Every time you read a portion
of God's Word again, you see something you did not see before. And I noticed in studying this
chapter for the message tonight, in the first eleven verses, six
times, Paul reminds us of his subject. entering into his rest. That's the title of this message,
enter into his rest. Verse 1, let us therefore fear
lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest. Verse 3, for we which have believed
do enter into rest. As he said, as I have sworn in
my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest." That's three times
already. Verse 5, he repeats that Psalm
95-11, in this place again, they shall not enter into my rest.
I don't know why the translators put that if in, because Psalm
95-11 has no if. It just plainly says they shall
not enter into my rest because of unbelief. And then down in
verse 10, For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased
from his own works, as God did from his. Verse 11. This is the
key verse. Let us. Talking about us right
here now. Paul was talking to the early
Hebrews, but that's us. Let us labor, therefore, to enter
into that rest. That's the subject. enter into
his rest. So let's start with verse 1.
I ask the Lord to give us some understanding and inspiration
and refreshing. Verse 1, let us therefore fear
lest a promise being left to us of entering into his rest,
any of you should seem to come short of it. Now why is Paul
saying this? We've often said that the book
of Hebrews is has many promises, as one man
used to say, we're hedged about on one side with promises, promises,
promises, but also hedges us in on the other side with warnings,
warnings. Promises lest we despair. Warnings
lest we presume. So this is one of those warnings.
And what he's doing here, starting chapter 4, he's picking up where
he left off. Chapter 3, Paul talks, and I
preached on this last Sunday, Paul talks freely of the unbelieving
Jews, Israel, people of Israel, who fled Egypt, died in the wilderness,
and never entered the land of promise because of unbelief. That's what he talks about in
chapter 3. He closes that chapter 3 with verse 19, so we see that
they could not enter in. Israel, they left Egypt, wandered
in the wilderness, their carcasses fell there. They didn't enter
the land of promise because of unbelief. And he proceeds in
verse 1 of chapter 4 to caution the Hebrews of that day, his
day, and us in this day. like them, lest we come short
of entering into God's rest." What a horrible thought, what
a terrible, terrible thought, to fall short of entering into
his rest. In verse 2, he still talks about
them. He says, for unto us was the
gospel preached, the Hebrews to whom he's writing unto us,
as well as unto them. These people over there that
left Egypt and wandered in the wilderness, they heard the gospel. They heard one of the greatest
preachers God had, Moses. And we know what Moses preached. Our Lord said, Moses wrote of
me. He spoke of me. The Jews, when
our Lord was here on the earth, they said, we have Moses. He
said, well, you don't believe Moses. If you didn't believe
Moses, you didn't believe me. He spoke of me. So, these people
heard Moses. I'd rather you hear Moses than
me. Honestly. I'd rather you hear that prophet,
the meekest man who ever lived. Most powerful man. God blessed
so much. They heard Moses. They heard
Moses. The gospel was preached to them.
Same gospel you hear. Same gospel I hear. We hear the
gospel of a Messiah who has come. They heard prophecies and promises
and saw pictures of the Messiah who would come. Yes, they did. And they knew what they were
saying. They knew what Moses was saying. Listen, I'll give
you some, I'll give you a reason why, threefold reason why I know
those people heard this gospel. One day our Lord asked the Pharisees, he said, what think ye of the
Christ? The Christ, whose son is he? Immediately they answered, son
of David. The Christ will be the son of
David. That's what the Old Testament says, he'll be the son of David.
Isaiah said it all up, son of David, David said it. made of the seed of David according
to the flesh. That's what they knew and we
know. Secondly, the priest and the Levites came to John the
Baptist, who was preaching Christ. And they said, Are you the Christ? Why did they come up with a question
like that? They were expecting the Christ. Are you the Christ?
Tell you another question they asked John the Baptist. They
said, Are you that prophet Moses? Speak up. He said, No, I'm not that prophet,
I'm not the Christ. The woman at the well, now this
is the most awesome thing, the woman at the well, who was certainly
no theologian. I doubt if she ever attended
Sunday school. She was too busy marrying and
getting divorces back and forth, back and forth. She had five
husbands, she was a busy woman. Not a lot of things, but certainly
not studying the Bible. But when our Lord finally shut
her mouth, about her religion and all these other things, she
finally said, I know, I know that the Messiah
is coming and he'll tell us, oh I know that the Messiah is
coming which is called Christ and he'll tell us all things. Now that's a woman, Samaritan,
Wasn't in Jerusalem, she was down in Samaria, didn't have
anything to do with the Jews. These people heard the gospel
now. The gospel is preached to us
as well as unto them. What was their problem? Look
at verse 2. But the gospel preached did not profit them. not being
mixed with faith, not being received by faith, because they were not
united by faith to Christ, not being mixed with faith in them
that heard it. That's the problem. They heard
it, didn't believe it. That's the problem today. Can't
hear it, and they don't believe it. But we believe it. We believe it. We believe Christ. I believe Christ. I know whom
I have believed. I am persuaded he's able to keep
that which I've committed unto him against that day. I believe
the gospel. We which have believed Christ,
the gospel, the word of God, in our hearts, we do enter into
rest. We do enter into rest. This is not talking about entering
into heaven. This is not talking about entering
into eternal rest. It's talking about entering into
a spiritual rest right now. Right now. Let me show you that
in Matthew 11. Our Lord says here in Matthew
11, Verse 27, Matthew 11, 27. We who believe Christ have entered
into his rest already. Verse 27, Matthew 11. All things
are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son, but
the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him come
unto me. Come unto me, believe me, receive
me, cast yourself upon me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I'll give you rest. I'll give you a resting." Now
listen, read on. You take my yoke upon you, learn
of me. I find meek and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest. you'll keep on finding more rest.
The more you come to me and I give you rest, you'll enter rest.
And the more you learn of me, learn of me, not just learn from
me, learn of me, of Christ, we learn of Christ, the more rest
you'll have, because he's the rest. And the more we learn of
him, the more we believe him. As John Gill says, by degrees
we grow in this peace. This peace groweth This rest
groweth as we learn Christ, of Christ. What is this rest? Let me give you four or five
things. This is a spiritual rest. It is a rest from the burden
of the law. The sacrifices, the ceremonies,
the feast days, the holy days, the many activities and duties
and requirements of the Mosaic law, we rest from that. That's
all fulfilled in Christ. And Paul warns the Galatians,
not let anybody bring you back under that. Don't let anybody
bring you back in subjection to these holy days and rituals
and rules and tithing and Sabbath days and holy days. Don't let
anybody bring you back. You are free. You rest from all
of that. Secondly, it rests from the curse
of the law. There is therefore now no curse,
no condemnation to them who are in Christ. is put away, our sins
are purged and paid for. Thirdly, it rests from the weary
and toil and labor of works for salvation. Paul said, I conclude, a man
is justified by faith, not by the works of the law. We don't work in order to be
saved, we work because we love to serve our Lord and serve his
people. It's a delight. Fourthly, it is rest in the purpose
and providence of God, notwithstanding the trials and troubles of the
day. That's a rest. It's rest in the
purpose and providence of God, the will of God, for me and for
you, notwithstanding the trials and troubles of this life. I know all things, whatever they
may be, are of God. And I know that those all things
work together for good to them who love him, who are called
according to his purpose. You can rest in that. I don't
know why. I just know he knows why. And someday I'll know why. Fifthly,
it is a rest of comfort. It is a rest of assurance. It
is a rest of a good hope. David didn't say, surely goodness
and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and there's
a possibility I might dwell in the house of the Lord. He said,
I will, will, will dwell in the house, I shall dwell in the house
of the Lord forever. That's assurance, that's comfort.
This is the gospel. This is God's way of redemption.
We're reminded of it every time we read this book. There's no
other gospel. This is the gospel. Well, he
says here, but concerning those people who didn't believe, in
verse 3 he said, I've sworn in my wrath. I wish that folks would
read the Bible. God is a God who displays wrath
against sin. He loves righteousness. He loves
truth. He loves holiness. He hates sin.
God's angry with the wicked. God hateth the workers of iniquity. God's love is in Christ. He that
believeth not on the Son, the wrath of God abideth on him. And God said, I swore in my anger,
in my wrath, it was not love that destroyed Sodom, it was
wrath. The wrath of God, it wasn't the love of God that destroyed
the world in Noah's day, it was the wrath of God against sin. And God said, I swore in my wrath,
they shall not enter into my rest. They shall not, because they didn't believe.
Now watch this next statement. The works were finished from
the foundation of the world. He said of these Jews, this so-called
national Israel, this so-called people of God who professed to
be the people of God, they professed to be, they were not. He says,
though Israel be as the sands of the sea, only when, what shall And he said, although my works,
my kingdom, my temple, my church is purpose and complete and waiting
for all who believe from the foundation of the world, those
who do not believe shall not enter into my residence. Now,
turn to Romans 3. This is something Paul dealt
with. Paul talked about these Jews in Romans 3 verse 1, what advantage
then hath the Jew? What profit is that in circumcision?
Much every way, chiefly because that unto them were committed
the oracles of God. They had the priest, they had
the tabernacle, they had the sacrifices, they had the law,
they had the prophets. But it didn't profit them, not
being mixed with faith. They didn't believe it. Now look
at the next verse. What if they didn't believe?
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Shall their unbelief make the purpose of God without effect?
Shall their unbelief make the plan of God without effect? No,
the plan of God and purpose of God was finished before the foundation
of the world. That's what we just read over
here in Hebrews 4 verse 3. Although the works, what God
was pleased to do, was all planned and purposed and finished, and
that was it, finished, from the foundation of the work. These
people just revealed that they were not a part of it. And when you believe, it's revealed
that you have a part of it. Now this is so. I'll give you
some scripture. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. Christ Jesus, the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1, he chose us in Christ
before the foundation of the world. The church called, purpose,
atonement, complete, God's kingdom. God's temple finished from the
foundation of the world. Finished. It just had to be done.
And here's what it says, God calls those things which are
not as though they already are. You know what? Abraham believed
God, who calls those things which are not. I'll show you that Romans
4. This was the basis of Abraham's faith. If these things were not
done and finished, those fellows back yonder had no object of
faith. But Abraham looked ahead to the
Christ who would come as if he had already come. See what I'm
saying? Already come, already done. In
the mind of God it's done. I'm saved, Abraham said, but
there's no cross. But there will be. With God there's
a cross. When that high priest comes in
and puts the blood on the mercy seat, that animal blood can't
do anything for a sinner, but that animal blood represents
a blood that has already been shed in the mind of God. And
that's how God could save those Israelites and redeem those people,
because his blood was already shed in the mind of God. Look here at Romans 4, verse
17. As it's written, I have made
thee a father of many nations. Well, he doesn't even have but
one son, but he's already a father of many nations. I've already
made you the father of many nations. Before him whom he believed,
even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things
which be not as though they were already. So when these Israelites
left Egypt, came into the wilderness, had all these revelations of
the greatness of God and the glory of God and the gospel of
God, and didn't believe a hoot of it, not a bit of it, it just
indicates they weren't in his purpose, except for his glory,
just like they were. And we who believe, we already
enter into his rest. Every time God redeems a sinner,
that sinner is redeemed because God had him redeemed before the
world began. The temple is complete, God is
just gathering the stones together. Verse 4 through 8 tells us what
that rest is not. Let's read verse 4 through 8. You see, we have entered into
rest. But he tells us now what it's not. Verse 4, he speaks
in a certain place of the Sabbath day. On this wise God did rest
the Sabbath day from his works. That's Genesis 2. This rest into
which we enter is not a Sabbath day. It's not a picture or a
pattern or a play. an activity or a part that we
assume on certain days. See, God created the world and
said on the seventh day he rested. The Father rested, not because
he's tired. He rested because he's finished.
His work of creation is finished. He said it's good. There's nothing
else to be done. The earth is the Lord's and the
fullness thereof. It's complete. He hasn't created
anything else as far as this world or heaven is concerned
since that day when he finished it. Now his works of providence
go on and on. It's God that worketh in you
to will and to do his good pleasure. God is working. All things are
working together for good to them who love God. God hasn't
stopped working. God hasn't stopped being involved.
The Lord God hasn't stopped in his providence. He's working. But his creation is done. finished. And God rested. He rested because the works were
done. He rested because all was finished. That's what Christ did when he
ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. Finished. His work of recreation. Nothing
else left to be done. Name it. He is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It's done. I
go to a prepared place for you, it's prepared. It's finished! It's finished! I've finished
the work!" That's what it says. So we're not talking about entering
this rest, we're not talking about a day, a play, a part,
a role, a rest every seventh day. Verse 5, "...and in this
place again they shall not enter into my rest." Seeing therefore
it remaineth, that some must enter therein,
and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because
of unbelief." That was the Jews. And here's what that's saying.
This promise, God's work from the beginning, his purpose and
promise, which God promised before. It remains from the beginning.
What is the promise? There is a rest. There is a rest. There is a people who will enter
in. They will be perfectly conformed to the image of God's Son. They
will enter. Although those to whom it was
first preached entered not in because of unbelief, there is
a rest. And some must, must. Our Lord said, other sheep I
have which are not of this fold, them I must bring, and they shall,
hear my voice, they shall enter into my presence. There shall
be one foal and one shepherd. I must be lifted up and they
must come. I must call them. It remaineth
that some must enter therein, even though they to whom it was
first preached entered not because of unbelief. Somebody's going
to believe. They must. Again, verse 7, listen. He lived in a certain day, saying
in David, David said this today. After so long a time, as it is
said today, if you hear his voice, harden not your heart. That's
the message now to anyone here, if such a person be here, who
hasn't heard, who hasn't hearkened, who hasn't believed. David said,
today is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. This
is the day of grace. This is the day of the Messiah.
This is the day of redemption. A long time this message has
been proclaimed. Hear his voice. Harden not your
heart. Enter into his rest. They who hear his voice enter
his rest. Today, this day, this is the
day of the Messiah. This is the day of salvation.
If you hear, people have got to hear now, they've got to hear.
That's one reason I'm so impressed about this television station
we're on in Washington. It's just by God's good providence
that we, that door opened over a year ago. And that station
is heard all over this country. We've gotten letters from this
week, Georgia, you have to help me, Virginia, we've heard from Wisconsin, Idaho,
Oregon, Minnesota, Florida, Tennessee, Johnson City, Tennessee, Bristol,
Alabama, all over this And what I told somebody a while ago,
this program going out every Sunday morning at 8.30 Eastern,
7.30 Central, 6.30 Mountain, 5.30 on the West Coast. And God
has led people to tune it in. A man wrote to me whom I met
years ago. He said my wife and I, he said
I'm 77 years old. I haven't seen him in 30 years.
He said my wife and I was down here in Johnson City, Tennessee
the other Sunday. tuned in to this program and
here was a man preaching the grace of God. And I said to my
wife, who on earth is that preaching this message? And he said, your
name came on the bottom, the grace of God. But they've got
to hear. It's our business to preach,
preach, preach. God's business is to give ears
to hear. But they can't hear if we don't
preach. That's right. What an opportunity
we have to preach to this whole country. Right now. Today is
the day of the Messiah, the day of salvation. Don't harden, he
says, your hearts. Verse 8, here's another thing
that this rest is not. It's not the Sabbath day. It's
not Canaan. It's not Jerusalem. Now, if Joshua, Jesus is the
name in the New Testament, that's Joshua in the Old Testament.
You know that. If Jesus, Joshua, who led them
into the promised land, he did, Joshua did finally lead some
people into the land of promise. They found some prosperity. They
found temporary peace. They found a land of plenty.
But they didn't find that rest. No. Because if Joshua had given
them rest, if that had been it, Then would he not afterward have
spoken of another day, another day? There remaineth therefore,"
listen, I hear it over and over again. Let's turn to Isaiah.
I want to show you this scripture. Isaiah 11, talking about this
other day, this day he's talking about, this day. I believe this is what he's saying
here. Isaiah 11, verse 1, and then skip down to verse 5. Verse
1, Isaiah 11, And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem
of Jesse, son of David. A branch shall grow out of his
roots. Jesse was David's father, and a branch shall grow out of
his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Look at verse
5. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and
faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell
with the lamb. The leopard shall lie down with
the kid. The calf and the young lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear
shall feed. Their young ones shall lie down
together." You talk about peaks. The lion shall eat straw like
the ox. The sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp.
The weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountains, for
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the
waters cover the sea. In that day there shall be a
root of Jesse, which shall stand for an instant of the people.
To it shall the Gentiles see, and his rest shall be glorious."
That's not a Sabbath day. And that's not a seventh day,
and that's not Canaan, and that's not Jerusalem, where they're
getting ready for the millennium and all those people come over
and play religion, looking at all those sites. That's not it. But here it is. Look at verse
9. There remaineth therefore rest
to the people of God. Verse 10. Now you notice there,
let me go back to verse 9, "...there remaineth therefore a rest to
the people of God," not all mankind, not all mankind, the people of
God, Jew and Gentile, Old Testament, New Testament, people of God.
The people of God whom he loves with a special love. The people
of God whom he chose and gave to Christ. The people of God
whom the Savior redeemed by his blood. The people of God who
are called by his Spirit. the people of God who do hear
his voice, the people of God who do believe his gospel, the
people of God who do receive his son, the people of God who
continue in that faith, like the people in Hebrews 11
who died in faith. Their remain is for them a rest. For he that entered into his
rest, he that entered into his rest,
he also hath ceased from his own works as God did from his."
Who's that talking about? That's Christ. And I can show
you that. This speaks of the Lord Jesus,
but it speaks of a single person, not many, just one. It says,
he, he that entered into his rest, he ceased from his works. That's speaking of Christ. He
entered into His rest. It's His. I entered into His
rest. He entered into His rest. He
finished His work. Here's another reason why I know
it's Christ. It's compared to God. His work of recreation compared
to His Father's work of creation. This can't be anybody but Christ.
For Christ has entered into His rest. Christ also finished his
work and ceased from his own works, the works God gave him
to do, redeem his people, as God ceased his works of creation
because they were finished. Now look at verse 11, and here
we are. Then let us labor therefore to
enter into that rest. Now that's not heaven because
heaven's a free gift. We don't labor to enter heaven. Heaven's a free gift. Heaven's
purpose, provided, promised, prepared. This is the gospel
rest. Let's labor. Let's strive to
enter therein. Labor to enter in. Make it our
aim. Make it our end. Make it our
goal. With all that we have to enter into his rest, gospel rest,
enter into his rest that we talked about a while ago. Lest any man
fall after the same example of unbelief of those people over
yonder in the wilderness. Enter into that rest. that spiritual
rest of Christ. Now, here's the foundation of
our rest. Let me give you this briefly.
Here's the foundation, verse 12. Here's the foundation assurance
of this rest. For the word of God, and that's
Christ, the word of God is quick. The word quick is alive. The
word of God is a living word. Christ Jesus is the Living Word.
He's the Word of God who spoke for the elect back to the councils
of eternity. He spoke for us. He's the Word
of God by whom God made the worlds. He's the Word of God that came
and revealed the Father. And He's alive. Life is in Him. He's the giver of life. I've
come that they might have life. He's the preserver of life. He's
quick. He's powerful. He is sovereign, he quickens
whom he will, he shall not fail. He conquered Satan, purged our
sins, defeated our enemies. He is sharper than a two-edged
sword. Christ Jesus pierces even to
the dividing of sunder of soul and spirit. One writer said he
divides things that are indivisible. He divides that which is indivisible,
which no man can divide but him. Which no man ever thought to
divide. He's a discerner of true and false. That which is real
and that which is false. He's a discerner of thoughts
and motives. Listen to the word Christ. He, even dividing asunder
of soul and spirit. Joints and marrow. He's a discerner. The thoughts and intents of the
heart. And there's not a creature, verse 13, there's not a creature
exist that's hid from his knowledge. There's not a creature. Nor is
there any creature that's not manifest in his sight. All thoughts
and motives and intents of the heart are known to him. All things are naked and open
to the eyes, the omniscient eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Aren't we glad? Hypocrisy doesn't welcome that. Somebody who's playing church
and somebody who's made a profession and playing religion and just
uncertain and unsure about his relationship with God, he doesn't
welcome this kind of God. that knows the thoughts and intents
and motives of the heart, and all things are naked and open
to him, that's alive and sharper than a two-edged sword that pierces
even to the dividing of soul and spirit. But people who can
say with Peter, Lord, you know all things. You know I love you.
You know I'm not playing a game. You know I'm not dishonest. You
know I'm not deceitful. Lord God, you know I do believe. Help my unbelief, but I do believe.
I do love Christ. I'm not following a form or a
ceremony or a ritual or playing charitably. I know whom I have
to believe. I've committed to it. Can you
say that? Well, when you can, you're just real glad that he
knows it. Real glad. That's the God we
love and the God we adore and the God we worship and the Lord
Jesus Christ who has all power over all flesh and heaven and
earth and gives eternal life to whom he will. I'm so glad. He knows our down city and our
uprising. He knows our thoughts are far
off. They're known to him. He loves us anyway. That's right. He loves us anyway. That's rest. Now that's bona
fide, genuine spiritual rest. We have ceased from our works
and labor and religion and form and trying to impress anybody,
trying to impress God or anybody else. We've come to Christ. And
that's where we camp. Under him. Under him. Now here's our foundation continued. I'll quit. Seeing then that we
have a great high priest. a great God. It's passed into
the air, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Let's hold fast our profession. There is no other profession.
There is no other hope. There is no other way. He is
the way, the truth, and the life. Let's hold on to it. Don't let
any man try to deceive you or rob you of your through some
voluntary will-worship or foolishness. You're not doing this or doing
that. I'm looking to Christ. Is there something else? Well,
you don't say this right or that right, but I'm saying his name.
I know his name. I know who I'm after. Is that
all right, looking to him? That's where salvation is. We
don't have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities. We have a high priest who was
a man, born of a woman and walked this earth and was tempted in
all points as we are, yet without sin. He's a perfect Redeemer,
a perfect Savior. He's a Lord from heaven, the
perfect man. All right, that being so, let
us, us, us, right here, us, such as we are, therefore, because
these things are so, concerning him. Let us therefore, because
these things are so calm, boldly, not arrogantly, not haughty,
boldly, with liberty, with confidence, unto the very throne of grace.
It's a throne of majesty, but now that's not what you want
to deal with. It's a throne of justice, that's right, but we'll
let Christ deal with the justice of God. It's the throne of sovereignty,
the throne of righteousness. We let him handle that part.
I want to come forth on grace, grace for the guilty, mercy for
the miserable. And Christ, because of who he
is, what he did, turned that throne of God into a throne of
mercy and grace for the guilty who believe. There is no other
requirement. He that believeth on the Son
hath life. He that believeth not shall not see them. So let's
come, for that's where we obtain mercy, and that's where we find
grace to help us in our time of need. When is
my time of need? Every second of every day. That's
my time of need. I need thee every hour, most
gracious Lord. Stay thou nearby. How they think. All right.