Call to Enter into His Rest

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 Heb. 4:1-13

There is eternal rest for all God’s people and that, this begins now in Christ Jesus.

There is a rest given and there is a rest found in Christ. In Matt. 11:28, we have rest given when we answer His call to come to Him for our initial salvation, while in verses 29 and 30, we have rest found when we answer His call to take His yoke and learn of His meekness and humility.

A Sabbath Rest for the people of God

This is what the gospel of Christ is all about_ the beginning and the new life in Christ Jesus (Matt. 11:25-30). This is the mystery of godliness revealed only to the humble (referred to as children) but hidden from those who are worldly wise (referred to as wise and learned)_ compare 1 Cor. 1:1-2:16. The gospel of Christ is the good tiding of both joy and Sabbath-rest for all who believe and remain faithful and obedient to the end. The gospel of Christ is an invitation to come and enter into life and enjoy the presence of God. In Heb. 3:1-6, we have comparison of Christ and Moses. Both were sent by the Father to lead His people. Moses was sent to lead God’s people from bondage under pharaoh to the promised land; while Christ was sent to lead us from bondage under Satan to the Sabbath-rest promised to those who believe (Heb. 2:14-18, 4:3.9). The inglorious history of Israel under Moses leadership in the desert is a warning against unbelief and rebellion in the life of all God’s people. The important truth is that the people who failed to enter Canaan were the ones who had heard God’s promise concerning the land. Through unbelief and rebellion they refused to believe and follow what God promised. Consequently, God in His anger closed the doors of Canaan in the face of that whole congregation of Israel (Num. 14:21-35; Heb. 3:7-17). God’s promise to bring His people into circumstances of rest in His creation, while conditional, was open-ended. It was ground on God’s covenanted promises to Abraham (Gen. 15:12-21, 17:1-8, 22:15-18); and was reinforced by God’s covenant with David (2 Sam. 7:5-16); and eventually come to be focused on the Messiah (Isa. 11:1-9). Through the messiah’s reign, the promised rest will be ultimately fulfilled in the new creation (Isa. 65:17, 66:22; Rev. 21:4). Just as entering into rest in Canaan demanded faith and obedience to God and His promise, so the ultimate salvation rest in entered into only by faith obedience in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God rested from His work on the seventh day of creation week and thus His rest was already made a reality. The rest He is calling us to enter into is not our rest, but His rest which He invites us to come and share. The going of Israelites into Canaan under Joshua’s leadership was a partial and temporary entering into God’s rest: that was not the end of entering as shown in the continuing invitation of Ps. 95:7-8. The weekly Sabbath rest God gave to Israelites in the Promised Land was a sign and pledge of the promised life of rest for all His people. God’s Sabbath rest is entered into only through faith in Christ. The believer ceases his efforts to gain salvation by his own works and rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross (Heb. 4:10). The believer’s final rest in God’s kingdom is also in view (Rev. 14:13). We are admonished to strive to enter into our salvation rest by faith, obedience and not follow Israel’s sad example in the wilderness; compare Luke 13:24. The key for entering into this rest is obedience to the word of God. This is God’s truth revealed in Jesus Christ, the incarnate and living word. This word is active and dynamic in accomplishing God’s purposes. It is the living power of God that judges, as with His all-seeing eye, penetrating a person’s innermost being, soul and spirit, joints and marrow, the totality and depth of one’s being (Heb. 1:10-13). The activity of the word of God is the same as the activity of His person. Both are the same. Those who love and live by the truths of God’s word will experience great peace, and nothing on earth will make them to stumble (Ps. 119:165).

“Unbelief”_ the Major Obstacle

In the book of Hebrew chapter three, we are taught how the sin of unbelief, which is the greatest sin, takes over the mind and heart of God’s people. The chapter, also, teaches us the nature of unbelief and its fruits and consequences. The in-road for unbelief is created when God’s people fail to fix their minds and hearts on Jesus who is the Apostle and High priest of our profession. The failure to fix our minds and heart on Jesus becomes an in-road for unfaithfulness and unstead-fastness to Him (Vs. 1-6; compare Ps. 78:1-8). Unfaithfulness to Him, when it matures, results in stubbornness and rebellion against Him and His constituted authority. Failure to fix the mind and the heart on Jesus speaks of lack of rapt attention to Him; unfaithfulness speaks of unstead-fastness toward Him; and stubbornness and rebellion speak of a complete break from Him and His authority over us. When unbelief has developed from the primary level of failure to fix the mind and the heart on Jesus, to unfaithfulness; God will then become contemptible to the people. The heart and the mind have become hardened that rebellion will become a regular way of life to them. The climax of unbelief attracts God’s anger and judgment that He can declare on oath that such people, who have never enter His rest. God’s rest is for those whom He has tested, purified, made spotless, and refined (Dan. 12:10). Rest is for the who people labored and followed the Lord through these processes of spiritual and moral cleansing and perfection_ compare Ps. 66:8-12; 71:19-21. Jesus in Matt. 11:20-30, buttressed the truth further by showing us the way to enter into this rest. We must always make up our minds and hearts to come to Him with readiness to take His yoke upon ourselves to learn of His humility and meekness. His rest in our souls will make His yoke easy and His burden light on us. When we are found by God, then our portion or what we are looking for will be found_ that is the secret of entering into our inheritance or receiving our portion in Him (1 Sam. 9:17-27; Acts 26:12-18).

The danger of following shortcut to get what the Lord has promise is the consequence of having  our glory cut short e.g King Saul contrasted with King David (1 Sam. 13:8-14; 2 Sam. 1:17-27). The sure way of entering into our rest in God is by faith, obedience which works through humility, patience and longsuffering (Rom. 2:1-11).

There is rest for the people of God in all generations, both here and after; but this can be entered into only through faith and obedience. Unbelief and rebellion rob people of God this great privilege. The greatest sin is the sin of unbelief, because it disarms and disqualifies God, in one’s life of His power to save, deliver, bless, and preserve His people to the end. It robs God of His glory and praise, as well as the worship that can be His through the display of His Power, salvation, blessing and preservation in the life of those He has given the privilege of receiving them through faith in Him and His word.Hikdkdk
We must arm ourselves with the whole armor of God and with the whole weapons of righteousness to fight our way to our God given inheritance_ His rest for His people.

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