Hebrews 4:1-11: A Sabbath-Rest for God's People

Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.

1Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

1Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.

1Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

1Therefore, while the promise to enter His rest remains, let us fear that none of you should miss it.

2For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.

2For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

2For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

2For 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.

2For we also have received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard did not benefit them, since they were not united with those who heard it in faith

3Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world.

3For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.

3For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST," although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.

3For 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.

3(for we who have believed enter the rest), in keeping with what He has said: So I swore in My anger, they will not enter My rest. And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world,

4For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "On the seventh day God rested from all his works."

4For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”

4For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS";

4For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

4for somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this way: And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.

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5And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest."

5And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.”

5and again in this passage, "THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST."

5And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

5Again, in that passage He says, They will never enter My rest.

6Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,

6Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,

6Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience,

6Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

6Since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news did not enter because of disobedience,

7God again set a certain day, calling it "Today." This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."

7again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

7He again fixes a certain day, "Today," saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS."

7Again, 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.

7again, He specifies a certain day--today--speaking through David after such a long time, as previously stated: Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.

8For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.

8For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

8For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;

9So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,

9So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

9Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God's people.

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10for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.

10for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

10For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.

10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

10For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His.

11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

11Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

11Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.

11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

11Let us then make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience.

When we serve God, our blessings will be numerous, abundant

Do you know people who like to carry around old baggage everywhere they go? They can't let go of anything. It is as though they just can't let go of the past. They deprive themselves of freedom because they can't forget what someone did to them 10 years ago.

You can't get the most out of today if you are continually rehashing the hurts and disappointments of yesterday. When someone has hurt you, ruined your character in some way or said something to offend you, it is not easy to let go of it.

Our natural tendency is to hang on to it. No one said it is easy, but opening up your heart and letting go of things of the past is the most exhilarating and life-altering things we can do.

Our Lord taught by saying, "Judge not, and you shall not be judged." We have no right to judge others even in the smallest matters. We don't have that right because God didn't give us that right.

James said, "Speak not evil of one another, brethren. He that speaks evil of his brother and judges him, speaks evil of the law, and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge."

He goes on to say, "There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy: who are you that judge another" (James 4:11-12).

I don't see how it could be any plainer than this. As we don't have the right the judge others, by the same token, others don't have the right to judge us. Some people love to point out other people's faults and short-comings.

We don't have to worry about what others say about us because what they think of us doesn't matter. What matters most in life is the way we live for the Lord Jesus Christ and that do the things that are pleasing to Him. We should treat other people kindly and with respect as the Lord would have us.

Jesus continued in Luke 6:37 by saying, " Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven." It's a guarantee! It is a fact! We can count on it. We can stand firmly on this promise and know most assuredly that it is true.

We should be forgivers of those who have wronged us because He has forgiven us.

The greatest way that we can show Christian charity is by letting go of the bitterness and resentment we may harbor in our hearts toward those who have used and taken advantage of us.

In the next verse, He said, "Give, and it shall be given." This is not a maybe. This is not a hope-so kind of thing where you have to believe it is true, but we can know with absolute certainty, beyond the shadow of any doubt that this is true.

It's amazing how things can come back to you. When we do a good deed for someone or say a kind word, it will always come back to us in some way. There are those times when we don't feel like giving times when you feel that it's just not worth it times when you feel like you give and give till you can't do it any more. But what we have to remember is that we are doing it unto the Lord.

When we are in favor with God and doing our best to serve Him, He will bless us in ways which we can't imagine. When we are walking in the ways of God, we should expect the manifestations of God to be on our lives.

Many people don't experience the abundance of God's blessings on their life because they don't expect them. If we are seeking God's goodness and favor to be on our lives, they will surely come because this is the kind of God we serve.

We serve a God of wealth and of plenty. He is not in short supply. The Psalmist David says that "The earth is the Lord's and the fullest thereof; the world and they that dwell therein" (Ps. 24:1). In another place in Psalms it says that God owns "the cattle on a thousand hills."

There are those who are making the mistake of assuming that just because they have something that they own it. This is not entirely true.

Just because you paid for it and have possession of it doesn't mean that you own it. You might have the deed to your house, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you own it.

The money and possessions that we have down here in this life are just on loan to us by God. The scriptures say that we brought nothing into this world and we surely will take nothing out.

The things that are most important are the things you can't buy. You can't buy another person's love. You can't buy a rainbow or a tree, the air we breathe, the health we enjoy or the relaxing sounds of the waves on the seashore.

All these blessings are ours no matter who we are or where we live. It does not matter if we are rich or poor or the color of our skin or what nationality we may be. All blessings we enjoy each day come from God, and all He asks is that we enjoy them and to give Him praise.

While all these blessings of God are good, the greatest of them all is His love. We are told from His Word that He loved the world so much that He gave His only Son. Why did He do this? He did it that we may have everlasting life.

By asking Him to forgive us our sins and to come into our lives as our Savior and Lord, we get God's greatest gift.

By Billy Edwards