Rest for the People of God | Hebrews 3:7–19 | Persevering in Faith Until the Promise Is Fulfilled

Watch This Sermon: “Rest for the People of God”

In this message from Hebrews 3:7–19, Pastor Mark Groen explores the urgency of faith and the promise of rest for the people of God. Drawing from Psalm 95 and the wilderness generation, this sermon reminds us of the cost of unbelief and the need to encourage one another daily. If we want to persevere, we must hold fast to Christ and exhort one another in community. This is a timely call to evaluate our hearts, fix our eyes on the promise, and strengthen each other in the faith—because the rest we long for is real, and it’s coming.

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Rest is something that can often be hard to achieve. For many of us, even when we try to physically take a break, our minds do anything but rest, right? They impede our ability to rest. We're unable to stop and allow ourselves the rest that we really and truly need. and it manifests itself in our lives in the form of stress, or it can be amplified by sleeplessness. We need rest. And yet our anxiety and our stress can actually cause us to lose sleep, thus perpetuating the problem, causing our difficulties to only increase. Well I was thinking about this idea of needing rest because I knew the passage this week was talking about the rest for the people of God and I was driving through Sioux Falls and I was driving down a relatively residential street because I was trying to avoid some construction and there was a slight incline on the street and I could see a few hundred yards down the road a small dog on a leash.

It was on the left-hand side of the street. It was a little bit smaller, but I could tell it was there, and it wasn't doing much. Well, suddenly, it moved, and it went to the end of its leash like that. Why? Because a garbage truck had the audacity to drive by his house. Well, you could see that there was an extreme amount of barking and panic in this dog. Well, this little energetic dog followed the garbage truck, and then it ran back to the other end and followed the next car. Then it followed me, and then it followed the car behind me.

And this got to be a sport for me almost, so I'm glad I didn't get an accident, because I was sort of watching in my mirrors, right, to see what happened. This just kept on going, and there were cars coming from both directions. It wasn't going to stop. This was going to keep going. And as I was doing this, I was thinking about rest. I thought about that dog. There was going to be no rest for that dog, considering how much traffic was on that street. It would be a day of barking and then running to the end of the chain.

Well, humanity. We're in kind of the same state of affairs, aren't we? Our belief that ultimately we're in charge and we set the rules has us worrying. It has us barking. Every issue in our days can be cues for anxiety or stress. We do this individually with the stuff going on in our lives and I think we do it collectively as we watch what's going on in our world from day to day. We want to be in charge. We want to make the rules. Now certainly there are issues that we should be concerned with, obviously.

And there are things that we should speak. Maybe there's even times where we should bark. But that isn't my point. My point is that often we run away from the rest that we can have. the rest that we can have when we trust that God is in control, when we trust that He is the one who holds eternity in His hands. Well, now our passage for today talks about rest, but it's not a passage about our personal rest. It's about a rest for the people of God. It's about finally being able to be in the presence of God.

It's about resolving the tension that we feel in the world. It's about entering into God's kingdom where there will finally, finally be rest from the struggles that we have with sin, the struggles that we have with temptation, the struggle that we have with death. Now throughout the Old Testament, we see that Israel was like that dog I was talking about. They would have times where they were enjoying a time where they were following the commands of God. They were quiet, they were stationary, they were at rest. But they couldn't stop chasing things. They couldn't stop going after false gods.

They couldn't stop going after living in sin and living in unrest. They couldn't stop going after idolatry. And what we're going to see is that in the Lord Jesus Christ, we finally find rest. We finally find rest from that struggle that every human has. They had it in the Old Testament. We have it now. We will go chasing after idols. We will go chasing after anything that our heart desires. But the truth of the matter is, we need to rest in who God is. And so we come to our text once again here in the book of Hebrews, and we're going to use three main points to help us navigate through what this passage is teaching.

And so the first thing that we're going to see as we march through this today is that we're going to see that we're prone to rebellion against God. The example being used in our passage today is the people of Israel in the wilderness. Great example for the author of Hebrews to use because they had experienced firsthand the deliverance of God. But yet they were still plagued with rebellion. They were plagued with unbelief. And just like the Israelites in the wilderness, we're too prone to wander in this way. And secondly, we're going to see that we need to encourage one another to stay in the faith because sin is a very real thing.

It's a real temptation for us. We need to be built up in the faith. The struggles that we have in our lives and we see in the world can very easily get the best of us. We need a persistent reminder over and over of who God is and what he has done for us if we're going to remain faithful to him and we as brothers and sisters in Christ are called to do that for one another. And lastly, we see that there is a rest for the people of God. And we must endure and trust in the promises of God for His people.

Entering the rest of God is our ultimate goal. We can be sidetracked by the things of this life but they will never, none of those things will ever provide for us the ultimate rest that is our true deep down desire. We must hold on to the faith and keep our eyes on Christ for He is how we enter this rest. And so as we come to the first few verses of this passage this morning, we're going to be given a reminder of what the overarching theme of this book is. The author of Hebrews quotes from the Old Testament, and here specifically, he's quoting from Psalm 95, verses 7 through 11.

This reminds us here of the big theme of the book, because what is being made here in this book is an argument for these formerly Jewish folks to not reject the new teachings of the Christian faith. They are tempted to go back to rituals and ceremonies and the laws of the Old Testament. The Old Testament passages in the book of Hebrews are being used here then to point out the truth of what Jesus has done and to point out not only how Jesus fulfills what was talked about in the Old Testament, but they also act as a warning.

It warns them, you do not want to do what your forefathers did. You don't want to turn away from the living God. You don't want to go back to your old life. That's the point that this psalm is making, this psalm that's quoted here in Hebrews. And before we look at it, I want to point out something important in this very first sentence. Notice what it says here at the top, as the Holy Spirit says. So what does the author of Hebrews think about scripture? Clearly, they believe that this is the Word of God. The words of the Old Testament are inspired by God.

These words that the author is about to quote are not just some random ideas from some guy who decided to share them with people, and so they only apply to that particular context. No, these are the words of God. And therefore they matter to all people, they matter to all times, they matter in all places. And it's with that idea that these words of God that are coming to the Hebrews here and came to the people in the Old Testament, it's because of that that the author of Hebrews uses this as a warning. He says that if you hear the voice of God, if you know what He is saying, then do not harden your hearts as they did in the rebellion.

Now, we know what that means, because the Israelites hardened their hearts when they were in the wilderness. They had multiple times where they had their opportunity, they had a chance to put their faith and trust in the living God who had just delivered them, but they failed the test. Now we all loved, we all loved those teachers who gave us a second shot at the test, right? Well, the Israelites were tested over and over in the wilderness. God gave them the opportunity to put their trust in Him. He gave them the chance to believe, but what did they do?

They failed the test over and over again. And look at what it says here in Hebrews. They saw the works of God for 40 years and that they still rebelled in unbelief. And the psalmist says that they always go astray in their heart and they have not known the ways of God. Now certainly, now certainly, not every person in the wilderness was rebellious. But the idea here is that the majority of the people in the wilderness doubted the faithfulness of God. even though they had seen the faithfulness of God in full display. Think about how God had continually provided provisions for his people.

Despite their unfaithfulness, God was faithful. And so for this reason, the psalmist informs us that in his anger, God did not let them enter his rest. And it's important that we understand what's being said, this idea of rest. It's deeply connected to the idea of creation. It's deeply connected to the idea of Sabbath. Because the idea is that in the garden, Adam and Eve were at rest. They had peace with God. But then, they rebelled against God. They were thrown out. And the idea was that they needed to get back to the garden. That we as humans need to get back to the garden to get to that rest that God had promised His people.

And so each week on the seventh day there was a little piece of this. The idea of the Sabbath pointed to the promised land. The idea of the Sabbath pointed back to the garden. That's where we wanted to go. That's where we need to be. So every week we go there in worship. That continues for us. But that was the idea behind the Sabbath in the Old Testament. It all pointed to the idea that one day God would finally bring a rest for the people of God. And so as we look at this, we see our first point.

This is something that wasn't just a concern of the people in the wilderness. It wasn't just a concern for whoever the psalmist was referring to when he wrote this psalm. Being prone to rebel wasn't even just something that was a concern about the Old Testament people of God. The author of Hebrews has this concern for the people that he's writing to, too. We are all prone to rebel against God. And it's important that we understand that this rebellion has consequences. In order to be faithful to Christ, we need to be deliberate to be faithful to His commands for us.

We have to be mindful of the fact that we will be tempted, we will be tempted to turn to something else. We need to guard our hearts and our minds, and we do that with the Word of God. This is how the Holy Spirit is at work in us. We're prone to rebellion, and so we must guard ourselves with the Word of God. But as we move on in the passage, and as we move on to our second point, we see that we're not to be alone in this. It's because we are prone to turn away.

It's because we're prone to wander. It's because we're prone to rebel that we're encouraged to exhort one another. Notice how the author of Hebrews addresses his audience. Take care, brothers. He sees the people of God there as family, as brothers and sisters who care for each other. And they need to be aware that they might have evil, unbelieving hearts. And that is a harsh statement. But it's something that we need to take to heart. And notice, he isn't saying to look out for the other person over there. It's in any of you. that it's not only the other guy we need to worry about.

It could be you. It could be me. Because we are prone to rebellion. We have to be prepared that something could lead us to fall away from the living God. And it's important then that we take care of each other. And we do that by exhorting each other. We're called to challenge each other, to stand firm in the faith. We need each other. We can't stand strong on our own. We need each other. This isn't the job of some Christians. This isn't just the pastor's job to encourage others to stand firm in the faith. We're called to encourage one another.

And notice that there is an urgency to this. As long as it's called today, the text says. Now, if you were just reading these verses, you might be wondering why that's in there. But the author of Hebrews is calling back to that psalm we were just looking at. The idea of today is to express the urgency of staying faithful now. Today is the day to remain faithful to the Gospel. Today is the day to stand firmly on the Word of God. Today. And the point is that we take a stand today. And we stand firm today.

And then our hearts will not be hardened by the deception of sin. and this is so radically important for us, we are to understand that this is the battle. This is where it's going to be fought. This is where it is. The battle is today with each and every moment. Right now there are temptations in front of us and that's where the war is waged. Today we take a stand. Today we stand firm. Today we believe God instead of falling for the deception that we are so prone to follow. And again, the author of Hebrews lets us know that we are in this together.

This is not a one-on-one battle. We share in Christ together, and it's important that we hold firm to the end. And our holding firm to the end is important because it's a witness that we have truly received the grace of God in Christ. Those who have received the grace of God will hold firm and will persevere to the end. In other words, to state this verse another way, you could say, if you don't persevere in Christ, then we never shared in Him at all. That's what he's saying. Those who persevere truly have Christ. The idea is that those who have true, penitent faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, they're going to persevere.

They're going to make it. They're going to make it. Each and every one of us wants that to be us. And so hold fast to the faith. And we need to encourage one another to do the same. Today is the day. And so we come to our final point. We want to hold fast because there is a rest for the people of God. And we come back here to that urgency. Notice the word today again. Now is the time to hear the word of the Lord. Now is the time to be sure that we don't harden our hearts as they did in the rebellion.

And we go back here again to that history of Israel. Who was it that rebelled? It was those who left slavery and captivity in Egypt. They wanted to go back? They rebelled against God because they didn't want freedom. They didn't want freedom from Egypt. They wanted their bellies full. That's what they wanted. But that isn't what God had for them. He had a promised rest. There is a promised rest for the people of God and we see that clearly here. The author of Hebrews is speaking about those who rebelled in the wilderness and did not enter the promised land.

And this isn't about, when we talk about this, people not making it. This isn't about having your travel plans canceled or your loan not getting approved for a new house that you're moving to. It wasn't a relocation difficulty. The problem was that God did not allow them to enter His rest. We're meant to understand that this true story of the Israelites dying in the wilderness is showing us something deeper about faith and about persevering in that faith. There is, there is a coming rest for the people of God. We will come to the promised land.

We must hold strong in the faith because there were those who survived the Passover, There were those who walked through the Red Sea on dry land. There were those who were fed in the wilderness with manna. There were those whose thirst was quenched by the water from the rock. But they fell in the wilderness because of the rebellion, because of their unbelief. And that thought is meant to humble us. God told them that because of their unbelief that they would fall in the wilderness and he was good on his promise. There is a rest coming for us.

There will be eternal Sabbath and everything will be restored to the garden. But we must persevere and we must hold fast to the faith. And as I said, this is an urgent call for us. We rest in the grace and mercy of God. All of this is not to scare us. to make us think that we haven't done enough to please God. That's not the point here. The point is to stand strong because our sinful hearts are prone to rebellion. And we need to understand the importance of holding to the truth. We must cling to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that urgency is so important for us. and we need to keep that on our minds as we think about how to apply this passage to our lives. We will see more about Sabbath rest next week, that coming rest for the people of God. But this week, what did we see that the challenge was? What was our challenge today from the Word of God. It was to persevere. It was to persevere that we might enter that rest. And that is the call on our lives as Christians. So two challenges for us this week. First, I believe it is so important for us to think about where we have compromised.

What are the sins that we don't think are a big deal? and yet we know they are contrary to God's law. What worldly philosophy have we let sink into our minds, yet we know it's in opposition to the things of God? What attitudes do we have that we might look down on in others, but yet we brush it aside in ourselves? It's important that we make this kind of assessment because it's so easy for us to be distracted and it's very easy for us to look at others and compare ourselves to them and declare ourselves as holier and more righteous than others.

But we see in this passage, though, that even the Israelites were prone to wandering. And so we, too, have to be on guard for where we have strayed from the path that God has placed before us. And secondly, we need, we need to find the courage to encourage and exhort one another in the faith. We are finding this as an important theme and application throughout the book of Hebrews. We've been here before. It's hard for us to do, and so I'm going to keep bringing it up. When it comes up in the text, we're going to hear this.

because we see here that we are united together and we are to urgently help and build up one another in the faith. For too long, for far too long, we have seen faith as a primarily personal endeavor. Now of course that's true, of course that's true, but it's only a part of the story. I think we have even made something as communal as worship, as gathering together. We've made that about our own experience. When was the last time that you stopped to think about the fact that you have other people around you that are confessing their sin too?

They're doing it with you. When have you thought about the fact that the person down the aisle from you is speaking the word of the Lord with you and to you? When was the last time you thought about the beauty of a gathered people of God confessing what they believe? You see, our worship together is not only about what we're experiencing individually, but how we are building each other up, because we are the family of God. Together. That's us. And I know, I know we struggle with exhorting and encouraging each other, because it's something that is difficult, but it's something that we're called to do.

And so, after talking about this idea many times, I want to take the challenge further. Find one. Find one person this week to encourage in their faith. Maybe to get you started, it starts with a text. Maybe it's a phone call. Maybe it's going to somebody that you know needs to be visited. Somebody that you need to press into this week. But I want to challenge you. Find one. Start with one. Because today, today is the day that we need to be faithful. Today is the day that we persevere in the faith. And we know that the world is a difficult place.

And the temptations are strong. And so we need to encourage each other today. We need the strength that we can give to each other. We need to have each other's back. We need to feel the urgency of this. It starts today. And so, may we leave here today as a united people who are looking to the rest that will come because we're the people of God. May we persevere in the faith. May we encourage and build one another up that all honor, glory, and praise may be given to Christ alone for who he is and what he has done.

Amen.

Are You Longing for Rest That Lasts?

The call to perseverance isn’t just for ancient Israel—it’s for us today. True rest isn’t found in comfort or control, but in Christ alone. If this sermon encouraged you, consider reading Reading Scripture with Christ at the Center, where we reflect on how all of Scripture leads us to Jesus.

You can also explore more messages in our Hebrews | Once for All series, including:
• He Has Himself Suffered (Hebrews 2:5–18)
• Worthy of More Glory (Hebrews 3:1–6)
• How Shall We Escape? (Hebrews 2:1–14)

Don't walk the journey alone—visit our Plan Your Visit page to connect with a gospel-rooted, Christ-centered church family near you.