God’s Rest - Heb 3:7-4:7
Posted by Amber Bruce | 
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This week, Dave Dawson preaches on God’s Rest from Hebrews 3:7-4:7.
- After listening to the sermon, do you have any questions or insights?
- Read Heb 3:7-19. Answer the following:
a. Summarize what was happening with the Israelites when they arrived at the edge of the Promised Land (See Numbers 13).
We hope that at least one person in each group will be able to summarize these events for the rest of the group. If you have a group of new believers or members who are unfamiliar with the Bible, consider asking them to read Numbers 13 before coming to group to get some background.
The Cliff notes version is: The Israelites sent spies into the Promised Land, who came back with a report that, yes, the land was wonderful, but also there were big, strong warriors defending it. Only two of the 12 spies thought the Israelites had a chance against the Canaanites, so the whole group decided not to go in and take it. The catch: God had promised to give them the land, and had shown His power to fulfill His promises when he rescued them from Egypt and conquered other nations on the way to the Promised Land. The bottom line: They rejected God’s promise because of their unbelief.
b. How were the circumstances in Hebrews similar to the incident in Numbers 13?
Dave gave us a little bit of the background for the writing of the Letter to the Hebrews. It was written to Jewish Christians who were encountering difficulties and were considering going back to the familiar ways of Judaic laws and sacrifices. If they returned to that way, they would be rejecting the promises of God in Jesus because of their unbelief.
c. How did the Israelites harden their hearts?
The Israelites believed the reports of the spies that the people in the land were too strong for them to defeat. They let their fear and self-dependence harden their hearts to God’s power and promises.
d. What were the results?
This rejection of God’s promise was the reason for the infamous 40-year-wandering in the wilderness. That entire generation missed out on the Promised Land, and it went to their children, who were willing to go in and conquer it.
- Read Hebrews 3:11,18-19; 4:1-11; Matt 11:28-30 and discuss the following:
a. Define God’s rest.
Dave taught us that God’s rest is a present experience of His power and presence, and a future experience of complete rest, both physical and spiritual.
b. How do we enter into God’s rest?
As we believe God’s promises and tap into God’s resources, we obey God and receive the benefits of God’s rest. Dave called it “faith and follow-through.” In other words, trust and obedience are the way to enter God’s rest. It reminds me of the old children’s song, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.”
c. Why should we want God’s rest?
We are all longing for something better. We talked about this concept over the last two weeks as we looked at Romans 8, where all of creation groans, longing for everything to be put right. If we enter God’s rest now, the world around us will not be put to rights – it will likely become more painful and difficult – but our spirits will be set right with God, which gives us an inner core of rest no matter what difficulties and stresses come our way.
d. What causes us to leave it?
Point IIb tells us “Unbelief and rebellion bar the entrance.” When we listen to lies and refuse to believe God’s promises or His power to fulfill them, we harden our hearts to Him and shut ourselves out of His rest.
- Read Heb 4:1-2. Considering what you discussed in question 3, why is just reading the One Year Bible not enough to enter God’s rest?
Hebrews 4:2 says that good news came to us, just as it came to the Israelites, but the message failed to help them because they refused to act on it. We might be reading the Bible every day, but if we are not taking the Bible as God’s Word to us – absolutely true in every way, with authority to tell us how to live – and acting on what it says through the power given to us, it does not benefit us. This question is in no way intended to imply that we should not be reading the Bible every day. Rather, as James 1:22-25 tells us, we will be blessed when we read it AND believe and obey it.
We added the phrase “considering what you discussed in question 3” to the beginning of this question because we wanted to make sure that this part of the discussion is based on the definition of God’s rest, and how to enter that rest. Experiencing God’s rest in this present life is a benefit of being justified by faith in Christ. We do not have to obey in order to be justified; that is a free gift of God through faith (Eph 2:8-9). The obedience comes as a result of our faith in Christ and our trust in God’s promises, by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. As we believe God’s promises, obey God’s commands, and tap into His power, we experience the benefits of God’s rest.
Break into gender groups to discuss the following:
- When have you experienced God’s rest in the midst of difficulty, chaos, or uncertainty?
In question 3c, I mentioned that when our spirits are right with God, we have an inner core of rest no matter what besets us. In fact, it is frequently in the midst of difficulty, chaos, or uncertainty that we are able to recognize that rest. If all around us was rest, how would we recognize God’s rest?
Our hope with this question is that it will encourage sharing and relationship-building, illustrate real-life examples of God’s rest, and be illuminating to those who have not yet experienced God’s rest.
- Read Heb 3:12-14 and discuss the following:
a. In what ways is sin deceitful?
Sin looks attractive, tells lies about God, promises what it can’t deliver, and twists the truth.
b. How could you be deceived into hardening your heart when you read or hear God’s Word?
This is an introspective question that requires some self-knowledge. You may rephrase it, “What are the ways that you are susceptible to being deceived? What things that God asks you to do make you tend to harden your heart?”
c. Is there anything that God has said that you’re not trusting in and acting on right now?
This is an opportunity for you as the leader to press in as you see the need in your group. If your group is not ready for this, or you deem it appropriate, you can skip it. You may ask it and it could fall flat, or someone may read it and feel the need to answer whether you ask or not. This is getting very personal, but we felt we would be unfaithful if we didn’t bring this out. You may want to make it more specific, “Is there anything you feel convicted about that you are not trusting God in or acting on right now?”
d. What are some ways your small group can help you put verse 13 into practice?
This verse tells us to exhort one another every day. This means to urge and encourage one another to believe God and His promises and to act on them. Together, think of specific ways you can do that with your group members.