The Essence of Hebrews 4

Hebrews 4 is a plea from God to His people - to not miss out on the place where we are, simultaneously, perfectly known, and yet, perfectly loved. Of all of mankind's phobias, one of biggest has to be the fear of being unmasked. Opened wide. We are afraid that if people might discover who we really are, that they would be appalled and we would be rejected - unloved. The Sabbath Rest, is a place where there is SomeOne - namely, the Living and Active Word, who not only knows us perfectly but despite this, still loves us eternally. We are welcome as we are! This is the irony. We tend to avoid those who we believe "really know us" - we feel shame around those who have seen "who we really are." What the Spirit is saying in Chapter 4 is that grace and mercy to live, to endure, to thrive, to prosper, to be transformed are found in a place where there is SomeOne who understands our frailties - and embraces us in that imperfection. This is the kind of love that heals - it loves, and yet it reveals the truth in our most inner being. We feel perfectly safe to be ourselves around someone like this.