Hebrews 4:1-11

 

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you!” —Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (397 AD). … Rest isn’t found in taking a break or even a vacation. Sometimes, we come back even more tired. True rest is found in a relationship with Jesus. 

 

Four essentials to experiencing the rest you were made for: 

  1. Believe the gospel.  … None of us deserve to enter Heaven on our own merit. Fortunately, Jesus came and died and rose so we don’t have to earn our way into Heaven. To enter Heaven, we just need to have genuine faith in Jesus. Too often, we try to earn our way into Heaven, and that is exhausting because it simply isn’t possible. When we turn that over to Jesus, we can trust in Him and rely on Him and rest in Him. 
  2. Intentionally slow down. … We live in a fast-paced world. Our phones constantly notify us of messages and events. We distract ourselves with doom-scrolling and games. Our calendars and task lists keep us on our toes. It all wears us down. Sometimes, we just need to slow down and spend some time with Jesus. Talk a nice, slow stroll with Him. 
  3. Develop healthy spiritual rhythms. … Having regular rest is a good thing. God had ordered His people to rest on the seventh day as He did after creating the universe. In an agricultural economy, that was a risk, but it also is a sign of trusting God to provide. Here are four tips to help set rhythm. 
    1. Make Sunday worship a priority. … Rest isn’t about inactivity, but about spending time with Jesus. 
    2. Spend time alone with God. … Read the Bible, pray, take a walk through nature. 
    3. Intentionally unplug. … Turn the TV off. Set your phone to “do not disturb” and place it on the charger. Turn monitors off. Technology is a wonderful thing, but it is important to use it as a tool and not to become a slave to it. 
    4. Leave breathing room in your schedule. … If you pack your schedule, then you start thinking that if you slow down, you’ll get behind. Schedule rest. Leave some wiggle room in case something happens. 
  4. Trust God with your biggest concerns. … Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to not worry about anything and to give our worries to God. Giving those worries to God helps us to experience rest. 

 

Why do people not rest?

  1. They’re trying to earn their way into Heaven. 
  2. They live life at breakneck speed, worried they’ll miss something if they slow down. 
  3. They have unhealthy spiritual rhythms that keep them from spending time with God. 
  4. They are overwhelmed with worry and anxiety because they refuse to give that over to God. 

 

True rest isn’t just about inactivity. It is about spending time with God, developing a relationship with Christ. 

 

For Further Study/Resources Used to Prepare This Message

  • Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung
  • The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
  • Exalting Jesus in Hebrews by Albert Mohler
  • Hebrews for You by Michael Kruger
  • Hebrews REC by Richard Phillips
  • Hebrews: Preach the Word Commentary by Kent Hughes
  • Hebrews ESV Expository Commentary
  • Hebrews by Grant Osborne