Take me to the fourth chapter
of the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter four. And tonight I'm
going to be speaking out of John chapter 14, where the Lord said
to a believer, Believest thou not? That's what I've entitled
the message, Believest thou not? Hebrews chapter four. Let's read verse three. Four. We which have believed. Do enter into. Rest. I've entitled this message. Rest. Rest. One of the words that would best
describe the day in which we are living is restless. Restless. Constantly moving. Disturbed. Agitated. And people go to therapists and
counselors because they have some awareness of this. I have
no rest. According to Webster, rest is
and listen to this definition, it was very helpful to me. Rest
is cessation. Promotion or disturbance. Quiet. Peace. Repose. Sleep. Death. Trust. An interval of silence in music. Cease from action. Stand. Be satisfied. Lean. Lay to rest. Cause to cease from
labor. Desist from presenting evidence
in a law case. You see, rest is a highly desirable
thing, isn't it? Rest. In verse one of Hebrews
chapter four, the writer says, 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. We ought to have assurance. And we ought to fear presumption. Isn't that so? That's why he
said, let us fear. Not some kind of cocksure attitude,
but let us fear. of coming short of this rest. Now, every true believer, without
exception, rests in the Lord Jesus Christ. We read in Hebrews
chapter 4, verse 3, But we which have believed do enter into rest. Every believer rests in Christ. What's that mean? Well, first,
what is it that causes me to rest? I rest in Him. I'm not working in Him. I have all the works I need to
be saved. I rest in Him. I love what Paul
said in 1 Corinthians 1.30 when he said, Of Him are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us. Wisdom. He is my wisdom. I'm a very wise man. He is my
wisdom. He's made unto us righteousness.
He is my righteousness before God. He's made unto us sanctification. He is my holiness before God. He's made unto us redemption. I have full and complete deliverance
in Him, and I rest. I rest in Him. I rest in His
finished work. There are no works to do. We rest. You rest when the work
is finished. You rest. We rest in his life. I rest in his death. I rest in
his resurrection, in his present sitting at the right hand of
God as my great high priest and intercessor. I have rest regarding
the past. I'm not worried about past sins.
They've been covered. I don't have any regrets. I don't
have any regrets. Do you mean that? Yes, I do. I don't have any regrets about
what's happened in the past because I know it's all a part of my
wise, heavenly Father's good providence. And I rest. I don't
rest about... I don't worry about sins from
the past coming up. No, they've been taken care of.
I have rest regarding the past, if I believe. I have rest regarding
the present, my Redeemer. sits at the right hand of the
Father representing me. I've got nothing to worry about.
I've got rest concerning the future. When I stand before God
in judgment, I'm going to be accepted. I have rest. They which have believed do enter
into rest. Now, I'm asking myself this question,
and I want you to ask yourself this question. Have I rested? Do I know anything truly about
this rest spoken of in this passage of scripture. I fear presumption. I fear deceiving myself, so I
put myself on trial. Have I ever rested? I hope every one of us will put
ourselves on trial in this sense to see if we have ever really
rested in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, here's why he said we should
fear coming short. He says in verse two, 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. Now, I read about these people
at the beginning of this message. God said, go into the land, look
it over. They looked it over, and indeed
it was a land of rest. The fact that it was a land that
flowed with milk and honey means you won't have to cultivate.
It's all given to you. There's already cities there
for you to live in, walled cities for you to take over. The land
flows with milk and honey. Everything you want is in this
land. Now go take it. But what did
they see? They saw the giants in the land,
and they feared to go in and possess the land. As a matter
of fact, they were ready to stone Joshua and Caleb for their good
report of the land. They were scared to death. They
could not enter in. And the Lord said, you won't
enter in the promised land because of your unbelief. They could
not rest. Now, they heard the gospel preached.
These people, just like you and I are this morning, they heard
the gospel preached. Don't you reckon they heard the
gospel preached when the Passover lamb was provided? And God said,
when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Don't you reckon
they heard the gospel then? They heard the gospel preached.
They heard the gospel preached when manna came down from heaven
and fed them. Christ, the bread from heaven.
They heard the gospel preached when that rock was smitten. And
through the smiting of that rock, water came forth to satisfy their
thirst. When Christ is smitten by the
wrath of God as the sin-bearing substitute, oh, that's where
the waters of His mercy and grace come through to us. They heard
the gospel preached. They heard the gospel preached
on the Sabbath day. Don't work. That's what the command of the
Sabbath is. Do not work. Rest. Rest in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, they heard the gospel preached
very clearly, but the gospel did not profit them. They didn't
get any benefit out of it because it was not mixed with faith in
them that heard it. They were afraid to go into the
promised land of rest because of the giants. They couldn't
trust the Lord to bring them in. It's true there were no masks
for the people of the land. Those gods could have whipped
them if they didn't have the Lord on their side. But if God's
for us, who can be against us? To fail to believe is to fail
to rest. To fail to rest is to fail to
trust. It's failure to believe what
God has said. It's to believe that He is not
trustworthy. It's to say concerning His words,
it is finished? I don't believe it. I find no
safety there. To fail to believe is to call
God a liar. Now, I am afraid of failing to
believe, aren't you? I fear presumption. I fear deceiving myself. And
that's the warning He gives. He says in verse 3 of Hebrews
chapter 4, for we which have believed do enter into rest. As he said, I swore in my wrath,
they shall not enter into, if they shall enter into my rest
or they shall not enter my rest, although the works were finished
from the foundation of the world. Rest is typified in the scripture
by these three different pictures. First, there was God's rest after
creation. You can remember that in Genesis
chapter one and the first part of chapter two, after he finished
creation, what did he do? He rested. Why did he rest? Because the work was finished,
there was nothing left to create. The work was finished and God
rested. And then there's the rest of
the promised land where the cities are already built, where food
is already provided for the land flows with milk and honey, as
opposed to the hard bondage of Egyptian labor. Everything is
just given to you. Now, you think this was a nation
of slaves. They were the ones who built the pyramids. And all
of a sudden they were to be brought into this land where there was
nothing for them to do but receive. And then there is the rest of
creation, the rest of the promised land, and the rest of the Sabbath.
What a glorious rest the rest of the Sabbath is. Do not work. Do not work for second to X's
31. Verse 13. X's 31, 13, speak also
into the children of Israel, saying, Verily, my Sabbaths.
You shall keep. For it, the Sabbath, is a sign
between me and you throughout your generations that you may
know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify thee." Now that's
what the Sabbath is given to teach us. God says, I am the
one who sanctifies you. I set you apart to be holy. That's
what He did in eternal election. I declare you to be holy. That's
what He did on the cross. I make you holy. That's what
He does in regeneration. Don't work. It is His work. It is His work. Don't work. That's what the Sabbath
is. That's what this rest is. We
which have believed do enter into rest. We rest because there's
no work to do. Our rest is in response to the
finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way you can
rest is if you really believe it's finished. It's finished. Finished. Now, what would you
all think of me if we had a completed work by Michelangelo or some
famous artist? And I said, well, I'm going to
put my finishing touches on it. I'd ruin it, wouldn't I? I'd
ruin it. What if some great piece of music
by Mozart or Beethoven or something like that, it was their greatest
composition, and I said, well, let me put my finishing touches
on it. I'd ruin it. I had no gift for music at all.
What about the finished work of Christ? What about the finished work
of Christ? When He said it is finished, you know what that
meant? It's finished. There's nothing
for me to do. He accomplished my salvation. I'm not reaching for anything.
I'm not striving for anything. It is finished. Nothing for me
to add. It's finished. Now, do you hear
those words, it is finished? You know, when I even think about
that, it makes my body relax. The tension leaves. Nothing for
me to do. It is finished. I despise the way most people
present the death of Christ. He died for everybody, but you
need to do something in order to complete what He did. You
won't be saved unless you do something. I despise that because
that's man finishing the work. No, He said it is finished. The salvation of all of God's
elect is accomplished. Nothing for me to do but rest. Rest. People are afraid of that. While
you preach like that, people can live any way they want to.
I want them to live any way they want to. I surely do. Rest. These people who did not believe
did not enter into rest. Rest is the outcome of believing.
If you don't believe, you can't rest. Now look in verse 3 again. For we which have believed, Do
enter into rest. The response to a finished work. Nothing to do. As he said, I
swore in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest, although
the works were finished. When? When? From the foundation
of the world. What in the world does that mean? Exactly what it says. How many
different ways are there to look at that? All the works were finished,
were completed before time ever began in the mind and purpose
of the sovereign will of God. All works were finished. The
elect were justified, sanctified and glorified before the foundation
of the world. All the works were finished.
Notice it doesn't say it's just as if the works were finished
from the foundation of the world. It says the works were finished.
You see, when God wills it, it's past His before it takes place.
That's the sovereign, supreme will of God. All the works, all
of God's elect were saved from the very foundation of the world. There's no time with God. To
Him, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as
a day. All of this is historical. It's
already happened since before time began. The writer tells
us that. Talking about rest. There's nothing
uncompleted. There's nothing incomplete. According
to this passage of Scripture, and according to many others,
every believer was saved from the very foundation of the world.
2 Timothy 1.9 says He saved us. Listen to this precious word.
He saved us. He didn't make salvation available.
He didn't make salvation possible. He saved us. And He called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began. All that God has for me has already
been given to me in Christ Jesus before the world began. Now that's
going to, you preach like that it's going to turn people into
fatalists. No it doesn't. Didn't turn me into a fatalist.
Surely didn't. But I love it. I love how God
saves. Let's go on reading. Verse 4. For he spake in a certain place
of the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest the seventh
day. From all of his works, this is
speaking of the rest of creation, verse five, and this place again,
if they or they shall not enter into my rest, that's talking
about the rest of the promised land. These people who did not
believe did not enter into this rest of the promised land, per
se. Seeing, therefore, it remaineth that some must enter therein.
Now, why must some there enter in? Because it was determined
for him to do it. Because Christ died for their
sins, because they rest in His finished work. This was all determined
before the foundation of the world. That's why I know some
people believe. I have such encouragement to
preach the gospel, because I know God's elect will hear and believe. And so I preach the gospel to
every creature, knowing that God will create faith in the
heart of every single one of His people. We know some people
are going to enter in. Seeing, therefore, remaineth
that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first
preached entered not in because of unbelief. You know, that doesn't
discourage me that some people don't believe. Not at all. You
know, I think what the Lord said. He said, you see me and believe
not. John, chapter six, verse 36,
you see me and you believe not. And we said next. All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me, you may not believe, but
that's OK. Everybody the Father gives me shall come to me, and
him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Some must enter therein. Seeing
therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they
to whom it first preached entered not in because of unbelief."
Again, verse 7, again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David,
today, after so long a time as it said today, if you will hear
his voice, Harden not your hearts." Now, what is God's limitation?
He said, today. Here's God's limitation. Today. You're not going to be able to
find any rest in yesterday. Not really. Yesterday is like yesterday's
manna. What did it do? It would breed
worms and stink. You look to yesterday's experience.
You don't even know if it was real. You don't know for sure.
You look to yesterday's anything. You can't really trust yesterday.
And you can't trust tomorrow. Boast not thyself of tomorrow.
Yesterday is what you did. Tomorrow is what you intend to
do. And all of it counts for nothing. Isn't that so? Anything
that has anything to do with me or you, what's it count for?
Absolutely nothing. So don't look to yesterday. That's
looking to yesterday's works, yesterday's experience. It's
just going to breed worms and stink. The Lord didn't allow them to
get two days worth of manna. Only one day. Only one day. Tomorrow, who knows what you'll
do. You might be robbing banks tomorrow. Oh, may God deliver
us from that. But tomorrow, you don't know
what's going to happen tomorrow. Boast not thyself of tomorrow,
for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Today is the
day God limits. Today, believe the gospel. Enter into His rest. Rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you hear the voice of God
in the gospel? What is it? Rest. That's too easy. Well, let's see you do it then.
Rest. Do nothing. Rest in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Verse 8. For if Jesus or Joshua,
that's talking about Joshua in the Old Testament, had given
them rest, entering into the promised land, then would he
not afterwards spoken of another day? Now, these people that did
not enter into the typical place of rest with Joshua never really
rested because this was never meant to be the rest. Joshua
never spoken of another day. And what is that other day? Verse
nine. There remain. Therefore, a rest. A literal keeping of the Sabbath. to the people of God. Now, what
happens when you keep the Sabbath? You do not work at all. You simply rest in His work,
His person and His finished work. There remains a true keeping
of the Sabbath to the people of God. Now, don't try to keep the law. You've kept it. If you've kept it, you don't
try to keep it, do you? In Christ, I have kept the law. Don't try
to do something to secure God's favor. You have it. Don't try to do something to
make you accepted. You've got it. Accepted in the
Beloved. Don't try to do something to
make yourself have assurance. Well, I could have assurance
if I did this or if I did bad. believe more, or if I started,
no. Rest. Rest. Do nothing. Rest in the Lord
Jesus Christ. They which have believed do enter
into rest. Remember, salvation doesn't end with rest.
It begins with rest. Salvation doesn't end with the
forgiveness of sins. It begins with the forgiveness
of sins. Salvation does not end with acceptance. It begins with acceptance. Rest. Rest. How do I go about doing that?
Verse 10, For he that is entered into his
rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from
his. Now how do I enter into this
rest? By ceasing from your own works. What's this mean? Stop. Rest in His work. We rest in Christ and His finished
work. When He said it is finished,
what did He mean? There's nothing left for me to
do. He saved me. If I'm already saved, there is
nothing for me to do to be saved. I am saved. And I rest in Him. Now, you think of how important
it is physically to rest. Think how bad you feel when you
don't rest. We took a red-eye flight back from vacation. It
was packed. Couldn't sleep on the plane.
Didn't get to sleep Friday night. Yesterday I felt bad all day. But I got a good night's sleep
last night. resting, and I feel a whole lot better. The only way you will, quote,
feel good, the only way you'll have joy, the only way you'll
have motivation, the only way you'll seek to honor the Lord
Jesus Christ in your life, the only way you'll follow hard after
Him is by resting in Him. Now, when I hear the Gospel,
when I hear the Gospel, I don't leave thinking, what do I need
to do? Because if I leave that way, I didn't really hear the
Gospel. When I hear the gospel, I hear it is done. There's nothing for me to do
but rest. Oh, the rest of the believer. When Christ said it is finished,
my whole salvation was accomplished and I rest. Have you ever ceased
from your own works? That means just plumb ceased
and rested in Him who finished the work. They which have believed
do enter into rest. Look what the writer says in
verse 11. Let us labor therefore, let us
work, let us give effort. Let us labor therefore to enter
into that rest. Lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief." Now, what did these fellas do? God said,
go enter the land and take it. I'm giving it to you. They go
in, and in that land that God promised that He would give it
to them, there were giants. Who put those giants there? God
did. Were they able to defeat the
giants on their own? Of course not. But if God put
them in the land, they were there for their good, God's glory. And as Caleb and Joshua said,
we'd be well able to defeat them. No, no problem. God put them
there. And, you know, even in this land
of rest, I see the giants walking around the land. Plenty of them. And it's true, I can't whip one
of them, but He can. And even with these giants in
the land, and they're there, and you just sing about it, Kara. You know, I asked the Lord that
I might grow in faith and love in every grace, might more of
His salvation know, seek more earnestly His face. And He says,
instead of, I thought in some favored hour God would give me
rest, I'd never have it. And all of a sudden, I saw the
hidden evils of my heart. That's the giants. That's the
giants. But what did the Lord do with
those giants? He made them to trust Him only. I can't whip
the giants, but He can. And my job is to do nothing. To rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. They which have believed do enter
into rest. May God give us all the grace
to believe that when He said, It is finished, My complete salvation
was accomplished completely outside of my personal subjective experience. I rest. I rest my case. Let's pray.