Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen

The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost (2009)

There Remains a Sabbath Rest for God’s People Rev. Toby Byrd

Hebrews 4:9-13 (ESV)

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, [10] for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

[11] Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. [12] 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. [13] 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.

Life’s troubles certainly burden our spirits. Sometimes it seems as if hardly a day passes by when we’re not overburdened by the problems of life; problems which manifest themselves at home, at church, at school, or on the job. Sometimes we’re tempted to ask, “Is it really worth it? Is it really worth concerning ourselves with problems over which we have no control?” Then, we pray, “Please God, remove these blights from my life and let me live in peace.”

Our Lord knew that we would be plagued by such thoughts sooner or later and thus He informed us to expect them. He told us, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ESV). Therefore, since our loving Lord knew before hand how discouraged we would become while facing the problems of life, He led the writer to the Hebrews to lift our spirits and to provide us with the necessary courage and comfort to face the world, He led the writer to remind us that, “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (v. 9).

As we heard last week, the writer to the Hebrews takes them back to the time their ancestors had wandered the wilderness for forty years because of their disobedience. This journey discouraged many, they grumbled against God and some even fell away from the Lord.

During their pilgrimage, they had the promise of God concerning this wonderful land to which He was leading them. Throughout their weary journey the Lord gave them evidence of His divine presence through His personal guidance and help, as well as His display of His majestic power at Mount Sinai. There was not a single day when His presence was not known. During this journey, the Israelites came to know that Canaan was, “a Sabbath rest for the people of God.”

Thus, the writer to the Hebrews discusses Canaan with his readers because he wants to point them to their Sabbath rest; heaven. This is their eternal rest; moreover, it is an infinitely better rest than the land which their ancestors occupied. Those who entered Canaan entered through great trial and tribulation in the wilderness. But those who enter the eternal “Sabbath rest for the people of God” enter only through the labor, the bitter sufferings, and the atoning death of our great High Priest, the very Son of God; Jesus Christ. This rest is the fulfillment of the promise He made to His redeemed children.

The writer reminds his readers of the sufferings of their ancestors so as to warn them against becoming weary on their journey through life. He warns them concerning the fate of those who did not take God at His Word; those who let the cares and fears of life turn them to doubt or unbelief. The writer to the Hebrews loves his people and, as such, he wants only to give them instruction, comfort, and courage. He desires to draw them away from their traditions of relying on the Law for salvation by bringing them back to Christ. For only in Christ will they find the true, “Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Thus, through his admonition to his readers, the writer to the Hebrews turns our hearts and our minds to Christ. His words remind us that our Lord said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31 ESV).

Moreover, without question, we would love to live our lives without discord and without trouble, but human flesh will always get in the way of that desire. Like the Israelites, our life is also a pilgrimage. Therefore, just like the ancient Hebrews who wandered in the wilderness, our feet also walk on foreign soil; for this world is not our ultimate home. Based on God’s goodness and wisdom, some of us will walk longer than most, still others will have a shorter walk. Regardless of the length of our walk upon this wilderness known as earth, all too often that walk will be a restless one. It can be no other way because the fact is, this isn’t our final rest, it isn’t our final home. Rather it is a temporary abode filled with anguish and anxiety.

During their forty year journey in the wilderness the Jews at times felt the guiding hand of God to be very near; at other times they murmured and complained. Take a moment and reflect on your past life and count the many times you experienced the guiding and sustaining hand of the Lord. It might have been during times of illness, unemployment, poverty, bereavement, anxiety over a loved one, fear, or doubt. Such reflection will show you that in those times God did not let you down. God did not give you more than you could bear. God was with you just as He assured the disciples, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 ESV). Although buffeted by the assaults of the world and Satan you could take great solace in the words of our Lord when He said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12 ESV).

Perhaps you have also experienced, as did many of the Children of Israel, that the Lord’s threats are just as sure as His promises. Have you ever seen a friend or a relative drift away from our Lord and His Word because they enjoyed the pleasures of this world more? Have you seen homes broken and husband and wife forsake God because they never gave God a fair chance to help them in their problems? Have you ever seen young people carried away from true religion by an affectionate lover who was only a lover of flesh and not of God? Have you ever seen a housewife drawn into despair because her drunken husband fails to provide the necessities of life for his family? Have you ever seen children leave their home because parents and children never learned to understand each other in a Christian manner? Moreover, and sadly, too many have seen a church member drift or fall away from the church because he or she couldn’t get along with the pastor or other members of the church.

Fears and doubts arise in the hearts of millions everyday because of the cares and worries of this present life. When things don’t go just as they think they should, many become impatient and despair. Taking matters into their own hands they seek fleshly solutions to their problems. This is so because they fail to recognize that their problems are only some of the “trials” or “tribulations” through which they must go before they reach that final, “Sabbath rest for the people of God.”

To the Israelites, that rest came when they entered the promised land of Canaan; a land of milk and honey, a land of promise, a land which gave them everything their faithful God had promised. However, to the readers of today’s Epistle Reading and to ourselves, the land of rest we seek has far more significance than a pleasant countryside to live in.

You are believers! You are children of God, heirs to His heavenly home; because of what our Lord Jesus did for you on the cross, you already have eternal life. Called by God, you live in an intimate relationship with Christ, our Savior. Through His precious gift of faith, you are given the power to realize your sinfulness. More importantly, you also realize that your sins are forgiven for the sake of our Lord Jesus. He earned that forgiveness through His substitutionary death on Calvary’s Cross. Thus, your salvation is guaranteed by our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God who became the sacrifier and the sacrifice for your sins. For He willing went to the Cross in complete obedience to His heavenly Father and laid down His life for yours. Then on Ascension Day, Christ, our Savior, rose into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. Now that He is there, you long for the day when you can be with Him seeing Him face-to-face, in His heavenly home. How truly blessed you are that Jesus has come into your life, filing your heart with His Holy Spirit and leading you daily to live the baptized life of repentance. The life you now have is no longer your own, it belongs to Christ.

However, our Lord isn’t quite ready to take you into that, “Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Most likely He has a few more trials and tribulations that He wants you to endure. In that case those trials and tribulations are meant to purify your faith and to strengthen your resolve so you might carry out His will in this life. Perhaps His plan is to use those trials and tribulations to help you bring others to Christ. Without question, He has work for you to do while it is still day. Our Lord Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35 ESV). Thus, through the Gospel teaching of the apostles, you have been given the whole loaf. Just as our Lord fed 5,000 with two little fish and five small loaves, your Gospel witness can feed the souls of countless people in your circle of friends and in your neighborhood. Moreover, as you witness the love of Christ to others, unlike food that perishes when eaten, your faith will not diminish, rather it will grow. Truly, we know this is not an easy task, yet we are comforted by the words of St. Paul who said, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5 ESV). And again he said, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12 ESV).

Thus, as you travel the road of life, you know you will meet people, both in and out of the Church, who simply don’t believe that they are ever ready or able to speak the truth in love. They will argue with you, they will slander you; they will even make fun of you behind your back. However, I urge you to remain firm in your love of our Lord, Jesus Christ. For if you share that Bread of Life while enduring the pain of trial and tribulation; mockery and slander will not touch you for you will be constantly looking toward that, “Sabbath rest for the people of God” (v. 9).

The day is drawing to a close when all the work of your short-lived life will be over. To all who have loved Him, who have been true to Him as their only Savior, Jesus will give a true Sabbath rest. For a day will come when God will send His angel to close your eyes in death then to reopen them to eternal life in Christ Jesus. There you will experience the promises of God; for there will be no more tears or hearts saddened by funerals. The trials and tribulations you suffered in this life will be gone forever, never to plague you again. For it is our Lord who says; “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4 ESV).

Therefore, I ask you, does your soul cry out for God? Do you have problems you cannot solve? Are you downcast? If so, then turn to the only solution that can resolve your problems forever; our Lord, Jesus Christ. Only He knows your problems and your needs. He can and He will help you. Cling to the baptized life, living your lives daily in contrition and repentance. Immerse yourself in God’s Holy Word becoming eminently familiar with Holy Scripture through daily reading and use your newfound resource to become a valiant defender of the truth of God’s Word. Then, regardless of the number and scope of your problems, you can rest assured that there is an eternal “Sabbath rest for the people of God” (v. 9).

Thus, as we sojourn through this vale of tears let us do so connected to our Lord Jesus taking great comfort in His Words of love, which say to us, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. . . . Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10 ESV). Amen.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.