A. INTRODUCTION
1. Could there be any more appropriate and applicable study for 20th century American believers than that of the rest of God? Our lives are hectic and demanding. We have taken upon ourselves daily schedules that our parents -- when they were at our place in their lives -- would have found hard to believe. We are the first generation of Americans in which more than 50% of married couples both work full-time jobs. We spend more time getting to and from our jobs and we work longer hours than did our parents. We own more stuff than our parents did, and the cost of upkeep and monthly credit payments for our material possessions take a heavy financial and emotional toll. In spite of our incomes we save less money ( at least on a percentage basis ) than our parents did, and so we worry more about job security, our children's education, and our own retirement years. We move more often than our parents did, cleaning, re-decorating and mowing the lawns of ever larger homes. My kids are involved in more evening and weekend activities in one school year than I was in our entire childhood and adolescence! With so much to do and so many places for so many of us to get to, we have come to point that a family of five feels the "need" for three or even four vehicles! With all we have we still feel the constant pressure to have more: a new car for commuting, a second-hand car for our teenager, new living room furniture, a new patio set, a "move-up" house in a better neighborhood, and, of course, a new job which will pay more money so we can keep up with all these new "needs." And we feel the need to move fast -- we're not getting any younger, y'know! We meet with financial planners who plot out the years left for us until we enter retirement, and we know that we have to really crank it up now -- or we won't have enough money and stuff which will enable us to properly enjoy our golden years.
2. For some of us, it is not a hunger for more things that is so tiring. It is rather that we are weary emotionally. Our relationships are wearing us out! Difficulties with our spouses, our children, our co-workers or employers, even our aged parents all conspire to sap our strength, instill within us grave concerns about the future and anxiety about the present day.
Whether we suffer from "h __ __ __ __ sickness" or "w __ __ __ __ sickness," we are tired. And so we are drawn quite naturally to this idea of rest from God.
B. TEXT: Hebrews 4:9-16
1. Another look at the "r __ __ __ of God" ( v.9-11 )
a. That rest is still available to believers.
(1) As we said last week, it is the "p __ __ __ __ of God, which passes all understanding."
ref: Isaiah 26:3
John 14:27
Philippians 4:4-7
(2) Believers do not have to wait for the next life to experience this rest. It is available here and now. It is God's desire that we experience it d __ __ __ __.
b. Believers must l __ __ __ __ to enter that rest (v. 11 ).
(1) I cannot enter into the rest of God until I rest from my own labours in the flesh.
(2) I have done that once in my life: at the moment of my s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
ref: Ephesians 2:8-9
(3) In order to enter God's daily rest, I must commit myself to that "task" daily. Task? Another task? Yes! The act of "putting off" the world and "putting on" Christ must engage my m __ __ __, my h __ __ __ __, and my w __ __ __. This requires serious effort!
ref: Colossians 3:5:17
Luke 9:23-24 ( NLT )
Then { Jesus } said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put away your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.
c. We must not mistake the "rest of God" for the good feeling we get after a difficult trial passes. God wants us to experience His peace and rest in the very midst of all that our lives bring to us. Entering into God's rest is willingly abiding the ultimate purpose He has for my life, today and every day.
(1) "In the condition of rest, the faithful believer experiences the exhilaration of creativity and productivity; stress and anxiety are minimized; joy lifts the spirit above the waves of normal frustrations and a holy purpose stimulates a vitality that is not overwhelmed by difficulties. Serenity and laughter are the marks of being in the place of rest. The rest of God is not cessation from activity, but a peace within the toil." - Louis H. Evans, Jr.: Hebrews ( Volume 10, The Communicator's Commentary )
(2) Some of us have attempted to deal with the difficult episodes in our lives with that most popular of human defense mechanisms: coping. Bringing together all my physical, intellectual and emotional resources, I "cope" with the situation until can either "get a handle on it" or find a way to remove myself from it. While this ability is admired by many, it may be a major obstacle which blocks the path to the rest God wants to provide.
Last week's study revealed the two-fold nature of the spiritual principle of God's rest:
1. The basis for entering God's rest is o __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ to the plan of God, whatever that plan is.
2. The t __ __ __ __ __ of my obedience is a critical factor.
"There is a 'window' called 'Today' outside which obedience is not acceptable and the opportunity to satisfy God is lost." - Evans: Ibid.
2. How am I to do what is required in order to enter God's rest if I do not even know what to do? The answer to such questions -- as we have seen time and time again -- will lead us back to the great headwaters of spiritual wisdom: the W __ __ __ of G __ __.
Psalm 19:7-14
Hebrews 4:12-13 [ NIV ]
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to who we must give account.
a. The myth of self-dependence has been shown to be just that: a myth.
b. Though I may well be able to fool myself with my carefully focused logic, one-sided rationale and self-justification, and though I can often easily fool others into "understanding my predicament," I can never fool God. And, in the end, it is only to Him that I am accountable. His Word not only shows us who He is, it shows us who we are!
(1) "Only the Word of God, which is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, is capable of exposing the thoughts and attitudes of a single human heart! We do not know ourselves. We do not even know how to distinguish, by feelings or rationale, between that which comes from our souls ( psyches ) and from our spirits ( pneumas ). Even our bodily functions (symbolized here by joints and marrow ) are beyond our full knowledge. Only the all-seeing eye of God knows us thoroughly and totally, and before Him we will stand and ultimately give account." - Ray C. Stedman: Hebrews ( Volume 15, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series )
ref: Psalm 139:1-18
(2) "Of course, God sees our hearts; but we do not always know what is there. God uses the Word to enable us to see the sin and unbelief in our own hearts. The Word exposes our hearts; and then, if we trust God, the Word enables our hearts to obey God and claim His promises. This is why each believer should be diligent to apply himself to hear and heed God's Word. In the Word we see God, and we also see how God sees us. We see ourselves, as we really are. This experience enables us to be honest with God, to trust His will, and to obey Him." - Warren W. Wiersbe: Be Confident
c. In Hebrews 4:12 God's word is seen to be powerful in its:
(1) e __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and its
(2) p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
d. We were reminded in 4:2 that, in order for it to be effective and penetrating, God's Word
must be "mixed with f __ __ __ __." The pathway from hearing God's Word to obeying God's revealed will there must wind through the mind to the heart and, finally, to the will. We must hear it and believe it in faith in order to receive its transforming power into our hearts. God has provided the vehicle by which this is accomplished: the Holy Spirit.
ref: John 8:31-37
3. In the last verses of chapter 4 the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews again exhorts his readers to faithfulness, this time on the basis of the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ.
a. In the traditional Hebrew faith, the High Priest was the one appointed to enter God's presence in order to intercede for God's people, presenting their sin offerings. No "ordinary" man would dare to be so bold as to enter the Holy of Holies! Even the High Priest could do so only once a year -- the Day of Atonement -- and then only after an elaborate succession of ceremonial "cleansings."
b. The orthodox churches have maintained much of this tradition, expanding the ministry of standing before God on behalf of others to the entire priesthood. Catholic sinners are encouraged to confess their sins to a priest who, upon hearing them, either forgives them or directs the confessor to perform various acts of penance and/or penitence in order to be forgiven. These next verses of Hebrews will show what a narrow, limited response to the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ this represents!
c. Jesus Christ as the very Son of God perfectly represents our Heavenly Father to us and as the Son of man perfectly represents us before God the Father. We pray in Jesus name in order to take full advantage of Christ's High Priesthood, and we ourselves do so in the very presence of God, too, able now to boldly access His throne of grace through The Way provided by our Lord and Saviour. Further, as believer-priests, we have the privilege and the responsibility to interceded before God on behalf of others and -- incredibly -- the authority to hear their confessions and offer God's forgiveness. Wow!
ref: 1 Peter 2:5, 9
d. So, then, we see p __ __ __ __ __ as the second of the two powerful tools made available to us for the required "labouring" to enter the rest of God.
C. APPLICATION
1. We must each of us see the Bible as nothing less than God's Word for our d __ __ __ __ lives.
a. We must engage ourselves fully in reading and knowing God's Word. There are so many resources available to us for this in this day and age. You might begin with Hebrews, if only because you know dozens of other believers who are presently studying this book.
b. We must search the Scriptures not only to out more about God, but to find more about ourselves. In so doing I am able not only to see God, but also to see His will for my life.
(1) Many of us who recognize and even use God's Word as "double-edged sword" in confronting the sins of others do not dare turn it upon ourselves. "Wait!" you might say in response. "That might be painful -- even suicidal!" YES! It will be! It will be painful in its penetration into the dark recesses of my soul and spirit and the thoughts and intentions of my heart. And in it will be suicidal only in its ability to help me "put off" ( "mortify," "put to death" ) the sin nature -- the "old man" -- who enslaves me.
(2) "Like a sharp sword which can lay open the human body with one slashing blow, so the sword of the Scripture can open our inner life and expose it to ourselves and others. Once the ugly thoughts and hidden rebellions are out in the open, we stand like criminals before a judge, ineffectually trying to explain what we have done. Yet such honest revelation is what we need to humble our stubborn pride and render us willing to look to God for forgiveness and his gracious supply." - Ray C. Stedman: Op. cit.Z
(3) ref: Psalm 119:4-10
Jeremiah 17:5-9
(4) From Godspell ( the musical ):
Day by day, day by day
Oh, dear Lord, three things I pray:
To see Thee more clearly,
To love Thee more dearly,
To follow Thee more nearly, day by day.
2. We must each of us attend to our prayer life. For many of us this will require a complete change in the way we pray and the things we pray for. Poor me if the sum of my prayer life is made up entirely of "saying Grace" before meals and cries for help from God! At least three areas should be explored:
a. the q __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of my prayer life -- I should pray without c __ __ __ __ __ __.
ref: 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18
b. the "q __ __ __ __ __ __" of my prayer:
(1) Do I pray within the confines of God's revealed w __ __ __? This is certainly how our Lord prayed.
ref: Psalm 40:8
Matthew 26:39
John 5:30
John 6:38
(2) Do I pray in f __ __ __ __, believing?
ref: James 1:2-8
c. the "s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __" of my prayer:
(1) In the midst of turmoil, do I pray only for d __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and / or r __ __ __ __ __? Such prayers are viable, but is this all I pray for?
(2) We must also learn to pray that we l __ __ __ __ what it is that God is trying to show us in this situation
2. Remember, God's rest is designed by Him to be available for us in the very midst of trials and tribulations, not just a balm for the "healing" afterwards. That such trials and tribulations will come to the people of God is a "given" -- we are promised as much in Scripture. Let us each one prepare ourselves for what God is yet to bring into our lives, and let us rely fully on Him by trusting in His goodness and sovereignty for the difficult situations in which we may find ourselves at the present time. Let us fully engage ourselves spiritually in our own present circumstances, and let us not forget to pray fervently for those around us who are bound up in difficult struggles, long-term difficulties, and heart-breaking relationships.
D I S C U S S I O N G U I D E
1. Read Matthew 11:27-30.
a. The people to whom Jesus spoke these words were not infidels; they were, for the most part, God-fearing Jews. How is it that they "labor and are heavy laden?"
b. How does Jesus' invitation here "fly in the face" of those who say He should be regarded as a great moral teacher -- even a prophet -- but not the Son of God?
c. Respond to this statement: "The yoke of Christ is both demanding and easy."
2. Read Isaiah 55:6-11.
a. What does the word "void" mean here?
b. Do you believe that God's Word has power in and of itself to powerfully bring conviction to those who "hear it?" Explain. Give an example.
c. What role does an effective teacher / preacher play in the effectiveness with which God's Word goes forth?
In what way might an especially-entertaining teacher / preacher become a hindrance to those who sit under his ministry?
e. Describe a powerful experience you have had with God's Word which did not involve a "great" teacher or preacher.
3. Read Hebrews 4:13, then compare it with 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 and 2 Corinthians 5:10.
a. Do you find Hebrews 4:13 to be a source of comfort or concern? Explain.
b. How is the expectation of future judgement relevant to your daily life?
4. Read Psalm 119:9-11.
a. How can one "hide" God's Word in his/her heart?
b. Is this the same thing as Scripture memorization? Why, or why not?
5. List three necessary ingredients of a powerful prayer life.
