Fear and strive to enter God’s eternal rest.

Sermon Transcript

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever been at the airport when the gate agent announces that your flight is oversold and the airline is offering a voucher to anyone who will volunteer to take a later flight? One time, and one time only, I decided to be one of those volunteers. On that day, I kid you not, I received over $2,000 in free airline vouchers. So, Andrea and I decided to go on the hiking trip of a lifetime that we had always dreamed about, to the Swiss Alps. Hiking in the Alps was both more beautiful and more strenuous than we could have imagined. I can still remember one hike where we climbed all day through some of the steepest, most gorgeous mountains I’ve ever been on, and then carefully trekked across a sky bridge, with deadly falls possible off either side, to a summit that sat above the clouds. If you’ve ever hiked a difficult summit, then you know there really is no rest quite like the rest on a summit, at the top of a mountain, at the end of a long hike. You feel like you never want to come down…or stand up for that matter.

The letter to the Hebrews pictures the Christian life like a long, beautiful, yet strenuous hiking path toward an eternal summit rest promised to all who persevere to the end. Like the beautiful, yet strenuous hikes in the Alps, many who begin on the path of faith find the trek too arduous and turn back, never reaching the eternal summit. Our passage from Hebrews was written to encourage you and encourage me to persevere on the path of faith to the very end, trusting God’s promise to bring all who love and trust Christ into His eternal rest. The main point of the passage is revealed in Hebrews 4:1, 12. Hebrews 4:1 – 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…Let us therefore strive to enter that rest…” That brings us to the big idea of our passage this morning: Fear and strive to enter God’s eternal rest. Fear and strive to enter God’s eternal rest. Point out how odd this big idea is. This morning we are going to take the big idea of the passage in three parts: 1. The rest 2. The fear 3. The striving. To walk the narrow path of faith to the end and enjoy the eternal summit rest promised to all who are in Christ, we will explore the rest, the fear, and the striving.

THE REST

The first thing that we need to know about God’s eternal rest is that it’s still available. One of the most iconic mountain summits to hike in the United States is half dome in Yosemite National Park. People come from all over the world to hike to the summit of half dome. Hiking half dome is challenging; it takes fear and striving to reach the summit. Unfortunately, hiking half dome is dangerous, so they close the summit when the weather is bad. Of course, if the summit is closed, no one continues to strive to reach it. The reason why we strive to reach God’s eternal summit rest at the end of the pilgrimage of faith is because the promise of entering his rest still stands. The summit is open. Hebrews 4:1 – 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. The promise of entering God’s eternal rest still stands for all who believe in Christ.

Now, why is the availability of God’s eternal rest in question? Because some who began the trek of faith in the past turned back and failed to enter God’s rest. Hebrews 4:2-3a – 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. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest…” These verses look back on one of the greatest breaches of faith that God’s old covenant people ever committed. After the Lord rescued his people out of slavery in Egypt, he brought them through the Red Sea on dry ground, drowning their murderous pursuers in the process. Once on the other side of the Red Sea, the people danced and sang the Lord’s praises. For the next forty years, as the people journeyed from the shores of the Red Sea to the edge of the land that the Lord promised to give them, He miraculously provided for their every need. However, when the time came to enter the land that God had promised them, nearly an entire generation refused to believe God’s promise and, as a result, they failed to enter God’s rest in God’s land. The author of Hebrews is making a present application from past unbelief and the present application is this: Though they failed to enter God’s rest because of unbelief, the promise of entering God’s rest still stands if you believe. The summit is still open. All who walk the path of faith in Christ to the end will enter God’s eternal summit rest.

We know that the summit is still open for a few reasons. First, verse four tells us that God is still resting. After creating, forming, and filling the heavens and the earth in the space of six days, the Lord rested from the work of creation on the seventh day. He didn’t rest because he was tired, he rested because his work was complete. And since God is still resting, the promise of entering his rest still stands. Second, we know that the promise of entering God’s summit rest still stands because verse seven says that if we hear his voice today, we shouldn’t harden our hearts, but receive it by faith. He wouldn’t invite us to the summit if it were already closed. Finally, we know that the promise of entering God’s eternal rest still stands because even the unbelieving generation died out and Joshua brought Israel into the Promised Land, they never enjoyed complete rest from their enemies. A better rest must remain. Hebrews 4:9-10 – So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. The word sabbath (Shabbat), means rest, but this verse is pointing us to a rest that is better than a good nap or one day off from work a week. This verse is pointing our eyes forward to a day when the difficult trek of faith, with all of its thorns and thistles, is behind us. This verse is pointing toward an eternal summit where all the tears we’ve cried on the beautiful, arduous path are wiped away and we enter into the peace and joy of God that is promised to all who walk by faith in Christ to the path’s end. We will rest from the toil of this life just like God rested from his toil of creation because the work is done. Revelation 14:13 provides a picture of it: And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” The eternal summit rest that awaits all who trek the path of faith in Christ to the end is exquisite beyond words. That’s the rest. But to reach that rest, we must turn secondly to…

THE FEAR

When it comes to hiking, there is one indispensable element necessary to reach a truly magnificent summit: fear. A healthy fear will cause you to pack the right gear, carry bear spray, know your map, and have an idea of how long the trek will take so you don’t get caught in the dark or the afternoon lightning. It’s no different for reaching the eternal summit rest that God promises to all who receive and rest in Christ. Fear is necessary. Hebrews 4:1 – 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. To walk the path of faith to the end and enter God’s eternal rest, God tells us that we have to fear not reaching it. Now, if you’re familiar with the Bible, then “let us fear” should sound like a strange command in your ears. After all, one of the most common commands in the Bible is “do not fear.” However, the command “do not fear” is usually followed by God saying “for I am with you.” We should not be controlled by fear as we walk the path of faith toward God’s promised eternal rest because He sustains us as we walk. However, we should have a healthy fear of turning back. We should have a healthy of giving ourselves over to unbelief, failing to persevere on the path of faith, and facing God’s judgment. Fear of falling off the path in unbelief is a good thing because it helps keep us on the path. Warning’s serve the promise.

Sometimes when Andrea and I hike we see rock climbers. Every good rock climber has a healthy fear of falling to serious injury or death. Their fear motivates them to take proper precautions so that they make it to the summit safely. Fear of falling leads them to double check the safety of their ropes, clips and holds. That’s the kind of fear being commanded in this passage. It’s the fear of unbelief that keeps us walking by faith. It’s fear of falling that keeps us clinging to our Father.

Question: What threats to your faith do you need to fear, lest you turn back on the path and fail to enter God’s rest? What threats to your faith do you need to fear? There are threats everywhere, but they’re not all equally threatening to everyone. For example, I’ve seen physical suffering shipwreck a man’s faith. He seemed to love the Lord with all his heart, went into a season of health trouble and physical pain, and chose to turn back on the path and abandon the Lord. It’s a real threat. But for me, I’ve experienced enough physical discomfort and suffering since I started the walk of faith that I know it’s not the threat I need to fear most. It’s more necessary for me to fear the unbelief of despair, lest I turn back on the path of faith and fail to enter God’s rest. What threatens to turn you back on the path that you need to fear? For some of you it could be simple or significant life changes and transitions that get you out of the habit of gathering with God’s people, which we learned last week leads to an unbelieving heart. For others of you it could be disillusionment with a Christian leader or relationships that leads you to turn from Christ rather than properly grieving sins committed against you. Others of you may need to fear your desire to be comfortable because if you don’t fear a love of comfort it will lead you off the beautiful, yet arduous, path of faith. Ironically, sometimes it’s the expectation that this life feel like heaven that leads you to abandon your faith and not enter God’s heavenly rest. And all of us need to fear the unbelief of unrepentant sin. Sometimes we treat sin like dieting. “I’ll start next month.” “I’ll give up porn next month.” “I’ll forgive my husband or wife and start putting them above myself when I’m not so hurt or mad.” “I’ll honor God with my finances when I have more.” I’ll seek out Christian fellowship in a more manageable season.” “I’ll abide in Christ when I’m less busy.” Little do you know, like giving up junk food, it gets harder to give up the longer you indulge. To enter God’s rest, fear the unbelief that threatens to turn you back from the path of faith.

The fear referred to in this passage isn’t panic that paralyzes. It’s an attitude that animates action. What action does proper fear animate for the Christian pilgrim on the way to eternal rest? Fear and strive to enter God’s eternal rest. We’ve seen the rest and the fear, let’s turn finally to…

THE STRIVING

When the Christian appropriately fears falling off the narrow path and failing to enter the eternal rest that God promises, that fear animates a particular action that all true pilgrims have in common: striving. Hebrews 4:11 – Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. I want you to be sure that you notice the first two words in Hebrews 4:11 – “Let us.” Christian striving isn’t just a prescription for especially weak Christians who are in obvious danger of falling off the path, nor is striving just for highly motivated type-A Christians who strive at everything. Christian striving is for all Christians: let us. Christian striving is for all who want to walk the narrow path of faith to the end and enter the summit of God’s eternal rest.

Now, some of us don’t particularly like the idea of the path of faith in this life requiring striving. We mistakenly think that the hike should feel like the summit. Citylight Church – this kind of thinking is so dangerous. Life by faith, marriage by faith, career by faith, parenting by faith, money by faith, sex by faith, it doesn’t feel like rest, it feels like striving. We strive now so that we persevere by faith until the end and enter God’s eternal rest. Strive.

What are we striving for? We get a hint right here in Hebrews 4:11, when it says to “strive so that we don’t fall by the same sort of disobedience.” Their disobedience was unbelief. In other words, the Christian pilgrimage is a striving of faith, it’s a battle to believe God’s word and show our faith through our obedience. And that is why our passage concludes with verses about the abiding power of God’s word. Hebrews 4:12-13 – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

We need God’s word to enter God’s rest. We need to strive to read it, listen to it, and understand it. We need to make time to read it individually, study it deeply, and hear it corporately. But we don’t stop there. We strive to know the God revealed in Scripture, trust his promises, and obey his voice. We strive to repent when God’s word reveals our sin, to be encouraged when God’s word comforts our sufferings, and be courageous as God’s word calls us forward. We strive to enter God’s rest by the power of his word. Treasure his word, learn his word, pray his word, and live by faith in His word. Fear and strive to enter God’s eternal rest. Warning – God’s word will judge you if you don’t believe.

CONCLUSION

Every summit in this life will let you down. Andrea had to climb down from that summit in the Alps. It was rough! The let down of summits in this life: you have to come down. It’s not permanent. When we complete the narrow path, however, we will be welcomed into a city whose designer and builder is God and we’ll never come down off of that mountain top. Don’t give up. Don’t turn back. Fear and strive to enter God’s rest.