“LET US” -- Hebrew 4:1-16

Hebrews four is a chapter about faith, the blessed rest of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, it is a chapter filled with exhortations and admonitions, giving us very clear instructions about our responsibilities. Faith in Christ is not a passive, indifferent, or dormant thing. It a vital, living principle of grace.

When I was in college, my professor of homiletics and pastoral theology used to tell us something every preacher ought to always bear in mind. He repeated it almost every time he talked to us about sermon preparation and preaching. He said, “Men, where there is no summons there is no sermon.” In other words, every sermon preached ought to call for action, not physical action, but moral, spiritual action. If a sermon does not call for those who hear it to make some kind of response to it, it is not much of a sermon. The same is true of written expositions.

Four times in these sixteen verses we are given two words of admonition. Four times the writer admonishes us, with himself, to do something. Look at them with me.

Something to Fear

Here is something for us to fear. "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” (v. 1). We ought to fear missing Christ. Christ is the “one thing needful.” We must have him. If we have him, we have all. If we miss him, we miss all. We must be washed in his blood, robed in his righteousness, born of his Spirit, saved by his grace, united to him by faith.

Something to Do

Look at verse 11. Here is something for us to do. "Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” Let us labor that we may cease from all labor. Faith is ceasing from our works. To trust Christ is to quit trying to find acceptance with God by something we do. It is to rely upon him alone for righteousness, finding complete and perfect justification, sanctification, and redemption in him.

Something to Hold

Here is something for us to hold. "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” (v. 14). This we must hold with a death grip, for life and death are the issues, eternal life and eternal death. Whatever we do, we must hold Christ.

Somewhere to Go

Here is somewhere for us to go. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” In every time of need, at all times, come to God your Father, who sits upon the throne of grace, come through the merits of Christ your Savior, the merits of his blood and righteousness, and get the mercy and grace you need by the power of his Spirit.