Hebrews
Lesson 36 December 8, 2005
NKJ 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Hebrews
4
We’re in Hebrews 4. Hebrews 4 is part of this second
major section in Hebrews. Hebrews 4 is part of the conclusion. As I have stated
before (and I say this so much at the beginning of every tape) that the writer
of Hebrews writes this message with 5 major points each ending with an
exhortation or challenge or application in which there is a serious warning to
pay attention to certain things related to the Christian life and not to take
lightly what is said in the Word.
This section began back in 2:5 and extends down
through the end of chapter 4. From 3:7 through the end of chapter 4 we have our
warning section, our exhortation section or challenge or application and
warning. It is based upon a quote from Psalm 95:7-11 that is based upon the
events that occurred to Israel at Kadesh Barnea where Israel had the
opportunity to go into the land that God had promised them. They failed to
enter the land because they failed to trust God. They followed the human
viewpoint advice of ten of the spies. They said, “We just can’t do it. There
are too many walled cities. There are too many people. There are giants. We
can’t do it.” They did not trust God as Joshua and Caleb did.
So God after this whole series of events of
disobedience which we have studied finally lowered the boom and said that they
would not enter the land. They would all die in the wilderness except for Caleb
and Joshua. “You have now forfeited your right to enter into My rest.” This is
a technical term for the Promised Land.
So there are three key ideas that we studied and
developed in 3:7–19. These are foundational to understanding the thrust
of this exhortation. Since we have spent so much time studying them in detail,
it allows us to move a little faster in chapter 4 because it develops the
argument. Now that we have done the homework necessary to study the
significance of technical terms and background and all of that information, we
can move through the main challenge in verses 1-10 fairly rapidly. We have to
remind ourselves of three points.
NKJ Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to
minister for those who will inherit salvation?
That
word salvation is the word soteria. When
you and I talk about salvation we think of justification. Remember
justification is what happens at the instant we put our faith alone in Jesus
Christ. At that instant God the Father imputes to you the perfect righteousness
of Jesus Christ. He looks at you in possession of and covered over by the perfect
righteousness of Christ. He declares you to be just before His justice. Because
you possess the perfect righteousness of Christ, God pronounced you justified. So
the technical term that Paul uses for this in Romans is justification by faith
alone. Modern Americans and modern evangelicals have taken the word “salvation”
to be the equivalent of justification. But that is very unusual in the
Scripture. The word group sozo the
root verb simply means to be delivered. So it can mean to be delivered from a
physical malady. Then it has the idea of being healed. It can have the idea of
being delivered from a tragedy. It can have the idea of rescued from danger. Or
it can have the idea when it is applied to eternal condemnation of being rescued
from eternal condemnation. That’s the way in which we use it. But the way the
noun is used by the Apostle Paul, by James and by the writer of Hebrews is not
to refer to what we talk about as phase 1 justification, but the word soteria meaning salvation or deliverance
usually has a future orientation. You have to look at the context to see when
that future event occurs. In the context of Hebrews 1:14 I pointed out that
inheritance comes at the Judgment Seat of Christ. So therefore the focus of soteria in Hebrews 1:14 relates to our
deliverance and final glorification and appearance before the Judgment Seat of
Christ. When we understand that word in Hebrews 1:14 to have that future
meaning then in Hebrews 2:3 which is in the middle of the application or
exhortation of that first chapter we read the following.
NKJ Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who
heard Him,
That is
a phrase that many of us have heard most of our lives to refer to
justification. That is neglect the offer of the gospel, neglect trusting Christ
as our Savior, but that is not what it is saying in context. If salvation in
context isn’t talking about phase 1 justification but phase 3 glorification or
some future fulfillment of the entire process from phase 1 justification to
phase 2 experiential sanctification to phase 3 glorification, then what the
writer of Hebrews is saying is how shall we escape that loss of reward as we
have studied in I Corinthians 3 that those who have just wood, hay and straw
before the judgment seat of Christ have it all burned up. So that is what he is
talking about. How shall we escape judgment if we neglect so great a salvation?
That has the idea of inheritance and destiny. These two verses together give us
the idea that in the first section the focus is on future destiny and future
rewards. Then in Hebrews 2:5 we see the same future orientation continue as the
writer moves from the first point to the second point.
NKJ Hebrews 2:5 For He has not put the world to come, of which we
speak, in subjection to angels.
So what
is he talking about? He is talking about the world to come, the future Millennial
Kingdom. He is not talking about what is happening in the present Church Age,
but his focus is on that future reign and destiny of Jesus Christ as the
Messiah.
NKJ Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear
lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
If you
are already justified and that is what he is talking about then a promise
wouldn’t remain. It would already be fulfilled.
His main
command that governs these whole ten verses is that we are to have a healthy
sense of fear because we might lose something. If we are already justified and
that is his topic, then we don’t have to be afraid of losing anything. So he
must be talking about something more than the acquisition of a heavenly
citizenship and an eternal destiny.
NKJ Hebrews 4:6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was
first preached did not enter because of disobedience,
It is still future.
NKJ Hebrews 4:9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
We aren’t there yet. It still
remains. There is this future hope, this future destiny.
NKJ Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall
according to the same example of disobedience.
Now if
the rest has to do with entering a heavenly destiny, then we don’t labor to get
there do we.
NKJ Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit,
NKJ Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9
not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Obviously
he can’t be talking about something related to resting in the finished work of
Jesus Christ on the cross - that is what we call phase one justification. He is
talking about something that goes beyond that, something that is yet future and
a potential for us.
Titus 3:5 makes it clear that there is no place for
works in our justification. No work of righteousness can earn for us God’s
approbation. It doesn’t gain any
justification. There is nothing that we can do that can ever merit the work of
Christ. This is something that it completely excluded.
NKJ Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like
filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have
taken us away.
There is nothing that we can do to gain phase 1
justification. But we have terminology that confuses people when we look at a
passage such as Philippians 2:12.
NKJ Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling;
Wait a minute. I thought Titus 3:5 just said that it’s not by works of
righteousness. I thought Ephesians 2:8-9 said it was not of works. It is. But
you see what he is talking about here is not justification. That’s the
confusion that we enter into when we are defining our English theological terms
like salvation differently from the way the writers of Scripture utilize those
words. If salvation here which is the word
soteria is not talking about phase one but an ultimate fulfillment of
everything and has to do with the realization of all those potential inheritance
blessings then what Paul is saying here is not related to phase 1
justification, but is related to phase two sanctification – spiritual
growth.
Secondly he says that salvation is worked out. He uses
an intensified form of the verb for work. He intensifies it with the
preposition kata so it is katergazomai. Ergon is the noun for work. Ergazomai
is the verb for working. It is intensified with the preposition. So we are to
be intensively working out the consequences of our justification toward the goal
of that ultimate deliverance. So it is interesting that in Philippians 2:12 we
have the juxtaposition of the concept of work or labor with soteria. Then we are to do it with fear
and trembling. We haven’t gotten there yet, but the main command of Hebrews 4:1
is to fear.
NKJ Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His
rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
So the main command is “Let us fear.” We have this
connection of these key ideas of work and salvation in Philippians 2:12. So we
work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. The focus of Philippians
2:12 is not the acquisition of an eternal destiny, gaining righteousness, or
gaining approval from God. Now that we are justified, we are adopted into the
royal family of God. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenlies. We have all of these different things – the 40 things that
God gives us at the instant of salvation. That is our potential. We are to work
that out and live on the basis of that so that we realize and actuate those
contingent blessings both in time and in eternity that God has already reserved
for us in grace. We are not earning them. We are developing capacity to enjoy
them and capacity in order to fulfill the responsibilities that go with
that.
Then we go to another passage. We have the same kind
of thing linked together here. Once again he is writing to believers.
NKJ 1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality
judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of
your stay here in fear;
Wait a minute. Work doesn’t have anything to do with
getting into heaven. So work here is related to what takes place at the Bema
Seat, what takes place at the Judgment Seat of Christ. That is the evaluation
of our work. 2 Corinthians 5:7-11 talks about the Judgment Seat of Christ, the
Bema Seat of Christ, having our work evaluated whether good or evil. This is
what I Peter 1:17 is talking about.
That is in time – during phase 2.
This is more than respect. It is just like when you
were a kid. I don’t know about you (most of you this is probably true of) but
you knew that if you got in trouble at school, you got in even more trouble
when you got home. So there was a healthy dose of fear there. Now that was
aggravated in my case. I went to Bellaire High School. The assistant principal
at Bellaire High School was married to my mother’s best friend. They had been roommates
together in college. So I couldn’t do anything possibly wrong at school. Not
only did he have permission from my parents to do anything short of taking my
life, but when I got home my mother would complete the process. That is what is
known as fear. You know that there are serious consequences that are definitely
and certainly awaiting you if there is any infraction. Therefore it keeps you
on the straight and narrow. That is the concept of fear.
Another passage ties into our background for Hebrews
4.
NKJ 2 Corinthians
7:1 Therefore, having these promises,
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Again it is talking to believers, those already
justified.
It could be a causal adverbial participle.
Now what is that? It is something we all know very well. This is simply
related to I John 1:9. It is cleansing from sin so that we are cleansed from all
sin and all unrighteousness. The challenge there is to cleanse ourselves from
all filthiness.
Doesn’t that sound like sanctimonious language? Perfecting
does not have the idea of flawlessness. This is a word that is so very familiar
to us except that it is in a different form. It’s epiteleo. We often look at telioo
and telios and all the different
cognates of this root word which means to finish, to complete, to bring to
completion, to bring something to maturity. It doesn’t have the idea of
sinlessness or flawlessness or the concept of perfection. It has the idea of
bringing something to completion. Now in phase 1 justification we also call
that what? Another term we use is positional sanctification. We are entered
into unity with Christ and we are positionally identified with Him and set
apart to God. That is what sanctification means. It is hagiosune from the root noun hagios
which means to be set apart to the service of God. So we are to be cleansed for
the purpose of bringing to completion our sanctification. So this is talking
about phase 2 which is spiritual growth. Phase one is positional sanctification
where we are given our potential – everything we need for the Christian
life. Phase 2 is where we learn the Word of God under the teaching ministry of
God the Holy Spirit. By abiding in Christ, by walking by means of the Spirit,
and by being filled with the Spirit we advance step-by-step day-by-day in our
growth where we take the potential and actuate it to sanctification. So we are
maturing our sanctification by means of the fear of God. It is part of the
motivation. The instrumental indicates it is part of motivation.
Sometimes people get funny ideas, sanctimonious ideas,
self righteous ideas that I am not supposed to live my Christian life being
afraid of punishment. That’s not what the Word of God says. The Word of God
says there should be a healthy dose of fear of punishment. We are going to get
to is when we get down to Hebrews 12. That certainly is a motivation not to
live in extended carnality because we know we are going to hit that serious
divine discipline. All of these passages that we have looked at emphasize the
concept of growth. It is related to fear.
Now we come to Hebrews 4:1. All of that sets the
stage, forms the background so that we can almost read through these verses
without doing a whole lot of exegesis. We have laid the groundwork so that we
understand the vocabulary, we understand the background, and we understand the
Old Testament analogy. Now we can just put it together.
NKJ Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear
lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
He starts off with a conclusion. Therefore draws an
inference from the fact that the Old Testament Jewish Exodus believer
completely failed to realize His promised rest. They could not enter that rest
(verse 19) because of unbelief.
He is talking to 1st century believers. He has taken
the events from the Old Testament in the 15th century BC and
brought it up into the contemporary situation of his 1st century
world. But the significant thing about this for us is that it is just as true
for any believer in any decade all the way through the Church Age. That goes
back to that phrase that is repeated three times coming out of Psalm 95:7.
NKJ Psalm 95:7 For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the
sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:
It brought it right back into the present. It is just
as true for you and I as it is for anybody at any other time in the Church
Age.
There is still a promise that He is holding out there
a potential for each to enter this rest. It’s not entering into heaven because
that is already secured. It is something different from entering into
heaven.
The word there for fear is a Greek word where we get
our English word phobia. It is the word phobeo.
It’s an aorist passive subjunctive. The passive voice means that the
subject receives the action of the verb.
Literal
translation: Let us
become fearful.
It has the idea of fear, respect, and awe.
That is really the beginning of the verse in the
Hebrew. The first word is therefore. That is the emphasis. That is why we
looked at the command first and then go back to the first clause in the
English. What the writer of Hebrews is saying first and foremost is, “Let us
become fearful.” That is the emphasis. That is the main idea that controls everything
down to verse 10. Everything else in this section is a development of the
command, the exhortation of verse 1.
Look at verse 2 for a minute in the English. The next
sentence begins in verse 2.
NKJ Hebrews 4:2 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.
It starts with the word “for”. It is an explanation of
the previous statement. Verse 3 begins with the English word “for”. It tells
you it is an explanation of the previous statement. Verse 4 begins with for
telling us that it is an explanation of the previous verse. So 2, 3, and 4 are
explaining out like a telescope the meaning, the significance of the command to
become fearful. Verses 4 and 5 are one sentence in the original. There are a
couple of quotes from the Old Testament.
NKJ Hebrews 4:6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not
enter because of disobedience,
So we are drawing another inference. The next
inference develops out of what is said in verses 2-5. So in terms of the
logical structure of the passage everything hinges on understanding the first
verse.
Let us take this very seriously since a promise remains.
This is the Greek word kataleipo. It is a present passive participle. It has that
inferential sense to it. It is an adverbial participle meaning to leave behind,
to forsake, to leave, to reserve something. In other words this is still there.
He is not talking about the fact that this rest being something historical that
the Jews had back in that previous generation but you can’t get there now. It
is still available.
This is brought out by the last verb I want to talk
about in the last clause translated “having come short.” It is the Greek word hustereo. It means to be last, to be
behind, and to be posterior in either place or time. You can miss something by
being in the wrong place or you can miss something because it is the wrong
time. You can go to Hobby Airport instead of DFW and you have missed your flight
because you are in the wrong place. Or you can get to the airport on time, fall
asleep in the waiting room and miss the plane because you are late. What this
is talking about is coming short in the sense of place. They are not missing it
by time. That would mean that 15th century BC Jews had a chance to enter the rest
but you are in the 1st century AD so you missed out. You were too
late in terms of time. This is talking about not being in the right place. In
other words, not being a mature believer in order to secure the potential.
So he draws this conclusion.
He shifted the meaning of His rest here. In the
previous chapter, rest focused on entering into the Promised Land. Now it is
something future. It’s what that entrance into the Promised Land is a picture
of. That is entering into the Millennial Kingdom.
It is possible that you might miss out on fulfilling
all of the promised blessings that we have for the Millennial Kingdom.
Now he is going to explain it.
NKJ Hebrews 4:2 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.
By gospel he does not mean to trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ. It is simply the Greek word euangelizo
that means to announce good news.
We both had a message of promise. It is not the gospel
in terms of how to get justified. It is simply a Greek word meaning the
announcement of good news.
The good news for them is that there is a Promised
Land that I am taking you to. The good news for us is that we are headed for
the Millennial Kingdom.
This is the Greek verb opheleo that means something that is profitable, something that is
advantageous. It was something that would make a difference in the way they
lived. They heard all of this about the Promised Land and it never made any
difference. They saw God perform miracle after miracle after miracle and it
never made any difference. They continued to disbelieve. They continued to
grumble. They continued to complain. They continued to rebel against Moses and
his leadership. So the writer of Hebrews says the following in building the
analogy.
You are setting up a parallel between us (church age
believers) and them (the Old Testament Exodus generation).
They didn’t believe it. That is the same thing he said
in verse 19 of the previous chapter. They couldn’t enter because of
unbelief. He gradually develops
out the thought. Then he explains it further in verse 3
NKJ Hebrews 4:3 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.
He starts with a “for” that is an explanation.
Now that sounds like a past tense there. This is where
we have to deal with a little exegesis here.
Actually the text begins, “For we who enter that rest,
the ones who believe.”
The word for “enter” is the present passive indicative
of eiserchomai which means to enter
into. It is preceded by an aorist active participle of pisteuo. The aorist active participle of pisteuo is with an article. When you have the word believe with an
article in the Greek, it virtually functions like a noun – the believers.
For we believers enter that rest. That is how it should be translated it if you
are going to be literal. But there is a meaning to the present tense that is
called the futuristic or proleptic meaning or nuance. In other words it is
using the present tense, but it has a future sense to it.
Literal translation: We believers will enter that rest.
It is not talking about simply being justified. Remember
the context. He is talking about not believing in verse 19 but that unbelief in
verse 19 is not related to gaining eternal life. Then in verse 2 he again talks
about not mixing faith with those who heard. What’s that? It is talking about post salvation
faith. So when he comes to verse 3, it’s not talking about phase one
justification. It is talking about believers in their post salvation life who
are operating on the faith rest drill. Those who operate on the faith rest
drill have such a certainty of entering the rest that he speaks of it as a
present reality. That is the sense of a future nuance to a present tense. It is
a future nuance of the present tense. So what is all of that saying? It is
getting into some complicated grammar to try to explain all of that. The bottom
line is that he is saying that we who continue to believe and are characterized
by the faith in our post salvation life, we who are characterized by the faith
rest drill and faith rest life will certainly enter that rest in the future. As
he has said and now he contrasts it with that Old Testament generation again
So we
have Church Age believers who will be able to enter the rest and you have by
analogy these Old Testament believers that can’t enter the rest. He keeps going
back and forth to this analogy. He is very repetitive here. He wants to make
sure that everybody gets the point. They failed to enter the Promised Land and
forfeited it because they didn’t mix their understanding of God’s Word with
faith. They continued in unbelief. Don’t you do it. Be fearful because you may
forfeit future blessings the same way.
That’s Psalm 95:7.
We are going to compare the Exodus generation to our
present generation. Now the Exodus generation failed to mix faith with
promises. As a result they were not able to enter God’s rest, the Promised
Land. The present generation are those who believe, who continue to trust in
Christ. They trust in the faith rest drill and the post salvation spiritual
life. Those will certainly enter into God’s rest, the millennial rule. It is a
very simple analogy. It is very easy to get caught up in complicated things,
but when you boil it down it is a simple analogy. The Exodus generation failed
to trust God to provide for them and their post salvation life so they didn’t
get to enter the Promised Land. If we fail to trust God in the post salvation
spiritual life; we will forfeit rewards, responsibilities and millennial
blessing.
NKJ Hebrews 4:4 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";
Verses 4 and 5 deal with two Old Testament
quotations.
“He has spoken” indicates a completed canon of
Scripture in the Old Testament.
Notice now he goes back to the original prototype of
rest – God’s cessation from labor on the 7th day of the
creation week.
NKJ Hebrews 4:5 and again in this place: "They
shall not enter My rest."
That is Psalm 95. So he goes back even further and
builds the analogy that God has a rest that ceased from labor. The Exodus
generation labored in slavery in Egypt, but they didn’t get to enter rest
because of unbelief.
NKJ Hebrews 4:6 Since therefore it remains that some must
enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of
disobedience,
But it remains for us to enter rest if we believe. That
is verse 6.
The word “must” is in italics because it isn’t present
in the original. There is still the potential for present Church Age believers
to enter that rest. So he has shifted the meaning again to the distant analogy
which is the Millennial Kingdom.
So for the third time we are reminded that it was
disobedience synonymous with disbelief that caused their failure to realize the
promised rest of God. They completely forfeited it.
NKJ Hebrews 4:7 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."
That is Psalm 95:7.
Notice how he drives the point home. He goes from
verse 1 saying “Let us fear” to “Today, do not harden your hearts. “
NKJ Hebrews 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not
afterward have spoken of another day.
What rest is this? This is back to the Promised Land
rest. If the conquest generation that did enter the land had realized the full
potential of this rest, he wouldn’t have spoken of a future time. In verse 8 he
is saying that the “rest” of the conquest generation and the “rest” of the
Exodus generation were also prototypes or foreshadowings of the future
millennial blessing.
NKJ Hebrews 4:9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
This is his conclusion. There is still a rest, a
promised rest from labor. Now what are we doing in post salvation spiritual
life today? We are laboring.
NKJ Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling;
We are working. We are perfecting our sanctification. This
involves labor, not in the sense of earning righteousness or God’s approval;
but it involves the work of Bible study, the work of learning doctrine, the work
of application of doctrine. It involves Christian service. All of this is involved
in the concept of work. We are laboring in phase two to advance forward in the
Christian life. But there is a rest promised for us in the future. That is our
position of reigning and ruling as kings and priests in the Millennial
Kingdom.
NKJ Hebrews 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works
as God did from His.
This concludes the paragraph in chapter 4 before we
get into the final section.
Who is that talking about? I think it is talking about
the Lord Jesus Christ who has entered His rest. He is our model. Remember this
goes back to the fact that He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. The
“He” in verse 10 is talking about the model, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has
entered His rest. He has ceased from His work that was done at the cross as God
did from His. It takes us from that pattern that we saw with the Lord Jesus
Christ as our model for sanctification back in verses 10 and 11. It is tying
the exhortation of these verses 3:7 down through the end of chapter 4 back to
the main topic of the didactic section, the teaching section that was focusing
on the fact that Jesus Christ was tested in all areas just as we are. He is the
one that is our model or the prototype for the spiritual life. That is where we
head to in verses 14-16. So the last verse of this paragraph (vs. 1-10) sets us
up with the challenge of verses 11-16 which is going to introduce us once again
to the Lord Jesus Christ as our high priest.
So what is the conclusion from this? The conclusion is
that we have to take the Christian life seriously. This isn’t just about
academics. It’s not just about understanding the Bible. It’s not just some
interesting facts. There are serious consequences to what we do with what we
learn. To whom much is given, much is expected. This is building something in
our soul and that is the only thing that goes with us after we die physically. It
is what we take with us into eternity. It builds a capacity for responsibility.
It builds a capacity for righteousness. It builds a capacity for leadership and
a capacity for wisdom that is the basis for our ability to rule and reign with
Jesus Christ in the Millennial Kingdom.
This builds a case that we need be extremely serious about our responsibilities as Christians.