The Letter to the Hebrews
Fear Unbelief And Enter God’s Rest
Hebrews 3:15 – 4:10
Satan is a deceiver. He plans ways to mislead us so we do not see things as they are. And he works especially hard so we will not see the seriousness of sin in our lives --
- So if we nurse a grudge against someone, Satan whispers – “It’s OK – God understands how hard it is to forgive.”
- Or if we rarely pray or study God’s Word, Satan whispers – “No problem – God knows how busy things are in Silicon Valley.”
- Or if we love the 49ers or Black Friday or Chardonnay more than Jesus – Satan whispers – “You’re only human – don’t worry about it.”
And so, many believers do not see the seriousness of sin. Many of us here might not see the seriousness of sin.
But God loves us. And He has given us a tool to help us see through Satan’s deceptions. That tool is the Bible. God’s Word. And in today’s passage in Hebrews God is going to expose the lie that sin is not serious.
So let’s turn to Hebrews chapter 3. If you need a Bible, go ahead and raise your hand. Hebrews 3 is on page 1002 in the Bibles we are passing out.
We are in a section running from chapter 3 verse 7 through chapter 4 verse 10 in which the author wants us learn from what David says happened to Israel in Psalm 95. In 3:7-11 he urges us to not let our own hearts grow hard, like Israel did when in the wilderness. Then in vv.12-14 he urges us to take care so our brothers’ and sisters’ hearts don’t grow hard.
And that brings us to vv.15-19 where he answers a crucial question – How should we view sin in our lives? To answer that question – he quotes from Psalm 95. Let’s start with v.15 --
15 As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." [After Israel was freed from Egypt, she fell into total rebellion against God. Keep reading…]
16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses?
That’s shocking. Who were those who heard God’s Word and yet rebelled? Underline that word “all.” It was all those who left Egypt led by Moses. Now the author is not including Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, and maybe some others here. But the point is that virtually all of Israel ended up rebelling against God.
Think about it. They had been slaves in Egypt, had cried out to God, and God delivered them with supernatural signs and wonders to bring them into the Promised Land. They had seen God turn the Nile into blood, fill the land with darkness except where they lived, fill the land with frogs and gnats. They had heard the cries of the Egyptians who lost their first-born sons. They had seen the parting of the Red Sea. They had walked through the Red Sea on dry land – heading towards the Promised Land.
They had seen all of this – and yet all of them ended up rebelling against God – and ended up not entering the Promised Land. How did that happen? The author of Hebrews gives us three words -- sin, disobedience, and unbelief.
Read vv.17-19 --
17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?
19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
How did they move from seeing God’s miracles to so rebelling against God that He would not let them enter the Promised Land? It’s because they fell into sin, disobedience, and unbelief.
So the author of Hebrews wants us to understand that just as sin, disobedience, and unbelief kept Israel from the Promised Land – so sin, disobedience, and unbelief can keep us from heaven.
So when you see unbelief arising in your heart – that unbelief can grow and increase and take over your heart so you don’t enter heaven. Now if you have been genuinely saved -- that won’t happen. If you have been genuinely saved you can’t lose your salvation – because if you have been genuinely saved God will work in your heart so you take this warning seriously.
So the warning is crucial to understand. Sin, disobedience, and unbelief can keep us from heaven. When sin and unbelief grow in you it’s like a cancer is growing in you. And God, the Great Physician tells you – this is serious. That cancer is 100% treatable. But if you ignore it – it will kill you.
So if we are nursing a grudge against someone we should say – “This is treatable, but if I ignore it – it will kill me.”
Or if we rarely pray or study God’s Word we should say – “This is treatable, but if I ignore it – it will kill me.”
Or if we love the 49ers or Black Friday or Chardonnay more than Jesus we should say – “This is treatable, but if I ignore it – it will kill me.”
That’s how we should view sin, disobedience, and unbelief. But the author doesn’t leave us there. In chapter 4 he answers the question – How should we deal with sin, disobedience, and unbelief?
Look at what he says --
1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
When we see sin, disobedience, and unbelief rising in our hearts – we should fear. Even though it is treatable, we should fear – because left untreated it will kill us.
But isn’t it enough that you’ve heard the good news of the Gospel? No. Look at what he says in vv.2-3 --
2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, "As I swore in my wrath, 'They [those who continued in unbelief] shall not enter my rest,'" although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Notice. All of Israel heard the good news. But the vast majority did not enter God’s rest. Why? Because even though they heard – they did not believe. They allowed sin, disobedience, and unbelief to fill their hearts – and so did not enter God’s rest.
And so when we see sin, disobedience, and unbelief arising in our hearts – we should respond with fear – because we understand that that if left untreated then sin, disobedience, and unbelief could keep us from heaven.
Let’s say you are really bitter with someone – maybe someone at work, or maybe someone in your home group. You are really feeling bitter because they have hurt you.
But Jesus calls us to love our enemies. He calls us to forgive everyone who hurts us. He promises that He will so satisfy our hearts that He will more than make up for whatever anyone else has done to us. Which means that as long as you are not forgiving and holding on to your bitterness – you are not trusting Jesus. Unbelief is gaining ground in your heart.
So what should you do? Don’t fall for Satan’s deception and say – “It’s fine. God understands.” No. What you should do is fear. Fear the sin, disobedience, and unbelief of that bitterness. Fear it – because even though its treatable that bitterness could keep you from heaven.
OK – so you are fearing this bitterness – but how can it be treated? The answer is found in v.16. We will be digging more into this in the weeks ahead. But we’ve got to see what the treatment is. So look at what the author says in v.16 --
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Notice. When we feel bitterness rising in our hearts – the solution is to draw near to the throne of grace. This is a promise given by God in His Word. If you will draw near to the throne of grace – every single time you will receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He will treat the cancer of bitterness and you will be healed.
So how does this happen? Get some time to be alone – maybe at your desk, maybe kneeling by your bed. And turn you heart to Jesus Christ. Come to Him as you are. Confess your bitterness to Him. Trust His death on the Cross to forgive you. And ask for His power to free you from unbelief, and to strengthen your faith.
Pray Mark 9:24 – “I believe, help my unbelief!” And since faith comes from hearing God’s Word –open God’s Word to a passage which helps with bitterness and unforgiveness – a passage like Matthew 18. And pray over that passage, trust that passage, think about that passage. And as you do that you will feel the Holy Spirit making Jesus so real to you that your bitterness dissolves and your faith is renewed and you are able to forgive the one who hurt you.
So that’s how we deal with sin, disobedience, and unbelief. By fearing it – and running to the throne of grace.
But now I don’t want to make this sound easy. Sometimes it is; most of the time for me it isn’t. The fight of faith is a fight. It is hard to turn your heart from nursing a grudge to talking to Jesus. It’s work – hard work.
And that’s why in vv.3-10 the author tells us what we will gain if we take on this hard work. Let’s put the question this way – what will we gain if we respond to sin in this way?
The answer is that we will enter God’s Rest. Here’s the question. When the Old Testament describes God’s Rest is it just describing the Promised Land – which means it’s not part of our future? Or did the Old Testament describe it as something besides the Promised Land which is part of our future?
That’s the point in vv.3-10. These verses are complicated – but let’s work through them one at a time --
3 For we who have believed enter that rest, 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.
4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works."
So God’s Rest started on the seventh day of Creation. Which means God’s Rest came into existence before Israel and the Promised Land. So God’s Rest is not the Promised Land.
So keep reading in v.5 --
5 And again in this passage he said, "They shall not enter my rest."
Now that verse in Psalm 95 describes what God said to Israel as she was on her way TO the Promised Land – “You will not enter my rest – the Promised Land of Canaan.” But David uses this verse to talk to his readers who already are IN the Promised Land.
So if God is telling those who are already IN the Promised Land that they are in danger of not entering God’s Rest – then God’s Rest must be something different from the Promised Land of Canaan.
You can see that in vv.6-8 --
6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
7 again he appoints a certain day, "Today," saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.
If Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land had brought Israel into God’s Rest, then David would not have talked about how his readers might not enter God’s Rest.
Which brings the author to the conclusion of vv.9-10 --
9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
So the point of these verses is that God’s Rest awaits us in the future. God’s Rest is not the Promised Land Israel entered thousands of years ago. Genesis 2 and Psalm 95 show that God’s Rest is something that awaits us in the future.
God’s Rest. Both of those words are crucial. It’s God’s Rest – which means you will be brought to Your Creator, Your Father, in whose presence is fullness of joy. Seeing Him, beholding Him, worshiping Him is the ultimate joy in the universe. And that joy will be yours – in God’s Rest.
But it’s also God’s Rest. Where you will rest from your works as God did from His. Now we work. Now we fight the fight of faith, we draw near to the throne of grace, we pray, we trust God’s promises. And it is not easy. It is a battle.
But it’s worth it – a million times over – because it will bring you to God’s Rest – where you will never again need to fight sin, disobedience, and unbelief. You will rest. In God. With all the Redeemed. Forever.