As believers, we can rest in the truth that we do not have to work to prove or earn our salvation. We need only to do the work of examining and exposing our souls. We are free from exhausting ourselves with good works, because our faithful God has made rest ready for us in eternity.

Scripture References

Hebrews 4:1-13
Genesis 2:1-3
Psalm 95:11
Revelations 21:3-4

I See the Lord | Vertical Church Band | iTunes

Sing to the Lord | Grace Church Worship
Psalm 96, Isaiah 49:13, Revelation 7:12

Trust You | Aaron Keyes | iTunes
Galatians 1:15 • Jeremiah 9:23-24 • Isaiah 26:4

Once For All | City Alight | iTunes

Hope of the World | Hillsong Live | iTunes
Romans 5:1-3; Ephesians 2:11-13; Psalm 33:20-22

The one Who Saves | Hillsong Worship | iTunes
1 Chronicles 16:31-35 • Ezra 3 :11 • Jeremiah 33:11

1. Hebrews calls us to care for our soul and warn others. Because of this formative discipline, there are countless situations and sins in our lives that were stopped before they became destructive. How has God used formative discipline to keep you from drifting too far or to soften a hardened heart?
2. There is rest for the believer. It is ready for us but not yet fully realized. We must move incrementally towards this rest. How can you live in this rest today? What situations in your life need to be framed by the truth that we have received the ultimate rest? How are you living in such a way that reflects your ability to rest in salvation?
3. Our best theological system cannot contain the Bible. Can you recall a time when you have tried to fit the Bible into a theological construct instead of framing your beliefs around the Bible? In what ways do you find it either uncomfortable or encouraging that the Bible should be the sole source of our beliefs and theology without full resolution of every tension or mystery? What does this say about our Christian culture?
4. The Bible is a sword that exposes us by cutting into our soul, our motivations, and our intentions—not who we say we trust and what we say we believe but who we actually trust and what we actually believe. This exposure is something we cannot filter or control; we will be exposed now in redemption, or we will be exposed later in condemnation. Humbly allowing exposure might look like putting yourself under authority, moving into community, letting the Word evaluate you, or stepping out in obedience. How do you need to move forward into exposure? In what ways can you work on the examination of your soul?

Thoughts to Consider

– Rest is not as simple as ceasing; to rest is to bring something to completion. In this way, our ultimate rest is spending eternity in Heaven.
– God asks us to “do our best” to earn the thing that cannot be earned. The work we have to do is not through good works but through examining our souls to to see if we are telling ourselves the truth about its condition.
– There is no evidence that a good deed today will make up for a bad deed in the past; the only currency for our sin is the blood sacrifice of the One who did not sin.
– A Christian can enter into that rest today because we are ceasing from the work to make ourselves right. We can rest from the work to be “good enough” because the blood sacrifice of Jesus covers us.
– The author of Hebrews exhorts us to not harden our hearts to Jesus, but instead turn towards Him in trust and rest.

We will be exposed by God’s Word either now or later. The characteristics of each type of exposure: