The sermon opens in Hebrews 4, where the promise of entering God's rest still stands and the warning is not to fall short of it as Israel did through unbelief. The word of God that brings this promise is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, and no creature is hidden from His sight.
Before going further, the preacher warns against vague preaching and unsound doctrine: the time has come when people will not endure sound teaching but gather teachers to suit their itching ears. God is not a God of confusion, and His Spirit is given so that we might understand what He has freely given us. A short study of metaphor and abstract language shows how Scripture speaks plainly even when it uses pictures.
Rest is then traced through the Old Testament: God resting on the seventh day, the Sabbath given to Israel as a sign of deliverance from Egypt, and the Hebrew words nuach and menuchah, which speak of settling, quiet and a peace in which striving ceases. That rest is finally found in Christ, who is our peace, who broke down the dividing wall of hostility, and who says, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.