Hebrews 4 - A Better Rest
Well, church, it is good to be with you. How are we doing today? Good. I am glad to hear it. My name is Mike, and I am one of the pastors here at The Well. If you are new around here, I am grateful for the chance to meet you later today, but super glad that you are joining us in this series in the book of Hebrews. If you have your Bible with you, I would love to invite you to turn to Hebrews chapter 4.
As you think about the journey we have been on, the message the author of Hebrews is communicating every single week is simply this: Jesus is better. We saw in week one that Jesus is a better revelation. He is better than the angels. He is better than the Old Testament “GOAT,” Moses himself, as we learned last week. Jesus is simply better. The author continues that theme this week in Hebrews 4, talking about Jesus being the better rest.
The Warning of Disbelief
Today connects directly to where we were last week. We are in the second of two warning passages where the author, out of love and concern for this congregation of people he dearly loves, warns them about potential pitfalls in their lives. The first was a warning against drifting away from the truths of Christ in chapter 2.
Hebrews 2:1-4 (NASB)
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away [from it]. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
Last week, we looked at the warning against disbelief in the gospel of Christ. That warning started in chapter 3, verse 7, and carries us all the way through our text today in chapter 4. The author is warning the recipients of this letter not to be like the Hebrew people of old in the Old Testament—their ethnic ancestors. Because they did not believe God and did not trust Him, they failed to enter the Promised Land. An entire generation died in the wilderness because they failed to enter into the rest God had given them. The author is saying, “Do not be like them. Yes, those are your kinsmen, but learn from their bad example.”
This audience is unique. It is a Jewish congregation whose roots go all the way back into the Old Testament. As they hear these stories, they recognize that those who died in the wilderness were their people. This previous generation spent their entire lives under the Old Covenant—one with the Tabernacle, the high priest, and animal sacrifices. But the author of Hebrews tells them that the system they have been so comfortable with was never meant to be permanent. It was intentionally incomplete, meant to point directly to Jesus.
All of those Old Testament rituals were simply shadows, like a gigantic neon sign pointing to the substance, which is Jesus. He is better. The author warns that the wilderness generation missed out on all God had for them because they lacked one crucial thing.
A Tale of Three Passengers
Before we dive into that one missing element, I want to share an illustration to help us understand the nature of the audience the author is addressing. Imagine a cruise ship with a large group of passengers on board. Unfortunately, the ship strikes an iceberg. It is doomed to sink. The impact is felt by everyone on board, the ship is on fire, and the captain confirms the reality: “We need to get off. Get to the lifeboats. This ship is going down.”
Even though they are all on the same ship receiving the same news, their responses are not identical. In fact, there are three distinct responses to that reality.
The first group says, “I saw what happened. I felt the impact. The ship is sinking, and the captain confirmed it. I am leaving what used to be the safety of this ship, jettisoning any hope of it getting me to my destination, and getting into that lifeboat because it is the only thing that will save me.”
A second group reacts differently. They recognize the exact same truth. “Yes, I see the hole. Yes, the ship is on fire and going down.” However, something inside them is hesitant to take the step from head to heart in genuine trust. They intellectually agree with what needs to be done, but they hesitate to step into the lifeboat. Maybe the water looks cold, it is dark outside, they fear hypothermia or sharks, or they are just too comfortable where they are. They understand the truth, but they refuse to move.
Then there is a third group that says, “Fake news. The ship is fine. Sure, there is a small fire, but we will get through this. The hole is not that big; we aren’t going to sink.” They do not believe the message in their heads or in their hearts, so they take no action at all.
One message, one truth, one ship—yet three completely different responses.
Three Responses to the Gospel
Take that word picture and lay it over the book of Hebrews. Consider the complexity of the congregation the author is writing to. They are Jewish brothers and sisters who have been shown that the Old Testament system was never designed to save them. It was a shadow pointing to Jesus. They have all faced persecution and mockery for turning to Christ, yet their response to the gospel is by no means uniform.
First, there is a group of Hebrew Christians who say, “Yes, we embrace the gospel. We heard it, we understand it, and we have taken that step. We have abandoned the sinking ship, and we are in the lifeboat. We have put our faith in Jesus Christ.” Their heads and hearts are united. What they cognitively understood made the journey to their hearts, and they have embraced the gospel.
Second, there is a group that understands in their heads what they need to do. They have heard the gospel and agree intellectually that it is true, yet they remain uncommitted. They are intellectually convinced but spiritually uncommitted. Something holds them back—a fear, a pet sin they refuse to release, or comfort in what they have always known. They know the move they need to make, but they are unwilling to make it. As a result, they still possess an unbelieving heart. They believe the facts theoretically, but they have not taken the saving step of personal trust.
Third, there is a group that is informed but unconvinced. They have heard the gospel, but they remain skeptical and unsure that Jesus is the answer. Like the second group, they remain unbelievers on a sinking ship.
In a congregation of our size at The Well, we have these same three responses. Some of you are in group one. I have walked with you, heard your proclamation of faith, and watched your life align with the gospel. You are firmly planted in the lifeboat, resting in Jesus Christ.
Others are in group two. You know the gospel. You understand the theology. Yet something inside keeps you from stepping out in faith. You are intellectually convinced, but you have not transferred your trust to Christ.
And there are others in group three whose heads and hearts have not yet engaged. As pastors, we speak to all three groups—encouraging some, warning others, and pleading with all. The author of Hebrews does the exact same thing. Understanding these different groups helps unlock the entire book of Hebrews.
The Call to Enter God’s Rest
As we enter Hebrews chapter 4, the author is specifically addressing group two—those who understand the message intellectually but have not yet surrendered in faith. Notice how chapter 4 begins with the word “therefore.” Just as we learned last week, whenever we see a “therefore,” we have to look back at what came before.
Hebrews 3:7-8 (NASB)
Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, ’TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,
Hebrews 3:12 (NASB)
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
These were people who heard the message, yet possessed an unbelieving heart. The truths made intellectual sense, but they had not transferred their trust to Jesus Christ. To this group, the author delivers both a warning and an admonition: take the step and trust the message you know to be true.
Hebrews 4:1 (NASB)
Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.
The rest offered to the wilderness generation was the physical land of Canaan after forty years of wandering. That physical land was a symbol of salvation and true rest in God. The author says, “Let us fear.” This is not a minor issue; your eternal destiny hangs in the balance.
Matthew 10:28 (NASB)
’Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Rest is available right now, but that window of opportunity will not stay open forever. For the true believer in group one, Jesus offers profound comfort.
Luke 12:32 (NASB)
’Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
However, for those who come short of it, there is legitimate reason to fear. Coming to the edge of the line intellectually is not enough; head and heart must connect in saving faith. The author is not describing a loss of salvation, but rather people who have walked right up to the edge of truth through intellectual knowledge without ever crossing over in faith.
Hebrews 4:2 (NASB)
For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
The phrase “good news preached to us” comes from the word for evangelism. They heard the good news. For the wilderness generation, the good news was the promise of entering Canaan. For us, the good news is the eternal rest found in Jesus Christ. Yet that message did not profit the Israelites because it was not united with faith.
Hebrews 3:19 (NASB)
[So] we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
They had head knowledge without heart surrender. Is intellectual agreement enough?
James 2:19 (NASB)
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
Demons possess accurate theology concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ, but that does not save them. Merely knowing the facts is insufficient; the truth must be married to genuine faith. You must get off the sinking ship and step into the lifeboat.
John 6:40 (NASB)
‘For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.’
Beholding and believing must come together.
Hebrews 4:3 (NASB)
For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, ‘AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,’ although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Belief is what ushers us into God’s rest, while disbelief disqualifies us. This rest has been woven into God’s design from the very beginning.
Hebrews 4:4-5 (NASB)
For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh [day]: ‘AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS’; and again in this [passage], ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’
Genesis 2:2 (NASB)
By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
Psalms 95:11 (NASB)
‘Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.’
God rested on the seventh day after creation and invited humanity into that rest. He offered rest to Israel after forty years in the wilderness. The Sabbath rest points directly to the ultimate rest offered in Christ, and that offer stands open today.
Hebrews 4:6-7 (NASB)
Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.’
Diligence and the Living Word
The rest Joshua provided was real, but it pointed forward to a far greater reality.
Hebrews 4:8-10 (NASB)
For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
Joshua led the next generation into the Promised Land, but that was merely a shadow of the ultimate Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God. To enter that true rest, we must cease from striving to earn our salvation by our own works and instead rest entirely in what Christ has accomplished.
Hebrews 4:11 (NASB)
Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through [following] the same example of disobedience.
If the generation under Moses suffered physical death in the desert due to unbelief, how much more urgently should we ensure we do not make the same fatal mistake with our eternal souls? Look at the urgency throughout this passage: “Do not harden your hearts” in chapter 3, verse 8; “Take care” in verse 12; “Hold fast” in verse 14; “Do not come short” in chapter 4, verse 1; and “Be diligent” in verse 11. Abandon the ship and get in the boat!
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NASB)
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
God’s judgment is not skin-deep. His Word penetrates through motives, thoughts, and intentions down to the soul. The phrase “laid bare” draws from the Greek word related to exposing the neck or throat. You can hide the condition of your heart from people around you, but you cannot hide it from God. Under the scrutiny of God’s Word, everything is laid completely bare.
Our Great High Priest
Having shown the danger of unbelief, the author concludes with a glorious positive reason to place our trust in Jesus.
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NASB)
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as [we are, yet] without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus is our great High Priest. He knows what it is like to suffer, to be tempted, and to endure hardship, yet He lived entirely without sin. Because of Him, we do not have to cower in fear; we can approach the throne of grace with confidence to find mercy and grace in our time of need.
An Invitation to Rest
To those in group one who have embraced Christ: walk in that security. Rest in the finished work of Jesus. You are justified, forgiven, adopted, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Your destination is secure. Rest in Him.
To those in group two who are intellectually convinced but spiritually uncommitted: hear the loving plea of Scripture. You know the answers. You know John 3:16. But beneath the surface, you have not surrendered your heart to Jesus. Perhaps fear holds you back, or a sin you do not want to give up. Please understand that you do not know how long that window will remain open. You do not know if you will wake up tomorrow. Stop lingering on the deck of a sinking ship. Step into the boat.
John 3:16 (NASB)
’For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
And to those in group three who are still exploring and unconvinced: we are so glad you are here. This is a safe place to bring your questions and wrestle with truth. Please do not let the flaws of imperfect Christians keep you from Jesus. Allow the grace of God to soften your heart.
Jesus offers true rest for every weary soul.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB)
’Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ’Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. ‘For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’
Let us pray.
Father, I pray for any person here who has not experienced the glorious reality of true salvific rest. May they let go of their striving and trust in Your truth. Break up the hard soil of any hardened heart and allow the gospel to take root and bear fruit. Thank You for the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross on our behalf. Move our hearts to fully embrace, trust, and rest in Him today. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.