Blog Archives

Hebrews 4:1-16

5/28/2023

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
Series: Hebrews

Rusty's Notes

Review:

Redemption Rest – Forgiveness - Redeemed
Canaan Rest – Overcome the evil one
Sabbath Rest -

Sabbath Rest – David lived in Sabbath Rest at a young age… “How can I miss?”
Saul never experienced Sabbath Rest… “How can I hit him”

The difference is David knew God’s heart.

Psalm 95
WORSHIP AND WARNING
1 Come, let’s shout joyfully to the Lord,
shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let’s enter his presence with thanksgiving;
let’s shout triumphantly to him in song.
3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
4 The depths of the earth are in his hand,
and the mountain peaks are his.
5 The sea is his; he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let’s worship and bow down;
let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep under his care.,
Today, if you hear his voice:
8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the wilderness
9 where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was disgusted with that generation;
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray;
they do not know my ways.”
11 So I swore in my anger,
“They will not enter my rest.”[1]

THE PROMISED REST
HEBREWS 4
1 Therefore, since the promise to enter his rest remains, let us beware that none of you be found to have fallen short.

The promise has been there along according to Psalm 95.
“let us fear” – “to be fearfully anxious” - fear the wrath of God… not for our salvation but for our actual physical lives because 70 AD is coming.

2 For we also have received the good news just as they did. But the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith.

I heard on K-Love... "Easter is such a special time to tell people about the Good News."
Every day is a great day to tell someone about the Good News.

3 For we who have believed enter the rest, in keeping with what he has said, So I swore in my anger, “They will not enter my rest,” even though his works have been finished since the foundation of the world.

Number 13:27-33 - They reported to Moses, “We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey, and here is some of its fruit. (great news) 28 However, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites are living in the land of the Negev; the Hethites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan.”
Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, “Let’s go up now and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!”
But the men who had gone up with him responded, “We can’t attack the people because they are stronger than we are!” 32 So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they had scouted: “The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size. 33 We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.” [2]
They couldn’t enter Canaan rest because they wouldn’t even enter Canaan.
They couldn’t overcome the thoughts of their enemies even though God promised them.
Your thoughts about whatever is your enemy look like giants to you.
Who is responsible for overcoming the enemy?
Exodus 23:20-23 - “I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Be attentive to him and listen to him. Do not defy him, because he will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for my name is in him. 22 But if you will carefully obey him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. 23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.[3]
Their only problem was unbelief.
I promise you that you can never enter Canaan rest without experiencing war.
There will be a battle.

4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all his works.

Genesis 2:2 - On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.[4]
The Rabbis taught that since no evening was associated with the seventh day of creation, unlike the other six days of the week, that God’s rest continues throughout eternity.
Whatever God did for the kingdom today occurred at the initiation and foundation of creation.
God is very much at work in the lives of His people, but it was prepared in the beginning.
What God does now is apparently done in a state of rest.
Add to what God has already done the free will of man and bad choices

and we have this perfect world that has fallen.

We need to enter that same rest of God and rest of Jesus when He said, “It is finished.”

5 Again, in that passage he says, They will never enter my rest.

Sabbath rest = repent of sin, accept the Messiah as Savior and go on to spiritual maturity.

6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience,

This was a leadership issue.
The leaders couldn’t enter Canaan rest so neither could the followers.

7 he again specifies a certain day--today (it has always been available). He specified this speaking through David after such a long time:

Confirmation that God’s Word is written by men but inspired by God.

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

If you are a saint… Good News… You do hear His voice!!!

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

Sabbath Rest has always been available. Even in the Old Covenant… because David rested in it.
David rested from his own works and trusted.

9 Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people.

It’s not about a duty or responsibility… chill out… trust God… He will work through you… especially if you figure out the “Sabbath Rest”.
Know Him… know His heart.
What Christ did on the cross was complete.
We are capable of resting from our own works.

10 For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, then, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

Effort!! First… just stop doing things!!
Sit at His feet.
Know the heart of the Creator

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

God’s Word is active and able to change how we view things.
God’s Word can reveal motives in an instant.
I’ve had so many people telling me about choices that I needed to make and what God actually intended… yet, they had pursued the heart of God.
You can actually tell the difference in men who are pursuing the establishing of God’s Church (considered a valid & noble calling) from those who are pursuing God’s heart.

13 No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

God knows their hearts… and our hearts.

He knows the things we do in our strength vs His strength.

OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession.

“Hold fast to the confession.” – is not about salvation… but the Good News they had originally come to know.
Keep confessing Christ!

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus understood the battle with the enemy better than anyone.
Jesus understood living in a fallen world and dealing with pain and sorrow (lost his best friend).

16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.[5]

Grace = the desire and power to do God’s will.
Jesus is serving as our High Priest.
Only by grace could they walk in God’s strength and power… same for us.

Sabbath Rest –

My shoes… Students understand Sabbath rest yet are in the dessert.
I wanted to rewrite MercyMe songs… now we are family and going fly fishing this week.
When we learn to have Sabbath Rest… He does amazing things.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Ps 95:1–11). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nu 13:27–33). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Ex 23:20–23). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Ge 2:2). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 4:1–16). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.

Family Matters

5/21/2023

Teacher: Bob Dyer & Chief Ed Gebhart
Series: Stand Alone

Hebrews 3:1-19

5/14/2023

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
Series: Hebrews

Rusty's Notes

OUR APOSTLE AND HIGH PRIEST
HEBREWS 3
1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,

You are holy.
You were a sinner saved by grace.
You received total forgiveness… not partial.
Now you are a saint.

who share in a heavenly calling,

Philippians 3 – Citizens of heaven

consider Jesus,

Pursue intimacy with Jesus.

the apostle (sent with w a message… the message of grace) and high priest of our confession.

There was a priestly order.
Priests approach God on the behalf of men.
Jesus died so He could approach God on our behalf.

2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God’s household.

Appointed as a prophet… when He came to earth.
Currently serving as the High Priest for our sins.
Will return as king.
Moses was considered a faithful leader of the Jewish nation… but he was sinful.
Jesus is the faithful leader and without sin.

3 For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house.

Hebrew 1:3 - The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word.[1]
John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.[2]
Exodus 34 – Moses went to the top of Mt. Sinai.
When he came down, the Glory of God was shining on his face.
2 Corinthians 3:7-11 - Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory. 10 In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was set aside was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.[3]
Jesus created the nation of Israel. Because He is the Creator.
Is the Creator greater than the creation?

4 Now every house is built by someone, but the one who built everything is God.

Hebrews 1:2 - In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe, through him.[4]
Colossians 1:16 - For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him.[5]
Jesus is God, but at the same time His own individual.

5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future.

Moses was the greatest Jew alive in his time.
Deuteronomy 18:18 - I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.[6]
Numbers 20:7-11 - The Lord spoke to Moses, 8 “Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.”
So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence just as he had commanded him. 10 Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that abundant water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.[7]
When Moses struck the rock rather than speak to the rock, this was disobedience.
1 Corinthians 10:3-4 - They all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.[8]

6 But Christ was faithful as a Son over his household. And we are that household if we hold on to our confidence and the hope in which we boast.

Moses was a servant.
Jesus is the son.
Who is the greatest?
“And we are that household” – They needed the confidence of what they had already come to believe.
They were being pressured to change their mind about their faith.
They were being pressured to believe what they had already experienced and moved on from… continual sacrifices.
We are constantly challenged in our faith… in what we believe.
My Mom was always faithful to remind me about Jesus.
She also reminded me about my behavior.
But if I just focus on Jesus… He is going to take care of my behavior.

WARNING AGAINST UNBELIEF
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

Scripture is inspired by God.

Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested me, tried me,
and saw my works 10 for forty years.
Therefore, I was provoked to anger with that generation and said, “They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.”
11 So I swore in my anger,
“They will not enter my rest.” (Psalm 95:7-11)

That generation died in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb.
In Numbers, they wanted to return to Egypt, but God never let them return, because He was responsible for saving them.
This is the “redemption rest” we talked about 2 weeks ago.
They were supposed to enter into “Canaan rest” – Overcoming the evil one.
Learning to fight spiritual battles with spiritual weapons.

12 Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

Lose salvation? NO!
Unbelieving hearts could not enter into the land of Canaan.

13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.

Redemption rest, Canaan rest and Sabbath rest.
Salvation/forgiveness, overcoming the evil one, walking intimately with the Creator (rest from our own works)

14 For we have become participants in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start.

If we can live in Sabbath rest, the world will know Jesus and want the same.

15 As it is said:
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

64-66 AD – before the destruction of the temple.

16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt under Moses?

This is not about salvation… but about Canaan rest.

17 With whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.[9]

This is not about salvation.
This is about living an abundant life that was promised to us here on earth.
It is not about doing things in our own strength, such as obeying the Law.
It is about walking in the Spirit and allowing Him to work through us.
It is figuring out that we can live this life by allowing God to even breathe for us.
To live our lives by another source other than ourselves.

[1] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 1:3). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Jn 1:14). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (2 Co 3:7–11). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 1:2). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Col 1:16). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Dt 18:18). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Nu 20:7–11). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (1 Co 10:3–4). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 3:1–19). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.

Jesus & RVing

5/7/2023

Teacher: Keith Tyner
Series: Stand Alone

Keith's Notes

To be posted...

Hebrews 4:1-16

Rusty's Notes

Family Matters

Hebrews 3:1-19

Rusty's Notes

Jesus & RVing

Keith's Notes

Categories

Archives

Teachers