So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

Hebrews 4:1-11

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. Hebrews 4:1-11

I continue my study of Hebrews, and in the text today - Hebrews 4:1-11 - the author further dives into the rest that God provides.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: VV1, 9-11: God offers a promise to enter his rest - both a physical rest, but most importantly a spiritual rest - a peace that surpasses understanding, and eternal life.  V7: The offer to claim God's promise to enter His rest is time-bound therefore we should act with urgency to do this "today" or as soon as possible.   
• What do we learn from the text about people?: VV2-3, 5-7: We are reminded that there were some on the journey to the promised land that did not enter God's rest because of unbelief rebelliousness. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid not seeing God's hand in the world (creation, etc.) and in your own life - do not harden your heart as you will be lured away from God by temptation, sin, and rebelliousness. Believe and claim the promise of God's rest both today and eternally, a physical and spiritual rest.  Follow the example of Joshua and Caleb who had faith and believe and trust in God's plan (and promise) to lead Israel to the Promised Land.  Trust God. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves - You provide a peace that surpasses understanding and gives eternal life.  Thank You Jesus for this rest!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 3:7-19

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13

I continue my study of Hebrews, and in the text today - Hebrews 3:7-19 - the author (speaking to Jewish believers who well understood the Old Testament and its biblical heroes such as Moses) seeks for readers to not suffer the same fate as the first generation of Israelites who were rescued by God and escaped Egypt, but were not able to enter the promise land (God's rest) due to their rebelliousness.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: V7 shares how scripture is God-breathed and divinely authored - see also 2 Timothy 3:16.  This verse (and v15) refer to Psalm 95:7-11, where David also warns (see also Hebrews 3:8, 12-13) believers not to miss God's hand and to avoid hardening of hearts and putting God to the test.  We also see God as a living God (v12) - not a distant, unseeing, unaware and uncaring God - if we abide in Him, He lives and works in our hearts (John 15:1-10).  God makes a promise (vv11, 19) - one that we don't to see - that if we don't believe, we cannot enter God's rest - and if you don't this is eternal damnation.   
• What do we learn from the text about people?: When we wander and go astray from God - which we are prone to do - we fail to recognize and see His hand in our lives and then we experience hardness of heart, leading to falling away.  God wired us to live not just in fellowship with Him, but also with other believers and we are encouraged to "exhort one another every day" (v13) to stay close to Him with our spiritual disciplines (study of Word, prayer, etc.). 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid straying from fellowship with Him lest you develop a hardened heart. Claim the promise that God lives in your heart if you abide in Him and He never stops working for good.  Follow the example of Joshua and Caleb who maintained steadfast faith and saw God's hand and were able to enter God's rest. Hold confidence in Him firm until the end.

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves!  I am not deserving of how You love, save, and bless through Your Word, the Holy Spirit, the church, and my brothers and sisters in Christ. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

Hebrews 4

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Hebrews 4:9-10

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 4:1-13, as I move on to what the commentary describes as the second division "Entering by Urgency," which looks at Hebrews 4:3-10. The commentary describes how the text, since Hebrews 3:7, maintains an emphasis on how believers can only enter "God's rest" through believe and faith in Jesus Christ.  It states that this repetition is important because "[t]his is a message stubborn sinners need to hear over and over again."  The commentary then highlights how the text uses the word "today" (2x in v7) to urge those hearing the gospel message to not delay in placing their faith in Christ: "God has appointed today for us so that we might respond to his call in faith and not harden our hearts. We cannot presume upon tomorrow. Today may be the only day we have left. But as long as you have today, you have an invitation to faith." The commentary wraps for this division by stating: "[l]ike John 3:16, Hebrews 4:10 powerfully captures the message of the gospel in a single verse. The gospel is not morality. The gospel is not external religion. Nor is it a seven-step program for obtaining a better life. The gospel is the message of Christ’s accomplishments on our behalf so that we might “rest” from our works by trusting in his work. When we trust in Christ’s work, we rest from trusting our own."  Believe in Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of all humanity, so that You can enter God's rest! 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me rest from a works-based salvation and rest for eternity!  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

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. 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.

Hebrews 4

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. 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. Hebrews 4:1-2

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 4:1-13, as I build on my post yesterday, and lean on commentary for this text.  I start with the commentary's overview of this text "Let Us Enter His Rest," and then move to what the commentary describes as the first division "Entering by Faith," which looks at Hebrews 4:1-2.  The commentary for this text starts by exploring what is meant by God's rest and it shares: "The [promised] land was indicative of God’s promise to Abraham and signified God’s plan to restore creation after the fall corrupted it....It meant enjoying and entering God’s plan of salvation and inhabiting the very place where God set his dwelling....While [the Israelites] may have physically entered the territory of Canaan, they never truly entered into the spiritual rest that the territory typified." The author of Hebrews uses this text to remind the audience of how their ancestors failed to enter God's rest when the entered the promised land, and also to warn them that now that the Good News of Jesus has been preached, they should not fail to believe and trust once again.  The first key point raised by the commentary indicates that "simply hearing the message of the gospel is insufficient for salvation." We are referred to Matthew 13:10-15 (which in turn refers to Isaiah 6). The second key point is that "the only appropriate response to the gospel is faith. Israel heard the promises and warnings of God but did not respond with faith. As a result, they perished in the wilderness." The third key point is that intellectual understanding of the Good News is not enough - you must believe and have faith.  The final key point raised by the commentary for the text this morning is that "the message of salvation was not different for those in the Old Testament....This text, however, demonstrates that the same “good news” preached in the new covenant was also preached in the old covenant. Of course, now that Christ has come and fully revealed the Father (John 14:8-9), new covenant believers have a fuller picture and a greater understanding of how God has acted to save. Nevertheless, old covenant saints were saved by faith in the promises of God just as we are today. Paul makes this clear in Romans 4:1-25 when he argues that Abraham was justified by faith." Pray to God to "spiritually hear His Word, have faith - believe, and lean on all of scripture both the Old and New Testament as the inerrant Word of God.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - thank You for giving me Your Word and for my salvation!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

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.

Hebrews 4

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. Hebrews 4:12-13

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 4:1-13, and my initial unaided observations of this text.  Once again, just as it did in Hebrews 3, the text in Hebrews 4 starts with "therefore," connecting this chapter with the previous, and in Hebrews 4 the text starts with a warning to fear God and fear falling away so that we can "enter His rest." The text describes how the first generation Israelites did not enter His rest by saying in v2: "[f]or 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."  The implication is that we should be, as Hebrews 3 emphasizes, and per my post yesterday, in fellowship and community with other believers - let us exhort and encourage one another daily. God's rest is defined in Hebrews 4 in v9-10 as the rest God had on the seventh day of creation, after laying the foundation of the earth: "[s] then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his."  The implication here is that believers can rest from a focus on faith based on works and instead receive rest through faith alone in Jesus Christ.  The word "today" is mentioned twice, implying urgency for us to follow the warnings of the author to not fall away.  The text wraps by sharing why believers should fear God - it is because He is all knowing - and all of us will have to account for our lives upon final judgement, either upon death or when Jesus returns a second (final) time.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God - You give me rest and peace of mind like no other - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a blessing, nor of any the blessings You pour out for me, including my salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

Hebrews 3

Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” Hebrews 3:10-11

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 3:7-19, as I build on my post yesterday, and lean on commentary for this text.  I start with the commentary's overview of this text "Exhort and Encourage for the Sake of Faith," and then move to what the commentary describes as the first division "Learning from a Bad Example," which looks at Hebrews 3:7-11. The commentary highlights the text's first few words that follow "therefore", which sadly I overlooked in my initial reading yesterday.  These words are "as the Holy Spirit says," and the commentary indicates: "[the author of Hebrews] prefaces a quotation of the Psalms with the words, “as the Holy Spirit says.” In doing so, the author dramatically affirms the divine inspiration of Scripture."  The commentary then outlines how the use of these words accomplish two tasks: "[f]irst, it teaches us that God is the author of Scripture. It teaches us, “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21)....When we hear Scripture, read Scripture, study Scripture, or encounter Scripture in any way, we can be confident God is speaking to us.  Second, it affirms the living character of Scripture. The author does not use the past tense. He does not say, “The Holy Spirit said.” He uses the present tense. Every time we open the Bible, the Holy Spirit speaks. Even though the biblical authors recorded these words long ago, they are still living words.  The author of Hebrews explicitly argues this in the next chapter: “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12)."  The commentary then shares how the text uses the word "today" in v7 and how this emphasizes the urgency of believing today, not to put off any decision of faith.  It then moves to share why the author used the story of how the Israelites wandered through the wilderness and lost faith - we are exhorted to remain faithful.  "[The author] wants [readers] to make it to the true land of rest." Of course this true land of rest is through faith in Jesus Christ. The commentary defines rest as "safety, security, and salvation."  The commentary wraps its examination of Hebrews 3:7-11 by indicating the serious and sobering nature of either not believing or losing faith as the Israelites did in the wilderness: "[j]ust as he did with Israel, God will shut out from his rest those who rebel, walk in unfaithfulness, and presume on the grace of God. Like faithless Israel, those who presume on the grace of God will die on the wrong side of the Jordan. We must hold firmly today lest we wake up outside God’s eternal rest." Hold firm in your faith!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God - thank You for how You help me remain firm in my faith - by providing Your Word, the Holy Spirit, my church, brothers and sisters in Christ, etc.  Thank You Jesus for these blessings.  I am not deserving of such blessings. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

So we see that they were unable to enter [His rest] because of unbelief.

Hebrews 3

So we see that they were unable to enter [His rest] because of unbelief. Hebrews 3:19

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 3:7-19, and my initial unaided observations of this text. Starting tomorrow and through the day after that, I will lean on my commentary and how it describes and unpacks this text.  The text starts with "therefore" - which of course forces us to examine how this text connects with the previous text in Hebrews 3:1-6 where the primary themes (see yesterday's post and posts just prior to yesterday) are how Jesus is greater than Moses, and how Jesus is faithful.  In light of how Jesus is faithful, believers are encouraged to avoid turning away (apostasy) or losing faith/trust in Jesus in the same way that many of the Jews did in the wilderness as Moses led them through the wilderness after escaping bondage in Egypt.  Inviting sin and evil into our lives allows for such turning away and v13 speaks of these influences. Lack of faith itself is indeed a sin. V12-13 exhort believers to encourage each other, and to help other believers stay strong in their faith.  The text twice (Hebrews 7:11, 15) refers to Psalm 95:7-11 in the warning the author of Hebrews uses to "if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."  The text ends by describing the consequences of falling away or losing faith - no rest! As an antidote to such falling away or losing faith, as it says in v14, let us "hold our original confidence [in Him] firm to the end."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You ARE faithful and I need Your provision and my brothers and sisters in Christ to help me hold firm to You until the end.  I know things get very hard but You will never leave or forsake me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such faithfulness.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.