Introduction

The book of Hebrew chapter four to me is a pain in my heart, previously when I was studying the bible, I was unable to understand this chapter. No matter how hard I tried, I was still unable to comprehend. My greatest asset is that I have a character in me, I do not compromise and never give up. Most importantly, I know what I know and what I do not know. Today, let all of us learn to be shrewd. Shrewdness is knowing what we know and what we do not know.

Giving an example of an interior design for a house, we put the sofa in the kitchen and the bed in the living room, the house will look weird. When I was unable to get this chapter right, I was feeling dreadful and restless. Now, I am telling everyone that I have read this chapter clearly and the main topic of this chapter is “God will help us at all times.”

Let us recap on the last chapters in the book of Hebrews, chapter one is “How honorable to be called the son of God.” Chapter two is “Invaluable Salvation” and chapter three is “Building God’s temple, you have to be faithful to the end.” Today we are reading about chapter four and the main topic is “God will help at all times.” Why are we talking about God will help us at all times? When we begin working with God, amazingly we will be having a state of rest. In other words, when God’s spirit fills us up and nothing around us can cause us to have uneasiness, anxiety, or discomfort but fill our hearts with peacefulness, serenity, and tranquillity.

The word “rest” has arisen many perplexities especially when I was young, in my hometown, everyone liked to say “rest in peace” to the dead. In the church of Christ, many people interpreted it as rest as you do not need to do anything, relax and chill. The word rest that the bible mentioned is not the rest of not doing anything or resting from your work. The old testament mentioned about the rest was to come and worship God.

Do you have faith or not having faith?

God will help us at all times is referring to having faith or not having faith. It is also talking if you are having a hardened heart or an open heart. Do you know why it is smart to say I know what I do not know? I had seen a fair share of people with hardened hearts insist that they were right when things were not right and when things were not right, they would try to prove that they were right.

Brothers and sisters, you have to understand that the Christian faith can bring us to God as our help at all times. Many people cannot see that God helps them at all times because they have no faith in God. When they come to the Church on Sunday, they are sitting there but their mind thinks about their job or businesses. How can there be time to come to God and rest?

If you have read the book of Hebrews, you will discover that here they are talking about the state of pursuing the Christian faith. This is a precious salvation, given the status of God as His son and entering as one with God. Brothers and sisters examine yourselves whether you are a person who is pursuing seeking God to know Him and do not deceive yourselves as knowing God is endless.

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. (Hebrews 4:1 NIV)

The author is telling that they are a group of people who are running in front pursuing all their way to seek God and there is another group of people who are unable to catch up.

For 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. Hebrews 4:2 NIV

The reason they are unable to catch up is that they are not pursuing it with all their heart. The author of the book of Hebrews was a person who is pursuing God all the way with all his heart. The author wrote Hebrews chapter 4 as some of the brothers and sisters were unable to catch up.

When we have no faith and there is no way of converting God’s words into energy within us. We have to pursue all the way with all our hearts to enable us to strive for the status as God’s son to gain great salvation and the direction of striving to build the Church.

Now 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. (Hebrews 4:3 NIV)

In fact, we have rest when we are in the process of pursuing but those who are not pursuing, are unable to enter rest. If you put money and your Job as your priority in your life, God is unable to help you. If you are pursuing all the way, you will become one with God. I know my lifetime goal is to pursue God. My mind is very clear that I am pinning all my hope on God but not on anyone.

In my family, we have five brothers and sisters to take care of my mum. If my mum is bedridden, we will be having a hard time but I thank God that I have Him. I love God so I serve Him with all my heart. When my mum’s condition deteriorated, in everyone’s eyes she is not getting better, God’s miracle was upon her and she walks again. The miracle comes from God. My mum used to walk three hundred meters and had to rest three times. Currently, she is walking a thousand meters without resting. Amazingly!

Brothers and sisters, please do not rely on anyone. You know yourself clearly if you are pursuing God with all your heart if you are not clear then obviously you are not. Verses 3 and 5 respectively have mentioned that “Now 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 again in the passage above, he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

There are many people listening to the gospel but do not believe in it so they are unable to enter the rest and unable to enter God’s presence. They have no intention to build up a relationship with God, no intention to build God’s house, no intention to build God’s Church, and only live for themselves. How can we enter God’s rest? They have no faith and they do not trust in God but in themselves.

God 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.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:7-9 NIV)

Pursuing our faith is the true faith

Brothers and sisters, if you are pursuing then your faith is true faith and God will help you at all times. Let me advise you if you are among us and you are not keen on pursuing God, you will not be able to keep catch up. You cannot enter the rest from God.

If you are unable to put down all your work on the sabbath day, you have the order wrongly. Sabbath day is for us not for the sake of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was established for the purpose of edification and putting down all your work on the Sabbath day is God’s most wonderful design.

We have to understand it is either we use all our heart to pursue or we withdraw and not doing anything. We have to please God and in God’s favor that God will help us at all times. Even though we have to put down our work on Sabbath day, God will protect our job and nothing will fall apart.

Know that you do not know

Pursuing with all your heart is a very important character in a Christian’s life. Why do we need to pursue with all our heart because there are so many things, we do not know? Thank God, I am a person who pursues God with all my heart, I know I do not know, but I understand the importance of striving and I am not going to stop to explore. During all these years of attending the local Church, I know I have many things in me that I did not get right.

At that time, I had no idea the obstacles I had to face when building a church by myself but I do not have regrets at all. I was pursuing the truth but I do not know what was shepherding and faith. I did not know what kind of church I was building and how to build a church. Thank God for my heart of pursuing Him to seek the truth and God guides me in this journey.

Now, I know clearly what is shepherding and how to build a church. I have never stopped reading God’s words. I am totally different from before as I am able to understand God’s words distinctly. For example, in the book of Hebrews chapter four, I was able to elaborate more clearly than before. Previously I was unable to understand chapter four because I seek God with all my heart and have the character to never give up. I have faith in God knowing He helps us all the time. Wow! Finally, I got Chapter four right.

Living is very simple; all we need to do is to have faith in God. When we are shepherding anyone, firstly you need to build up the person’s confidence even if their problems are as big as the mountain. I have faith in God and at this time the big mountain will become a stone.

Our minds have to be clear and understand that God is our help at all times. My whole life is to believe in Him, rely on Him, and have faith in Him. We have to learn to walk with God and whatever we are doing, we enjoy every single moment. As Ecclesiastes stated “meaningless, meaningless, utterly meaningless.” Once we start to enjoy everything we are doing, we will restore God’s image in us.

Do not be arrogant

Brothers and sisters if we continue to read and we will discover that the author is pointing to those who are hypocrite.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV)

The above verses sound very harsh and why the author was saying these verses? He was saying these verses to those who do not believe in it, those who are unable to catch up, and those whose thoughts are not in the right minds. In their thoughts, they are faking it and being pretentious. They usually said “I believe” but in their mind, they would think I am not going to believe like you, they would still attend cell group gatherings and keep all their Sundays as their Sabbath day.

During the time of Joshua, Israelites kept their sabbath days but they did not receive rest in their heart. **Joshua said to the Israelites that they were not able to serve the Lord and they said they wanted to serve the Lord. Why? The Israelites’ hearts were hardened, they were self-righteous, holding on to their faith in the form of religion but it is not faith.

Real faith is not by action to prove you are having faith in God and you believe in Him. Real faith is in your heart you believe in Him. There are many Christians who come to church every Sunday sitting to listen to the sermons but in their minds, they were thinking about their businesses and jobs. These people how are they going to receive God’s blessings and God’s covenant?

Brothers and sisters, my advice to you is not to be fake or pretentious. If you are unable to let go and battling against yourself to let go or not to let go, do you think that would work? God knows so please do not be arrogant. Our weaknesses will receive help from the holy spirit, God’s words are alive, and do not be pretentious with God.

If God’s words are alive, we have to discern everything and everything is transparent in God’s eyes. Now I have several questions to ask you. Do you have an answer for efficiency in your job? Yes. Do you have an answer for your creativity? Our God is creative. He created the World and is the creator of everything in this World. God has answers to mathematical, physics, chemical, and high technologies, and all because God wants to be our help at all times.

Conclusions

Brothers and Sisters, the creativity inside us is revealed by God and that is the result of rest. When someone is walking with God, he will definitely is a creative person.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:14-15 NIV)

Therefore, Jesus is the same as us, and does not think that Jesus is different from us. There are people saying that Jesus is the son of God and I am not. Today, Jesus is the same as us and the only difference is that Jesus did not fall, he did not retreat, he was not hesitant, and he kept on walking towards it till he was nailed on the cross.

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)

Do you understand now? What are you lacking? Not God? God does not need us but we need God. We need to have mercy before God, be in God’s favor, and have His help at all times. We do not retreat, no matter what. The Bible states if you retreat and God does not like you. After listening to my sharing, start to be a courageous person, using all your strength to pursue even living in the midst of a meaningless life, we are going to live God’s glorious image. God will be always our help. Amen.