Sunday
Morning Bible Study
July
1, 2018
Introduction
We don’t know for sure who wrote the book of Hebrews, but we do have a
pretty good idea of who it was written to.
Hebrews was written to Jewish believers.
The author expects the
readers to be well acquainted with Levitical worship and sacrifice.
He will constantly quote the Old Testament in a way that expects that the
reader understands what he’s talking about.
We also know that these believers were encountering very strong
persecution.
Times were so bad that some were beginning to wonder if they shouldn’t quit
following Jesus.
We will see three elements woven throughout this letter to the Hebrews.
1. Both Testaments
Even though the Old Testament has become “obsolete” (Heb. 8:13), the entire
book of Hebrews is built upon the clear foundation of the Old Testament.
(Hebrews 8:13 NKJV)
In
that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what
is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
You aren’t going to understand Hebrews, or even the New Testament correctly
unless you learn the Old Testament.
2. Jesus is superior
He’s superior to angels.
He’s superior to Moses and the Torah.
He’s superior to the Levitical priests and their sacrifices.
3. Don’t quit
The ultimate goal of the book is to encourage those who are struggling with
difficult times, and help them to endure.
There’s much to find strength from and not quit.
3:16-19 Wilderness Failure
The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years when God
raised up Moses and brought the plagues to force the Egyptians to let the
people go.
After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for
forty years. It’s this “wilderness” time
that the author of Hebrews has been talking about.
It’s during those 40 years in the wilderness that the people continually
complained and rebelled.
The generation of adults who had been delivered from Egypt would not see
the Promised Land.
The people would finally come into the Promised Land, the “land of rest”,
under the leadership of Moses’ protégé, Joshua.
Last week, the author took a look at Psalm 95, where David gives a warning to
be careful lest we develop hard hearts like the people in the wilderness.
(Psalm 95:7b–11
NKJV) —7 …Today, if you will hear His voice: 8 “Do not harden your hearts, as in
the rebellion, As in
the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work. 10 For forty
years I was grieved with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who
go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways.’ 11 So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
We talked last week that David is actually referring to an episode of
Israel in those wilderness days.
It was at a place known as Massah and Meribah, when the people complained
about the lack of water.
:16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came
out of Egypt, led by Moses?
:16 who, having heard, rebelled?
rebelled – parapikraino (“alongside”
+ “to embitter”) – to provoke, exasperate; to rouse to indignation
When the people came out of Egypt, they camped at Mount Sinai.
It’s there they heard God’s voice (Ex. 19:17-19)
(Exodus 19:17–19
NKJV) —17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and
they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its
smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked
greatly. 19 And when the
blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke,
and God answered him by voice.
Moses would later describe that moment:
(Deuteronomy 4:36
NKJV) Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct
you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the
midst of the fire.
These people, who will be the ones who DON’T make it into the Promised
Land, had actually heard God speak, audibly.
From time to time I’ll hear someone say, “If God did a miracle, or if I
heard God’s voice, then I’d believe”.
Oh really? These people heard and
they didn’t believe.
having heard – akouo – to
hear
Aorist participle
who came out of – exerchomai –
to go or come forth of
Aorist participle
:17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those
who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
sinned – hamartano – to be
without a share in; to miss the mark; to err, be mistaken; to miss or wander
from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong; to wander from the
law of God, violate God’s law, sin
corpses – kolon – a member of a body, particularly
the more external and prominent members esp. the feet; a dead body, corpse,
inasmuch as the members of a corpse are loose and fall apart
:17 with whom was He angry forty years?
was He angry –
prosochthizo – be angry with, to be
wroth or displeased with; to loathe; to spew out; to be disgusted with
During those forty years of wandering in the wilderness, God was “angry”
with them … and for a reason…
:17 whose corpses fell in the wilderness?
Note this phrase. We’ll see it again
in a minute in the Old Testament.
:18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to
those who did not obey?
swear – omnuo – to swear;
to affirm, promise, threaten, with an oath
:18 they would not enter His rest
It was in Psalm 95:11 that God declared they would not “enter His rest”.
This word for “rest” is the main thread through today’s study (9x).
rest – katapausis – a
putting to rest; a resting place
This word, as well as it’s verb form katapauo
will be used quite a few times throughout our study. It’s the main thread.
:18 but to those who did not obey?
did not obey – apeitheo (“not”
+ “persuade”) – not to allow one’s self to be persuaded; to refuse or withhold
belief; to refuse belief and obedience; not to comply with
It was those who were “unpersuaded”, who refused to believe, that didn’t go
into the Promised Land.
The Old King James here reads:
(Hebrews 3:18 AV) And to whom
sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed
not?
Lesson
Persuaded
After the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, they camped for awhile at
Mount Sinai where they received God’s laws, built the Tabernacle, and were
organized as a fighting force.
Then Moses sent twelve spies (Num. 13) into the Promised Land to bring back
a report of what was up ahead.
The spies were gone for forty days, and when they returned, there were two
distinct reports given.
Joshua and Caleb reported that the land was a wonderful place to live in,
overflowing with milk and honey, and God would help them conquer the land.
The other ten could talk about nothing but the problems they would face –
that there were giants in the land – and that the Israelites would never be
able to conquer the land.
When the people heard these two reports, they latched on to the “bad”
report. They started complaining and
said that they would NOT go into this Promised Land.
God was not very happy with their reply.
He was “angry”.
(Numbers
14:11 NKJV) Then the Lord said to
Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe
Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
They weren’t “persuaded”.
In the end, this was God’s verdict for these people who continually
rejected Him:
(Numbers
14:32–35 NKJV) —32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this
wilderness. 33 And your
sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your
infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 According to
the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each
day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you
shall know My rejection. 35 I the Lord have
spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are
gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and
there they shall die.’ ”
Notice the use of “carcasses” or “corpses” in vs. 33.
Notice God’s swearing an oath in vs. 35.
I think it’s a shame that most translations put the focus on “obedience” when
the word is really about believing.
Are you persuaded?
Persuasion does affect actions.
If you’re persuaded, your actions should show it.
What if I told you that you were ill with a terminal illness, and that you
only had weeks left to live?
What if I showed you the results of all the tests that showed this were
true? Some people will still refuse to be persuaded.
What if I told you that there was a cure for your illness and it was 100%
effective?
Would you be interested in the cure?
Sin is the illness. Sin is killing
you, and Jesus is the only answer.
Jesus died in your place. He offers the only remedy to sin
– forgiveness, if you will just trust Him.
What if I told you that your favorite breakfast food was killing you? What if I showed you scientific data proving
that your brand of muffin was filled with a slow acting poison, and the more
you eat, the deadlier it gets?
Would you be willing to switch to a different brand of muffin? Or would you choose to keep eating that
poisonous food?
There is something that’s killing you.
The sins we are tempted with are indeed a poison, and they’re not making us
healthier.
Are you persuaded? Are you willing
to stop eating the poison?
Would you be willing to ask for help?
The ones who didn’t enter God’s Promise Land were “unpersuaded”.
:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
unbelief – apistia –
unfaithfulness, faithless; want of faith, unbelief; weakness of faith
:19 they could not enter in because of unbelief
they could – dunamai – to be able, have power; to be
capable
They didn’t have the power to enter because of their unbelief.
Lesson
The Power of Trust
If they had just trusted God, they would have had the power to enter the
Promised Land.
Yet an entire generation didn’t attempt to enter the Promised Land because
they didn’t believe God was bigger than their giants.
Are you concerned about the giants you’re facing?
Is God big enough to take on your giants?
Illustration
Available Power
Herbert Jackson told how,
as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push.
After pondering his problem, he devised a plan.
He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some
children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park
on a hill or leave the engine running.
He used this ingenious procedure for two years. Ill health forced the
Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his
arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the
hood. Before the explanation was
complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only
trouble is this loose cable.” He gave
the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s
astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had
become routine. The power was there all
the time. Only a loose connection kept
Jackson from putting the power to work.
What if the “loose
connection” that’s keeping you from getting your life started is the simple
fact that you don’t trust God?
J.B.Phillips paraphrases
Ephesians 1:19-20,
“How
tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God.”
4:1-10 Promised Rest
:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear
lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
fear – phobeo – to put to
flight by terrifying (to scare away); to fear, be afraid; to be struck with
fear, to be seized with alarm; to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference
or reverential obedience
Aorist passive subjunctive
remains – kataleipo – to
leave behind; to depart from, leave; to be left; of those who sail past a place
without stopping
a promise – epaggelia –
announcement; promise; the act of promising, a promise given or to be given; a
promised good or blessing
you seem – dokeo – to be
of opinion, think, suppose; to seem, to be accounted, reputed
Present active subjunctive
to have come short – hustereo –
behind; to come late or too tardily; to be left behind in the race and so fail
to reach the goal, to fall short of the end; metaph. fail to become a partaker,
fall back from; to fail, be wanting
Perfect active infinitive
:1 a promise remains of entering His rest
rest – katapausis (“down”
+ “to cease”) – a putting to rest; calming of the winds; a resting place
metaph. the heavenly blessedness in which God dwells, and of which he has
promised to make persevering believers in Christ partakers after the toils and
trials of life on earth are ended
Present active participle
The word is a present tense – speaking of continuous action.
In other words, at this time there is still a chance to “enter His rest”
Lesson
Trust and Rest
The writer uses the word “rest” with several different ideas in mind:
It’s descriptive of Israel’s “Promised Land”.
It’s descriptive of our ultimate rest in “heaven”.
In our passage, the Promised Land becomes a metaphor for
heaven.
This is the main focus of our passage.
The Bible also uses the word “rest” in a different way.
It can describe the “inner peace” available to the Christian.
Jesus said,
(Matthew
11:28–30 NKJV) —28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My
burden is light.”
Jesus invites us to learn what His “rest” is.
I think one of the ways we experience this is trusting Him
in prayer.
(Philippians
4:6–7 NLT) —6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell
God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you
will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His
peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Just praying isn’t enough.
It’s prayer with thanksgiving – thanking God because you actually trust
Him to help you – that’s what brings the peace, the rest.
Video: OneTimeBlind
– Trust Fall
There’s so much more that can happen in our lives when we
simply learn to trust Him.
:1 let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short
The writer is concerned that some of his readers might not make it into
God’s rest, God’s salvation.
:2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the
word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those
who heard it.
gospel was preached – euaggelizo
– to bring good news, to announce glad tidings
did not profit – opheleo – to assist, to be useful or
advantageous, to profit
word – logos – word
they heard – akoe – the
sense of hearing; the thing heard; of preaching the gospel
being mixed with – sugkerannumi
– to mix together, commingle; to unite; caused the several parts to combine
into an organic structure, which is the body; to unite one thing to another
:2 the gospel was preached to us as well as to them
The word “gospel” means “good news”.
The Israelites had the “good news” preached to them when Joshua and Caleb
told them that God could help them despite the giants.
(Numbers 14:7b–8
NKJV) —7 …“The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly
good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring
us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’
In other words, God would make sure they would be able to conquer it if
they would trust Him and move forward.
The gospel I preach to you today is the good news that:
God has taken care of your sins through the work of Jesus Christ in His
death and resurrection, and if you will believe it, it has the power to change
your life.
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
:2 the word … did not profit them, not being mixed with faith
The benefit of hearing good news doesn’t come by just hearing it, it comes
when you believe it.
Lesson
Believing Benefits
The value of Bible Study is not in learning lots of “stuff”.
The value comes when you believe it.
When I talk about finding God’s peace in prayer – it’s not
going to do you a bit of good until you come to the point where you believe it
and do it (pray).
The value of the gospel doesn’t come from me telling you about it.
Salvation comes when you start believing it.
:3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I
swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’ ” although
the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
I have sworn – omnuo – to
swear; to affirm, promise, threaten, with an oath; in swearing to call a person
or thing as witness, to invoke, swear by
wrath – orge – anger, the
natural disposition, temper, character; movement or agitation of the soul,
impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but esp. anger; anger, wrath,
indignation; anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself
foundation – katabole – a
throwing or laying down; a founding (laying down a foundation)
were finished – ginomai –
to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being; to become,
i.e. to come to pass, happen; to be made, finished; to become, be made
:3 we who have believed do enter that rest
The writer has been making the contrast that the Israelites in the
wilderness did NOT enter that rest because of their unbelief.
Yet those of us who DO believe will enter into this “rest”.
:3 the works were finished from the foundation of the world
Work and rest are opposites.
If you’re working, you’re not resting.
If you’re resting, you’re not working.
The concept of “God’s rest” stretches all the way back to the days of
creation, the “foundation of the world”.
The writer gets this idea from…
:4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this
way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;
seventh – hebdomos –
seventh
rested – katapauo – to
make quiet, to cause to be at rest, to grant rest; to lead to a quiet abode; to
still, restrain, to cause (one striving to do something) to desist; to rest,
take rest
:4 God rested on the seventh day
The author has found our word “rest” all the way back in Genesis, back at
the time of creation, the “foundation of the world” (Gen. 2:2)
(Genesis 2:2 NKJV) And on the
seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh
day from all His work which He had done.
:5 and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.”
:5 They shall not enter My rest
Again quoting from Psalm 95:11.
The author has circled the word “rested” in Genesis 2:2, then circled the
word “rest” from Psalm 95:11, and connected the two.
This “rest” that the Israelites didn’t enter dates back to the time of creation. Heaven has been available since the
beginning.
In both texts in the Septuagint, the word for rest is various forms of katapauo.
rest – katapausis – a
putting to rest; a resting place
:6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to
whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,
(they were “unpersuaded”)
:7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,”
after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”
since – epei – when,
since; of time: after; of cause: since, seeing that, because
it remains – apoleipo – to
leave, to leave behind; to desert or forsake
disobedience – apeitheia –
obstinacy, obstinate opposition to the divine will
Again, this word means “unpersuaded”
he designates – horizo –
to define; to mark out the boundaries or limits (of any place or thing) 1b to
determine, appoint; that which has been determined, acc. to appointment,
decree; to ordain, determine, appoint
Today – semeron – this
(very) day); what has happened today
:7 Today, if you will hear His voice
The writer is again making a point quoting Psalm 95:7.
:6 therefore it remains that some must enter it
Here’s the point the writer trying to make.
There still remains a “rest” that can be entered into.
If we set up a timeline:
God established the principle of rest at creation (Gen. 2:2) when He
“rested”.
The story that Psalm 95 is referring to is back in the days of Moses and
Joshua, 1400 BC.
Moses didn’t enter the Promised Land, but Joshua did bring
the nation in.
David then writes Psalm 95, referring to the days of Moses, and encourages
people not to harden their hearts because there’s a “rest” to be entered into.
David’s “today” was 400 years after Moses, saying that
“rest” is still available, so don’t harden your heart.
So that means that “rest” is still available.
:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have
spoken of another day.
:8 if Joshua had given them rest
given them rest – katapauo –
to make quiet, to cause to be at rest, to grant rest
Joshua – Iesous – “Yahweh
is salvation”
The Old King James has “Jesus” here, but we know from the context that it’s
talking about Moses’ protégé Joshua, not Jesus the Son of God.
Joshua took over after Moses and brought Israel into the Promised Land
around 1400BC, but if Joshua had brought the people this true “rest”, then
David wouldn’t have written (in Ps. 95) that there still remained a “rest” 400
years later.
One concept of this “rest” was “rest from their enemies”.
Even though Joshua conquered the majority of the land, there were still
some areas that went unconquered, and their enemies rose up from time to time.
:9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
remains – apoleipo – to
leave, to leave behind; to desert or forsake
:9 a rest for the people of God
For the entire passage today, the author has used a single word for “rest”
(katapauo, 9x)
The author now switches and uses a new word for the first time.
a rest – sabbatismos – a
keeping of Sabbath
The word “Sabbath” means literally “seventh” and comes from the seventh day
when God “rested”.
We might translate this, “There remains therefore a “sabbathing” for the
people of God”. (or, “sabbatical”)
The writer has brought us back to Genesis 2:2, the first “Sabbath”, when
God rested.
The Jews were commanded to “remember the Sabbath” by not working (Ex.
20:8-11) because God “rested” on the seventh day.
We might think of how the Jews interpreted this to mean they couldn’t
prepare food, light a fire, or carry something.
Our writer is tying the rest of heaven (salvation) with a ceasing from
“works”
We rest from works because He rested from works.
(Exodus 20:8–11
NKJV) —8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you
shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall
do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor
your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within
your gates. 11 For in
six days the Lord made the
heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the
seventh day. Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
There was great controversy between Jesus and the Pharisees over their
interpretations of the “Sabbath”.
The Pharisees got upset at Jesus for healing people on the Sabbath because
that was considered “work”,
:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works
as God did from His.
:10 has himself also ceased from his works
rest – katapausis – a
putting to rest; calming of the winds; a resting place; metaph. the heavenly
blessedness in which God dwells, and of which he has promised to make
persevering believers in Christ partakers after the toils and trials of life on
earth are ended
ceased – katapauo – to
make quiet, to cause to be at rest, to grant rest; to lead to a quiet abode; to
still, restrain, to cause (one striving to do something) to desist; to rest,
take rest
The words for “rest” and “ceased” are two forms of that same word for “rest”
– katapauo.
We could translate this, “For he who has entered His rest has himself also
rested from his works as God did from
His.”
Lesson
Salvation Rest
The one who has truly entered into God’s salvation rest will have learned
to “rest” from work, just as God has rested.
We no longer need to earn our salvation by our good works because we have
trusted in Christ’s finished work on the cross.
A true faith in Christ will produce a change in your life that results in
you living a life of good works, but our works follow salvation, they don’t
produce it.
Maybe you’ve got this notion that if you’re going to be saved, you need to
do certain things first.
Maybe you think you need to quit smoking.
Maybe you think you need to stop drinking.
Maybe you think you need to clean up your language.
None of those things are enough to save you. Our works simply show that He’s really
changed you.
Illustration
Back in the 1800s there was a famous acrobat known as “The Great Blondin”.
In particular, he became famous for his tightrope walking across Niagara
Falls, which he did numerous times.
He performed a back somersault on the line.
He lowered a rope to a boat below, raised up a bottle, and took a drink.
He crossed once blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow.
He crossed once on a bicycle.
His most daring crossing involved carrying a man on his
back.
My friends, getting to heaven is quite a bit more difficult than crossing
Niagara Falls on a tightrope.
Frankly, you’re not able to get there on your own.
But there’s someone who’s quite good at it, and all you
need to do is get up on His shoulders.
And rest.
You just need to trust Him.
Dave Dunagan Appreciation
It was almost 25 years ago that Dave Dunagan and I started a
partnership. We started a church. Today is Dave’s last Sunday as official
“worship leader” and I wanted to just take a few minutes to say “thanks” to an
amazing friend.
Video
Gifts – card w/gift cards; crystal flame award, Thank you picture
Passing the baton
Cake