All right, well, we are in a series. We started last week called, Jesus, the Greater. And it's the study of the book of Hebrews. Book of Hebrews is a New Testament book that we may not talk about a lot or mention, but it is a super important book.
And it's written to a group of first century Christians. They're called Hebrews. And they were struggling. I mean, they were seriously asking the question, is it worth it to follow Jesus?
And this wasn't because they were having a bad week or a bad day. There was some serious persecution, and following Jesus was costing people. And we're talking about real cost. And they're asking this super important question, well, is it worth it?
Is it worth the cost to me? Is it worth the cost to my family to really be a follower of Jesus? And the writer of the book of Hebrews doesn't answer that with theology. He answers that by painting of portraits of Jesus.
Because when you look at Jesus, you understand whatever it is that we have to pay, and real cost is worth it to be a follower of him. Because to know him is to love him, to love him is to commit your life to him. Now that's the goal of our series that will walk through this book of Hebrews and see this beautiful portrait that's painted of Jesus Christ. And we'll fall in love with Jesus.
Or perhaps re-discover our love for Jesus. So last week, we looked at this question of Jesus speaking, that Jesus is the one who speaks, and that in Jesus, God said everything that he needed to say about who he is. Because to know Jesus is to know God. And this morning, we're going to take this a step deeper.
And we're going to talk about how to find rest for our souls. This is one of the promises that Jesus offers, that in following him, no matter what is happening in our life. And again, remember, they're experiencing real persecution. And for the writer of Hebrews, he says, Jesus is the one who brings rest for our souls, even in the midst of turmoil.
And so we're going to look at that this morning. Now I want to tell you that the author of the book of Hebrews, he today is presenting a no-holes bard, hard-hitting plea. He is begging these people to whom he's writing. Don't stop.
And these are people who are not having a bad week. These are people who are seriously struggling. And here's his challenge to them. He says, don't be like the freed slave desert wondering walk away from the promised land ancestors that you had.
Now that's a rough message right there. That's hard. And what's he talking about? Well, he's talking about the story of the book of Exodus.
And that story is about the ancient Hebrews who had been slaves for some 400 years to the Egyptians. And God delivered them from slavery in Egypt, carried them on a few month journey to the promised land, the land of rest that had been promised to them generations before. They could literally look out across the horizon over the river and see it. This is your rest.
And they said, I don't think so. And they turned away. And they wandered for 40 years in the desert. And so it's a serious message.
It's a hard message that the writer of Hebrews gives to these first century Christians don't be like them. Now if you don't know the Exodus story, I'll summarize it for you. Moses to the Pharaoh, let my people go. No, are you sure?
Yes. OK, you asked for it. OK, we'll let you go. Parting of the Red Sea, desert, manna every morning.
There it is. No. That's pretty much the summary of the book of Exodus. Now if you weren't following that story super closely, you can always go watch the Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston and get kind of a refresher of that story.
Now it's dramatic. It's also intensely sad. It's intensely sad that you have a group of people who missed. They missed out on the rest that was God's promise and provision for them.
And so the writer of Hebrews is saying to them, don't be them. Now likewise, God offers us the very same promise. This wasn't simply a promise for the ancient Hebrews and the book of Exodus. This wasn't just a promise for the first century Hebrews, this promise of rest.
It's a promise to us as well. So a lot of people, and maybe you know some, are followers of Jesus, but they're exhausted. And they're restless. And they're striving.
And it's wearing them out and wearing them down. And the message of this Hebrews chapter four, we're going to look at today. I mean, it's for all of us. And that is God's promise is rest for your soul.
Now, how do we find that rest? Well, let's walk through that in the book of Hebrews chapter four this morning. And here's the first thing that we need to do. We need to fear the right thing.
Fear the right thing. OK, so Hebrews chapter four, verse one. Let me read it for you. It says, God's promise of entering rest still stands.
So we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience. Now, I told you this is a hard message that he gives to people. Sometimes people need to be babyed, right? And sometimes they need to be confronted square in the jaw.
And he's confronting them square in the jaw. And so this is hard. He says, we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. It really is a terribly sad story that the Israelites didn't enter the land God delivered to them.
Now, why didn't it? One simple reason. Fear. Fear is the reason.
So when you read the book of Exodus, it is puzzling. It's puzzling. So here's essentially what happens. Moses comes and performs this series of incredible miracles.
There's plagues against Egypt. I mean, they're frogs and locas and just amazing miracles that convince the Pharaoh to let them go. And then they all are marching out of town. And the Pharaoh changes his mind.
They witness the Red Sea parting. And they're saved. They're out in the desert. And they're like, oh my gosh, what are we going to eat?
And God provides manna every day. They walk out. And they pick up manna off the ground to eat. God provides water.
I mean, it's mind boggling to us that all of this happened in a series of just a few months. And they wouldn't enter the Promised Land because they're afraid. And we say, well, what in the world do you have to be afraid of after all this that you saw? But the truth is that fear is not rational.
Fear doesn't make sense. Fear overwhelms us. And it causes us to act crazy and to do nutty things because it's the nature of fear. There's nothing rational about it.
If it were rational, we could all control it. It's something that overwhelms and overcomes us. But the problem, though, wasn't that they were simply afraid. I mean, frankly, the idea of standing across the river from a land and God said, yeah, that's yours.
Go take it. They still had to go battle. They still had to go fight. And we can understand that that would create some fear.
Even if God said, you're going to be victorious. You can understand that it is going to mean some fear. So the problem's not simply that they were afraid. The problem was that they were afraid of the wrong things.
And the problem was misplaced fear. Now, what should they have been afraid of? Really, what they should have been afraid of is disobeying God. Now, what were they afraid of?
Well, they were afraid of Canaanites that they'd never met. They were afraid of the unknown of what was on the other side of that river. They were afraid of the giants that they imagined that inhabited that land and that they could not be the victors over. Now, what they should have been afraid, though, is the cause of disobeying God.
Because what happens? Well, hear me. When we disobey God, God listens to our fears. What does that mean?
It means when we say, I can't or I won't go, I won't do that, then God's with this broken heart says, OK. And we now have to live with the reality of not being in God's blessing, not being where he promised us and where his blessing would be. And we have to now deal with God listening to us and us living without his help and without his provision. That is scary.
Here's what's not nearly as scary. Faddling giants when God said, we got this. Here's what's scary, living it on our own. Because we said, ah, I got this.
That's the position that those Hebrews were in. And this is what the writer of Hebrews is saying to these first century Christians. Don't be them. Now, look, we don't like this talk, frankly.
We don't like talking about the fear of God. And there's something about it that doesn't sit with our modern sensibilities. Now, why is that? Why do we not like to hear that kind of talk?
Well, I think there's a lot of reasons. One of them is that it's a bit of an overreaction. And I heard of Jonathan Edwards before. So Jonathan Edwards was a preacher in the 1700s.
And he preached what is literally one of the most famous sermons ever. I mean, he's a brilliant guy. He actually founded Princeton University. And his famous sermon was Centers in the Hands of an Angry God.
And when you read the historical counts of it, it's actually unbelievable almost, except it was real. This was a part of a great awakening in America. And when he preached, and he was preaching about people falling into hell because they didn't have God in their life. And as he preached about this, people would begin weeping, sometimes clutching onto the pews, and anything they could grab a hold of because they were afraid that they were falling into hell.
And he preached this all across the Northeastern United States. And it had an enormous impact. And we actually still read this in high schools some across the country, not as a model, but as a historical relic of the way it used to be, and the way churches used to communicate. And we don't like that anymore.
This kind of fear mongering, we feel as manipulation and it makes us nervous when we hear stuff about how we should fear God. And C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite people from the early 20th century, he tried to kind of work with this. And he described it like this.
He says, if you hear that there's a tiger on the other side of that door in the room right beside you, you'll be afraid. It's a normal kind of fear of something that you know and can see. And you're aware of what it could do to you. And you're not going to go through that door because of a normal kind of a natural fear.
Now, then he says, now, if you know that there's a ghost on the other side of that door, that's a different kind of a fear. That is the kind of a fear of the unknown. That's a kind of a dread about a fear that your imagination takes you away in because you don't really understand it or know what could happen to you there. And C.S.
Lewis called this the numinous. And that is this irrational kind of fear of the unknown. But then he said, but if you knew that God was on the other side of that door in the room next to you, you're creator. You'd be afraid.
But it's the most natural fear in the world. It's not the kind of fear that's irrational and overwhelming. It's the drawing kind of a fear that brings you towards something that you know you're supposed to be connected to and the real fear is that you're not. This is the fear of God.
It's not a negative kind of overwhelming dread. It's a fear that is built into us, that attracts us and pulls us to our creator. And that's what the author of Hebrews is trying to do. He's trying to communicate these people who are tempted to quit.
The problem is not your fear. The problem is that you're fearing the wrong things. And what you need is the healthy fear of losing the most important thing in your life. Your connection to your creator made possible by Jesus Christ God's Son.
So this is his first point, fear the right thing. Now here's the second thing the author of Hebrews talks about. He says, trust the right promise. Trust the right promise.
So Hebrews chapter four verse two, and then we're gonna skip down to verse nine and 10. Let me read it for you. So for this, good news that God has prepared his rest has been announced to us just as it was to them. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God for all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors just as God did after creating the world.
So what exactly is being offered to us? Well, rest clearly, right? Rest, that's a big concept, right? Now I'm gonna overwhelm you with some Greek words here for the next few minutes, okay?
Here comes two of them right now because there's two words used for rest here. So the first one you can see for this good news that God has prepared this rest. Okay, so that first word rest is the Greek catapossis. Catapossis.
So it's two Greek words actually, which means down forcefully completely. And then a pal, which means stop. And so literally it means down stop. And so it's not a kind of a gently coming to a stop.
No, it's a full stop. It's a slamming on the brakes. Stop right there, kind of a stop. Now, what is this saying?
Well, this is saying this is what God's offering to you and me, not a slower kind of a pace, but a full ceasing. And he's talking about here that striving to do better, to feel like we're accepted, to feel like I've done enough for God to be happy with me. See, that's the kind of worry and effort that wears us out and wears us down. This feeling that we're not good enough.
And so a part of the rest is you don't have to strive like that anymore. Jesus did it for you. When he comes into your life, striving to feel accepted by your creator, I can be done with that. It's all done, it's all taken care of for you.
That's a beautiful thing in and of itself. But there's another word here. So we'll keep going. It says that so there is a special rest.
That's a different word right there. And it's actually a single word. And it's pronounced sabbatus most, sabbat from the word sabbat, sabbat. And it's a really rare word.
In fact, some Greek scholars believe that the author might have just made it up, coined a term, trying to illustrate this very Christian concept of rest, which is a sabbath kind of a rest here. Now, what is the writer trying to say to us? Well, this is the gift of knowing that we are with God. And God is with us.
This isn't a nap kind of a rest. This is a homecoming kind of a rest. We're talking about living in God's favor. Now, you put those two words together.
Well, this is a promise that is worth believing in. Now, there's a book that I brought a couple copies of today. And I've mentioned this already twice. This is my third time this year.
It's called The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, written by John Mark Comer. So the floor is written by John Orttburg. John Orttburg was one of the pastors at Will Creek Community Church back in the 1990s. It's one of the fastest growing largest churches in the country.
And John Mark Comer was being mentored by John Orttburg. And John Mark Comer asked John Orttburg, how can I make sure that I stay spiritually fresh? And John Orttburg told a story. So John Mark Comer's mentor told a story that he learned from his mentor, which was a man by the name of Dallas Willard.
And John Orttburg said, I was in the middle feeling overwhelmed by this really large church in my schedule. It was starting to feel out of control. And I called my mentor, Dallas Willard, and said, what do I need to do to keep control of my life? And Dallas Willard said, you must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.
He said, OK, well, what else? And he said, there's only one thing. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. And so from one to another to another is this really what is ancient wisdom.
What is the thing that's most threatening to our relationship with God? Hurry. Now, what does that mean? Well, not obvious sin, hurry, not atheism, hurry.
The frantic, overscheduled, distracted pace that keeps us either too exhausted or too distracted from receiving what God is offering, which is rest. This entire book is built on the promise of Jesus in Matthew chapter 11 verse 28. I'll put up here on the screen. It says, come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
There it is. Start with rest. This is the promise of Jesus. And it's available.
And some of you are in desperate need of that today. Because you're worn out. Maybe physically, maybe spiritually, maybe emotionally. I brought two of these books today.
I'm selling them for $15 a piece. I paid $27.38 for them. And that was before I needed to get on Amazon for $13.75. But I got it for you now.
I'm going to sell it to you for $15 if you want it. And you can order it off Amazon for $13.75. But then you'll pay tax. And it'll be like $15.
And you can order it. But this is just so you can take it because somebody needs to read this. Somebody needs to live in this. And it's an exploration of this topic right here.
It's super, duper important. So if you want it, see me after the service. So this is the second thing we need to do, trust the right promise. And the promise is rest.
Now, finally, what I want to see is this. If we want to find this rest, then we've got to fight the right battle. Fight the right battle. No interesting terminology.
We're talking about rest and battle. That's a bit of a contradiction. It sounds like it, right? Well, let's read Hebrews chapter 4, verse 11 to 13.
Let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall for the word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, this verse, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.
Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. And he is the one to whom we are accountable. Now, note the words, let us do our best. Let's do our best.
I'm a big fan of the new living translation that comes from the new living translation. It's what I personally read. But do our best. It's a little too tea-ballish for me, if you know what I'm saying.
It's a little too. Let's don't keep score. Everybody gets a trophy. It's all just for fun for me.
I don't like that translation. It's sweet in all, but I don't think it fits here. So why? Well, again, I told you I'm going to bombard you with some Greek words, and here comes Greek word number 3 this morning.
So do our best is actually one Greek word. It's pronounced spao-dazo, spao-dazo. And it literally means intense. That's what it means.
It's not do your best, champ. It's go after that with everything that you've got. Intense. My wife says that spao-dazo literally means krek fergusson and maybe.
But what exactly is it that the author is saying you should have this intensity 4? That's my intensity. Well, what are you bringing this intensity to? What are you going after with everything that you have?
Well, let's define it like this. Drift. You're fighting drift because that's what he's describing here. This is our fourth Greek word for the day.
And that is the Greek word apotheo. And it means to be unconvinced. Now, doesn't mean you've decided against god. It means you got busy.
It doesn't mean you walked away from god. It means you got distracted by other stuff. It's not atheism. It's apothe.
So the writer of Hebrews says apothee will take you to the same place, though. That active rebellion takes you. Right there in the deserts wandering around for 40 years, just like your ancestors did. Here's apothee.
Yeah, I hear you. But you've got some other stuff I've got to take care of right now. That's apothee. Distracted, and tired.
And yeah, but. So what's the antidote to apothee? Intensity. That's the antidote to apothee.
And that's the right battle to fight. The intensity towards beating drift. This is what happens to our lives. We don't decide, yeah, I'm out on god.
That's not what happens to most of us. We just drift away because of schedule, because of activity, because of life. And suddenly we find ourselves going. Now, here's the good news.
OK, you ready? It's the super good news. The weapon is right there. How do we fight drift right there?
For the word of god is alive and powerful. It's sharper than the two-edged sword. Look what that word does. It'll cut your soul up.
It'll shred your spirit if that's what needs to happen, get you back. It exposes your animals thoughts and desires. All of those things you thought were hidden. Everything's naked and exposed before his eyes.
God will bring you back. So what's the message? This is God's word. This is God's voice.
Stay in his word. Let his word light your soul on fire. Stay in it because it won't let your soul grow cold. And it'll keep you where you need to be.
This word in the scripture is the same voice. This is what we talked about last week. It's the same voice that spoke to Moses as that burning bush, that called Abraham by name, that called Jesus into wilderness, that keeps us on the track of finding rest for our souls. Let's pray.
Father, thank you that we can from you find our rest. And I pray that you would help us to avoid the biggest hindrance and that is activity, busyness, and distraction. So help us this week. And I pray that you would give us intensity to do whatever it takes to make sure that we fight the drift that would pull us out of your place of rest and lead us into the place of unceasing activity that tears apart our soul.
So help us to cling to you and do that this week. In Jesus name we pray, amen.