A Sabbath Remains

Introduction: The Christian Sabbath Series and Hebrews 4:9

0:04 The following message was preached Sunday, October 18th, 1998 to Emanuel Reform Baptist Church at Sea-Tac, Washington. The speaker is Pastor Robert Martin. This message is the 16th in a series of 24 titled, The Christian Sabbath.

0:24 Now, some months ago, we began to consider the subject of the Christian Sabbath.

0:32 And in the process of taking up that subject, I made a commitment to you that in order to lay a foundation for the affirmation that indeed there is such a thing as the Christian Sabbath, that we would, as much as was possible, examine every passage in the Scripture that had direct bearing on that issue or on that question.

1:01 We began with our Lord Jesus Christ's statement that the Sabbath was made for man. And God...

1:09 Going from that statement, we went back to Genesis chapter 2 to that point in human history, at the very beginning of human history, where God indeed made the Sabbath for man.

1:25 We saw its establishment at creation.

1:29 We examined those references that indicated that indeed the Sabbath was known before Sinai, before it was made part of the Ten Commandments, as the Fourth Commandment. Then we came to Sinai. We came to see what the Lord there revealed about the Sabbath day and what He had to say about it under the Mosaic Covenant established at Sinai.

1:59 We came to the prophets. We saw how the prophets described the Sabbath looking backwards, looking back to Israel's disobedience and the judgment that came on Israel and Judah because of their Sabbath breaking. But we also saw that the prophets looked forward. They looked forward to the Sabbath under the New Covenant.

2:25 They looked forward to the Sabbath in the new heavens and in the new earth.

2:30 Then we came to the New Testament and examined first of all what the New Testament writers, especially what our Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul had to say about the moral law of God. And the assumption was that the attitude, the perspective that they displayed toward the moral law of God as a whole would also hold true to the Fourth Commandment to remember to keep the Sabbath holy. And we saw that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, the Apostle John, we saw that each of these men, representative of the New Covenant perspective, had the most positive view of the moral law of God.

3:15 So much so that Paul could say in Romans, Romans 7, with my mind I serve the law of God.

3:24 And then having seen what the New Testament had to say generally about the moral law of God, we then came back and asked the question, what does the New Testament have to say to us about the Sabbath specifically?

3:38 And we saw that in the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ that we find not only does He speak to the issue, but by His actions He shows us what His attitude toward the Sabbath was. And we saw that there, not only does He remind us that the Sabbath was made for man, but He identifies Himself as Lord or Sovereign of the Sabbath, who has unrivaled authority over that sphere of man's experience. And as the Lord of the Sabbath, we examined what He did. And what He did was to rescue the Sabbath day from all the rubbish that was going on in the world.

4:22 from all the rubbish that was going on in the world. from all the rubbish that had been heaped on it by the traditions of men. What He did not do was to abolish the Sabbath.

4:33 And then, last Lord's Day, we came to look at three passages which have been cited repeatedly throughout the generations as showing beyond any dispute that of course there is no such thing as a Christian Sabbath. We examined Romans 14, Galatians 4, and Colossians 2. And we saw, in fact, indeed, that in their context, that none of those passages can be used in a legitimate way to say that there is no Sabbath under the New Covenant. That in their context, Paul is addressing

5:17 totally different issues.

5:21 Now, there is one final text in the New Testament where the word Sabbath appears. And that is in Hebrews 4 and verse 9.

5:34 Now, God willing, next Lord's Day, we will come to take up the issue of the change of the day. Come to look at those passages which speak of the first day of the week or the Lord's Day. But there is one final text found in the New Testament where the word Sabbath appears. And that's Hebrews 4 and verse 9.

The Uncontroversial Nature of Hebrews 4:9 Regarding an Earthly Sabbath

5:59 The writer here says, There remains therefore, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Now, if you're reading the King James Version, or if you're reading the New King James Version, your version will only use the word rest. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. That rendering, that translation is potentially misleading.

6:27 In fact, I think it is misleading. The translation rest, the word rest, appears in the New Testament. In our English version, ten other times, in Hebrews 3 and in Hebrews 4, that is, in the general context of this statement. In each of those other places, in each of those other ten examples, the writer either uses the Greek word katapalsis, which means rest, or its verb equivalent.

7:01 But at verse 9 of chapter 4, he uses a totally different word. The word, the word that he selects there is the word sabbatismos. And you can see even from the pronouncing of the word that lying behind that word is the Hebrew word shabbat or sabbat. And the reader of the King James Version, the reader of the New King James Version at this point, of course, would never suspect that.

7:29 He would never suspect that at verse 9, that in that 11th place where in those versions the word rest is used, he would never suspect that it's a different word than the other ten places. But it is, in fact, a different word. It's the word sabbatismos. And this word found only here in the New Testament.

7:51 It is a very rare word found one place outside the New Testament in that literature which has survived from that age. This word is clearly built on the Hebrew word sabbat. Sabbat, sabbatismos. And perhaps the best way to reflect that in an English translation is to do it the way that the Old American Standard and the New American Standard have done it with the phrase sabbat rest.

8:19 There remains, therefore, a sabbat rest. Not just a generic rest. That's the term used elsewhere. But a sabbat rest for the people of God.

8:33 Now, in just a few moments we're going to consider this verse in its largest or larger context. We're going to consider this verse in the context of Hebrews, 3 and 4. As we saw last time, you can come into great error by taking a verse out of its context and simply using it as a nose of wax to shape it to say anything you want it to say. You need to examine a statement, especially a difficult statement, in its original context and in accord with that context.

9:05 But before coming to that process this morning, I want to underscore a point that has to do with the place of this verse. This text or this verse in our study of the Christian Sabbath.

9:18 If you were to read a dozen commentaries on this particular passage, what you would discover is that some commentators, some writers will say that the words, there remains, therefore, a sabbat rest for the people of God. There are some who will say that these words refer only to a heavenly sabbat. That is, only to entering into a heavenly rest. But yet there are other writers who will say that the writer of the book of Hebrews is also speaking of an earthly sabbat day.

9:55 Not just a heavenly sabbat, not just a heavenly day of rest, but an earthly day of rest, indeed a Christian or new covenant sabbat day. But now what you would also discover in reading those commentaries, in fact, if you were to read a hundred commentaries on the book of Hebrews, what you would discover is that no one is saying that these words argue against a Christian sabbat day.

10:24 They would say either this has to do with a heavenly sabbat, or it has to do with that and an earthly sabbat, but no one is saying when they come to this text, well, this text can be argued against the sabbat day under the new covenant. There is nothing in this text that can conceivably be interpreted as undermining the idea of a Lord's day sabbat for the church of Jesus Christ.

10:54 This text is either neutral and says nothing at all that applies to an earthly sabbat, or it is a friend of an earthly sabbat, but it is no way conceivably an enemy of the sabbat doctrine that we've been seeking to establish in this text, or in this series rather. Even Alford, who seems bent on using any text that he can to deny a Christian sabbat, even Alford makes no argument from this verse. Hear what he says. He says, Still more alien from the sense and context is it to use this verse as some have absurdly done as carrying weight one way or the other

11:38 in the controversy respecting the obligation of a sabbat under the Christian dispensation. He says, The most I'm going to say about the text is that it doesn't have anything to say one way or another. But even Alford, who seems bent everywhere you turn in his commentary to take every passage and to bend it in such a way so that indeed he ends up seeing in it a denial of the sabbat, even he doesn't try that here.

12:07 Well, in other words, either this text is irrelevant, or it is a friend of the sabbat doctrine proposed in this series. This text in no way is an enemy. Now, it remains to be seen, of course, whether this text is neutral, or whether indeed it is a friend. But before coming to the text, before examining it in its context, we need to see that at most this text is a friend.

The Difficulty of Interpreting Hebrews 3-4 and Martin's Shift in View

12:35 It cannot be an enemy in its context. There remains, therefore, a sabbat rest for the people of God. Now, I've already read the larger context in Hebrews 3 and 4. And in this context, as I've already indicated, verse 9 is either neutral, or it's a friend.

12:57 But now, the decision as to which it is is very difficult.

13:02 It is very difficult, especially given the nature of the train of thought found in these chapters. As I was reading through, especially reading through the early verses of chapter 4, did you find it difficult to follow the writer's line of thought or his reasoning? Well, you're not alone. He writes in a very compact way some of the statements he makes assumes that you are not alone.

13:26 You've already embraced certain ideas that he has set forth earlier in the letter, especially earlier in chapter 3. And so he comes along after having quoted Psalm 95, there in chapter 3, he comes along then and punctuates his argument by references again to that psalm. But he doesn't re-argue through. He assumes that when we come to this text that we're going to have to stop, we're going to have to think clearly, we're going to have to give ourselves diligently to trying to understand what is being said.

13:58 This is not like John 3.16. John 3.16 is readily understandable, I believe, by most people.

14:06 This is not like the 23rd Psalm. This is more like Colossians 2, where there's a very difficult train of thought that has to be followed in order to come to the right answer when we come to verse 9.

14:21 Now, for many years, I believed and taught that this text was neutral in the discussion concerning the Christianity. All the years that I taught in Trinity Ministerial Academy, I probably taught through the book of Hebrews seven or eight times. And in all those years, as I came to this text, as I came especially to verses 9 and 10, I told my students that this text, as far as I can judge, is absolutely neutral in making any case for the Christian Sabbath. But then, after reading John Owen's exposition of the text, in his treatise on the Sabbath,

15:06 in the introductory volumes of his commentary on Hebrews, I concluded that my view was wrong. I concluded that the old Puritan master had seen something I had never seen. Indeed, I am convinced he saw it so clearly that I finally had to say that what I was teaching for the past 15 years basically was wrong when I came to this text. I am persuaded that Owen has seen something in this text that I missed.

15:36 And in the time that remains today, what I want to do is to open this text up for your consideration and to commend to you Owen's view of it as supportive of the doctrine of the Christian Sabbath.

Contextual Overview: Christ's Superiority and the Warning Against Apostasy

15:53 Now, the place to begin, of course, is the context. And as you came in this morning, a piece of paper was handed to you. This is part of a larger outline of the book of Hebrews. And I have xeroxed off for you the section of this outline that relates to chapters 3 and 4.

16:16 And I ask that you follow along not only in the Scriptures, but if you will follow along with this outline as we begin to work our way from the broader context down to the narrower context, I think it will help you to keep in mind the whole flow of what the writer is saying. Now, if there's anyone who does not have a copy of this, there may be a few copies left. I wonder, Stephen, if there are, would you locate those and hand them out?

16:46 In chapter 3 and verse 1,

16:50 the writer introduces the great central section of the entire letter. A section that runs from chapter 3 and verse 1 through chapter 12 and verse 17. A section that runs from chapter 3 and verse 1 through chapter 12 and verse 17. The great center of the letter is committed to this one proposition.

17:22 Consider the apostle and high priest of our confession. And were you to read those chapters, what you would discover is that the writer of the book of Hebrews first of all makes a comparison between Christ and Moses. Between Moses, who was the apostle of the old covenant, that is, the one sent forth as the covenant mediator, and Jesus Christ, who is the, in the largest sense in which the word can be used, the apostle of the new covenant. The one sent forth on the mission to mediate the new covenant.

18:00 And then further along, beginning in chapter 5, is a more extended comparison between Christ, the high priest of the new covenant, and those who were the high priest of the Aaronic order of the old covenant. And interspersed in this large section is not only these two, these two main areas of comparison, but areas of application. For those doctrines, once the comparison was made, then the comparison was applied to the issue of perseverance in attachment to Jesus Christ. Well, here he begins, chapter 3 and verse 1, Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest

18:44 of our confession, even Jesus. And in these chapters, chapters 3 and 4, the writer, first of all, compares Jesus in the office of apostle with the apostleship of Moses. In verses 2 through the opening of verse 6, he makes the actual comparison of Jesus and Moses. He actually states in the doctrine that Jesus is superior to Moses to the degree that he who is the builder of a house, who is the heir of the house, who is the son who will receive, to the degree that he is worthy of more honor than he who is merely a servant in that house.

19:28 There's a comparison between Jesus and Moses. And in these verses, verses 2 through 6, he makes this comparison and his main point is that Jesus, God's son and heir, Jesus, who is the builder of God's house, is worthy of more honor than Moses, who was but a servant in God's house. Now, what does he mean? What does he mean by God's house?

19:54 Well, what he means is the church. The church is that house which was built by Jesus Christ. He said to Peter, on this rock I will build my church. And so God's house here is the church.

20:10 It is that community which Jesus Christ built by his actions as the mediator of the new covenant, by his actions as the prophet, priest, and king of the new covenant. All right? Thus far, that brings us then to the second part of verse 6. And what follows from that point all the way to verse 13 of chapter 4 is a warning against apostasy.

20:40 It is a warning against turning away from Jesus Christ. It is a warning against turning away from him and going back to that old covenant system which was but types and shadows. There's a warning against turning away from Jesus Christ. And the new covenant and going back to Moses and the old covenant.

21:00 And that runs from verse 6b through chapter 4 and verse 13. And the very first thing that the writer says by way of application of this comparison between Moses and Jesus is found at the end of verse 6. He says, whose house we are if, that is, we are members of the household of God, we are members of the church of Jesus Christ if, he says, we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end.

21:40 And so what he says the first thing out of his mouth after he finishes the comparison between Moses and Jesus after he has said that Jesus is the builder of God's house the first thing out of his house is to describe the true members of that household. That they are marked they are distinguished they are distinguished they are characterized by their perseverance. This is who they are. Whose house we are if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end.

22:17 And then beginning in verse 7 all the way to verse 11 of chapter 4 the writer warns us of the peril of imitating the Israelites in the wilderness.

22:31 And he does so first of all by quoting Psalm 95.

22:36 Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit says and then he begins to quote David in Psalm 95. Today, if you shall hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness where your fathers tried me by proving me and saw my works forty years. Wherefore, I was displeased with this generation and said they do always err in their hearts but they did not know my ways as I swear in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest.

23:12 He begins in warning that generation. The writer begins in warning his generation. He begins with the warning that David gave to his generation. And he warns them against imitating the disobedience and the unbelief of their fathers in the wilderness.

23:34 And what he's saying is if you do as they did if you imitate their disobedience if you imitate their unbelief the wrath of God that fell upon them will fall upon you even as they were not permitted to enter into God's rest so neither will you.

23:56 He warns against imitating them.

24:01 And in that section having noted David's warning to his own generation where David does exactly the same thing he says to his generation beware do not harden your hearts don't do as your fathers did after doing that he warns us about that evil heart of unbelief which indeed characterized that wilderness generation. But now coming to chapter 4 and verse 1 through chapter 4 and verse 11 he exhorts us concerning the promise remaining under the new covenant of entering God's Sabbath rest.

24:47 Now see what he's done.

24:51 Christ is superior to Moses.

24:55 What does that mean?

24:57 What it means is that we must cling to Christ.

25:02 What it means is we cannot let go of Christ and go back to that covenant that Moses gave us.

25:10 We are his house if we hold fast our glory and hope firm to the end. Hold fast to whom? To Christ.

25:22 Then he warns us about the wilderness. Here is the option.

25:28 The option is to be overtaken in the sin of apostasy.

25:33 The option is to be careless about an evil heart of unbelief. The option is to be careless about the deceitfulness of sin. If you do that you will fall after the example of that wilderness generation.

25:49 In that context he says exhort one another day by day. Well exhort one another to what? To perseverance in attachment to Christ. To Jesus Christ.

26:00 Verse 14 of chapter 3. For we are become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end.

26:11 Now when he comes to chapter 4 in verse 1 he says let us fear therefore. Let there be a sobering fear. A sobering recognition of the realities of the case. Let us fear therefore lest perhaps a promise being left of entering into his that is God's realm.

26:30 Any one of you should seem to have come short of it.

26:37 Any one of you should seem to have come short of it. Let us fear a promise being left. There is still opportunity. There is still a Sabbath rest to be entered into.

26:52 Beware lest you fall short of that.

26:59 He goes on in this chapter verses 1 through 11 of chapter 4 he goes on to tell us that a promise of such rest exists. He goes on to tell us we have been evangelized even as that wilderness generation was. Verses 2 and 3 for indeed we have had good tidings or we have had the gospel preached to us even as also they but the word of hearing did not profit them because it was not united by faith with them that heard. For we who have believed do enter that rest.

27:33 We've been evangelized just as they have. And that's why And then he comes in the remainder of verse 3 down through verse 10 to the proof that a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God.

27:47 Then he comes to the proof that this Sabbath rest that he's urging them to diligently enter into he comes to prove that this thing really exists.

27:59 That there indeed does remain a promise of entering into his rest. And that proof is summed up in the conclusion verse 9 there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

Proof that a Sabbath Rest Remains: God's Creation Rest and Joshua's Incomplete Rest

28:14 Now here in verses 3 through 10 it's necessary we give very close attention to what he has to say.

28:23 It's necessary this is the most difficult part of the text to understand. It's necessary that we at least understand the general sense of what he's saying here. The theme of these words beginning at the end of verse 3 beginning with the quotation again of a portion of Psalm 95 where he says even as he has said as I swear in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest beginning there going all the way to verse 9 he's demonstrating the truth of what he says in verse 9.

28:59 He is showing that indeed there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

29:05 And the general train of thought seems to be after this fashion.

29:10 After again citing Psalm 95 11 and thus pointing us back to all that he said from that Psalm in verse 9 chapter 3 he doesn't re-say it he assumes we heard him the first time but he points us back to that after he points us back to that with these words as I swear in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest then he identifies the rest promised to those who persevere in faith the same rest promised in David's day he identifies that rest as the rest which God entered into when he finished his work of creation

29:54 look again verses 3-7 as I swear in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest that is into God's rest although or you could translate and yet the works were finished from the foundation of the world speaking of God's work in creation as is clear from the next verse for he has said somewhere of the seventh day on this wise and God rested on the seventh day from all his works there is a quotation of Genesis 2 and in this place again they shall not enter into my rest well what is the rest that remains for the people of God it is God's rest the very same

30:39 rest that he entered into the very same Sabbath rest that he entered into when he finished his work of creation and then he goes on verse 6 seeing therefore it remains that some should enter there into that is since it remains that some can enter into that Sabbath rest even now and they to whom the good tidings were before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience there is the wilderness generation he again to find a certain day today saying in David again making reference to Psalm 95 so long a time afterward that is after that initial word in Genesis 2

31:23 even as has been said before today if you shall hear his voice harden not your hearts again he pulls Psalm 95 back then he says for if Joshua had given them rest he would not have spoken afterward of another day but now he has identified what the rest is it is God's Sabbath rest that is the rest that remains for the people of God and he tells us that though Israel was in Canaan when David uttered the words of this psalm though Israel was in Canaan through David God still called on the people to enter into his rest by faith now here he takes

32:08 a turn in his thought now he is no longer talking about the creation rest in the sense that there is nothing else in the picture now we have the old covenant now we have Sinai now we have Canaan given as an inheritance and when David writes Psalm 95 where is Israel Israel is in Canaan Israel is in Zion physically and yet David is still saying to them that they need to enter into God's rest that they still need to enter into God's Sabbath rest by faith and what David has done is to set the example of the wilderness generation before his generation and in the light

32:52 of the promise remaining of entering into God's rest in light of the sobering example of their fathers he summons them not to harden their hearts now that the rest promised through David was not Canaan is clear from verse 8 for if Joshua had given them rest he that is God would not have spoken afterward of another day whatever Canaan was Canaan was not all that God was speaking of when he urged them to enter into his rest they were in Canaan but they were not yet into the rest if Canaan had been the rest promised to the people if Joshua had given them rest God would not

33:37 have spoken again in David's day of another day of opportunity to enter that rest now Joshua had physically given them Canaan you read for yourself Joshua 21 verses 43 to 45 there Joshua says there remains not one good thing of all that God had promised that was yet to be fulfilled Joshua had given the people the rest which was Canaan that is that physical rest but he couldn't and didn't give them what Canaan symbolized he could not give them the heavenly rest that God entered when he finished his works of creation Joshua couldn't do that the writer then concludes

34:21 there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God if David could speak of it when Israel was in the land if the land wasn't it if it wasn't the full fulfillment of what God had promised in terms of Sabbath rest then that Sabbath rest God's own heavenly Sabbath rest yet remains to all of God's people now that's his argument what was true in the wilderness what was true in David's day the writer says is yet true there's a promise still remaining in this generation in the new covenant under the new covenant there's a promise yet remaining of entering into God's rest let us fear therefore he says

35:06 lest any of us in imitation of the unbelief and disobedience of the wilderness generation come short of it let us fear he says and indeed in verse 11 he says let us therefore give diligence to the people to enter into that rest that no man fall after the same example of disobedience now it's a very involved very complex argument that the writer makes and frankly much of what he says seems foreign to our ears it would not have seemed foreign to the Jewish Christians to whom the writer of the book of Hebrews first sent this letter

Identifying the 'He' in Hebrews 4:10: Christ's Finished Work

35:50 they would have been able to follow with relative ease compared to us his train of thought but the bottom line is there remains a Sabbath rest now the only question is what is that Sabbath rest and what is the foundation of it and here we come to verses 9 and 10 let me read verses 9 and 10 again there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God for or because a word of explanation he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works

36:34 as God did from his now we're going to look at these verses very carefully verse 10 introduced with the word for is an explanation of verse 9 and the proper interpretation of verse 10 is necessary before we can have the proper interpretation of verse 9 they're intimately connected with this word for for the writer says he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works as God did from his now here I want you to shake all the cobwebs out of your brains

37:17 I want you to shake all the sleep out of your eyes if I've lost you to this point just forget everything else I've said and pay attention right now who is the he of verse 10 that's the only question I want you to occupy your minds with right now who is the he of verse 10 verse 9 says there remains therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God for he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works as God did from his let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest

38:02 that no man fall after the same example of disobedience who is the he of verse 10 now some commentators in fact most commentators say that the he is the individual Christian and they cite ordinarily revelation chapter 14 verses 12 and 13 as a parallel passage let me simply read this to you it's not necessary that you turn revelation 14 verses 12 and 13 here is the patience of the saints they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus and I heard a voice from heaven saying right blessed are the dead who die in the Lord

38:46 from henceforth and the dead yea saith the spirit that they may rest from their labors for their works follow after them now the key phrase there is that they may those who die in the Lord that they may rest from their labors and were you to consult a number of commentaries of Hebrews 4 and verse 10 you would see that very commonly these words the he is said to be the individual Christian who when he enters into heaven rests from his labors Philip Hughes for example in an excellent commentary on Hebrews says the labors from which the people of God rest in the heavenly Sabbath are the toilings trials and tribulations of their present pilgrimage

39:31 now John Owen argues very strongly against that line of interpretation he says no it is not the individual Christian that is spoken of in this text it is someone else but not the individual Christian and Owen's argument some of you who have read Owen know that Owen is not easy to read he is not like J.C. Ryle you can read Ryle basically half asleep and still benefit from it but Owen is very complex his arguments are ordinarily very involved and if I were to try to reproduce Owen's argument in his totality we would all leave here in frustration including me but what I do

40:16 want to do is to deal with those points that bear directly on the most important issue at hand

40:24 Owen argues that the he of verse 10 is not the individual Christian it is Christ himself that the he of verse 10 is the Lord Jesus Christ not the individual Christian that it is Jesus Christ that is here spoken of as entering into his rest having finished his works that it is not the individual Christian resting from his labors resting from his trials resting from his tribulations no it is Jesus Christ resting from his works and I want you to consider these main reasons that Owen gives first of all repeatedly

41:06 throughout the context the writer states that the rest that the believer enters is God's rest repeatedly throughout these chapters wherever mention is made to the rest elsewhere always it is God's rest look at chapter 3 in verse 11 they shall not enter into my rest not they shall not enter into their rest they shall not enter into my rest verse 18 of the same chapter and to whom swear he that they shall not enter into his rest not their rest chapter 4 in verse 1 let us fear

41:51 lest perhaps a promise being left of entering into his rest verse 3 they shall not enter into my rest verse 5 They shall not enter into my rest. Everywhere else where the rest is described, it is always God's rest. Nowhere else in these chapters, nowhere else does the writer refer to the believer as entering into his own rest. It's always an entering into God's rest.

42:24 Now does the writer now change at this one place? Does he now change this pattern? Everywhere else he has spoken of entering into God's rest, does he now change this pattern and speak instead of the believer entering into his own rest? Well, if he does, it's without precedent in the context.

42:45 Nowhere else in the context has he prepared us for that change. Everywhere else he speaks of believers entering into rest, but not their rest. They're entering into God's own personal Sabbath rest. So that's the first thing that Owen points to to say, now wait a minute.

43:02 Before you go running off and say this is the individual Christian, look closely at the text, what it says and what it does not say. But then second, throughout these chapters, the writer has referred to those whom he is exhorting only in the plural. We, us, our, you, plural. Always in the plural.

43:26 At no point has he used the singular he to refer to anyone except God the Father and God the Son. Consider, for example, the very next verse, verse 11. Let us, therefore. Or verse 1 of chapter 4.

43:46 Let us fear. Verse 2. For indeed, we have had good times. Throughout the entire key of these two chapters.

43:56 Always he has used the plural. Us, we, our, or the plural form of you. At no point has he used the singular he. The third person.

44:09 Singular he. To refer to anyone except God the Father or God the Son. If the writer is still speaking in verse 10 of the people of God that he mentions in verse 9. If he still has in mind when he comes to verse 10.

44:25 If he still has in mind those whom he has addressed as we, us, our, you. Then why, Owen asks, does he now change to the third person singular he? Wouldn't we expect him instead to say, For we who have entered into our rest, have ourselves also ceased from our works as God did from his? Why this change of reference?

44:55 If this is what the writer meant, if this is how we are to understand him, why didn't he just say that? Why switch to the third person singular he?

45:06 And Owen's answer is that indeed the writer would not naturally have changed from the plural to the singular. Why? Therefore the he must refer to someone else in the context. And the only person who fits the bill, since indeed God the Father is made mention of at the end of the verse.

45:24 The only other person mentioned in the entire context is the Lord Jesus Christ. So that what the writer in fact is saying, according to Owen, and I think he's absolutely right. For he that is entered into his rest, that is Christ, hath himself also rested from his works as God did from his. A reference.

45:45 Is to the rest of Christ that our Lord entered into when he finished his distinctive work. But now third, Owen argues that the analogy or the comparison of the verse absolutely disintegrates. It breaks down if the he refers to the individual Christian. That the analogy won't flow.

46:08 You can't follow it. There's no comparison to be made if it refers to the individual Christian. And here I'll let Owen speak for himself. In the.

46:18 Statement for he that is entered into his rest, hath himself also rested from his works as or like God did from his. Owen says, what are the works that believers should be said here to rest from?

46:34 If the comparison is going to be like, then what are those works, Owen says? Their sins, say some. Their labors, sorrows, and sufferings, say others. But how can they be said to rest from these words?

46:51 These works as God rested from his own.

46:56 Exodus 31 and verse 17 where it says that God rested on the seventh day and was refreshed in that Sabbath rest. He says, what are these works that believers are said to rest from like God rests from? Is it their sins? Their labors, sorrows, and sufferings?

47:14 How can they be said to rest from these as God rested from his works? Men cannot so rest from them as God did from his. But they cease from them. They cease from them with a detesting of them as far as they are sinful.

47:30 To rest from our sins is not to rest in the way God did. God was refreshed when he looked back on his works. Well, if anything, we look back with detestation on our sins. So it's not a resting from our sins.

47:46 And they cease from them with joy for their deliverance from them so far as they are sorrowful.

47:54 Christians in the world to come are not going to in that rest, in that world. Look back on all the sorrows and trials and tribulations of this world with joy.

48:05 No, with relief, with joy for deliverance. No one says this is not to rest as God rested. He says the analogy falls apart. It doesn't fit.

48:19 The analogy, he says, instead is between the finished work of God in creation and the finished work of Christ in redemption. And when each person of the...

48:32 God had the Father or the Son finished his distinctive work, he entered into his rest, God the Father on the seventh day of the week into his Sabbath rest, God the Son at his resurrection on the first day of the week into his Sabbath rest.

48:51 Now, if this is so, if that's true, if that's what this verse is about, if verse 10 then refers to Christ entering into his rest, and I personally don't think there's any question that's what the verse is about. I think...

49:05 I think Owen's arguments are unanswerable. And all the efforts that have been made, and I've read a number of efforts to try to overthrow the arguments that he makes, and not one of them has been successful in my judgment. If this is so, if verse 10 refers to Christ entering into his rest, then what is the Sabbath rest that verse 9 refers to as remaining for the people of God to enter into?

49:30 There remains, therefore, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Well, it is, as throughout the context, the Sabbath rest of God, but it is also the Sabbath rest of the Son, which he entered into when he finished his work, which remains to be entered into by all who are joint heirs with him.

Connecting Christ's Rest to the Christian Sabbath Day (Owen's Argument)

49:58 That's what the Sabbath rest is. It's not just God's creation Sabbath rest. It is the Sabbath rest that our Lord Jesus Christ now enjoys having finished his work of redemption. But now, Pastor, what's all of this got to do with the Sabbath day?

50:20 I realize, folks, this is complex.

50:23 I realize that this is difficult material. But now, all of this is in the interest of trying to understand what this text may have to say as a friend to the doctrine of the Christian Sabbath. What does all this have to do with the Sabbath day for the new covenant people of God? Pastor, we see.

50:44 We see that we are urged, we are urged diligently to enter into that Sabbath rest of God, that Sabbath rest of the Son. We see there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. But why isn't that just the heavenly rest that God has entered into? Why isn't that just the heavenly rest that the Son has entered into?

51:04 What's that got to do with a day of rest now, here, in this present existence?

51:11 Well, Owen says it has much to do with the Lord's Sabbath day under the new covenant.

51:16 Owen says that in every state of the church, and here he is absolutely correct, in every state of the church, there is a distinct work of God which is the foundation of, or which establishes that state of the church.

51:31 From the beginning creation was that foundational work.

51:36 The exodus from Egypt, the bringing of Israel into Canaan, was the foundation of that state of the church. And, of course, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, those days in the tomb, His resurrection, are the foundation of the present state of the church. There is a distinct work of God that is the foundation of every state of the church recorded in the scriptures.

52:05 There is also, Owen says, a rest that God enters into when He finishes that work.

52:11 When He finished the work of creation, He entered into a distinctive rest. When He finished the work of redemption from Egypt, as we'll see, He entered into a distinctive rest. When Christ finished the work of redemption on the cross and in the tomb, with the resurrection, He entered into a distinctive rest.

52:30 A foundational work of God, a rest entered into.

52:34 He further says that men also entered that rest, that rest that God entered into, by faith. Of course, that's what this entire chapter is about. To urge us not to stumble after the same example of unbelief and disobedience of that wilderness generation, but to enter into that state of rest by persevering in a faith attachment to Jesus Christ. But in every state of the church, he says, the principle has been the same.

53:02 Men enter into God's rest by faith. Now, here's the point, the crucial point. He says there is a day of rest appointed in every state of the church, which is a reminder of God's finished work, which was the foundation of that state of the church, and the pledge of that rest of God, which is to be entered into by faith.

53:30 In every state of the church. There's not only a foundational work. There's not only a rest that God has entered into. There is not only an opportunity for men by faith to enter into that rest, but there is a day of rest appointed as a reminder of the finished work of God and as a pledge of that rest which is yet to be entered into at the last day.

53:53 Now, how does that work out in practical terms? God's first great work was what? Creation. When He finished creating the heavens and the earth, all that ends in them is, He rested.

54:07 He sabbathed. So says Genesis 2. Men entered into that rest by faith. By faith, Noah.

54:17 By faith, Enoch, etc. The day of rest appointed, a day that was blessed and hallowed by the Lord when He entered into His rest, Genesis 2 and verse 3, was the seventh day of the week. Established as a reminder of what God had done. And established as a pledge of that which was to be enjoyed by faith.

54:43 That's the first work, the first day. Or rather the seventh day rather than the first Sabbath day. God's second great work was redeeming Israel from Egypt and giving them Canaan as their inheritance. And when God finished that work, what did He do?

55:04 He rested. Psalm 132 verses 13 and 14. The Lord hath chosen Zion, He hath desired it for His habitation. This is My rest forever.

55:19 Here will I dwell, for I have desired it.

55:23 What was Canaan to the Lord? He called it His rest as well. What was Zion to the Lord? It was His rest as well as that rest that He entered at creation.

55:36 Under the old covenant, what happened? Under the old covenant, God's Sabbath rest remained. And men? Even if they dwelt in Zion physically.

55:47 Even if they dwelt in Canaan physically, still had to enter God's rest by faith.

55:54 The day of rest reconfirmed when He entered into His rest was still the seventh day of the week. However, it was not only then a reminder of God's creation, but as we saw along the way in examining the old covenant, it was a sign of that old covenant. Exodus 31 verses 13 and 17. This Sabbath is a token of this covenant, He says.

56:20 Now it has more meaning than it had at creation. It signifies more than it did then. Then it only signified God's Sabbath rest from creation. Now it signifies God's Sabbath rest from the redemption of Israel out of Egypt.

56:36 He entered into that rest.

56:39 But now as Owen says, it is true this day was the same in the order of days that was before observed, the seventh day of the week. But it was now...

56:48 Now reestablished on new considerations, to new ends and purposes, the time of the change of the day was not yet come because this work was but preparatory of a greater work. Not the day of the week stayed the same, but the change of the day had not come. But God had indeed entered into another rest. Now third and final.

57:12 God's third great work was the work of Christ the Son redeeming His people from their sins. And when Christ finished this work, on the first day of the week, He entered into His rest. Verse 10 of our text, For he that is entered into His rest has rested also from His works as God did from His. And men under this new covenant that was established then, as in every previous age, entered this rest by faith.

57:47 In the same way as the writer tells us in chapter 11, the same kind of... That was true of Enoch before Sinai.

57:56 That was true of Moses and all those who came after Sinai.

58:02 That is the example of the kind of faith that we enter into God's rest through. Alright? So men still enter in this present age into that rest by faith. A day of rest yet exists, Owen says, but now it is indeed changed from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week.

58:23 And it is changed to remind us of Christ's finished work on that day and indeed as a pledge of our entering into His rest.

58:36 In other words, as the writer says, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Not merely a Sabbath rest of Christ to be entered into, but an earthly Sabbath day which points to that rest as a pledge that we enter into. And here, let Owen again speak for himself.

59:01 He says, the Apostle proves from the words of the psalmist referring to Psalm 95 that there was yet to be a third state of the church, a special state under the Messiah, which he now proposed to the Hebrews and exhorted them to enter. And in this church state, there is to be also a peculiar state of rest, distinct from them that went before.

59:23 To the constitution of this rest, there are three things required. First, that there be some signal work of God completed and finished. On which He enters into His rest. This was to be the foundation of the whole new church state and of the rest that would be obtained from that state.

59:44 Second, there had to be a spiritual rest ensuing thereon and arising thence for them that believed to enter into. In other words, there had to be a finished work. There had to be a rest that God entered into, but then there had to be a state that we entered into when we entered into that rest. And then third, there had to be a new or renewed day of rest to express that rest of God and to be a pledge of our entering.

60:09 If any of these or either of them is wanting, the whole structure of the apostles' discourse is dissolved. First, the apostles showed that there was a great work of God and that finished for the foundation of the whole. And this He made way for in chapter 3 where He both expressly asserts the Son to be God and showed the analogy between the creation of the old and the creation of the new creation as then god wrought in the creation of all things so christ who is god wrought in the setting up of this new church state and upon his finishing it he entered into

60:48 his rest as god did into his whereby he limited a certain day of rest to his people so he says there remains therefore a sabbatism or a sabbath rest to the people of god for he that has entered into his rest he has ceased from his works as god did from his own a new day of rest accommodated to this new church state arises from the rest that the lord christ entered into upon his ceasing from his works what's he saying brethren he's saying our first day lord's day our sunday first

61:29 day of the week is the sabbath of the new covenant a reminder of the work that christ finished you a pointer to that rest which we enter into by faith as his joint hands that's what he's saying that's the argument that the writer is making and i realize that this probably was the most difficult of all the messages on this material to try to understand and if there are points that you missed along the way please see me there the tapes will be available i'll give you my notes i'll sit down and talk with you all day but i hope you can see that this text far from being neutral

Pastoral Application: Diligence, Perseverance, and Christ Our High Priest

62:13 is a text that is not neutral is a text that is not neutral is a friend of the christian sabbath but brethren it is more than that this text is more than a friend of the doctrine of the christian sabbath this text is a friend of our souls because the writer goes on in that next verse and what does he say to us he says therefore let us give diligence to enter into that rest that no man no man fall after the same example of disobedience you see all the writer has been saying is to say to us that today is the day of the christian sabbath and we are going to be able to enter into that rest

62:49 is still the day to enter by faith into this rest today is the day with perseverance with with diligence with patience to enter endurance to enter into that rest let us therefore give diligence not be slothful not be slacking not turn back let us lay hold on jesus christ let us cling to jesus christ that we not fall by the same example of disobedience as characterized that wilderness generation it is

63:28 still possible to do what that wilderness generation did if we are not careful to guard against an evil heart of unbelief if we are not careful to be watchful against the deceitfulness of sin it is still possible that a promise being left of entering into that rest into that rest one of us would fall short of it therefore we are exhorted strongly throughout this letter repeatedly over and over and over and over and over and over again give diligence

64:04 persevere press on continue because if we do not the option is unthinkable we are reminded in the verses that follow that indeed there is a god who sees there is a god to whom we must give account his word even he himself are discerning the word of god is living and active sharper than any two edge sword piercing the sword of god the word of god is living and active sharper than any two-edged sword piercing the sword of god even to the dividing of soul and spirit of both joints and marrow quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight all things

64:49 are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom is our accounting we are to persevere with the recognition there is a god in heaven who sees and takes note makes account of whether we do or don't but we're also to take note of what he says in the closing verses of this chapter the writer doesn't leave us with merely a stern warning he doesn't leave us with a stern warning he doesn't leave us with a stern warning he doesn't leave us with merely an exhortation give diligence to enter into that rest that no man fall after the same example of disobedience he doesn't just stop there he says having been a great high priest our lord jesus christ who has passed through the heavens jesus son of god let

65:33 us hold fast our confession he's getting ready to make transition to his comparison between christ and the old covenant priestly order but he does this first he says we have a high priest and he is there able to sympathize we have a high priest that for we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but one that has been in all points tempted like we are yet without sin in this matter of perseverance we must not think that the lord jesus christ doesn't understand we must not think that he that he is lacking in sympathy as we are exhorted repeatedly

66:18 in this letter we are to remember we have a high priest who understands our condition

66:24 he understands what it is to be tempted to turn away from the path that god has put before him he understands that he knows what that feels like it's true he never sinned but he still understands he understands you child of god he understands the pressures you're under he understands the temptations he understands all the allurements of the world and the flesh and the devil to cause you to turn back he understands that he's not unsympathetic but he's more than sympathetic

66:58 he's at the right hand of the father he is there to intercede he is there for you to receive grace and help in time of need let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need what time of need this time of need this time of need when we face honestly squarely the admonition give diligence to enter into that rest that no man fall after the same example of the lord jesus christ the high priest and the disobedience frankly brethren i don't know about you but i guess i do i know about me i'm not up to

67:38 that assignment not in the flesh not in myself i cannot persevere i have not the strength i have not the will to do it no christian does perseverance though it is our responsibility though it is our duty it will be accomplished by grace or it will be accomplished not at all it will be accomplished with the strength of christ or it will be accomplished not at all and therefore having come through this lengthy intense exhortation the writer when he comes to

68:21 the very end as a good pastor he says to his people go to him go to him yes you need to be careful yes you need to be diligent yes you need to be fearful even of falling short look to the author and the finisher of our faith he says in chapter 12 ultimately you see he comes to the end of this entire section and he says to the author and the finisher of our faith he says in chapter 12 ultimately you see he comes to the end of this entire section this entire lengthy central section

69:02 and makes this final application therefore let us also seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses lay aside every weight the sin that does so easily to set us let us run with perseverance the race set before us looking unto jesus there's the source of our running there's the source of our arriving at the end as paul says in philippians i can do all things through christ who strengthens me that includes perseverance firm to the end brethren is there

69:46 a sabbath day for the people of god in this covenant now there certainly is we have seen nothing from genesis now through to the very last text in the new testament not a thing that would as much as give us a hint of a suggestion not even the perhaps of a maybe that there's not a christian god willing next lord's day will come to take up the issue which day of the week

70:27 are we still as our seventh-day baptist brethren would urge us to do are we still obligated to keep the seventh-day sabbath or are we right to be here today on the first day of the week observing it as a sabbath the lord's day god's holy day is that right we'll see what the apostolic church our father we turn to you this morning and ask for your mercies upon us thank you for your word and thank you for your

71:09 help more in understanding it we do pray father that you would grant us grace that we would not only give ourselves to a diligent following after you a diligent clean to jesus christ a diligent entering into that rest but we ask that you would give us mercy and grace to enable us to do so lord jesus christ do intercede for us make session for us we ask in your name amen