Let us turn once again to the part of Scripture we were considering
this morning in Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 3, and directing you
to the portion that we have here at the end of the chapter from
verse 17. through to verse 19 Hebrews chapter
3. But with whom was he grieved
forty years? Was it not with them that had
sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom
swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them
that believed not? So we see that they could not
enter in because of unbelief. Speaking then of those who sinned
in the wilderness, that generation that didn't believe the report
of Joshua and Caleb. When they came back from spying
out the land of promise, instead they embraced the unbelief that
was spoken by the other tents. ten spies who said that there
were great giants in the land and and they were walled cities
and they would no way be able to come into the possession of
that country that was inhabited by those seven nations of which
we were reading just now in the opening part of Deuteronomy 7
and so a generation falls in the wilderness wanderings of
40 years they could not enter in because of unbelief. And then again remember in chapter
4 at verse 8 we read of Joshua in the Old Testament although
we have the Greek version of that name Jesus this is a New
Testament book But it's not to the Lord Jesus that the Apostle
is referring in verse 8 of chapter 4, but Joshua. If Jesus or Joshua
had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken
of another day? And I said I wanted us to consider
this theme of God's rest as it is spoken of here in chapters
3 and 4 from verse 7 in chapter 3 right
through well into chapter 4 that is the theme God's rest and how
it's spoken of several times in chapter 3 and verse 18 then
again in the first verse of chapter 4 we read of his rest, God's
rest and then also in verse 11 of chapter 3 And again, in chapter
4, verses 3 and 5, we have the expression, my rest, his rest,
my rest, and the reference is continually to that rest that
really belongs to God, God's rest. And ultimately, that rest is
to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. How God rests in all
that work, that Christ has done, as Zephaniah the prophet says,
God rest in his love, and that's where sinners are to rest, they
are to cease from every idea of works and they are to rest
in Christ in the way of trusting in him for all their salvation. But in this passage we have the
historic phases that revealed to us something of what that
idea of rest is all about. And this morning we were thinking
of how after creation, in six days, God rested. God rested
on the seventh day, and that rest was a cessation of all His
works. The work was finished, the work
was complete, and God rested. And so we We were considering
this morning for our text what we have there at the end of verse
3 in chapter 4 and through into verse 4. The end of chapter 3
says, 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. There was a rest after creation.
There was then the institution of what we would call the Sabbath. And so that was the theme that
we sought to take up in the morning hour. Well now, I want us to
consider another phase or another illustration of this rest that
is being spoken of in this passage of Scripture. and it's the land
of Canaan as a land of rest. Here in the passage that we read
then just now for our text, the end of chapter 3 from verse 17,
With whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that
had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom
sware they that they should not enter into his rest, should not
enter into the land of Canaan, but to them that believed not.
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. So thinking now of the land of
Canaan, as we were thinking this morning of God's work in creation
and then the institution of a Sabbath rest, So here we have a land
that's associated with rest. First of all then, to say something
with regards to that land as a land of rest. And it really
is a theme that is very evident in both chapter 3 and chapter
4 because isn't it spoken of also there in the third chapter
from verse 7? There we have quite a long parenthesis
really, you'll see from verse 7 to verse 11 there's a section
that is bracketed. What he says in verse 6 is really
then taken up in verse 12, we have these parenthesis. in verse
7 following, as the Holy Ghost saith today, if you will hear
His voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation in the
day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me,
proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was greed
with that generation, and said, They do always err in their hearts,
And they have not known my way, so I swore in my wrath, they
shall not enter into my rest. He's speaking about that generation
provoked him. because they were so unbelieving.
This was the people who were being brought out of Egypt and
now many times we find them murmuring and complaining to Moses and
wanting really to return to Egypt and then, as I said, when they
come to the borders of the promised land and they send out the spies,
they won't enter the land, they're fearful. Although God had given
promise to them that they would come into that inheritance, it
was the land of promise. He promised it to Abraham, to
Isaac, to Jacob. And so, there's very much in
this whole passage an emphasis upon the land of Canaan as a
land associated with rest. And clearly, We see in verse
11 here in chapter 3, and again in verse 18, that it is very
much the land that is spoken of as the place of rest. Verse
11, they shall not enter into my rest, they shall not enter
into Canaan. Again in verse 18, that they
should not enter into his rest. that is entering into Canaan
clear as day really that it's the land that is being spoken
of now when they did enter into that land it was some 40 years
later they had to wander through the wilderness 40 years till
that whole generation had passed away And then when they came
into the land, it was very much a land of rest, the tabernacle
for example. As they had to carry that tabernacle,
it was the tent of meeting, it was the place where they worshipped
God, they had all that instruction. When Moses was In the Mount,
40 days, God had commanded him concerning all the furnishings
of the tabernacle and the manor in which they were to worship
there, but there are nomadic people there on the move. It's
a tent really. And so they have to take it down
from time to time and move on, and they move on again and again
throughout all those years of wanderings. But then, they come
into the lands and we see how in Joshua chapter 18, for example,
the tabernacle is now set up and has a permanent place in
the promised lands. They set it up at Shiloh, Joshua
18, the whole congregation of the Children of Israel assembled
together at Shiloh and set up the tabernacle of the congregation
there and the land was subdued before them. They set it up now, they're not
going to keep dismantling it and moving on, it's there and
it's there for many, many years. It's not moved really, until
the days of King David. And it's David who decides, under
God of course, to remove it and to set it up at Zion. He had
taken Jerusalem from the Jebusites and there he establishes the
capital of his kingdom. In 2 Samuel chapter 6 they remove
the tabernacle and now it's set up on Mount Zion, and there it
remains. And of course, eventually, it's
David's son, King Solomon, who builds the magnificent Temple
of the Lord, a permanent building. It's a land that's associated
with rest, the tabernacle, the place of worship, rest there.
It's settled there. And also, of course, when they
were in that land, they would observe their Sabbath days, their
weekly Sabbath days. As we said this morning when
we come to Deuteronomy chapter 5, that's after the 40 years
of wandering, there's a recounting of the Ten Commandments. They'd been given previously
in Exodus 20 when they first came out of Egypt. Forty years
later Moses reminds them of the commandments and amongst them
that fourth commandment remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. They were to continually then
observe the Sabbath day but they were to observe all the commandments
that God had given. There in the opening verse of
chapter 6 of Deuteronomy Now these are the commandments,
the statutes and judgments which the Lord, your God, commanded
to teach you that ye might do them in the land, whither ye
go to possess it." They were to be diligent then in properly
observing every commandment. And not just the weekly Sabbath,
but they were to see to it that the land itself had a Sabbath.
there was to be a sabbatical year. And you may recall how
that's spoken of in Leviticus chapter 25. Let's turn into that
portion. It's a significant thing that
the land itself should have a Sabbath. So that's what God commands there
in the opening verses of that 25th chapter. The Lord spoke unto Moses in
Mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say
unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then
shall the land keep a sabbath. And the very word rest comes
from that. In fact, the Hebrew word literally
means rest. And you might observe here in
Leviticus 25, in the margin for verse 2, we're told they were to keep a Sabbath rest.
When you come into the land which I give you, then shall the land
rest. A Sabbath unto the Lord, it says. That's a literal rendering of
what's there in the Hebrew. It says in our authorized version,
when you come into the land which I give you, then shall the land
keep a Sabbath unto the Lord. But the word that's rendered
keep has that literal idea of resting. Six years shalt thou
sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard,
and gather in the fruit thereof. But in the seventh year shall
be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the Lord
thou shalt neither sow, thy field, nor prune thy vineyard." Now,
we might say, well, how were they to obtain their food if
they were not sowing and reaping? Well, God would so favor them
in the previous year that they would have an abundant harvest
and the land would be allowed to rest. And the amazing thing
is that it wasn't just that they were to observe a seven-year
Sabbath for the land, but there was also to be the Jubilee year. The Jubilee year is spoken of
in verse 8 of that 25th chapter. So they would have a Sabbath
for the land on the 49th year. 7-7 is 49 and then the next year,
the 50th year, the Jubilee, the land has another Sabbath. The
land is very much associated then with this idea of Sabbath
rest. And of course it's all directing
us to this principle thought that there is to be a real resting
by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well that's a wondrous thing,
there is a real resting in Christ. Here in verse 3 of chapter 4,
We which have believed who enter into rest. there is a rest, a cessation of all idea of any
work and resting in the Lord Jesus. We're thinking of the
idea how this land that God is bringing them into the possession
of is so clearly associated with this whole idea of resting and
it's all what we have in the Old Testament is all really prefiguring
and there are many types there that direct us to the Lord Jesus
and that great salvation that He has come to accomplish for
sinners, those sinners who can rest in Him. It's a land of rest. But also, in the second place,
it's very much a land associated with the promise of God. clearly
associated with the promise of God. Look at the opening words of
chapter 4. Let us therefore fear less the
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. here we
have the mention of a promise now we know that when God entered
into covenant with Abraham and they are of course the children
of Abraham and the children of Isaac and the children of Jacob
there we have the three generations Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and God
enters into covenant with these three the father, the son, and
then the grandson, and the great covenant with Abram is spoken
of in chapter 15 of Genesis. And it's interesting how that
in that covenant that God makes with his servant, he does make
specific mention of the land, the land of promise. How God speaks of what's going
to befall his seed, his descendants and they're going to be taken
into into captivity they're going to be in bondage in Egypt but
God will bring them out just to turn briefly to what
we have there in that 15th chapter in verse 13 God says unto Abram, Know of
a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that
is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict
them four hundred years. And also that nation whom they
shall serve will I judge, and afterwards shall they come out
with great substance. Speaking of the bondage in Egypt, And then we're taught what God
is doing in this chapter. Verse 18, In the same day the
LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying unto thy seed, Have I
given this land from the river of Egypt unto the great river,
the river Euphrates, the Kenites, and the Kenizites, and the Kadmonites,
and the Hittites, and the Perizites, and the Raphaims, and the Amorites,
the Canaanites and the Gergesites and the Jebusites. These are
the people who are inhabiting the land, but this is the land
that God is going to bring them into the possession of. It's
the promised land. It's the promised land. How awful
it was then that that generation that God had brought out of Egypt,
He had done what He had promised to Abraham, He had brought them
out after all those years of bondage. But they were unbelieving. They were unbelieving. Verse
11 of Chapter 3, So I swear in my wrath they shall not enter
into my rest. They cannot enter in, because
alas of their unbelief. To whom swear I? Verse 18, To
whom swear I that they should not enter into his rest, but
to them that believed not. So we see that they could not
enter in because of unbelief. All we have to do with the promises
of God. And what do we have to do with
the promises of God? We have to believe the promises
of God. But these didn't. They'd sent
out the spies, but instead of embracing what those faithful
men Joshua and Caleb said. These people listen to what the
other ten spies are saying. As I say, those others speak
of giants and great cities and walled cities. Here is going
to be a place where they're going to, according to these false
men, they're never going to be able to overcome such obstacles
as these. They turn from God and the promise
of God. God would give them the land.
He had said He would do it. But no, they are unbelieving
and so we're told in the book of Numbers. There in Numbers
14 And it's in the opening verses
of that 14th chapter. All the congregation lifted up
their voice and cried and the people wept that night. And all
the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. And the whole congregation said
unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt?
Or would God we had died in this wilderness? And wherefore if
the Lord brought us unto this land to fall by the sword, that
our wives and our children should be appraised, were it not better
for us to return into Egypt? And they said, one to another,
let us make a captive, and let us return into Egypt. Then Moses
and Aaron fell on their faces before the assembly of the congregation
of the children of Israel, and Joshua the son of Nine and Caleb
the son of Jephunneh which were of them that searched the land
rent their clothes. Oh these are the faithful men
you see Moses and Aaron falling on their faces before all the
congregation and Joshua and Caleb renting their clothes out of
shame. because of the unbelief. They want to return to Egypt
sooner than go forward trusting in the promise of God. It was
a land of promise. It was a land of promise as it
was a land of rest. And that reminds us, you see,
of the Gospel. The Gospel is God's promise. What is a believer
to do? The believer is to rest in God's
promises. And Paul clearly connects the
promised land with the gospel and that idea of sinners resting
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at what he says here at
the beginning of the fourth chapter. 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. For we
which have believed do enter into rest." And then as we've
said, we have mention of this man Joshua in verse 8. We have the name Jesus, but Joshua
is really a type of the Lord Jesus. We're not to lose sight
of that fact. If Jesus, if Joshua had given
them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another
day? There's another day. What's the
other day that's being spoken of here? Well, it's pointing
us forward to one who's greater than that, Joshua. It's pointing
us to the Lord Jesus Christ, the day of the Gospel. That blessed
rest that God would usher in with the coming of the Saviour
of sinners. And so, as we conclude, I just
want to say something with regards to what we learn here concerning
this Gospel rest. What sort of a life is it? You
think of Canaan. They cross the river Jordan onto
Joshua, and they enter into the land. Now, We often think of Canaan, don't
we, as a type of heaven. There are many hymns that we
sing and that's imagery. There's that lovely hymn of Isaac
Watts, there is a land of pure delight. And he's speaking of heaven and
he's speaking of it in terms of the children of Israel when
they go into the possession of the land of Canaan but really
that imagery is not correct because what did they find when they
went into the land of Canaan they didn't have complete rest
did they? there were wars in fact all the
days they were there they were involved in terrible conflicts
not just under Joshua but when we go to the book of Judges there
were times when they departed from the Lord and the enemies
rose up against them, and God would send a deliverer, a judge,
and then they'd be delivered, and then again they'd depart
from the Lord, and so it is, you only have to read through
the Old Testament. When they were in that land of promise,
it was not complete and utter rest, and it reminds us in some
ways that gospel rest is also a life of conflicts. What do we do when we come to
saving faith in the Lord Jesus? We have to fight. Fight the good
fight of faith, says the Apostle. Lay hold on eternal life. The words of the hymn writer
concerning the believer when he's pardoned, he's signed, and
his peace is procured from that moment his conflict begins. Well
that's the believer he has rest now, he's resting in Christ.
Christ is all his salvation. All but what a conflict there
is. And so we read there in Joshua
17, 12, the Canaanites would dwell in that land. The Canaanites
would dwell in that land. And we sang the hymn just now,
the hymn of John Kents, really based on that verse of Scripture,
it would seem. The Canaanites would dwell in
that land. and Kant brings it out. It's
the life of the believer who is resting. He's resting in Christ
and yet what a life this man is living. And I read that 7th
chapter of Deuteronomy that speaks quite clearly of what would take
place as they came into the land. When the Lord thy God shall bring
thee into the land, whither thou goest to possess it, and hath
cast out many nations before thee, and then we have the list
of these seven nations, greater and mightier than thou. But what
do we read later? Verse 22, The Lord thy God will
put out those nations before thee by little, and little and
mayest not consume them at once, lest the beast of the field increase
upon them. God has his purpose to fulfill,
and God acts in wisdom, too wise to be mistaken, and too good
to be unkind. They're going to be removed,
but it's little by little lest the beast of the field increase
and consume thee and does it not remind us therefore of something
of the conflict of God's people there are beasts of the field
there are beasts of the field what are the beasts of the field
that we have to be aware of? well there are there are inward
sins there's that conflict that we feel within our own selves that which is born of the flesh
is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is spirit. And
now these are so contrary one to the other. And we find we
cannot do the thing that we would do. What are these things that
we have to wrestle with? Well, there's the great sin of
presumption. And we have to be aware that
we cannot presume, we cannot presume to rest in any strength
of our own. We have to be always learning
this one great lesson, our complete and utter dependence upon God.
All presumption is a terrible sin. We read that at opening
parts of the Psalm, Psalm 44, it speaks of how they came into
the possession of that promised land where they were going to
have rest, but what does it say there? Verse 3, they got not
the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their
own arm save them, but thy right hand and thine arm in the light
of thy countenance, because thou hast to favour unto them. And
we have to learn what all our own imagined strength is it's
all weakness we cannot keep ourselves if the Lord doesn't keep us we're
lost aren't we? we have to be kept by the power
of God through faith what can we do of ourselves? well God
will see to it that we'll be in the conflict lest we should
become presumptuous and imagine that all is well we've now as
it were entered into the rest and It's going to be easy, but
it's not. The Lord will teach us our dependence,
and the Lord will keep pride from us. All that cursed sin
of pride, in some ways it's there, isn't
it, when our first parents fall? I know unbelief is the root of
all sin there, And they believe the lie of Satan rather than
the truth of God when they partake of that fruit that God had forbidden.
They believe the lie of the devil. It's unbelief, but it's bound
up, isn't it, with pride. Because what does the devil say?
If you partake of this forbidden fruit, you're going to be as
gods. Ought is pride, a cursed pride. That spirit my God hath
ought, do what we will, it haunts us still and keeps us from the
Lord. And so, God has to keep us from
pride, we have to learn something of our own weakness and our complete
dependence upon Him. And spiritual pride. All spiritual
pride. And sometimes, certainly the
preacher must feel it against Its influence prays, it mingles
with the prayer, against it preach, it prompts the speech, be silent.
Still it's there, says the hymn writer, how true. Oh dear, John
Bunyan knew it. And he was a preacher, that man.
The great Dr. Owen, for all his learning, his
vast learning, and all the volumes of his theological writings.
He said he'd give all that up if he could preach just like
John Bunyan preached. Oh, but when Bunyan came out
of the pulpit and someone came up to him and said, and how well
they got on and congratulated for all that he'd been able to
expound in the preaching of the Word of God. Oh, he said, dear
man, the devil's already whispered that in my ear. He's prided you,
sir. He was congratulating himself
really. How God has to keep us from pride. and then besides presumption
and pride thinking of these beasts of the field that might creep
upon us and overcome us how forgetful we can be remember how again in Deuteronomy
in that 8th chapter at the end of those 40 years of wilderness
wanderings we have that word of God speaks to them remember
Deuteronomy 8 to remember all the wise which the Lord thy God
led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee
and to prove thee to know what was in thy heart whether thou
wouldest keep his commandments or no and he humbled thee and
suffered thee to hunger and fed thee with manna which thou knewest
not that it is thy father's know that he might make thee know
that man doth not live by bread only but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live God tells them, commands them
to remember we forget we forget and so even when they go into
the promised land it's not going to be an easy life they've got
to constantly remember their dependence upon the Lord their
help that must come only from Him there's that word in Psalm
59 11 slay them not lest my people forget oh there's the beast of the field
there's the Canaanite in the land there's all those trials
all those troubles that come oh those wicked nations would
be continually opposing them And so the believer in the world
he has tribulation. And yet we've entered into that
that is represented to us by the land. We've entered into
rest. And yet there's continual conflict. The conquest then of the land
was something that was by little and little, it's a gradual thing.
But there's that constant wrestling. There's that constant fighting
the good fight of faith. But then also in all of this, God will show them His goodness
and show them His greatness. Who is the one who casts out
the nations? It's God. As it says there in
Deuteronomy 7, in the middle of that first verse, it's God
who has cast out many nations. That's how it speaks. Speaks
of God casting them out. Again, those nations in verse
22 are said to be put out, or plucked off. Though it's not
by might. nor by power, but by my Spirit,
saith the Lord." It's the work of God. And so it is with the
believer. We're to mortify, we're to put
to death these deeds of the body, these sins. They're to be crucified. But how do we do it? If ye through
the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, it says, ye shall
live. We can only do it through The
Spirit, it's that life of dependence, that God will show Himself, God
will reveal Himself. That's the goodness of God. I
was struck the other day, tearing off the calendar, and there's
a reference to that verse in 2 Chronicles 14.11, in the days
of King Asa. Help us, O Lord our God, for
we rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go against this multitude. And that's how we have to advance. We have to look to the Lord for
His help. We have to rest in Him. We have to go forth in His
Name and in His Name alone against the multitude of every enemy. And you see what God does in
this conflict, in this life of faith and this fight of faith.
The believers, in a sense, get a sight of their enemies. They
see something of the awfulness of the enemy, wrestling not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and
the rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness
in high places. or they get some sight of their
enemies. They see the glory of the One
who is able to overcome them. Look at those words there in
verse 22 of Deuteronomy 7. The Lord thy God, it says, will
put out those nations, will pluck out those nations. But what does
it say? The Lord thy God will pluck out those nations before
the... before the... Those two words are significant,
we see them. God will have us to understand
that they're greater than we are, they're mightier than we
are. We cannot overcome them of ourselves or we can only overcome
by and through the goodness and the grace of the Lord God Himself. He must appear for us. He must help us. if ever were
to overcome and so the words of the text
he was grieved forty years with those that sinned their carcasses
were told they fell in the wilderness whom swear he that they should
not enter into his rest but to them that believe not So we see
that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore
fear, lest the promise being left us of entering into his
rest, any of you should seem to come short of it, says Paul. 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." would
grant that there might be in us that mixing of faith, that
faith might come in hearing as hearing comes by the word of
God, that we might believe God's words, that we might rest in
His promises and not be as that generation that provoked Him
by their unbelief there in the wilderness and so were never
able to enter in. And ultimately the believer will
enter into a rest where there is no Canaanites. There's no
wild beasts to overcome them. We read of it there in Zechariah
14. In that day shall be no more
the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts forever. What is that rest? Well, that's
heaven. That's heaven. Sin, my worst enemy before, shall
vex my knives and ears no more. My inward foes shall all be slain,
nor Satan break my peace again. Heaven, that holy, that happy
place where sin no more defiles, where God unveils his blissful
face and looks and loves and smiles. That's what the believer
is looking for and pressing towards. But in the Gospel, though he
rests in Christ, there is this continual conflict with the canonized
and the beast of the field. And we have to learn then our
complete dependence upon the Lord. That's the life of faith.
Well, the Lord grant that we might be those who do enter in,
not as those who could not enter in, but those who by God's grace
through faith do enter into that rest that is in the Lord Jesus
Christ well let us conclude our worship today as we sing the
hymn 1061 clearly speaking of the rest of God's
people know in Christ Lord, I believe
a rest remains to all thy people known, a rest where pure enjoyment
reigns, and thou art loved alone. The tune is Rest, number 211,
the hymn 1061. Lord, I give you my best remains,
to all thy people know. rest where pure enjoyment reigns,
the rest where pure enjoyment reigns, and thou art loved alone. All that I know, the rest I know,
I can't hurry. Dear Savior, now the power is
full. Dear Savior, now the power is
full. Now let me cease from sin. A kiss from my heart this unbelief
removes. Fill me the rest of faith impart. Fill me the rest of faith impart. The Sabbath of thy love. Come Thou, dear Saviour, come
away, into my soul this day. No longer from Thy creatures
stay, No longer from Thy creatures stay,