Hebrews 4:9-16
Hebrews 4:9-16 is such a powerful and important passage to have a grasp of and allow to bolster one’s faith. I find myself often allowing the truths in these verses to direct me and encourage me. May the truths here be helpful to you as well!
Salvation: 9-11, There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
1. A rest for those who are saved. Rest is a marker of someone truly saved for a peace sweeps into their being. It is a peace that goes beyond comprehension. It is the realization that one is safe in Jesus and destined for a glorious eternity despite the ills and struggles of today. A WOW settles in! The drive to please and excel out of fear is replaced by a drive to please out of love.
2. True salvation is acquired by a faith – a belief – in the work of Jesus. It is a grasp that He took the full brunt of God’s wrath for one’s sins, transgressions and iniquities and that He has enfolded the repentant one to Himself simply by their agreement with Him and embrace of Him as their Savior. “Jesus paid it all – all to Him I owe!” So – be saved! Yet, only on His terms!
3. If saved, shed the “I have to do this and that” mentality. If saved by faith, there is no more a fret and push to be clean and busy. If His, it is a joy, love and peace – it is a REST! If truly saved then be “diligent” to trust in, rely on, and cling to Jesus and His work. Rest in Jesus!
Justice: 12-13, For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all thing are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
1. God knows and speaks. God has declared all the truth needed to cut through the fog and self-wisdom men possess. The Bible does what no human can do – separate soul and spirit (ah, so we are triune beings!). The Bible overcomes our thinking and wisdom.
2. The Bible teaches us that God “gets us” – fully! He knows our thoughts, intents, eyerolls, doings, words, pride and failings – God knows, God cares and God deals. It is a reminder that there is nothing we might do that Jesus didn’t pay for and that we have no need to revert to thinking we need to do something so to restore a relationship lost because of what we did.
3. The lesson here is that one saved is passionate about God’s will and truth and thus a student of the Bible. Be reminded of Christ’s “finished” work, that one is safe in Jesus, so don’t fall back into the legalisms of works – “I have to do this or that in order to be saved or stay saved.”
Help: 14-16, Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
1. Jesus, our intermediary - our high priest - is GREAT, in Heaven and is God! All are WOW’s!
2. Jesus’ victories over temptation, legalism, weaknesses, and death and His entrance into the fullness of love, joy, peace, beauty and purpose - markers of existence in the presence of the Father - are grounds for perseverance because He knows, cares and can!
3. As His, through a “diligent”-driven-faith in His work that alone saves, we are invited to come to a throne of grace (Romans 8:34) through Jesus with confidence with our needs and issues and He promises mercy (not getting what we deserve) and grace (getting what we don’t deserve).
4. So - in everything by prayer…let your requests be made known to God, Philippians 4:6.
In summary: Jesus has done ALL the work and offers a rest from all the legalisms and attempts to try to please God that leaves one wondering and yet fearful and one can find wisdom and direction from the Bible in how to live a life of rest and look to and use Jesus to know freedom (mercy) and goodness (grace) so to continue to experience a life of rest. REST is offered and found in Jesus! Glory - Hallelujah!!
Salvation: 9-11, There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
1. A rest for those who are saved. Rest is a marker of someone truly saved for a peace sweeps into their being. It is a peace that goes beyond comprehension. It is the realization that one is safe in Jesus and destined for a glorious eternity despite the ills and struggles of today. A WOW settles in! The drive to please and excel out of fear is replaced by a drive to please out of love.
2. True salvation is acquired by a faith – a belief – in the work of Jesus. It is a grasp that He took the full brunt of God’s wrath for one’s sins, transgressions and iniquities and that He has enfolded the repentant one to Himself simply by their agreement with Him and embrace of Him as their Savior. “Jesus paid it all – all to Him I owe!” So – be saved! Yet, only on His terms!
3. If saved, shed the “I have to do this and that” mentality. If saved by faith, there is no more a fret and push to be clean and busy. If His, it is a joy, love and peace – it is a REST! If truly saved then be “diligent” to trust in, rely on, and cling to Jesus and His work. Rest in Jesus!
Justice: 12-13, For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all thing are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
1. God knows and speaks. God has declared all the truth needed to cut through the fog and self-wisdom men possess. The Bible does what no human can do – separate soul and spirit (ah, so we are triune beings!). The Bible overcomes our thinking and wisdom.
2. The Bible teaches us that God “gets us” – fully! He knows our thoughts, intents, eyerolls, doings, words, pride and failings – God knows, God cares and God deals. It is a reminder that there is nothing we might do that Jesus didn’t pay for and that we have no need to revert to thinking we need to do something so to restore a relationship lost because of what we did.
3. The lesson here is that one saved is passionate about God’s will and truth and thus a student of the Bible. Be reminded of Christ’s “finished” work, that one is safe in Jesus, so don’t fall back into the legalisms of works – “I have to do this or that in order to be saved or stay saved.”
Help: 14-16, Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
1. Jesus, our intermediary - our high priest - is GREAT, in Heaven and is God! All are WOW’s!
2. Jesus’ victories over temptation, legalism, weaknesses, and death and His entrance into the fullness of love, joy, peace, beauty and purpose - markers of existence in the presence of the Father - are grounds for perseverance because He knows, cares and can!
3. As His, through a “diligent”-driven-faith in His work that alone saves, we are invited to come to a throne of grace (Romans 8:34) through Jesus with confidence with our needs and issues and He promises mercy (not getting what we deserve) and grace (getting what we don’t deserve).
4. So - in everything by prayer…let your requests be made known to God, Philippians 4:6.
In summary: Jesus has done ALL the work and offers a rest from all the legalisms and attempts to try to please God that leaves one wondering and yet fearful and one can find wisdom and direction from the Bible in how to live a life of rest and look to and use Jesus to know freedom (mercy) and goodness (grace) so to continue to experience a life of rest. REST is offered and found in Jesus! Glory - Hallelujah!!
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