A Sabbath rest for the people of God

Heb 4:9-11 – who’s example of disobedience

Hebrews 3:7-11

Hebrews 3:16-19

Psalm 95:8-11 What happened at Meribah and Massah? (Psalm links the two)

Time of testing in the desert Exodus 15:22 thru Exodus 17:7

Give and overview of the sequence – specifically read:

Exodus 15:25b-26 – establishes the location

Exodus 16:2-4 – beginning of a pattern of complaining

Exodus 16:14-30 – the main body of the is section of scripture is about the Sabbath

Exodus 17:3-7 – all this happens directly before the giving of the Commandments… soon after that would come the sending out of the spies (refer to Numbers 11-14)

 

Hebrews 3:12-14 – the TODAY refers to whoever is reading this verse right now… which means you and me. Because God’s invitation to enter His rest is not an event of the past.

 

As verse 8 says à the people never entered His rest. But this “rest”  is open to each of us today if we hear His voice and do not harden our hearts in unbelief (or lack of faith) and disobedience. So, this “rest” is an event yet in the future.

What is the REST?

 

1. Deut 12:10 - The rest refers to the People of Israel going into the Promised Land to become a Kingdom (the generation that rebelled never did enter that rest BUT their children did).
2. The rest refers to the keeping of the Sabbath as we just read in Exodus 16. Israel was made free and allowed to cease from their labor and hard bondage sin. Free from their service in Egypt so they could serve God.
3. Rest refers to our ultimate spiritual destiny. The final release from the struggle and work of overcoming sin. The victory over our final enemy… death. It is our spiritual promised land. We enter into the rest of eternal life through the saving work of Jesus Christ to play our part in the kingdom of God just as the people of Israel went into the land of rest to establish a kingdom ruled by God.

 

They were coming out of bondage in Egypt – a graphic demonstration of bondage to sin. They were made free so they might serve the living God – as are we.  They had the laws but not the Holy Spirit that would help them understand what it meant and convict them of the need to obey – we have been given the spirit which makes all things possible.

 

Hebrews 4:1-6 we are warned that we can lose out or “fall short” on that promise of entering God’s rest…  just as Israel did. How?

1. “Because they did not combine the message they heard with faith”
2. “Because of their disobedience”

 

God wanted them to BELIEVE and DO. Therefore the call goes out to us today to hear His voice and not harden your hearts, and to do!

 

Heb 4:7-11 à point out the error in vs. 9 for KJV and NKJV sabbatismos – a keeping of the Sabbath!

Robertsons Word Pictures: (sabbatismos). Late word from sabbatizō (Exo_16:30) to keep the Sabbath, apparently coined by the author

Thayer Definition: a keeping Sabbath

Scofeild: keeping of a sabbath

Vincents Word Studies: a keeping Sabbath

 

How is it that this plain teaching in the N.T. can be explained away?

 

In the overall setting of the book of Hebrews, the author is describing how the ceremonial law of the O.T. was merely a picture or shadow of the spiritual reality. The spiritual reality (as fulfilled in Christ) supersedes the ceremony that pictured it and replaces it (in this case the Levitical priesthood and the sacrificial laws).

 

Past	Priesthood (high priest)		Replaced by Christ our High Priest	Heb:7:11-28
	Temporary		Permanent
Past	Sacrificial System		Replaced by Christ's sacrifice	Heb:10:10,18
	Temporary		Permanent
	Sabbath observance		Replaced by…	????
Future	Sabbath observance		Points Toward God's Rest	Heb 4:9
	Temporary?		Permanent?

The scriptures do not say that Christ fulfilled the Sabbath rest “once for all”

 Joshua = Jesus reread Heb 4:8

Joshua (NIV) successfully led Israel into Canaan but that was not the “rest”

Jesus  has not led them into the rest yet – so it's referring to a future event

 

Change “Replaced by” to “Points Toward” because it has not yet occurred.

 

Heb 4:9 – REMAINS (is left behind) in both senses:

1. The promise of entering into God’s rest is still open to us TODAY
2. The necessary obedience to the keeping of the Sabbath, which pictures the entrance into God’s rest – born into eternal spirit life in the Kingdom of God, WHICH HAS NOT YET COME TO PASS – still remains as an important and necessary part of obedience and worship towards God.

 

Read verse 10-11