SERIES: The Careful Considerations of Our Christian Confession—Hebrews 3:1-6; 7-17; 3:18--4:11; 4:11-13; 4:14---5:11
The Hebrews writer pressed upon his audience to deeply/profoundly consider the aspect of their Christian confession concerning Jesus as their Apostle & High Priest.
Thus the Hebrews writer pressed upon his audience to further consider the intricacies of a Christian confession.
’Christians,’ tempted by tradition, are encouraged toward a deeper/further consideration of a Christian confession.
What barriers/tendencies do ’Christians,’ tempted toward tradition(traditionists), face in a Christian confession?
5 Challenges traditionists must face/reckon with in a Christian confession.
A—A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...
GREATER vs. LESSER STEWARDSHIP(3:1-6) Faithfulness
B— A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...DEVOTED/SINGULAR/UNDIVIDED vs. DIVIDED HEART(3:7-19)
C— A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of an...
ETERNAL(Permanent) vs. TEMPORAL(Temporary) REST(4:1-11)
D— A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of an...
INVITING vs. FAILED SECRECY/Protection(4:11-13)
E— A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of a...PERFECT vs. LIMITED/Grounded/Earthly PRIESTHOOD(4:14--5:11)
Today’s Consideration is...
C— A challenge traditionists face in their Christian confession is acceptance of An...
ETERNAL(Permanent) vs. A TEMPORAL(Temporary) REST(3:18--4:11)
The writer to the Hebrews set before his audience a deeper/further consideration of Jesus’ Rest.
’Christians,’ tempted by tradition, are encouraged toward a deeper/further consideration of Jesus’ Rest.
What challenges do ’Christians,’ tempted toward tradition(traditionists), face in the consideration of Jesus’ Rest?
3 Challenges traditionists must face in a confession of Jesus’ Rest.
What you do, whether you know it or not, is to declare to others the Rest which Jesus offers.
Is your confession one of God’s truth & reality or one of your own contrivance?
Summary of 3:16-19—Those who were led by Moses out of Egypt, rebelled in disobedience(3:16-18). They did this even though they had heard God’s desire, design & provision for their lives(:16). He thus was angry with them for 40 years & did not allow the rebels to “enter His rest.” Their rebellious disobedience(:18) prevented their entrance into God’s rest, as it was evidence of their willful choice to have “sinned”(:17). Thus the root cause of their rebellion, disobedience & sin was an inward “unbelief” which they harbored against YHWH, the very God who designed & implemented their salvation.
1—The challenge of choosing Eternal Rest is accepting the challenge of...
FAITH(:1-2)
Explanation:(:1-2) “Not Being Mixed with Faith”
:1—“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”
Seeing as Israel “could not enter God’s rest due to their willful unbelief, there is a resulting promise which still stands for those who exhibit the opposing trait of belief. This belief, if it is real, should produce in believers a holy “fear” of failing to enter in like manner as the rebellious unbelievers. This fear will overshadow & form the backdrop for the believer’s every step.
“Promise”—epaggelia—Strong—An announcement (for information, assent or pledge; especially a divine assurance of good):-- Message, promise.
“Remains/Being left/Still stands”—kataleipw—To leave behind. Strong—To leave down, i.e. Behind; by implication, To abandon, have remaining:-- forsake, leave, Reserve.
“Entering”—eisercomai—1) To go out or come in: To enter; 2) metaph.—2a) Of entrance into any condition, state of things, society, employment.
“Rest”(thruout)—katapausiv—1) A putting to rest; 2) A resting place. From Ps. 95:11—hxwnm men-oo-khaw’ —Resting place, rest.
“Fear”—fobew—To put to flight by terrifying (to scare away). Strong—to frighten, i.e. (passively) to be alarmed; by analogy, to be in awe of, i.e. revere:-- be (+ sore) afraid, fear (exceedingly), reverence.
“Seem/Be found”—dokew—1) To be of opinion, think, suppose; 2) to seem, to be accounted, reputed; 3) It seems to me. Refers to the subjective judgment, which may or may not conform to the fact.
“Come short”—usterew—1) Behind; 2) To suffer want, to be devoid of, to lack (be inferior) in excellence, worth. Strong—To be later, i.e. (by implication) To be inferior; generally, To fall short (be deficient):-- Come behind (short), be destitute, fail, lack, suffer need, (be in) want, be the worse.
:2—“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
This past example is applied directly to the current audience because this same good news “was preached” to rebellious Israel as well as to those who are the recipients of this letter.
In what sense was “the gospel”(of Christ?) preached to Tribal Pre-national Israel as the people of God? This was the good news (“gospel”) specific to their generation/need/calling as the children of Israel. Indeed, Christ was preached to them, yet not in readily apparent or plain terms. Note Lk. 24:25-27 on the road to Emmaus & 24:44-45 among the disciples.
Lk. 24:25-27—“Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, & slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things & to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses & all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”
Lk. 24:44-45—“Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses & the Prophets & the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”
Mat. 5:17-18—““Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven & earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”
Though this “gospel” was preached to them, it was of no profit to them. This is because that which was heard was not combined with “faith” from the heart of the hearer. Thus, as stated earlier(:19), the unbelief apparent in their faithlessness yielded an utter absence of benefit to them.
“Profit”—wfelew—1) To assist, to be useful or advantageous, to profit.
“Mixed/United/Combine”—sugkerannumi—1) To mix together, commingle; 2) To unite. Strong—To commingle, i.e. (figuratively) To combine or assimilate:-- Mix with, temper together. Used 2X.
Argumentation:
Ps. 78:18 -22—“And they tested God in their heart By asking for the food of their fancy. Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, And the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?” Therefore the LORD heard this & was furious; So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel, Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation.”
*Anytime we ‘impress God’ with our work, effort, labor, ability, talent, perseverance, attendance, etc. We have come to trust in our flesh to do those things rather than exercising faith in God. Your works can be neither so profound nor so numerous that they cause God to think twice about your worthiness for heaven.
Heb. 11:6—“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, & that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Jn. 8:24 -25—““Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.”
Gal. 3:22-26—“But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Gal. 5:4-6—“You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”
Rom. 3:21-26—“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Rom. 5:1-2—“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Rom. 9:30-33—“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone & rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.””
Eph. 3:14-19—“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width & length & depth & height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
*Without faith, we can only imitate the things Jesus did & that Christians do, without the relationship & thus without a heartfelt love for God. How sad & empty some are, believing they are Christians merely because of their ‘heart-less’ & outward works alone.
Php. 3:7-9—“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, & count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ & be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;”
1Pet. 1:3-5—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible & undefiled & that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Eph. 2:8-9—“For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Illustration:
Before I received Christ, I did some things that fell into the circle of Christian behavior/When I accepted-received Christ as my Savior & Lord, everything changed/Now my heart is in it to serve Him, not to earn His favor by my ability/FAITH
I grew up in the church/My father taught Bible Studies/I knew nothing of salvation in Jesus by faith alone/The church’s fault?—Possibly/My fault—Definitely/I never mixed what was heard with FAITH!
Application:
?You Vindicated or Condemned by the Challenge of FAITH?
?Your choices reveal the presence of Eternal Rest or a Temporal one?
2—The challenge of choosing Eternal Rest is accepting the challenge of...
FULFILLMENT(:3-10)
Explanation:(:3-10) Beyond Law to Fulfillment
:3—“For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
Thus the “promised” “rest” is acquired thru faith & belief in the individual. Belief is a necessary prerequisite of participation in the “rest” God offers. “We who have believed” enter in. Therefore only believers enter God’s rest.
This is borne out by the Psalmist, David in our reference passage of Ps. 95, of which verse :11 is quoted here. The action of God’s wrath directed upon the open rebellion of unbelief, excluded unbelievers from entrance into His rest.
The “rest” is still open for entrance even though God’s works were “finished” from the time of the creation of the world. See :4 below—This referenced rest is the rest wrought in the 7th day of creation, in which the day was “blessed & “sanctified”(Gen. 2:2-3).
:4—“For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;”
The author does not know the exact reference to the verse he quotes, but it is nonetheless a quote of God’s word by the Holy Spirit(3:7a).
The “rest” which remains to be entered references Gen. 2:2-3, in which God Himself rested from His “very good” work of creation & making on the 7th day. Thus the 7th day, which is the day of God’s rest, was set apart by Him for man to recognize God’s own creative attributes regarding the world.
:5—“And again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”
There is another verse pertaining to this Day of God’s rest, which relates directly to our current discussion of entering God’s rest. Apparently no one, in unbelief, can experience God’s rest as originally intended. Therefore the “rest” of God stands for believers of every age. Thus this “rest” is not the same “rest” as the Sabbath, which is Old Testament Law specific & limited to Israel.
The rest that honors God Himself is the same type of rest awaiting the believer, in that the good works of Christian service are rewarded with an end to them in this present created order.
6—“Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, & those to whom it was :first preached did not enter because of disobedience,”
:7—“again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.””
It obviously follows that 1)Some do enter God’s rest & 2)Those to whom rest was first preached chose, thru disobedience, not to enter, then the Spirit again designates—after a great deal of time had passed(hundreds of years)— a specific Day so-called thru David(Ps. 95:7d-8a) as “Today.”
He further assures us that it is up to the hearer to heed the “voice” of God & to choose not to “harden” their hearts.
“First”—proteron—Before, prior. Strong—Previously:-- Before, (at the) first, former.
“Preached”—euaggelizw—1) To bring good news, to announce glad tidings. Strong—To announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospel:-- Declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel).
“Disobedience/Unbelief”—apeiyeia—Obstinacy, obstinate opposition to the divine will.
“Designates”—orizw—To define—1a) To mark out the boundaries or limits (of any place or thing).
:8—“For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.”
Thereby it is again obvious that even in the time of the conquest, as Israel entered the promised land, that Joshua had not provided Israel the “rest” God spoke of after creation. Thus neither the conquest nor the kingship provided the quality of “rest” surrounding that of Day 7 of creation.
?Did Joshua speak of another day or is the reference to David or rather to God(“He”) thru David?
:9—“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.”
Thereby, the Scripture makes it plain that there is a supreme form of Sabbath “rest” which stands above all other examples/instances of its temporal fulfillment. The Jewish Sabbath is a mere National Israeli picture of the true rest of God. There remains the reality of it for Israel if they will accept the reality.
“Remains”—apoleipw—1) To leave, to leave behind; 2) To desert or forsake. Strong—To leave behind (passively, remain); by implication, To forsake:-- Leave, remain.
“Rest/Sabbath-rest”—sabbatismov—1) A keeping sabbath; 2) The blessed rest from toils & troubles looked for in the age to come by the true worshippers of God & true Christians. Strong—A "sabbatism", i.e. (figuratively) The repose of Christianity (as a type of heaven):-- rest. Used only 1X here.
:10—“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”
*This is the key verse to the writer’s argument. Anyone who had entered God’s “rest,” has himself “ceased from” his works(of flesh?) in like manner as God did from His creative works. Thus the “rest” of which the author is speaking is the “rest” of life in heaven & in the presence of God’s fullness forever, which is only to be had thru faith in Christ’s cleansing atonement for your sin.
“Ceased/Rested/Rests”—katapauw—1) To make quiet, to cause to be at rest, to grant rest—1a) To lead to a quiet abode, 1b) To still, restrain, to cause (one striving to do something) to desist; 2) To rest, take rest. Strong—To settle down, i.e. (literally) To colonize, or (figuratively) To (cause to) desist:-- Cease, (give) rest(-rain).
We can become so dead-set in our way that we are no longer challenged by the word of God, accepting our tradition as enough.
Argumentation:
1Cor. 15:19—“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
Mat. 5:20—“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes & Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Rom. 8:1-8—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Illustration:
It is one thing to obey the law out of fear of penalty, being annoyed with it & despising it as an annoyance. And it is quite another thing to recognize the heart of the giver of that same law, having a love or appreciation for the citizens & congressmen who pressed it into action for your good/FULFILLMENT
My 3yr. old grandson, Isaac/Has a terrible habit or manner of demanding things from adults/He is quickly learning that type of behavior is unacceptable/If this behavior isn’t dealt with consequentially, he will not become a loving, caring & respectful adult but will believe that everyone owes him his every fleshly desire/FULFILLMENT
Young Children/Must supply consistent consequences for wrong actions/Why?/So as adults, they will exhibit behavior rightly lived out in polite Christian society/FULFILLMENT
Application:
?You Vindicated or Condemned by the Challenge of FULFILLMENT?
?Your choices reveal the presence of Eternal Rest or a Temporal one?
3—The challenge of choosing Eternal Rest is accepting the challenge of...
DILIGENCE(:11)
Explanation:(:11)
:11—“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”
Seeing as this “rest” remains & can be entered readily by faith in Christ, All who hear these truths are encouraged to “be diligent” regarding our responsibility “to enter” it. All our efforts should be directed toward ensuring we enter for fear that even one might fail it as Israel did thru the “disobedience” of unbelief.
Every time you walk away from the Eternal Rest offered in Christ Jesus, you have fallen into disobedience as did Israel. You individually & personally, must make an effort to weigh your situation & count your cost of forfeiting Eternal Rest vs. accepting it.
The question is...what will you lose that you refuse to let go of, that is so valuable, that it could possibly outweigh Eternal Rest?
“Diligent/Labour/Make every effort”—spoudazw—1) To hasten, make haste; 2) To exert one’s self, endeavor, give diligence.
“Fall”—piptw— Strong—To fall (literally or figuratively):-- Fail, fall (down), light on.
“Disobedience”—apeiyeia—Obstinacy, obstinate opposition to the divine will. Strong—Disbelief (obstinate & rebellious):-- Disobedience, unbelief. From the negation of —peiyw—To convince, To pacify or conciliate; To assent , To rely-- Agree, assure, believe, have confidence, be (wax) conflent, make friend, obey, persuade, trust, yield.
Argumentation:
Mat. 16:24-27—“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, & take up his cross, & follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, & forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; & WILL THEN RECOMPENSE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
Mat. 7:13-14—““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate & broad is the way that leads to destruction, & there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate & difficult is the way which leads to life, & there are few who find it.”
Mk. 9:43-48(Mt 5:29-30)—““If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’ “And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’ “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire-- “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’”
Mat. 6:19-21—““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Illustration:
I became captivated by the prospect of purpose for my life/I got to the point where I had to be informed enough to make a wise decision/I made room for inquiring about the things of God/I read the Bible because I had learned as a child that it was God’s word/I sought out preachers of that word & Christians who were obviously sold out to God/DILIGENCE
Application:
?You Vindicated or Condemned by the Challenge of DILIGENCE?
?Your choices reveal the presence of a Permanent Rest or a Temporal one?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
The challenge of choosing Eternal/Permanent Rest is accepting the challenge of...
1. FAITH(:1-2)
2. FULFILLMENT(:3-10)
3. DILIGENCE(:11)
Presented 08/08/2010pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
