Rest and Access

Video Intro:

There is a rest in God that goes beyond the relief of a quiet moment or the pause after hard work. It is a rest born from divine completion—a posture of faith that lives from the reality of what Jesus has already finished. This kind of rest doesn’t ignore struggle; it sees beyond it. It speaks from victory rather than toward it. It is rooted in trust, anchored in revelation, and sustained by the living word that divides truth from fear, spirit from flesh. 

In this rest, we are not trying to make something happen—we are aligning with what is already done. It is here that faith becomes more than belief; it becomes a vision—a way of seeing, thinking, and walking in step with heaven.

But this life of rest and faith is not possible without access. Access depends on who grants it to you. We are carried by the One who stands in the gap for us, who represents us perfectly before the throne. He knows our weakness, yet He intercedes with strength. He holds our names on His shoulders and over His heart. His work on the cross was complete, but His ministry continues—praying, protecting, sanctifying, and uniting His people. This is the power of grace: that we are no longer striving to be accepted, but boldly entering the presence of God, empowered by the One who lives to speak on our behalf. This is the supremacy of grace, and it is the life we are invited to live.

Message Intro:

As we come to the close of Hebrews chapter 4, we’ve been invited into God’s rest, but what is this rest, really? It’s not simply a break from work or relief from stress. No, it is a spiritual state, a place in God where your soul settles. It’s prophetic.

It’s not a nap after a long day, but a posture of faith that sees ahead. God’s rest is rooted in how God Himself operates. 

Hebrews 4:4“God rested on the seventh day from all His works.” 

He was done. The work was complete. The vision had manifested. The purpose was fulfilled.

And this is how God calls us to live—not from pressure, but from promise. Because of the promises of God, you are where you are now. 

From the other side of the future.

Projecting Yourself into the Future

You must project yourself beyond your present struggle. 

You need to see, in faith, what God already sees: the breakthrough, the healing, the provision, the restoration. 

Psalms 139:17-18 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

This is more than wishful or positive thinking. This is God’s endless goodness towards us. It is time to name these thoughts and desires God has placed in your mind and heart and start to claim it.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

It is stepping into the kairos of God.

 To rest in God and as God is to say, “I see the end, even while I’m standing in the middle.”

But how do we get there?

The answer is in Hebrews 4:12:

Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

It is through the word of God that natural thoughts are separated from spiritual ones.

Many believers are confused about their own thoughts and desires. The way of discovering God’s thoughts is in the word. However I want you to believe what is written first:

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The Word discerns between what is merely human and what is truly divine. It cuts, it divides, and it reveals

A good parameter is if what you desire and think is a step of faith or a result of your cleverness. As we will continually will see in Hebrews it is more a matter of faith than a matter of doctrine.

Hebrews 11:6And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

So to rest, you need revelation. You need a word that penetrates your anxiety, your doubt, your reasoning, and draws a clear line between what you think and what God has said. That is the only way you will have the commendable faith of God.

Receiving the Faith of God

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Even our faith is a gift from God. Jesus didn’t just tell the disciples to have faith in God—He demonstrated what it means to have the faith of God. Faith that speaks to trees and mountains. Faith that knows the end from the beginning. Faith that operates from completion, not concern.

Reason with me a little: where did your saving faith come from? If the Bible affirms we were dead in our sins. 

Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

Therefore, we were unable to believe by ourselves. We needed a external action of God to save us. How did that happen?

1 Corinthians 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

Romans 10:14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

You don’t have to generate the faith to move mountains. You need to receive the faith that comes from the God who made the mountains. Faith comes by the word of God. So hear the word. Listen it again. Read the word again. Sing it again.

So far, Hebrews has shown us that the way into rest is by trusting in God’s finished work and receiving His word. But now the writer shifts.

From rest… to representation.

God’s rest is not just about peace—it’s about access.

In Brazil, I experienced a very practical aspect of access. I was so fortunate already to be part of this conference with more than 7,000 men, from all over the world. I needed to speak with pastor Aluizio, the founder of Vine Church network. It was a very difficult situation, because many people wanted to do the same. He does have a VIP room prepared for supervision pastors, those who oversee numerous churches. I didn’t have access to that room, but for my surprise, while I was trying to convince the safety team member of what I would talk with the pastor, someone tapped my shoulder. It was Pastor Aluizio himself. He said “ Brother, pastor Raph is with me, let him go in.” The very owner of the VIP room invited me in. 

It’s about standing in the presence of God without fear. And to stand there, we need a High Priest.

Hebrews 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

The Author of our faith, the Mediator of our relationship with the Father. The One who speaks the word, The One who is the Word made flesh.

Jesus—our Great High Priest, full of mercy, complete in understanding, and fully able to represent us before the throne of grace.

Hebrews 4:15 - 5:1 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

Christ is shown to be superior to angels, Moses, Joshua, and now to Aaron and the Levitical priesthood. Christ as our Great High Priest, which will unfold throughout Hebrews 5–10.

On His Shoulders and Heart 

In the Old Covenant, the high priest did not appear before God as an individual. He bore the people with him, both symbolically and spiritually.

Exodus 28:12 “The names [of the sons of Israel] shall be on the two stones…on the shoulders of the priest, as a memorial before the Lord.”

Exodus 28:29 “Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart, when he goes into the Holy Place, to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord.”

On his shoulders – the strength with which he carries the people.

On his chest (heart) – representing the love with which he intercedes for them.

Jesus, our Great High Priest, now represents us before the Father. He carries our names on His shoulders. He holds our names over His heart.

This is reflected in the parable of the lost sheep.

Luke 15:5 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Draw near with confidence became we are not strangers in heaven anymore. Jesus is fully human. He made heaven an welcoming place for us all? Have you ever felt alone in a place where there was no one to identify with, but suddenly a aquatinted face made you feel welcomed?

One of reasons you should feel at ease in Jesus’ presence is because He was tested [πειράζω peirazō] in all things. He is compassionate with us. 

R Jesus was tested as a gold bar is proven genuine. Jesus never had the reactive sinful flesh manifestation. At Matthew 4 and Luke 4, God, by the Holy Spirit, allowed Satan to prove the genuineness of Christ’s nature. And, He passed the test.

It is really comforting to know that God always identifies Himself with His people. In Egypt and in the desert God manifested as a burning fire, as His people were also under such trial. But right before Because the people 

His Work Continues Beyond the Cross

Jesus’ atonement was once for all, but His priestly ministry continues.

Romans 8:34“Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

Jesus is in our hearts, he manifests in the church and is interceding at the right hand of God. How is that possible? It is like electricity. It shines inside of our homes, it is intensified at the transformer, and is caused at the power plant. 

Hebrews 7:25“He always lives to make intercession for them.”

What does Christ pray for?

For our faith to be preserved

Luke 22:32 – “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”

Jesus prayed this over Peter, and He continues this work for all His people.

For the power of the cross to be effective in us

The “throne of grace” in Hebrews 4:16 refers to the mercy seat, where blood was sprinkled for atonement .

Exodus 25:21-22 21 And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in thae ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. 22 There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

The two cherubim that prevented access to Eden now allow us to enter again into the garden. All because of the blood.

Through Christ, that throne is open but always.

We are invited to come boldly.

What are you afraid to pray for? It is time to have the courage to ask God for greater things.

This grace is not merely pardon, but power—to think differently, to live differently, to overcome sin, to manifest Christ.

For our sanctification, protection, and unity.

John 17, often called the High Priestly Prayer, is a window into the heart of Christ during His earthly ministry—but it also foreshadows His eternal intercession in heaven as our Great High Priest (cf. Hebrews 4:14–16; 7:25).

- Sanctification: Set Apart by Truth

John 17:17 – “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

Sanctification is the process by which believers are made holy in practice, set apart for God’s purposes.

Sanctification isn’t achieved by human striving.

- Protection: Kept from the Evil One

John 17:15 – “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”

The “evil one” (Satan) seeks to destroy faith, tempt us into sin, and accuse believers (Revelation 12:10).

This is precisely what Jesus did for Peter:

Luke 22:31–32 – “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”

- Unity: One in Love and Purpose

John 17:20–21 –

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you,

that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Unity is not uniformity. It is a Spirit-produced harmony grounded in love, truth, and the shared life of God.

Christ prays that His people would be unified in relationship and mission, reflecting the unity between the Father and the Son.

It is evangelistic: “so that the world may believe.”

For Our Complete Salvation

Hebrews 7:25 “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

This is one of the most powerful and comforting verses in the entire book of Hebrews. It ties Christ’s eternal priesthood to the certainty of our ultimate salvation.

“Save to the Uttermost” here (Greek: sōzō) includes:

Initial justification (Romans 5:1) Ongoing sanctification (Romans 6:19–22) Final glorification (Romans 8:30) “To the uttermost” (Greek: pantelēs) means: Completely. Forever. To the very end

Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Romans 8:33–34 –“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

The accuser (Satan) may bring charges. Your own conscience may condemn you. But Christ trumps every voice of accusation because of His blood.

So, draw near with boldness. The continual drawing near is how we remain in the flow of His priestly grace and power.

Priest and King

Hebrews 5:9-10 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek was both king of righteousness and king of peace. He brought bread and wine (a clear foreshadowing of Christ’s covenant meal). Had no recorded genealogy—a type of Christ’s eternal priesthood (Hebrews 7:3). Was recognized by Abraham, the father of the nation, and received a tithe from him (Genesis 14:20). Thus, the New Covenant, though newer in manifestation, is actually older in origin—rooted in a priesthood that predates Levi.

The New Covenant, though newer in manifestation, is actually older in origin—rooted in a priesthood that predates Levi.

Like David against Goliath, each representing a nation, Jesus stood as our representative in a battle we could not win. 

His victory became ours. So when Jesus obeyed, we are counted as obedient. When He triumphed, we are counted as victorious.

1 John 4:17 As He is, so also are we in this world.” 

There is no more need for human intermediaries—we come directly through Christ, who represents us before the Father. The Holy of Holies has moved—from a room in a temple to the inner man of the believer.