Introduction
A photographer was snapping pictures of first graders at an elementary school, trying to put them at ease with small talk.
“What are you going to be when you grow up?” he asked a little girl.
Without hesitation, she said, “Tired.”
She had been watching the adults in her life, always running here and there, working long hours, busy with a million things. And she concluded that when she grew up, she’d be just like them—tired.
That’s a hard way to live, isn’t it? Having nothing to look forward to but exhaustion.
But I’ve got good news for you: the Bible presents a much better way to live for the believer in Jesus Christ. It is called entering into God’s rest.
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The Promise of Rest
Let’s turn to Hebrews 4:1–3, 9–11.
> “Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it… Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said… There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest…”
Hebrews tells us that God still offers His people a Sabbath-rest. And entering in has two dimensions:
1. A Physical Dimension – showing up in the place of rest.
2. An Attitudinal Dimension – bringing our hearts along with us.
If you come to church with a sour spirit, you may have walked through the door, but you have not really “entered in.”
When you come to my house, I open the door, I welcome you, offer you a chair, maybe something to drink. My goal is to create an atmosphere where you can relax and say, “I’m welcome here.” But if you spend the whole time worried about my dog or where the bathroom is, you’ve never really entered in.
God wants more than bodies filling pews. He wants hearts entering His rest.
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Israel’s Failure to Enter
Israel’s history is a sobering example.
They had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years—working, sweating, exhausted. God set them free and promised them a land “flowing with milk and honey.” Imagine the children asking their parents, “Will I have my own pony when we get there?”
At first, the people were excited. But soon the desert heat wore on them, thirst set in, and the complaining started. Even though God provided manna from heaven, water from rocks, and a pillar of fire at night, they doubted His promises.
Finally, standing at the edge of the Promised Land, they refused to enter because of fear and unbelief. Hebrews 3:19 sums it up:
> “So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.”
The lesson is clear: without trust, there is no rest.
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Trust is the Key
We don’t need to work up faith. Faith is inspired by its object. The more clearly you see who God is, the more naturally you will trust Him.
The Sabbath rest is not about rules or burdens; it is about resting in what Christ has already done. Without trust, Sabbath becomes exhausting. With trust, Sabbath becomes a gift.
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Where Not to Find Rest
Hebrews 12:18–22 contrasts two mountains.
Mount Sinai was a place of fear: fire, thunder, trembling, judgment. If you camp there, you will never find rest—only obligation and failure.
But we are invited to Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, where angels sing and Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, welcomes us.
When I was a boy, Sabbath felt like carrying a bowl of soup filled to the brim. My mother would hand me that bowl, and I’d walk to the table terrified of spilling a drop. By the time I arrived, I didn’t even want to eat.
That’s how I thought about Sabbath: one long day of trying not to spill.
But Sabbath is not a bowl of holy soup to balance for 24 hours. It is a day to rest in Jesus Christ, who has finished His work.
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Resting in Our High Priest
Hebrews 4:14–16 ties Sabbath rest to Christ’s priestly work.
> “Since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold firmly… For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence…”
This is true Sabbath rest: not only entering a day, but entering the throne room of grace. Knowing that Jesus understands us. Knowing that He has saved us once for all. Knowing that God still sits on the throne.
That’s why we can rest.
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Stephen’s Vision
Think of Stephen, the first martyr. As the stones rained down, he looked up and saw heaven opened. He saw Jesus at the right hand of God. And in that vision he found such peace that he could pray for his murderers: “Father, forgive them.”
That’s the kind of rest God offers—a peace unshaken even in life’s darkest hours.
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Near to the Heart of God
Over a century ago, Pastor Cleland McAffee lost two little nieces to diphtheria within days of each other. Preparing their funeral, he struggled to find words of comfort. Finally, in his grief, he wrote the hymn we still sing today:
> There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God;
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
That hymn captures the heart of Hebrews 4: to be near to God is to be at rest.
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Conclusion
So, when are we invited to enter God’s rest? Today.
How do we enter?
By hearing His voice, by trusting His word, by looking to Jesus.
Every Sabbath, sometime during the day, turn your heart heavenward. Approach the throne of grace. Rest in Christ’s finished work.
Because in Him, there is peace.
In Him, there is rest.
In Him, there is joy everlasting.
