Hebrews 4 - Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Hebrews 3:1. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

«Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling.» What wonderful titles! «Holy brethren,» made brethren in holiness and made holy in our brotherhood, -- «partakers of the heavenly calling» called of God from among the worlds. Our occupation and our calling henceforth is to serve the Lord. Well, if you be holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, «Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.» Think much of Him. Remember who it is you follow, with whom you are brethren. If you think little of your Leader you will live but poor lives. Consider him, often think of him, try to copy him. With such a Leader what manner of people ought we to be?

Hebrews 3:2-3. Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

Moses was but a part of the house after all, a prominent stone in the building, but Christ is the builder, builder of the house, foundation, topstone of it. Think then much of him. Get an high idea of him as faithful unto God in everything. Moses kept the law and was a good example to Israel save in some point of weakness, but Christ perfectly carried out his Father's commission, and he is worthy of more honour than Moses.

Hebrews 3:4-6. For every house is builded by some man but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

«But Christ as a Son» far higher degree -- «Christ as a son over his own house,» of which he is the heir, of which he is even now the sole proprietor -- «whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.» None are truly Christ's but those who persevere in grace. Men may be nominally Christ's, but they are not Christ's house unless they hold fast to the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Temporary Christians are not really Christians.

Hebrews 3:7-8. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

You are his house, give him rest, do not provoke him. If you belong to him be holy, do not grieve him. If you are his house be not defiled: surely he should dwell in a holy place.

Hebrews 3:9. When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

Oh, children of God, you have some of you been more than forty years now in the Lord's service: do not vex him. You have been long called out of Egypt and brought into the separate place in this wilderness world: be careful to be fit for the Divine indwelling.

Hebrews 3:10-11. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

God grant that none of this congregation may be of that mind, who having named the name of Christ and being known as his people, continue to grieve him one way and another, to put him to the test by their doubts to make him angry by their sins. No, God grant we may be of another sort lest he should lift his hand and swear, «They shall not enter into my rest.»

Hebrews 3:12. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Here the charge is not to the outside world but to those whom he had called «holy brethren.» He drops the word «holy» for there are some brethren so called who would not deserve that name, and to them he speaks very pointedly, «Take heed, take heed, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.» And how will that be shown? By wandering off, one way or another, away from the living God. If your God is not a living God to you in whom you live and move and have your being, if he does not come into your daily life, but if your religion is a dead and formal thing, then you will soon depart.

Hebrews 3:13-14. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;

Not otherwise. Again I say they who do not hold on and hold out are not really partakers of Christ, but we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. Those that fly to this doctrine and that, unsettled spirits, wandering stars, mere meteors of the night, these are not Christ's, but we must hold the beginning of our faith steadfast unto the end.

Hebrews 3:15. While it is said, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

Twice over we are warned of this, to avoid hardness of heart. God save us from ossification of heart, petrifaction of heart, till we get a heart of love or a heart of stone-may God save us from this.

Hebrews 3:16. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

There were two; it was a slender remnant that were faithful.

Hebrews 3:17. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

God speaks very lovingly of the bodies of his saints but see how he speaks of the bodies of apostates, «whose carcases» as if they were no better than so many brute beasts, «whose carcases fell in the wilderness.»

Hebrews 3:18. And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

Sinning and not believing seem to go together. The 17 th verse asks the same question as the 18 th, but the answer is different. «With them that had sinned» says the 17 th verse, «to them that believed not» says the 18 th verse. Want of faith brings want of holiness, and when we abide in the faith we abide in obedience.

Hebrews 3:19. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

4:1. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

I left out the «us» because that is inserted by the translators and should not be there. The promise is left to somebody, it does not say to us -- «a promise being left of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.» Not come short of it but even seem to do so. God keep us from the very shadow of sin, from the very appearance of evil. «For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them.» In the old time that gospel which was preached to them was preached to us -- «but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.» God send us this holy mixture of the hearing and the believing, to our hour's salvation, to his glory. Amen.

Hebrews 4:1. 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.

If you avoid the very seeming of it, you will avoid the thing itself. Oh! that we were careful about this that there was nothing that should give any reasonable fear to those who observed us, or to ourselves when we search our hearts, lest we should not enter into this rest.

Hebrews 4:2. 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.

It must be mixed with faith. There are many drugs that are of no value till they are mixed with something else; and the Word preached becomes of no value to a soul until it is mixed with faith in them that hear it.

Hebrews 4:3. 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.

I leave out the intermediate words for the time being. «There is a rest.»

Hebrews 4:9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

This exposition consisted of readings from Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 4:1-9.

Hebrews 4:1. 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.

Not only dread coming short, but dread the very appearance of it. Oh, that we might now enter into that rest, and so clearly enjoy it that there should not even be a seeming to come short of it.

Hebrews 4:2. 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.

They were not united to it by faith; consequently, as they did not receive the Word, it was taken away from them.

Hebrews 4:3. For we which have believed do enter into rest.

Faith brings us into this rest, even as unbelief shut them out.

Hebrews 4:3. 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.

That is God's rest, the rest of a finished work, and into that rest many never enter. The work by which they might live for ever, the finished work by which they might be saved, they refuse, and so they never enter into God's rest.

Hebrews 4:4-5. 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. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

There are many professing Christians who do not understand what it is to rest because the work of salvation is done; they do not even seem to know that the work is done. They understand not that dying word of the Lord Jesus, «It is finished.» They think there is something still to be added to his work to make it effectual; but it is not so.

Hebrews 4:6-8. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day saying in David, Today after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear the voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

We read of this in the 95 th Psalm, where David was urging those to whom he was writing to hear God's voice, and not be like the unbelievers in the wilderness, so that the rest still remained to be entered upon by somebody. Joshua had not given them rest, or else David would not have spoken of entering into rest.

Hebrews 4:9-10. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath cease from his own works, as God did from his.

He says, «It is finished. I am no longer going to do my own works, I am done with them; I now trust the finished work of Christ, and that gives me rest. But as to all that wearied me before, and made life a continual task and toil, it is ended now.» God is not a cruel taskmaster to his people; he gives rest to those who trust in him, and some of us have entered into that rest.

Hebrews 4:11. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Let us not repeat the story of unbelieving Israel in our own lives, let us not live and die in the wilderness, but let us go in and take possession of the promised land, the promised rest, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick, and powerful and sharper than any two-edged 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.

This verse may be interpreted with reference to the incarnate Word or to the inspired Word, and they are so closely united and related to one another that we need not attempt to separate them, but see Christ in the Word, and the Word in Christ, and learn that both Christ and the Word do for us all that the apostle here declares.

Hebrews 4:13. 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.

However great a revealer the Word may be, however clear a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, the God who gave the Word is even more so.

Hebrews 4:14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Shall we desert him now that he has gone into heaven to represent us, now that he has fought the fight, and won the victory on our behalf, and gone up to heaven as our Representative? God forbid!

Hebrews 4:15-16. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Why should we let it go? Jesus has triumphed, he has entered into the glory on our behalf, the victory on our account rests with him; therefore let us follow him as closely as we can. May he help us, just now, if we are in the least dispirited or cast down, to pluck up courage, and press on our way!

Hebrews 4:15. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

How this ought to draw us to the Saviour, that he was made like unto ourselves; that he knows our temptations by a practical experience of them; and though he was without sin, yet the same sins which are put before us by Satan were also set before him.

Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We have a Friend at court; our Bridegroom is on the throne. He who reigns in heaven loves us better than we love ourselves. Come, then, why should we hesitate, wherefore should we delay our approach to his throne of mercy? What is it that we want at this moment? Let us ask for it. If it is a time of need, then we see clearly from this verse that it is a time when we are permitted and encouraged to pray.

This exposition consisted of readings from Hebrews 4:14-16; Hebrews, 5.