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Renewing Our Strength in the Lord:

Entering into Our Rest

Life B-P Church Worship Service, 2^nd March 2025

Text: Hebrews 4:1-11

I. Introduction

• This epistle of Hebrews was written to exhort the Jewish Christians to remain steadfast in Christ amidst persecution and not be tempted to return to Judaism.
• Recap: Christ is superior to the prophets, angels, and Moses.
• Israel’s failure to enter God's rest in the promised land due to unbelief and disobedience.
• We must remain steadfast in Christ and persevere to the end as God's promise of rest is still available to us today.

II. The Promise of Rest Remains (Heb 4:1-2)

a) Warning in the Promise

• Israelites did not enter into the promised land due to unbelief and disobedience (Heb 3:9-11 cf. Ps 95:7-11; Num 14:22-23)
• Be concerned that we do not similarly come short or miss the mark and be disqualified from entering into God’s rest.

b) Word of Promise

• The good news preached to Israel (deliverance from bondage of Egypt and rest in Canaan) is the same in essence as the Gospel of Jesus Christ (deliverance from bondage of sin and spiritual rest for our souls).
• The Gospel is revealed to us with much greater clarity, as we received the full and final revelation from the Son (Heb 1:2).
• Therefore, the promise of entering into this rest still remains for us today.

c) Way to the Promise

• Mere hearing of God’s Word is not enough; it must be mixed with faith (v.2).
• True faith in Christ is necessary for entering God’s rest (Rom 10:17, Heb 11:6).
• Call to self-examination: Are we merely professors of faith, or true possessors of faith?

III. The Promised Rests (Heb 4:3-10)

a) Creation Rest (vv.3-5)

• God rested on the seventh day after completing the work of creation (Gen 2:2)
• God blessed and sanctified the seventh day as a pattern for man to follow (Gen 2:3).

b) Sabbath Rest

• Sabbath observance was instituted by God with reference to creation (Ex 20:11) and redemption (Deut 5:15)
• Christian Sabbath (Lord’s Day) is observed on the first day of the week to commemorate Christ’s resurrection (Mark 16:9) and follow the apostolic church which gathered on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7)
• We are to delight in keeping the Christian Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13-14)

c) Canaan Rest (vv.6-8)

• Canaan rest was God’s promised rest to Israel.
• Psalm 95, written ~ 400 years after Joshua, indicates that the rest in Canaan was not the final rest
• There remains a rest for the people of God.

d) Heavenly Eternal Rest (vv.8-10)

• The ultimate rest is found in Christ’s completed work of redemption.
• The “rest” (Greek: Sabbatismos - a keeping sabbath) in v.9 is the promise of a heavenly rest that surpasses all earthly rests.

The Pursuit of Rest (Heb 4:11)

• Christian life is likened to a journey, similar to the exodus account.
• Let us strive to enter into our rest (Heb 12:1-2, Phil 3:14).
• Practical applications for believers:
  • Daily Bible reading and prayer.
  • Commitment to corporate worship and keeping the Lord’s Day.
  • Actively serving the Lord and sharing the Gospel.
• Respond to the Gospel today (Heb 4:7, 2 Cor 6:2).
• The Lord Jesus invites all to find true rest in Him (Matt 11:28-29).