as God did from his. We sang it just now in our opening hymn. Cease from your own works, bad and good, and wash your garments in my blood.

Even last week when we thought of what repentance and faith is, It's a cessation from any thought of works. We cease from evil works. We know that through evangelical repentance. And we cease from any trust in any good works that we might imagine that we performed. It's a cessation from every idea of work. The salvation is only in the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

And so what he's spoken of in verse 10 beginners under the gospel but it has its completion really in in heaven heavenly rest I like the language of Thomas Boston I know I've quoted it many times but when he speaks of grace and glory grace he says is glory in the bud and glory is grace in the full flower It begins here. All but what a glorious finality there will be in heaven itself.

And how do we see it? How do we see it? Well, God's tabernacle. God's tabernacle. His presence there in the midst of His people. We read the words earlier there in Revelation 21. as John begins to describe the new heaven, the new earth. Verse 2, he says, I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them. and be their God and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away or the tabernacle of God is with men and then later in the chapter verse 22 he says I saw no temple therein Of course, the temple is what comes after the tabernacle. But no temple now. Why? For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. It's God in the midst and God in the midst of his people forever and forever.

Interestingly, when we think of the Old Testament and the tabernacle and the tabernacle services, how it was so very much confined onto one tribe, wasn't it? The tribe of Levi. Of whom, of course, the priest, the Aaronic priesthood came. But there in Numbers 1 and verse 50, God says to Moses, I shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle. They shall minister onto it. It's interesting, they shall minister onto it.

But now, when we read there in the Book of the Revelation, the tabernacle of God is with men. You're not confined now to the Levites. The tabernacle of God is with men. And there at the end of that 21st chapter, verse 24, we read of the nations of them that are saved. All, all those, the whole of the election of grace with God's and enjoy the fellowship of God forever and forever.

God with his people for all eternity, and no more any sense of desertion. In all the trials, troubles, conflicts of the day of grace, what do God's people experience at different times? They may know something of desertion. They know something of chastenings. God acts contrary to his people sometimes. He knows the thoughts that he's thinking towards them, they're thoughts of peace and not of evil. But how strange, how paradoxical are his ways, his ways in the sea. His steps are in the deep waters. Footsteps are not known, are they? There's a mystery in the ways of God. And we have those words at the end of Isaiah 50, You is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light. Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God. Sometimes when God's people walk in darkness, what are they to do? They have to stay upon God. They have to live that life of faith. But they're different.

There in Zechariah 14.21 we write, we read, There shall be no more the Canaanites in the house of the Lord of hosts. No more the Canaanites. They were there in Canaan. It was only by little and little. All their days they seem to be having to conflict with these people. But how different Revelation 21, 27, There shall in no ways enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. All blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. From henceforth, saith the Spirit, they shall rest from their labors. or they rest from their labors there. There is the fullness of gospel rest by the grace of God.

Well, as we conclude, just one more observation to make with regards to, in particular, this ninth verse, there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. It's interesting because Paul has had much to say with regards to rest. The word rest is used so many times here. In chapter 3 at verse 11, again at verse 18, and then certainly in chapter 4 verse 1, verse 3, verse 5, verse 10, verse 11. And he uses the same words in each of those verses. But when he comes to this ninth verse, Paul uses a completely different word to what he's been using previously. And the word he uses now is sabbatismos. Sabbatismos. Previously he's used the word katapusis. That's what he's been using all the time, and then all of a sudden he uses this word, which of course takes us right back to the institution of the Sabbath day in Genesis 2.

John Owen, interestingly, expands verse 9 as actually referring to the Christian Sabbath in distinction from the old jewish sabbath in the old testament there is a day to be kept you see there is a day to be kept this is how the puritan renders the word or the verse i should say there remaineth therefore a keeping of a Sabbath to the people of God. There remaineth therefore a keeping of the Sabbath, Sabbatismus, to the people of God. Not the legal requirements of the Old Testament, but that resting in the Lord Jesus Christ, that anticipation of heaven. And there's those words in the old hymn, I know it's not in Gadsby's, but the little coplet I'm thinking of is that expression where congregations ne'er break up and Sabbaths know no end, in reference to heaven. So each Lord's Day, each Sabbath day, is an anticipation of that day. where we will be forever with the Lord, enjoying communion with the Lord.

And I think of those words that we have in Isaiah 58. And of course, although Isaiah is an Old Testament book, you don't need me to remind you that it's very much a gospel book. It speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ so clearly. And what does the prophet say therefore at the end of Isaiah 58 concerning the Sabbath? If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honourable shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord. and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father. For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." The promise there of all that fullness of gospel blessing, which belongs of course to God's true spiritual Israel, where the Lord bless his word to us.

We're going to at this point worship God as we sing Gadsby's lovely hymn on the Sabbath day, number 636, the tune Hull 714.

The Sabbath was a day of rest,
the day the Lord Jehovah blessed
a lively type of Christ.
The laboring poor may venture here,
the guilty banish all their fear,
and lean on Jesus' breast.

636, June 714.