The Rest You Need | Hebrews 4:1-11
What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had? For a few months of my life while in college I worked at a funeral home. It was one of the most fascinating and strangest jobs I’ve ever had. I served in the maintenance department but was also available to help at funerals, ride in the hearse, wash the limo and install headstones at graveyard. On some of the headstones, I would occasionally see these words: Finally at Rest or Rest In Peace. Normally, when a celebrity or politician dies, people will go on social media and say, “RIP.” Many people see death as the final doorway to ultimate rest. 73% of Americans believe in Heaven and 54% believe that being a good person is what gets you there. Yet, the reality is that only those who have a real, personal relationship with Christ go to heaven and can truly rest in peace.
The book of Hebrews was written to first century believers who were weary from the troubles and difficulties in their lives that they were in danger of giving up on Christianity altogether. The writer, in a series of sermons, is encouraging them to not give up. He is calling them to keep believing in Jesus. In chapters 3 and 4, the writer picks up on a theme that is found throughout the Bible, the theme of rest. He uses the word 8 times in 11 verses. The irony is that you would think he’d tell those who are struggling in their faith to work harder, but instead, he tells them to rest harder. He is telling them to not let the hardness of their hearts keep them entering the rest that God offers. Just as we began in this series, so today we will see that: The rest we need is only found in Jesus. There is a warning against rebellion and only one way to rest.