The Rest of Faith

Q: What does the Bible say about rest in Christ?

The Bible teaches that true rest is found in Christ, both now and in the future, through faith in Him. Scripture reveals that true rest is a gift from Christ, as stated in Hebrews 4:11, where believers are invited to enter His rest. This rest is twofold: it is a present reality that provides peace and assurance in our relationship with God, and it is a future hope of eternal rest in Heaven. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 11:28, 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Believers are assured that their trust in Christ liberates them from the burdens of the law and the fear of judgment, allowing them to experience authentic peace.

Q: How do we know salvation by faith is true?

Salvation by faith is true because it is based on God's promises and the completed work of Christ, as taught in Scripture. The truth of salvation by faith is grounded in the faithfulness of God and the work of Christ. Hebrews 4:3 states that 'we who have believed do enter into that rest,' affirming that belief in God's word leads to salvation. The Apostle Paul reinforces this in Ephesians 2:8-9, stating, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.' This assurance is not based on our feelings or performance but on Christ's finished work, His righteousness applied to us. The faith we hold is not merely an emotional experience but a deep-seated trust in God's character and promises.

Q: Why is examining one's faith important for Christians?

Examining one's faith helps ensure that it is genuine and based on the truth of the gospel. Hebrews 4:1 implores believers to 'fear lest any of you seem to come short of it,' urging Christians to examine their faith diligently. This self-examination is essential to confirm that one's belief is rooted in the truth of the gospel, rather than a mere intellectual assent or ritualistic practice. Regularly reflecting on their faith allows believers to identify any discrepancies between their professed beliefs and their lives. It fosters growth, transparency, and accountability within the Christian community, encouraging believers to uphold the beginning of their confidence until the end, as mentioned in Hebrews 3:14. This diligence in examining faith leads to deeper assurance and a more profound relationship with Christ.

Q: What does it mean to labor to enter into rest?

To labor to enter into rest means to strive diligently in faith, seeking deeper understanding and relationship with Christ. Laboring to enter into rest, as described in Hebrews 4:11, involves a holy striving for genuine faith and assurance. This labor is not about earning salvation through works but about committing oneself to growing in faith and understanding of Christ's finished work. It requires an active pursuit of the relationship with Jesus, where believers lay aside their burdens, doubts, and fears, trusting fully in His sufficiency. This effort includes prayer, studying Scripture, and encouraging one another in faith, all of which lead to experiencing the deep rest that Christ offers, free from the anxiety of performance and the law. The struggle is to focus on Christ's redemptive work rather than one's own efforts, allowing Him to bear the burdens we tend to carry.

But while it does sound a note
of warning, and the whole book of Hebrews sounds a note of warning, Hebrews is a book of promises
and a book of warnings. Brother Jeff Thornberry used
to say that when you read Hebrews, you'll find that it's hedged
about on one side with warnings, lest we presume on the grace
of God. And it's hedged about on the
other side with promises, lest we despair of the grace of God.
A believer doesn't want to get in either ditch. He doesn't want
to presume, but he doesn't want to despair. So the way this chapter
starts, it kind of gives the impression that it's going to
be a time of doubt and fear. But while it does sound a warning,
which ought to be sounded and must be sounded, yet if you'll
stay with me as we look at this chapter, and there are a lot
of tough things in here. It requires a lot of thought
and prayer and study and care, careful handling. It'll give
great comfort. I believe when we get through,
if you are a believer, when I finish tonight, Rather than being doubtful,
you're going to be comforted. You're going to be encouraged.
You're going to be encouraged, if you're a believer. Now, that's
it all. If you can believe all things
are possible, then believe. Now, back here in chapter 3,
I'm not going to turn back and read chapter 3, but just turn
back a moment to verse 17. You know this, most of the Israelites
who left Egypt, most of them, in fact all of them, over 20
years of age, except Caleb and Joshua, and of course Moses,
all of the men over 20 years of age died in the wilderness.
They didn't enter the promised land. It says in chapter 3, verse
17, but with whom was he grieved 40 years? Was it not with them
that had sinned? What was their sin? Unbelief.
Unbelief. Unbelief. Whose carcasses fell
in the wilderness, and to whom swear he that they would not
enter into his rest. That's the third time we've read
that, isn't it? Well, to whom did he swear that?
To them that believed not. And the same charge is brought
against us if we don't believe. Christ. Believe not. All right, verse 19, so we see
they could not enter in because of unbelief. And that's the reason
chapter 4 begins with, therefore, let us therefore fear. That's
the promise being left, that's of entering into his rest, entering
into this rest we're going to talk about. In Christ, through
Christ, because of Christ. Me, you, whomever, should seem
to come short of it. Now, we don't fear, let us therefore
fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest.
We don't fear that the covenant of grace is going to fail, not
for a moment. We don't fear that the righteousness
of Christ will be ineffectual, not for a moment. We don't fear
that the blood of the Son of God will not be effectual, not
for a moment. We don't fear that the purpose
of God shall fail, not for a moment. What he cautions us about here
is presumption on our part, of thinking that we're going to
enter into his rest with our faith in Christ. Now, don't be
presumptuous. We're always, we're exalted.
Take heed, brethren. lest there be found in you an
evil heart of unbelief. We're exhorted, examine yourselves
whether you be in the faith, whether you be in the faith.
Know ye not your own selves, how that Christ dwelleth in you,
unless you reprobate? Give diligence to make your calling
and election sure. That's all the way through the
word. We're exhorted to examine Let's look at that verse again.
So 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. What kind of rest is this? Well,
I'll tell you right away what kind of rest it is. It's a twofold
rest. It's a twofold rest. It's a present
rest right now in Christ, a rest, resting in Him, trusting in Him,
finding our peace in Him. It's a two-fold rest. Our Lord
said, you come to me, I'll give you rest right now, right now. Free from the bondage of the
law, free from the yoke of ceremonialism, free from the laboring of works,
And do this free from fear, come to me and I'll give you rest.
Right now. Rest. Right now. Take my yoke
upon you and learn of me and you shall find rest. That rest
will grow. Right now. Present rest. And then there's a future rest.
I said it's two-fold. Take heed lest any of us, lest
that promise of rest being left us, we come short of it. What
rest? Present rest, future rest. The hymn writer wrote about the
future rest this way. He said, when I can read my title
clear to mansions in the skies, I'll bid farewell to every fear
and I'll wipe my weeping eyes. Should earth against my soul
engage and hellish darts be hurled, then I can smile at Satan's rage
and face a frowning world. Let cares like a wild deluge
come and storms of sorrow follow. May I but safely reach my home,
my God, my heaven, my all. There shall I bathe my weary
soul in seas of heavenly rest and not a wave of trouble roll
across my peaceful rest. It's a twofold rest. It's a promise
of rest. Our Lord has given us a two-fold
promise, a two-fold rest. Come unto me, I'll give you rest
right now. Right now. And I'll give you
rest eternally. Now, I don't want to come short
of that. I'm interested in this chapter because I don't want
to come short of it. That word there in verse 1, lest
any of you should seem to come short of it. I read one writer
who said that means in appearance. But I'll tell you this next verse
makes clear that he's not talking about appearance. He's talking
about an actual fact. He makes clear in these next
verses that the believers are to be diligent in the pursuit
of that rest. Look at verse 11. Let us labor
to enter into that rest. Let us give diligence. Let us
strive to enter in. That's what scripture says. The
violent, take it by force. I want that rest. I don't want
to miss that rest. Rest now and rest eternally. Look at verse 2. For unto us
was the gospel preached. Or we can say that here at 13th
Street Baptist Church, by the pastor, by preachers from all
over this country and world, by our elders, men who come and
go, unto us was the gospel preached, the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the gospel of the grace of God, the gospel of the blood
and righteousness of Christ. The gospel has been preached
to us over and over and over again. But he says it was preached as
well unto them. You say, did the people of the
Old Testament hear the gospel? They heard it and they saw it.
Moses believed it. Joshua believed it. Aaron believed
it. Caleb believed it. The gospel was preached to them
in type, in picture, in sacrifice, in pattern. But most of them
didn't believe it. Verse 2 says the gospel is preached
to us, it was preached to them. It's the same gospel, it's the
gospel. Paul said in Romans 1, I'm separated
to the gospel of God, which gospel was prophesied and preached by
the prophets of old, the ancient gospel, preached by them. Moses wrote of him, Abraham saw
his day. But the gospel didn't profit
them. Why? Verse 2 says it wasn't mixed
with faith in them. They didn't believe it. They
didn't believe it. They didn't believe it. 4, verse
3, now watch this. We which have believed do enter
into rest. Right now, we enter into rest. Now much is preached and written
about eternal rest. You know, we see on tombstones,
rest in peace. And we say people have gone to
their rest, and so forth. But he's not talking here about
a future rest. He's talking about right now.
Right now, this night, August 18, 1993, 8.05 in the evening,
there's a rest. There's a rest. They enter right now into a rest. That's what he's talking about,
into a rest. The rest of faith. The rest of faith. We who believe
God's word, we who believe the record God has given concerning
his son, We know the Son of God has come and given us an understanding
that we may know the true God, the living God. We believe his
gospel and we do, verse 3 says, we which have believed do right
now enter into rest. Rest. A spiritual rest. Come unto me and I'll give you
rest. My peace I give unto you. Is he talking about something
in the future? He's talking about something right now. Right now,
a rest, a peace. And I tell you, it's a rest from
salvation by works. It's a rest from the burden of
the law. We love God's law, but God's
law is not a burden to us. It's a rest from the burden of
the law, from the bondage of fear. It's a rest. It's a rest
from duties. of religion and toil and labor
and uncertainty. It's a rest. It's a rest from
the bondage of fear, the fear of death, the fear of judgment,
the fear of hell. It's entering into an enjoyment
of peace with God in Christ, notwithstanding life's trials. There are plenty of them. and try earth's labors and earth's
disappointments and earth's cares. There are plenty of them. But
he's talking about something here, a rest and a peace and
a joy that people who believe on Christ and hear this gospel
and come to love it, that they do right now enter into that
rest and that peace. They do enter in. And that's
what he's saying down here in verse 11, let's labor to enter
that area. If you haven't entered in, labor
to do it. If you have, labor to grow and
rest. Rest. I heard somebody give this illustration
one time when Moses told the people of Israel to put blood
on the door, kill the lamb and put the blood on the door post
and the lintel and the two side posts. And go in and shut the
door. Go into their homes and shut
the door. And God said, when I pass over and I bring judgment
and death into the home of every body in Egypt, I see the blood,
I'll pass over you. Now then, a fellow can go in
and sit down and eat the lamb and rest, or he can go in there
and walk the floor. Walk the floor. But now God's
going to pass over. He's going to pass over. So a
fellow might as well rest, hadn't he? Might as well enter that
rest and confidence and comfort of the blood of Christ that protects
us, that covers us. Let's labor to enter into rest. Another illustration I heard
one time that illustrates this, and I'm speaking to myself as
well as you tonight, was a fellow that was hitchhiking along the
road and he had a backpack, one of these heavy 50-pound backpacks,
you know, and he had it on his back and he was thumbing, and
a fellow came by in a Jeep and said, hop in. So he hopped in,
he kept that backpack on his back, sitting there in the seat,
and the fellow said, take off your pack and throw it in the
back seat. Take it all. No use you carrying that pack.
Throw it in the back seat." He said, well, he said, you stop
and pick me up, and you give me a ride, and you're going to
take me to my destination. I don't want to impose too much
on you, so I'll just carry it. He said to him, said, now friend,
he said, I'm going to carry that pack whether you keep it on your
back or throw it in the back. My car is going to carry it,
so why don't you just get rid of it and put it in the back,
and I'll carry it for you. No use both of us carrying it.
And that's the rest I'm talking about here now. Your burdens
and my burdens and your cares and my cares and your trials
and my trials, the Lord has borne them and carried them. Our sins,
our guilt, our transgressions are put away. He bore them in
his body. Are you going to bear them too? He comforts. Enter into his rest
right now. I know there's an eternal rest,
and I'm anticipating it, looking forward to it, but that's not
what he's talking about here. He's talking about now. Settle
down in joy and peace and a quietness of spirit, and help others do
the same by example. I hope I can do that, and you
can too. He says, but we which have believed
do enter into rest. That other outfit didn't because
they didn't believe. That's why. The reason they didn't
enter into his rest is because they didn't believe him. That's
the reason and the only reason they have. That's the only reason.
They didn't believe him. But I believe him. I do believe
him. And then here the apostle describes
that rest by removing all other rest. Not easy to handle, but
I'm going to make a stab at it. First of all, in verse 4, he
removes what they call the Sabbath rest. He says in verse 4, what
he's doing here is removing all of the rest. He's going to identify
what rest he's talking about. We who believe enter into a rest. It's twofold, right now and eternal. And he's going to remove these
other rests So there'd be no doubt about what he's talking
about. He said he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this
wise. God did rest the seventh day
from all his works. God created everything in six
days. And on the seventh day he rested.
Did he rest from fatigue? No. Did he rest because he was
tired? No. He rested because the work
was done. All done. And that's typical
for you and I. Christ Jesus has put away our
sin. God gave him a work to do, a
new creation, a kingdom. And our Lord came down here,
and by his birth, incarnation, his perfect life, and his obedience,
and by his death, he cried, it's finished. It's done. The great transaction's done.
All that God gave him to do, he did. And he went up there
and sat down. He sat down. And that's what
it says here. God did rest the seventh day,
not because God was tired, but because there was nothing else
to do. It was finished. Now his work of providence goes
on. His work of purpose goes on. His work of creation is done.
And the new creation is done. The whole read on. And in this
place again, if they shall enter into my rest, seeing therefore,
Look at verse 6, seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter
therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not
in because of unbelief. Now, Joshua did lead some people
into Canaan. Canaan is a picture of a rest.
It was a typical rest. It was a temporary rest. It was
a rest from their temporary enemies. It was a rest of comfort. It
was a rest of milk and honey. But those to whom he was first
preached, those that came out of Egypt, they didn't enter in. No, they didn't enter in. But
Joshua brought some into the land, and they had rest for a
season. But now look at verse 8. If Joshua
had given them the rest that he's talking about here, then
he wouldn't have spoken of another rest. So the Sabbath rest is
not the rest we're talking about. And this Canaan rest is not the
rest we're talking about. And this typical rest is not
the rest we're talking about. And Israel going into Canaan
as a temporary rest is not the rest we're talking about. Well,
what rest are we talking about? Look at verse 10. For he that
is entered into his rest, this is talking about the Lord Jesus
Christ here now, he also has ceased from his own works as
God did from his. My dear friends, Christ had a
work to do, and that work was given him to finish, and our
Redeemer finished that work and sat down just exactly like the
Father in heaven created this world in six days and finished
it. He said, It's good. It's good. There was nothing else to do,
and God rested. And the Lord Jesus Christ took
upon himself The job is our surety. He struck hands with the Father
in an everlasting covenant of grace, and came down here to
this earth and was born of a woman, took upon himself, bone of our
bone, flesh of our flesh. He took upon himself the redemption
of a people given to him, and in this life that he lived on
this earth, and that death that he died, he accomplished everything
God Almighty demanded of those people, commanded of those people,
required of those people, expected of those people, and he finished
it just like God finished his creation work, and Christ went
to glory and sat down waiting till all this become manifested
and realized, and the redemption of all these people. And that's
what he's talking about. That's the rest he's talking
about. Now then, let us labor. What is this laboring? Does this
mean to work? No. It means let us strive and
let us labor not for the meat that perisheth, but for that
eternal bread from heaven. This labor here is an effort. A striving, a desire, a diligence,
a study of it, just like I'm preaching to you tonight. And
I took this down this morning. I've sat for hours today and
looked at this. And I've read other writers and
studied other notes that I had and studied my own commentary
and went over this again. That's labor. It's labor, it's
striving, it's diligence to find the truth of this realness, the
truth of it. It's not laboring to get God
to look with me favorably. It's not labor to get God to
accept me by my duties and deeds. It's laboring to find the reality
of Christ, my faith. Look to Him, Him, Him. That's what I'm saying. Labor
to believe. Labor to trust. Labor to lay
down everything that you bring in your hand. Labor to commit
to hand it. Labor and strive diligently not
to get anything between you and Christ. Look to Him and Him alone. That's what I'm saying. Let us
strive to experience this rest. Let us strive to experience it
ourselves. Turn back to Hebrews 3 verse
12. This is the labor here, listen
to it. Hebrews 3, brethren, take heed, brethren, lest there be
in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the
living God. But exhort one another daily
while it is called today, lest any of you should be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin. We are made partakers of
Christ. If we hold the beginning of our
confidence, step fast to the end. We begin how? By faith. We continue how? By faith. The Galatians had a
problem. They thought you started by faith
and you were perfected by works. This rest is staying right where
you started. Right where you started. That's
this rest, staying right where you started. Staying right, hold
fast to the beginning of your confidence. So what Christ did
in redeeming us, he's entered into his rest. He also has ceased
from his works as God did from his. When God finished creating
the world, he rested. Was he tired? No. There was nothing
else to be done. And Christ Jesus said, it's finished,
meaning there's nothing else to be done. We're redeemed. He
sat down at the right hand of God. Now you and I rest in that.
Confidently. Now then, we'll give you something
here that I read from Horatio Bonhart. This is so good. And he's talking right along
this line to people troubled about, have I done enough? Have I given enough? Have I believed
enough? And here's what he says. He says,
but preacher, I'm not satisfied with my faith. I'm just not satisfied
with my faith. No, of course you aren't. Nor
will you ever be. At least I hope not. The Bible
does not say, being satisfied with my faith, I have peace with
God. The Bible says, being justified
by faith, I have peace with God. Being justified by faith, I have
peace with God. Not being satisfied with faith.
We're satisfied with our Lord Jesus Christ, and not with ourselves. To be satisfied with Christ is
to believe in Christ. To be satisfied with his righteousness
is to believe in Christ. To be satisfied with his blood
is to believe in Christ. So your faith, you'll never ever
in this world be satisfied with the amount of your faith or the
strength of your faith. But we're satisfied with him.
Now what's the second thing he said? The preacher, I'm not satisfied
with my repentance. Oh, that's wonderful. What would
you do if you were satisfied with your repentance? What would
you do if you were satisfied with it? Would you find peace
in your repentance? Would you bring it to God instead
of the blood? Oh, what pride and self-righteousness
must be in any man or woman who's satisfied with his repentance
or his faith. That person could never find
peace. For sooner or later, that refuge
would fail. Christ never fails. If I'm looking
to him, he never changes. He never fails. He's always sufficient. If I'm looking at any of these
things, my repentance or my faith, one day they're going to fail.
Thirdly, the preacher, I'm not satisfied with my love. Did you expect on this earth
to be satisfied with any grace found in you? Was it your love
for Christ or his love for you that gave you the peace to start
with? Which was it? Was it your love
for him or his love for you that gave you peace to start with?
What was his love for us? Here in his love, not that we
loved God, he loved us. and gave his son to be the perpetuation
of our sin. We love him because he first
loved us. Hold fast the beginning of your confidence. What was
the beginning of your confidence? He loved me. Frank Tate read
and studied tonight that Ephesians chapter 2. You who were dead
in trespasses and sin, times past you walk according to the
course of this world, according to the plexus of the power of
the air of the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience,
among whom we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of
the flesh, in the pride of life, and were by nature children of
wrath, even as others. But God, but God, who is rich
in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us." That's where the peace is, that's
where the rest is. Not our love for him, it's his
love for us. Fourthly, but preacher, I'm not
satisfied with my works. Well, he made this reply, and
I want to read the whole thing. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't
come to make it so that we could please
God by our works. He didn't come to lower the requirements
of the law. It is by perfect law that we're
saved. Otherwise, it would be an unholy
salvation. It is by a perfect law, fulfilled
in every jot and tittle, that we are saved. Otherwise, it would
be an unrighteous salvation. The Son of God has kept the law
for us. He has magnified it, made it
honorable, and thus we have a perfect, holy, righteous salvation. He
was above the law, and yet he was made under the law for us,
and by his vicarious, law-keeping, spotless life. as well as his
death on the cross, we are redeemed from the curse of the law, and
Christ is the end, the fulfillment, the exhausting of that law, for
righteousness to everyone that believe it. He's not my helper,
he's my Savior. You see that? He didn't come
to enable me to please God by keeping a mitigated law. But
he kept an unmitigated law in my room instead, and the law
has no claim for penalty upon any believer." Isn't that clear? Rest. That's the rest he's talking
about. Verse 10, look at it again, Hebrews
4. He that is entered into his rest,
that's Christ. He ceased from his own works
as God did from his. It's finished. Christ completed
everything required. Now, let us therefore labor to
enter into that rest. What rest? His rest. Lest any
man fall after the same example of unbelief. Now, here is Mr.
Bonar's last words. Now then, there is but one thing. There is but one thing in all
this universe with which Almighty God is entirely satisfied. It's not you, it's not me in
ourselves. It is the person and work of
His dear Son. God is totally satisfied. It
is with Christ that you must be satisfied. Not with yourself
ever or anything about you. And when you can finally cease
from all your labors, and all your works, and all your righteousness,
and all your pleas, and all your plans, and all your deeds, and
all your duties, and enter into his rest, and sit down in his
blessed everlasting arms, peace will come without delay. Isn't that so? Peace will come
without delay. And the only thing that interrupts
that peace is when we leave that place, the arms of Christ. We sing about leaning on the
everlasting arm. What a fellowship, what a joy
divine, leaning on the everlasting arm. No cause for alarm. And I tell you, when we become
upset, and all of us talk about our doubts and fears, when do
they arise? When we get out like Peter, start
walking on the water, and start looking down at our feet. Peter
did pretty well, as long as he kept his eye on Christ, he did
pretty well. But when the waves and the wind
attracted his attention, he started sinking. And then he had to come
back where he started. Lord save me. That's the rest. Now I know there's an eternal
rest. And I'm looking forward to that.
That's when I won't have to take any more Advil. But there's a present rest where
I don't have to take anything if I look to Him. If I look to
Him. And Him alone now. He ceased
from his labors and entered into his rest just like God did from
here. Now, let us labor. It's not easy. I've been trying for 67 years. It's not easy. But what a joy,
what a delight it is when I do rest in Him. Let's sing that
leaning on the everlasting. I hope that's a blessing. I hope
it will be helpful to you. Not just today, but in many days
to come as you think about those verses right there. Here's rest. Here's rest. You help me and
I'll help you. Let's exhort one another while
it's called today.

The Rest of Faith

What does the Bible say about rest in Christ?

How do we know salvation by faith is true?

Why is examining one's faith important for Christians?

What does it mean to labor to enter into rest?

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The Rest of Faith

What does the Bible say about rest in Christ?

How do we know salvation by faith is true?

Why is examining one's faith important for Christians?

What does it mean to labor to enter into rest?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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