Hebrews Part 3 - The Test and the Rest

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Test and Rest

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Rest

Adam

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Rest & Glory
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Israel

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Promised Land
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For which ones heard and rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership?
And against whom was God provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness?
And to whom did he swear they would never enter into his rest, except those who were disobedient?
So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.

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Promised Rest
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Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.
For we had good news proclaimed to us just as they did…

Jesus

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All glory and honour
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But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house.
We are of his house,
if in fact we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope we take pride in.

For we have become partners with Christ,
if in fact we hold our initial confidence firm until the end.

For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.
Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.
For every high priest is taken from among the people and appointed to represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness,

Complete the line for me: “A good Christian...”
- Do we have any good Christians here?
- One of our main problems is that we are a mess as Christians
We frequently mess up, and at the same time think that the essence of what God is looking for is someone who never falls
- what God is looking for is not someone who never falls, but someone who trusts him
Illustration about being embarrased at having garbage in Tim Hortons—there are garbage cans provided, you don’t have to hide it under your coat in shame and embarassment!
Although it’s not good that we sin, it’s actually expected that we sin
- What God is really interested in is that we trust him
The only requirement in the book of Hebrews is that we hold on to Jesus
Jesus understands every single temptation that you have
- priest, like us, sharing in our humanity
- Often our problem is weakness —we don’t want to sin. Jesus understands
Often we don’t come to God because we don’t see him as being a God of compassion
- We see him as a stern disciplinarian
- He is standing there holding the wash-cloths ready

Are you in the house of Jesus [3:6]?
The only people to be in the house are those who hold firmly to Christ, who have a trust in him that is never going to give up

Our destiny is to be with Christ in glory

Heb 12:28 —we will receive a kingdom
Our destiny is to be kings with Jesus, to rule over angels,
Rev 3:21 —one of the most striking: “I will grant him to sit on my throne as I sat down with my Father on his throne”

It’s not about never sinning—Jesus has provided for this
It’s not about being strong—Jesus has provided for weakness
All we have to do is to be in the house (Heb 3:6)
- “We are of his house, if in fact we hold firmly to our confidence...”
The door is open, but to be inside you must have a full faith, not half hearted and dithering (Heb 4:1,3)
1. Therefore we must be wary that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it...
2. For we who have believed enter that rest