*Our Rest Is Blessed
Ge 2:1 ¶ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested (shabbat) on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested (shabbat ) from all his work which God created and made.
*I. After Creation God Rested and then “Blessed and Sanctified” His Rest
A. God blessed His Day of Rest
1. The Work was DONE
B. God sanctified His Day of Rest
1. Set apart this “‘rest” as something He had DONE
2. When something is sanctified it is “set apart” as for God
Sanctified means this is a “God thing”
*II. God Commanded His People to Honor the Sabbath (day of rest)
Ex 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
07673. tbv shabath, shaw-bath'
Search for 07673 in KJV
a primitive root; to repose, i.e. desist from exertion; used in many implied relations (causative, figurative or specific):--(cause to, let, make to) cease celebrate, cause (make) to fail, keep (sabbath), suffer to be lacking, leave, put away (down), (make to) rest, rid, still, take away.
*A. Breaking the Sabbath was a serious offense
Nu 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.
* “There is no mercy under the law”
* “The purpose of the Law is to bring every man to a knowledge of our sin and our spiritual separation from God”
* “The Law does not bring us Life but death”
* The Law is “one’s attempted work” for righteousness
Rom 10:3 For they (Israel) being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
* III. As with all Types and Shadows of the O.T. this “Rest” points us to Our Rest in Christ
Heb 4:1 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.
*A. Let us “fear” vs1
B. There is a “promise" of us “entering into His rest"
C. Don’t come “short of this promise"*
*IV. Warnings and Exhortation Concerning this “Rest” in the N.T.
*Heb 4:1 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. Vs1
A. Let us “fear” vs1
B. There is a “promise" of us “entering into His rest"
C. Don’t come “short of this promise"
*V. This “Rest” is the GOSPEL Vs2
2 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 it.
A. This is the GOSPEL and it is found in “His rest" v2
B. God’s Word must “be mixed with faith” if we are to receive this “rest”
*VI. This Gospel is a “Finished Work” of Redemption, Reconciliation, and Righteousness
* 3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
A. Those of us who “have believed” have entered into His REST
B. The Work is Finished!
* Joh 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Joh 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
C. The writer speaks of God’s rest found in Genesis and Exodus
D. He then speaks of those that “would enter in”
E. Those who first heard did NOT enter in because of “unbelief”
* VII. The O.T. Rest was the “Land flowing with milk and honey” with God’s blessings of protection and provision
Heb 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Heb 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Heb 3:7 ¶ Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
*VIII. Under the O.T. God “and the people” work 6 Days and then Rest
A. Under the N.T. God’s People REST on the FIRST DAY and
THEN “God Works” the remaining SIX DAYS!
*Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
A. There is a REST to God’s people! vs.9
*Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
B. We must CEASE from our own strength, wisdom, and efforts and ENJOY this Life which flows from the Spirit of our NEW MAN!
*11 Let us labour (be diligent) therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
A. In order to enjoy this Rest we MUST be DILIGENT in setting our hearts on “those things above” in God’s Spirit. We MUST keep our eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith!
* This REST is a promise to OUR SOUL
* This REST has been purchased by the REDEMPTIVE “blood of Jesus”
* The death of Jesus has FORGIVEN US ALL SINS and has RECONCILED us back to the FATHER
* In His DEATH Jesus took our “Adam... ie. old man” and nailed this SINNER to the cross
* In His RESURRECTION Jesus has given us HIS PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS (the new man) through the eternal life of His Spirit
*This Rest is God’s Gift of Grace to us
*This Rest is Eternal Life
*This Rest is “Christ in us the hope of glory”
*This Rest is the GOSPEL!
*This Rest IS JESUS!!!
