“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord,
and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
How deep does mercy and grace need to be, in order to buoy up a man and his family during the unimaginable stress, weakness and fears that come with the diagnosis of cancer….
How wide must the protection and peace of mind and spirit be in order to soothe a missionary’s mind and soul in the midst of an unexpected war….and one that their military daughter may be called to fight in….
How much justice and righteousness is needed to cover the pain of sin that destroys a family….a life…
How much joy must be gifted in the midst of overwhelming grief, to keep hope burning in one’s soul….understanding that, according to C.S. Lewis, joy is not happiness, but rather a deep longing for something beyond what this world can offer…a look to the day when there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more tears….
This morning in worship at Seaford Baptist Church (Seaford, VA) we heard a sermon on Hebrews 3…not by one of our pastors on staff, but rather from a church member who has served as a leader in many areas of his life – from the military, where he served as a combat leader, to his career as a medical doctor, to a leader in our congregation as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, committee member, and more.
What is a bit more unique in this situation is that a few years ago, this leader was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer…and we, his church family, have had the gift of coming alongside him and his family as they’ve walked this unimaginably tough road. We’ve also been given the gift of witnessing their undeniable and desperate clinging to our God in the midst of incredibly hard days.
So to be able to hear our friend share God’s word clearly, though through a voice weakend by treatment…through laughter and, at times, honest tears he shed in recognition of God’s hand in his life….friends, it was a beautiful thing. And every word pointed us to Christ.
I’ll attempt, very imperfectly, to summarize some of the rich treasures we were given this morning…but I urge you to take some time this week, to listen to the sermon yourself. You can view it here: Seaford Baptist Church – October 9 Message: Hebrews Three (Dr. David Kramer)
After introducting some background on the book of Hebrews, and setting the stage for us in terms of historical and literary context, Dr. Kramer led us to the application of the scripture in Hebrews 3 by starting with warnings against unbelief…against hardening our heart against our God…because a hardened heart will not be a heart at rest in God. It’s a warning I ashamedly need often, for my skeptical soul can trend too easily toward (sinful) unbelief – I often pray the words we read from the father with the epilectic son “I believe! Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). We are warned throughout scripture against unbelief…against hardening our heart….including the passage we looked at this morning, in Hebrews 3.
A Rest for the People of God
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works for forty years.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.’
As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Heb 3:7–11). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Following this timely (for me, anyway) warning, we moved into examining what it means to enter into God’s rest. We were reminded of two things – that we who are Christ’s are promised rest in this world. We are assured of this in Hebrews 4:11-16. Christ is our high priest. He intercedes on our behalf. Even if there are times in our deepest despair that we do not sense his presence, he does not leave or forsake us. Our only true rest is in Christ.
Dr. Kramer shared with us the immense comfort Psalm 94:17-19 has been to him over the past few years in the struggle against cancer. And O, my soul, these are verses I, too, have clung to so many times – not that I have ever endured the type of suffering our friend has…but in other grief-laden things this weary world has held for me. And for you, dear reader – these are words we can grab onto with a white-knuckled grip, when the ‘…cares of our hearts are many…’.
“If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, ‘my foot slips’, your steadfast love, O, Lord, held my up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Ps 94:17–19). (2016). Crossway Bibles.
And then…there is this, friends…this source of comfort in this weary, war-torn world….The sense of joy we experience in the midst of times of great sorrow – of longing for what is to come.
It is the sweet, blessed assurance that there will be a day, when we will enter in eternal rest. When we shall see him face to face.
In the next life, we will have perfect rest in Christ for all eternity.
When Dr. Kramer will see Christ face-to-face.
When I will see Christ face-to-face.
When you, dear brother of sister who have placed your hope in our God, will see Christ face-to-face.
No more tears. No more sorrow. No more grief. No more illness. No more nightmares.
No more.
We closed the service out by worshiping together in song..in lifting our voices together to proclaim the truth that there will be a day – and Hallelujah – what a day it will be!
On That Day (City Alight)
I believe in Christ, risen from the dead
He now reigns victorious, His kingdom knows no end
Through His resurrection, death has lost its hold
I know on that final day, I’ll rise as Jesus rose
On that day, we will see You
Shining brighter than the sun
On that day, we will know You
As we lift our voice as one
‘Til that day, we will praise You
For Your never-ending grace
And we will keep on singing on that glorious day
What a blessed hope, though now tired and worn
We will spend eternity around our Saviour’s throne
Though we grieve our losses, we grieve not in vain
For we know our crown of glory waits beyond the grave
On that day, we will see You
Shining brighter than the sun
On that day, we will know You
As we lift our voice as one
‘Til that day, we will praise You
For Your never-ending grace
And we will keep on singing on that glorious day
Hallelujah, what a day it will be!
For at home with You, my joy is complete
As I run into Your arms open wide, I will see
My Father who is waiting for me
Hallelujah what a day it will be!
For at home with You, my joy is complete
As I run into Your arms open wide, I will see
My Father who is waiting for me
My Father who is waiting for me
On that day, we will see You
Shining brighter than the sun
On that day, we will know You
As we lift our voice as one
‘Til that day, we will praise You
For Your never ending-grace
And we will keep on singing on that glorious day
