A Remaining Rest
Notes
Transcript
Preliminary:
Preliminary:
Read:
Read:
1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Introduction:
Introduction:
Music is such a marvelous thing. There are in music little pieces of notation that cause sound and music to temporarily cease, We call these symbols rests.
There are five main types of rests in music a whole rest - that is a rest that takes up the entire measure, a half rest - held for half as long, a quarter rest - a one beat rest, and then you have the eighth and sixteenth rests which are rests for small units of quietness.
Back in 1952 John Cage a modernist composer had the philosophy that everything we do is music, and he composed a piano piece entitled 4’33 in which was four minutes and 33 seconds worth of rests.
You can search it up online and find a performance of it by William Marx in which it was performed in more recent times - but without much context to the hearers. He is introduced comes out to the stage, takes a bow, sets at the piano, puts on his glasses, opens his music, picks up a stopwatch setting on the piano - and promptly starts it and closes the lid to the piano at the same time - then sits in silence for a minute - that is the first movement - he stops the watch, lifts the lid of the piano and moves on to the second movement - which is a repeat of the first movement -
One of the hearers of this performance or non performance however you wish to interpret it - made had this to say immediately following the event -
“Unexpected silence is not welcomed…a feeling of terror came over me ending in wanting to laugh hysterically.”
This type of unexpected rest did not produce tranquility or peace at least for that guy.
The word “rest” is used almost 10 times in the passage we read this morning - a repeated word in a passage shows something of significance.
What does this idea of rest mean?
Rest is sometimes defined as
“To be placed or supported so as to stay in a specified position”
Even our sight - “of a look - alight or be steadily directed on” such as “his eyes briefly rested on the object.”
It can have meaning of |being based or grounded in something - to depend on - such as “to place hope, trust, or confidence on or in”
It can have significance in legal terms - it can be used of the the conclusion of the case or the prosecution or the defense in a law case.
The most common use of rest however, is probably “an instance or period of relaxing or ceasing to engage in strenuous or stressful activity” or to be in a motionless state.
We find in the Bible there are three main types and examples of rest: (Dictionary of Bible Themes (5059 rest, eternal)
Physical Rest
This is very similar to our common use of the word.
The Bible recognizes the need for physical rest - we even find that provision is made for ensuring that people are allowed time for rest.
Jesus Christ needed physical rest
John 4:6“Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.”
Mark 4:38“And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?”
Luke 9:58 “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
Our need for rest
Mark 6:31 “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
Psalm 23:2–3 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Proverbs 17:1 “Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, Than an house full of sacrifices with strife.”
Ecclesiastes 4:6 “Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.”
Matthew 11:28–30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Provision of sleep for rest
Psalm 4:8“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: For thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 127:2 “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows: For so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
Ecclesiastes 5:12 “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.”
Provision of a Sabbath-rest
Exodus 34:21“Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.”
Mark 2:27“And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:”
Exodus 20:8–11“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Deuteronomy 5:12–15“Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.”
Exodus 31:15“Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.”
Exodus 35:2 “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.”
Leviticus 23:3 “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.”
Nehemiah 13:15 “In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.”
Isaiah 58:13–14 “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, From doing thy pleasure on my holy day; And call the sabbath a delight, The holy of the Lord, honourable; And shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, Nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; And I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, And feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
The purpose of rest -
To renew strength
Lamentations 5:5“Our necks are under persecution: We labour, and have no rest.”
Isaiah 40:29–31 “He giveth power to the faint; And to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.”
Spiritual Rest
To be at rest spiritually is to find peace with God through Jesus Christ. This rest is promised to all who put their trust in God and obey him.
The human desire for spiritual rest
Lamentations 5:19–22“Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; Thy throne from generation to generation. Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, And forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; Renew our days as of old. But thou hast utterly rejected us; Thou art very wroth against us.”
See also Psalm 55:4–8“My heart is sore pained within me: And the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, And horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, And remain in the wilderness. Selah. I would hasten my escape From the windy storm and tempest.”
Lamentations 3:25–26“The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.”
1 Timothy 2:2 “For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
Spiritual rest is to be found in God alone
Matthew 11:28–30“28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
See also Exodus 33:14 “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
Psalm 23:2 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.”
Psalm 51:12 “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit.”
Psalm 62:1–2 “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: From him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.” ,Psalm 62:5–8 “My soul, wait thou only upon God; For my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, Pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
Psalm 91:1–13 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: My God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, And under his wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; Nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold And see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, Even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all t…”
Isaiah 26:3–4 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: For in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:”
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Romans 5:1“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
; Galatians 1:3“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”
Colossians 1:20“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”
God promises his people spiritual rest
Hebrews 4:9–11“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
Psalm 1:3 “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”
Psalm 116:7 “Return unto thy rest, O my soul; For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.”
Psalm 119:165 “Great peace have they which love thy law: And nothing shall offend them.”
Psalm 125:1 “They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, Which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.”
Psalm 131:1–3 “Lord, My heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, As a child that is weaned of his mother: My soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord From henceforth and for ever.”
Proverbs 29:25“The fear of man bringeth a snare: But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
Isaiah 30:15 “For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: And ye would not.”
Isaiah 32:17–18 “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; And the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, And in sure dwellings, And in quiet resting places;”
Isaiah 58:11 “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, And satisfy thy soul in drought, And make fat thy bones: And thou shalt be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.”
Jeremiah 6:16 “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”
Jeremiah 17:7–8 “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”
John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
1 Peter 3:4“But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
Spiritual rest is not for the wicked
Psalm 1:4–5“The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”
Psalm 112:10 “The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: The desire of the wicked shall perish.”
Ecclesiastes 2:23 “For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.”
Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.”
Isaiah 57:20–21“But the wicked are like the troubled sea, When it cannot rest, Whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”
God’s offer of rest rejected by a faithless people
Isaiah 28:12 “To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; And this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”
Jeremiah 6:16“Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”
Eternal Rest
Eternal rest consists of peace with God after this life, an absence of toil and tribulation and a final deliverance from pain, sorrow and death.
Aspects of eternal rest include
Being in the presence of God
Luke 23:43 “43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
John 14:3 “3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
Philippians 1:23 “23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:”
1 Thessalonians 4:17–18 “17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Revelation 7:15 “15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.”
True Happiness
2 Corinthians 5:8 “8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
Refreshment and satisfaction
Revelation 22:1–2 “1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
The absence of trouble
2 Thessalonians 1:6–7 “6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,”
Revelation 6:10–11 “10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
The absence of pain, sorrow and death
Revelation 21:4 “4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
The absence of conflict and harm
Isaiah 65:25 “25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, And the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: And dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.”
The absence of the curse
Revelation 22:3 “3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:”
But as is clearly pointed out in our passage - ETERNAL REST IS CONDITIONAL UPON FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE
Hebrews 4:11 “11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
Hebrews 4:1–2 “1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”
Now that is a data dump of information about rest -
but our Bible passage in Hebrews is very clear and distinct that there are two rests for the people of God.
We encounter the first rest in the Gospels
1. The First Rest
1. The First Rest
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The hymn writer put it in poetic form:
Jesus Calls Us
1. Jesus calls us: o'er the tumult Of our life's wild restless sea, Day by day his sweet voice soundeth, Saying, "Christian, follow me."
2. As, of old, apostles heard it By the Galilean lake, Turned from home and toil and kindred, Leaving all for his dear sake.
3. Jesus calls us from the worship Of the vain world's golden store, From each idol that would keep us, Saying, "Christian, love me more."
4. In our joys and in our sorrows, Days of toil and hours of ease, Still he calls, in cares and pleasures, "Christian, love me more than these."
5. Jesus calls us: by thy mercies, Saviour, may we hear thy call, Give our hearts to thine obedience, Serve and love thee best of all.
Our text gives one of the greatest and dare I say most important universal call ever given.
I want us to notice first of all that
Jesus’ Call Creates a Safe Place -
One of the first things I noticed after moving to Wichita was the “Safe Place” signs on stores and business. After a few questions and a little research I found it was a way for people that needed help to find it in a safe and somewhat discreet manner.
Jesus’ call creates a “Safe Place” -
Safe from condemnation
Safe from carrying heavy burdens alone
Safe from constant
Labour = I always thought this meant work - hard work - non-productive work - but the Greek word used here actually has to do with the effect of that work.
It means to tire, grow weary, become discouraged, struggle, lose heart, fatigue,
To exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress.
Same -word used in John 4:6 “6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.”
Jesus’ call begins with those who are “wearied with your journey” come take a seat by him at the well and let your soul be renewed and refreshed.
Edmund Sears put it this way in his Christmas Carol:
Logos Digital Hymnal It Came upon the Midnight Clear
All ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look, now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing:
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!
What I hear Jesus saying is:
Come with:
Sin
Shame
Heartache
Pain
Loss
Anxiety
Fear
Trouble
Worry
Sickness
Jesus’ Call is A Taking Way
Usable Outlines and Illustrations (23. A Taking Way)
Take the water of life freely.—
Rev. 22:17 “17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
Let him … take up his cross.—
Matt. 16:24 “24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Take my yoke upon you.—Matt. 11:29 “29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
Jesus’ Call is A Call to Rest (Adrian Rogers talks about)
The Simplicity of His Rest - It’s a letting go of your exhaustion, discouragement, emptiness, and resting on and in HIM!!!
The Surety of His Rest - I WILL GIVE YOU REST- peace that passes understanding,
The Source of His Rest - Himself
Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive III. The Source of His Rest
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one,
Lay down thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting place,
And He has made me glad.
—HORATIUS BONAR
The Secret of His Rest
Taking on the yoke - A yoke is used to position the weight of heavy objects in an easier manner, and to make movement of that heavy object easier.
We can either take on Christ’s yoke or we can carry our burden.
We lived in a house when we were first married that had narrow steps down to a creepy dark damp basement. That was where the laundry area was - and we needed a washer and dryer. We went to Sears and purchased a them and had them delivered.
You see I had to bring the old broken one up the steps myself and I knew there was no way I wanted to bring the new one down - so we had it delivered.
I can’t remember now but I believe there were two delivery men and put on some type of harness that had connecting straps that went underneath the appliance. When they stood up - that appliance was picked up with more evenly distributed weight due to the work of the straps - Jesus is saying - you can’t do this on your own - take my yoke on you - its not some heavy straps under your burden and load - no IT’s THE EVERLASTING ARMS OF GOD!!!
Learning of Him
The Sweetness of His Rest
Its a rest like nothing else can give - a rest that comes with peace -
Its a rest that the world cannot duplicate and is in constant search of
Its a rest that restores -
One writer who had found the sweetness of this rest talked about his soul being restored like the eagles
David says that the Shepherd gave him such rest that “He Restores My Soul”
This is a rest offered to the unconverted, to those who are unsaved - the word “come” unmistakably teaches the idea and fact of a distance, a broken fellowship,
it is also a rest that is given - “I will give you rest” but it is obtained by coming to Christ - This is the first rest
I can tell you all about Christ - about God - I can increase your knowledge about God - but you need to Know Him yourself - the Call of Jesus is a call to not more information but relation
Are you needing rest this morning - Jesus calls you to rest in Him
(This section is from sermon - The Call of Christ preached 10/9/22)
2. The Second Rest
2. The Second Rest
Hebrews 4:9 “9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
The first rest we pointed out in Matthew 11:28-30 is entered into by coming and taking of Christ
The second rest you find here in Hebrews 4 is found by faith, and consecration
R.E. Carrol points out some reasons for considering earthly Canaan as a type of entire sanctification:
1) God's promise of the land was of long standing to Israel just as the promise of heart holiness for His people was of long standing -- from the foundation of the world.
2) Canaan was the goal toward which they were to march just as soon as they escaped Egyptian bondage. Just so it is normal, even if not usual, for those who are saved to start at once on the journey to spiritual Canaan.
3) The promised land had an attractiveness that was specially appealing to those who had known Egypt's bondage and the weary marches through the wilderness. It was a land of springs and fountains; they need no longer want for water. It was a land of bountiful crops; they could now forget the diet of Egypt and the monotony of manna. It had riches all prepared for them; houses they had not built and vineyards they had not planted.
Other comparisons of earthly Canaan with spiritual rest in holiness are found In the circumstances of entrance.
Israel failed to enter because of unbelief; that is why people fail to enter spiritual Canaan.
When it came time for the entrance into the land there was a barrier, the Jordan at flood-tide that made it seem impossible for them to cross. So it often is when a seeking soul comes to the border of spiritual Canaan. It seems impossible to enter the rest. But the miracle-working God can take His people through. Israel followed the Ark of God. By faith they stepped into the waters. Then it was the mighty miracle of the parting of the waters took place.
The actual possessing of the land was also typical. They had a strong city (Jericho) to conquer as soon as they were in the land. The victory was given by God after the detailed obedience of the people.
Jericho was not the last battle. There were many battles fought in order to possess the land but there was never a defeat as long as they were walking in careful obedience to the Lord.
The figure of the Canaan rest is the theme of Heb 3:7 - 4:11.
In these verses the word "rest" occurs twelve times
the word "enter" eleven times.
The theme of the passage is in these two words: rest and enter.
The word 'rest' is so meaningful in this connection.
The land was the rest God had promised to Israel.
It was to be a rest from the bondage of Egypt,
from the wandering nomad life of their forefathers,
and rest from the forty years of wilderness wandering.
Canaan was but a type of promised soul rest. (Hebrews 4:8“8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.” )
It is beautifully called 'God's rest' (Heb 4:3,5)
and is likened to God's creation day rest (4:3,4).
What John Wesley called "The Second Blessing," his brother called "that Second Rest."
Have you found this rest - the only way to come short of it is to unbelieving yourself from it - It is there
I preached last Sunday morning about the Promises of God - this rest is promised to those who will enter in to it.
Hebrews 4:9 “9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 “23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
This rest is there
Give your testimony of how you saw Isaac in your experience of sanctification - and you entered in by faith.