Rest? (Keep the Faith, Part 4)

Lesson Four

Rest? (Keep the Faith)

Hebrews 3:11-19

 

Theme: Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is our Model of fidelity and is infinitely Superior to Moses. Therefore, hold firmly to your faith in Christ, God’s faithful Apostle and High Priest.

 

Reflection

Begin your study by sharing thoughts on this question.

 

7. What is the meaning of “rest”? (Heb. 3:11)

 

I.                 With this background, we can now better understand one of the key words in this section—rest (Heb. 3:11, 18; 4:1, 3–5, 8–11). The writer mentioned two different “rests” found in Old Testament history: (1) God’s Sabbath rest, when He ceased from His Creation activities (Gen. 2:2; Heb. 4:4); (2) Israel’s rest in Canaan (Deut. 12:9; Josh. 21:43–45; Heb. 3:11).

II.               But he saw in these “rests” illustrations of the spiritual experiences of believers today.

a.      The Sabbath rest is a picture of our rest in Christ through salvation (Heb. 4:3; see Matt. 11:28).

b.      The Canaan rest is a picture of our present rest as we claim our inheritance in Christ (Heb. 4:11–13; note the emphasis on the Word of God). The first is the rest of salvation; the second is the rest of submission.

c.      But there is a third rest that enters into the discussion, that future rest that all believers will enjoy with God. “There remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of God” (Heb. 4:9). This word for rest means—“a keeping of a Sabbath”—and this is the only place in the New Testament where this word is used. When the saints enter heaven, it will be like sharing God’s great Sabbath rest, with all labors and battles ended (Rev. 14:13).

d.      We may diagram these rests in this way:

Past                               Present                                                 Future

God’s Sabbath rest        Salvation Rest                                      Heaven

Israel’s Cannon rest       Submission Rest (Victory in Christ)

 

8.  Why do some people turn away from God? (Heb. 3:12-14)

 

I.                 Worldliness.  No believer today, Jew or Gentile, could go back into the Mosaic legal system since the temple is gone and there is no priesthood.

a.      But every believer is tempted to give up his confession of Christ and go back into the world system’s life of compromise and bondage.

b.      This is especially true during times of persecution and suffering. The fires of persecution have always purified the church because suffering separates true believers from the counterfeit.

c.      True believers are willing to suffer for Christ and they hold firmly to their convictions and their confession of faith (see Heb. 3:6, 14). We are not saved by holding to our confession. The fact that we hold to our confession is proof that we are God’s true children.

II.               Unsaved (v. 3:12). An “evil heart of unbelief.”

a.      This evil heart of unbelief is suspected in some of the readers, it is a heart in which the evil of unbelief is present, not in a passive, but in an active, pernicious—destructive, detrimental—condition. The attitude of these Hebrews toward the New Testament was not only of passive neglect, but one of an active opposition. 

b.      This could result in a deliberate and final rejection of the New Testament. This is different from a believer with a heart where unbelief is present.  This described one with an unbelieving heart—a heart solely and entirely controlled by unbelief where there is no faith whatever. Some of the Jews receiving this warning were not saved, but had merely given an intellectual assent to Jesus as the Messiahs and to the New Testament.

III.           Tragedy is also a reason people turn away from God. They find it impossible to believe that a ‘loving God’ would permit a tragedy in their family or life.  They become bitter against the Lord and blame Him for not preventing the tragic development. Emotional Pain.... People become angry with God and blame Him for some lost opportunity, mistreatment, abuse, suffering, or pain they have been carrying for years. Is there anything more frail than a bruised reed? Look at the bruised reed at the water's edge. A once slender and tall stalk of sturdy river grass, it is now bowed and bent.

Are you a bruised reed? Was it so long ago that you stood so tall, so proud? You were upright and sturdy, nourished by the waters and rooted in the riverbed of confidence.

Then something happened. You were bruised …

by harsh words

by a friend's anger

by a spouse's betrayal

by your own failure

by religion's rigidity.

And you were wounded, bent ever so slightly. Your hollow reed, once erect, now stooped, and hidden in the bulrush.

And the smoldering wick on the candle. Is there anything closer to death than a smoldering wick? Once aflame, now flickering and failing. Still warm from yesterday's passion, but no fire. Not yet cold, but far from hot. Was it that long ago you blazed with faith? Remember how you illuminated the path?

Then came the wind … the cold wind, the harsh wind. They said your ideas were foolish. They told you your dreams were too lofty. They scolded you for challenging the time-tested.

The constant wind wore down upon you. Oh, you stood strong for a moment (or maybe a lifetime), but the endless blast whipped your flickering flame, leaving you one pinch away from darkness.

The bruised reed and the smoldering wick. Society knows what to do with you. The world has a place for the beaten. The world will break you off; the world will snuff you out.

But the artists of Scripture proclaim that God won't. Painted on canvas after canvas is the tender touch of a Creator who has a special place for the bruised and weary of the world. A God who is the friend of the wounded heart. A God who is the keeper of your dreams. –From He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado

 

Question 8. This is a great opportunity for discussion. Rather than giving short answers, like “disobedience” or “tragedy,” take time to hear some actual stories about people whom the group members have known. Think ahead of time so you have a story to share to open the discussion.

9.  What can believers do to support and encourage each other during temptations to resist the will of God? (Heb. 3:13)

One antidote is mutual exhortation—a spirit of mutual concern and admonition among the Christian brotherhood. This is the way to avoid both apostasy and consequent judgment by the Living God. God’s people should be daily urging others not to forsake Christ for whatever reason they may have.  Local congregations must recognize that the hardening tendencies of sin can often be counteracted by truly concerned fellow Christians.

10.  What practical advice does this passage offer us on remaining faithful to God? (Heb. 3:13-15)

 

I.                 Believers are to warn and admonish one another to keep their hope and confidence in Christ. This brings to mind the warning to assemble together (10:25), which includes the opportunity for exhortation. Mutual strength comes through such encouragements; this is the effective countermeasure against hardened hearts and sin (v. 13). We must exercise this specific responsibility among believers until Christ comes for us.

II.               By so exhorting one another and thus encouraging faith and obedience, Christians prove they are indeed partakers of Christ in the blessings of the promised rest. The test of a believing heart is confidence steadfast unto the end (v. 14).

III.             Such encouragement should continue as long as it is called Today (v. 15).  In Psalm 95:7 it means something like “while you still have opportunity.” With reference to the lost it would mean as long as God’s offer of salvation by grace through faith continues. “Today” is the accepted time; it is the day of salvation.

IV.            Israel in the wilderness failed to enter into the Canaan rest (v. 19) because of unbelief. Can the warning be any plainer than this? 

 

Inspiration

Here is an uplifting thought.  

In reading carefully through the New Testament to see just what kind of an experience you can expect, I find that the New Testament sets forth only one. There is just one experience for which you can look—only one feeling you can expect—and that is the experience of faith. Believing is an experience as real as any experience, yet many are looking for something more—some dramatic sensation that will bring a physical thrill, while others look for some spectacular manifestation. Many have been told to look for such sensations, but the Bible says that a man is “justified by faith” and not by feeling. A man is saved by trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross and not by physical excitement or religious ecstasy.

But you may say to me, “What about feeling? Is there no place in saving faith for any feeling?” Certainly there is room for feeling in saving faith, but we are not saved by it. Whatever feeling there may be is only the result of saving faith, but it in itself is not what does the saving!…

Finally, someone may say, “I believe the historic facts of the gospel, but still I am not saved.” Perhaps so, for the faith that saves has one distinguishing quality—saving faith is a faith that produces obedience, it is a faith that brings about a way of life. Some have quite successfully imitated this way of life for a time, but for those who trust Christ for salvation, that faith brings about in them a desire to live out that inward experience of faith. It is a power that results in godly living and surrender.

(From Peace with God by Billy Graham)

 

Response

 

Use these questions to share more deeply with each other.

 

 

11.  Why should believers distinguish between faith and feelings?

 

 

Question 7. Be careful to maintain balance here. It's easy to get into a gender-related discussion about emotions. Because a person is emotional doesn't mean his/her faith is not real. Faith can lead to emotion. It just can't be based on emotion.

 

 

 

12.  How can you determine if your faith is real?

 

 

Question 8. Read James 2:14–17 (read through verse 26 if you don't mind a longer passage). Discuss current examples of faith without works.

 

 

 

13.  What can you do to ensure that your faith will endure?

 

 

Prayer

 

Father, we ask you to deepen our faith in you. Give us the strength to withstand temptation, overcome doubt, and remain loyal to you. At the end of our lives, may we hear your words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

 

Journaling

 

Take a few moments to record your personal insights from this lesson.

 

 

What steps can I take this week to strengthen my faith in God?

 

 

 

Additional Questions

 

 

14.  How can you avoid hardening your heart against God?

 

 

 

 

15.  What is the danger for Christians who neglect the fellowship of other believers?

 

 

 

Question 11. If you can, offer some examples of how your own life is different in proportion to the time you spend in fellowship with believers.

 

 

 

16.  What Christian friend can you encourage in spiritual matters? How?

 

 

 

For more Bible passages about remaining faithful, see Deuteronomy 11:13–18; 1 Samuel 12:24; 2 Samuel 22:26; 1 Kings 2:3,4; 2 Chronicles 19:9; Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 28:20; Matthew 25:19–23; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 10:12, 13; 3 John 3–5; Revelation 2:10; 17:14.

To complete the book of Hebrews during this twelve-part study, read Hebrews 3:1–19.