The Promise of Rest

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest,’ “ although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works” ; and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.  Hebrews 4:1-10

Have you entered into that promised rest of God? Do you have that deep peace of Christ filling your mind, and your heart today? To define the nature of the “rest,” let us first describe where and when it was first given. The psalmist wrote: Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the sheep of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness. When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ “ (Psalm 95:6-11)

The writer of Hebrews is using this analogy from the psalm to compare the Hebrews unwillingness to trust in the Lord by going back to Judaism as being parallel as their fathers inclination to doubt the Lord and want to go back to Egypt. The “rest” was originally the Promised Land, where the people came to at the end of Israel’s 40 year journey in the wilderness. Now in the Book of Hebrews, the “rest” refers to salvation by grace through the sacrifice death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So the promise comes from the Lord, originally as part of the deliverance from Egypt, but was forfeited by the older generation by their disobedience. The content of this promise is defined as “entering His rest.” This is the rest God gives, therefore it is called “My rest” (Psalm 95:11). So let us take heed that we enter in that rest God has provided through Jesus Christ. For believer’s, God’s rest includes His peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), confidence of our salvation (1 John 5:13), reliance upon His strength (Philippians 4:13), and an assurance of a future home in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

Jesus gives us this invitation to enter His rest in Matthew 11,” Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (v.v.28-30) It is only those who respond to this invitation by the Lord who are burdened by their own spiritual bankruptcy, by their own failure of trying to save themselves through good works as an example, by trying to keep the law. The stubbornness of humanity, even we say, “I just need to see Jesus perform a miracle for me, then I will believe!” What makes us think that we would be better than the Israelites who saw Moses part the Red Sea? God doesn’t have to perform any more of a miracle, than to choose simplest of a man who is now being governed by God through the Holy Spirit. The witness of one transformed life has to be a miracle! Think about it! This person I’ve known all my life was not born this way. He or she was not that loving before, now they have a willingness not only to love, but to forgive the offenses of anyone who has come against them. That is not normal human behavior, that is super-natural behavior which is how God is now using His church to witness to our world. What is the condition of your heart today? God has given us the promise of rest. Let us take heed that we enter that rest.

Beloved friend, People might say to you, “But it’s so hard to rest in faith. It would be a lot easier if I knew ahead of time what God wants me to do!” “If He could just explain to me, why this happened in my life?” Then I would better serve Him.” It may be hard to rest in faith, but that is truly the only place you’ll ever rest is in faith. You cannot rest in your works, in your skills, in your personal wealth,. No, the only place man will find rest is in Jesus Christ. Until you’ve come to that place of being at the end of yourself, and willingly admit, “Lord, I can’t, but You can. You can change my perspective about things in my life that I need to let go of. It is robbing me of peace, and I’m just going to leave it in Your hands.” If that is sincerely in your heart to say to the Lord, then you’ve come to that place of surrender. It is where we all need to be. For those who are in Christ, the ground is equal. Meaning we all need His grace and His mercy to continue on in this life. Now the Sabbath day rest that was established in the law by Moses was a type of the rest that the believer today should experience in Jesus Christ. The difference being, where one day was singled out as a day of rest, the Israelites along with certain denominations even today, have made it into a real task to keep the Sabbath. But the Sabbath day was only a shadow of the rest that the people of God should experience in Jesus Christ. Why? For the Christian, the rest we must enter in is the completed finished work of Jesus Christ death on the cross, for our righteous standing before God. And it is believing by faith that my sins have been forgiven by this offer from God. I can’t add anything to this, but simply rest in Our Lord’s offer of forgiveness, and be found abiding in Christ when He returns, or till the day I breath my last breath. For then,  I will be ushered into His glorious presence! Praise God! For His redemptive work that has given us privilege to enter in His promised rest!                                         Who do you know that has need of this rest?

May the Lord bless your walk with Him today!

Thank you Pastor Chuck, Enjoy your  coronation in heaven!

Author: rontrujillo

Married 37 years We have six children. All of whom are adult. Three are married one of them blessed us with three beautiful grandchildren. Retired Firefighter @ Boeing Aircraft 37 years (Formally McDonnell Douglas) Born Again Summer of 1981 View all posts by rontrujillo