Hebrews - Rest

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
​Series: Hebrews

Rusty's Notes

I John 2:12-13 - I am writing to you, little children, since your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one.[1]
Physical Rest – Redeemed of Israel
         1) First Generation (Those 20 years and older in Numbers 14:26-30)
         2) Second Generation (Those under 20 years of age)

1. Redemption Rest – Rest from physical bondage in Egypt
    - The first and most basic of the three levels of rest.
            1) Entered – Exodus 6:6-8 - “Therefore tell the Israelites: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians and rescue you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.”[2]
            2) Entered – Exodus 6:6-8
   
   
2. Canaan Rest – Rest that came with trusting God to overcome the enemy.
   - Not a rest that is achieved when they die and go to heaven.
            1) Failed to enter – Numbers 14:26-30 - Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long must I endure this evil community that keeps complaining about me? I have heard the Israelites’ complaints that they make against me. 28 Tell them: As I live—this is the Lord’s declaration—I will do to you exactly as I heard you say. 29 Your corpses will fall in this wilderness—all of you who were registered in the census, the entire number of you twenty years old or more—because you have complained about me. 30 I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.[3]

         2) Entered – Joshua 21:43-45 - So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The Lord gave them rest on every side according to all he had sworn to their ancestors. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the Lord handed over all their enemies to them. 45 None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled.[4]

1. Sabbath Rest – Comes with true spiritual maturity; the abundant life associated with knowing the Creator intimately.
            1) Failed to enter – Hebrews 3:16–19 - For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt under Moses? 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. [5]

         2) Failed to enter – Hebrews 4:8 - For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.[6]
Spiritual Rest – Hebrew Christians & Redeemed of all time.
         1) Believers in Hebrews
         2) All believers of all time

1.  Redemption Rest – Rest from spiritual bondage to sin
            1) Entered – Hebrews 3:1 - Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.[7]
   
   
2. Canaan Rest – Rest that comes with trusting God to overcome the enemy.
            1) Had begun to enter but had failed to fully enter – Hebrews 10:32-35 - Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. 34 For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession., 35 So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.[8]
   
   
3. Sabbath Rest – Comes with true spiritual maturity; the abundant life associated with knowing the Creator intimately.
            1) Encouraged to enter – Hebrews 4:9-11 - Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. 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.[9]

Spiritual Rest – Hebrew Christians & Redeemed of all time.
         1) Believers in Hebrews
         2) All believers of all time

1.  Redemption Rest – Rest from spiritual bondage to sin
            2) Entered – Hebrews 11:6 - Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.[10]
   
   
2. Canaan Rest – Rest that comes with trusting God to overcome the enemy.
            2) Encouraged to enter – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.[11]
   
   

Sabbath Rest – Comes with true spiritual maturity; the abundant life associated with knowing the Creator intimately.
         2) – Encouraged to enter – Psalm 95:7-11 - 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.[12]
 
I John 2:12-13 - I am writing to you, little children,
since your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one.[13]

[1] Christian Standard Bible (1 Jn 2:12–13). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible (Ex 6:6–8). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible (Nu 14:26–30). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] Christian Standard Bible (Jos 21:43–45). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[5] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 3:16–19). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[6] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 4:8). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 3:1). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[8] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 10:32–35). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[9] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 4:9–11). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Christian Standard Bible (Heb 11:6). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[11] Christian Standard Bible (2 Co 10:3–5). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Christian Standard Bible (Ps 95:7–11). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.
[13] Christian Standard Bible (1 Jn 2:12–13). (2020). Holman Bible Publishers.