1 The Rest of the Bible The Rest

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The Rest of the Bible

The “Rest” of the Bible

The First Rest Gen. 2: 1 -3 1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 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. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

The First Sabbath Ex. 16: 23 -30 n n n God gives manna with specific instructions Gather 1 omer person per day On the sixth day, gather twice as much On the seventh day, don’t gather, rest 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none … 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

The Fourth Commandment Ex 20: 8 -11 “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ” 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. ” 8

The Fourth Commandment, Again Deut. 5: 12 -15 “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. ” 15 “And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. ” 12

Other Sabbath Commandments n n n n More specifications, stated and restated Ex. 23: 10 -13 Ex. 31: 12 -18 Ex. 34: 18 -24 Ex. 35: 1 -3 Lev. 16: 29 -34 Lev. 23: 3, 26 -32

Importance of the Sabbath n n Plenty of rules regarding, happened regularly Maybe wanted to keep working Required trust in God to stop working Caused them to consider and remember: God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh n they/their ancestors were slaves in Egypt and God brought them out n

The Land of Rest n n Deut 12: 9 “for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the LORD your God is giving you. ” Josh 1: 10 -15 “to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess … The LORD your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land …”

Some Didn’t Make It Ps. 95: 6 -11 n 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. ’ ” 10

God’s Promises Kept 1 Kings 8: 54 -56 n n Then he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: 56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. (1 Chr. 22: 18) 55

Rest for the Israelites n n n Physical nation of God’s people No more wandering – they’re home! No more slavery – they work for themselves No more enemies – a time of peace Except … n When God had to punish them by bringing enemies up against them in war, who would eventually overtake them and enslave them

Another Rest? Isa. 11: 1 -10 n n n 10 “ And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious. ” What’s this? A rest for Gentiles? Yes.

A Shadow of Things to Come, an Example n n Col. 2: 16 -17 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 1 Cor. 10: 5 -6, 11 – Those who disobeyed and didn’t enter into the land of rest are an example to us.

A Shadow of What? Matt. 11: 28 -30 n n 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. ” 28 Jesus gives rest for our souls – eternal, spiritual rest; not physical.

The Promise of Rest Heb. 4: 1 -11 n n n v 1. – entering the rest is still possible and is conditional v 2. – hearing + faith obedience; hearing alone is not enough (more later) v 3. – “rest” in quote applies to the eternal rest; those who obey will enter, those who don’t, wont.

The Promise of Rest Heb. 4: 1 -11 n n n v 4, 5. – different times and ways God refers to His rest – connects Sabbath, land of rest, and eternal rest v 6. – some will enter, disobedient will not v 7. – “saying in David ‘Today’” – even after they were already in the land of rest

The Promise of Rest Heb. 4: 1 -11 n n v 8. – footnote: Grk. Jesus = Heb. Joshua - if Canaan was the ultimate and final rest, there would be no mention of another day still coming v 9. – conclusion: There is still a rest coming for God’s people - difference: God’s people are God’s people by qualification, not by birth

The Promise of Rest Heb. 4: 1 -11 n n v 10. – parallel between God finishing His work then resting and man finishing his work (on Earth) then resting (in Heaven) v 11. – Therefore, be diligent to enter that rest!!!!

The Unfaithful Will Not Enter the Rest Heb. 3: 7 -19 n n n v 16. – hearing isn’t enough – they rebelled v 17. – those who sinned died in the wilderness v 18. – those who did not obey did not enter his rest

The Unfaithful Will Not Enter the Rest n n Heb. 3: 7 -19 v 19. – “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. ” What is called ‘rebellion’, ‘sinning’, and ‘disobedience’ in v 16 -18 is summed up in v 19 as ‘unbelief’. unbelief = Strong’s 570 = faithlessness If you do not obey, then you did not truly believe

Summary of Hebrews 3 and 4 n n There is still a rest to come – an eternal rest It is possible to enter into this rest, but there are conditions It is necessary to believe and obey Otherwise you will die in your sins like those who disobeyed and died in the wilderness, missing out on the rest that was promised to them.

Rest/No Rest Rev. 14: 11, 13 n n v 11. – No rest for the tormented souls of sinners. No rest. No. Rest. v 13. – those who “die in the Lord” will have “rest from their labors”.

“rest from their labors” Rev. 14: 13 n n n Gen. 2: God worked six days, then rested Ex. 16: gather manna for six days, then rest 4 th Cmt: for six days you shall work; on the seventh, do no work. Josh 1: help your brethren secure the land, then enjoy your land rest Heb 4: strive diligently! Matt 11: rest for those who labor and are heavy laden

Summary of the Rest n n n God’s Rest, After Creating the Earth The Sabbath Rest The Land of Rest The Eternal Rest For Our Souls And now you know… the rest of the story.

“die in the Lord” Rev. 14: 13 n n to be “in Christ” when your life is over the opposite of “dying in your sins” Rom. 6: 3 -4 – baptism is how we get “into Christ” v 22, 23 – everlasting life is the reward for obedience and sinlessness