Rest aaaah!

Hebrews 4:9,11 There remains therefore a rest to the people of God.... Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Hebrews 3:7

Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, 8 Do not harden your hearts as [your fathers did] in the rebellion [of Israel at Meribah], On the day of testing in the wilderness, 9 Where your fathers tried Me by testing [My forbearance and tolerance], And saw My works for forty years [And found I stood their test]. 10 “Therefore I was angered with this generation, And I said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways [nor become progressively better and more intimately acquainted with them]’; 11 So I swore [an oath] in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest [the promised land].’”

Reasons they could not enter

12 Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to trust and rely on the Lord], a heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “Today” [and there is an opportunity], so that none of you will be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [its cleverness, delusive glamour, and sophistication].14 For we [believers] have become partakers of Christ [sharing in all that the Messiah has for us], if only we hold firm our newborn confidence [which originally led us to Him] until the end, 15 while it is said, “Today [while there is still opportunity] if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart, as when they provoked Me [in the rebellion in the desert at Meribah].” Amplified Version

Hebrews 4:3 God “rested” because everything that needed to be done was done. Everything was complete, fully accomplished. In human terms this expression is used when a lawyer completes his presentation in a court of law; he “rests” his case -everything is in evidence, there is nothing left to present.

God’s rest. Considering the hectic, busy lives you and I live that sounds like a good place to be, doesn’t it? But exactly what is that rest? And how do we enter it?

How to enter

The third and fourth chapters of Hebrews compare God’s rest with the children of Israel taking possession of the Promised Land. That land was to be a place where their every need would be met, a place of freedom from their warring enemies, a place no one would ever drive them from again. All they had to do was go in and possess it. But something kept them from it: unbelief, sin and disobedience.

As believers, we too, have the opportunity to enter a promised land of abundance and peace. A land where we can rest from our struggles and enjoy the victory of God. To enter it we must do what the children of Israel failed to do. We must simply trust God and obey His voice. (His Word)

How do you come to that place of trust and obedience? By getting to know your Father. By spending time fellowshipping with Him in prayer and in the Word. That is the labor that will bring you into His rest!

I’ll never forget when I first discovered that. I had been learning the principles of faith, striving hard to do them. It seemed back then that keeping doubt and unbelief out of my heart was difficult. Then, one day, I began to labor to know the Father instead of just knowing about Him.

When I did that, He began to reveal Himself to me. He gave me glimpses of His heart, His nature and His love. As He revealed to me how much He wanted to do for His children, it changed my striving into peace, my doubt into trust, my fear into bold obedience. It enabled me to enter His rest.

Get to know your Father. Work at it. Make it your “labor.” He has a promised land of rest that is waiting for you!

Here’s a thought: When we’re striving for things, it’s because we don’t trust God to do it. In other words, whether we realize it or not, we don’t see God as being on our side. There has even been teaching to justify striving. I’ve heard ministers point to Mark 11:24 as their text, which says,

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Mark 11:24 (New King James Version)

The Greek word for “receive” in this verse can mean “to take” (Strong’s Concordance), so it’s easy to draw the conclusion that we as Christians should be more aggressive in receiving. But that’s not true. That’s the trap I see so many Christians get into. What happens is their need to strive for things outweighs their trust in God and their patience for Him to bring something to pass. But Scripture says that through faith and patience, we inherit the promises of God (Heb. 6:12). That’s a big deal. God’s way of receiving is not through aggressively going after something. It’s through trust and rest.

Hebrews 4:11 “Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

Laboring to enter the rest of God may sound like a paradox, but it takes effort not to strive. However, when you’re striving, it’s hard not to live with fear. Look at this passage.

“Matthew 6:31-33 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek.[32] For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Do you see how that if God is on your side, you don’t need to fear? Worry, a form of fear, leads to trusting yourself and attempting to earn things with God.

Andrew Wommack said this in his teaching The War Is Over:

“The only way you ever have peace with God is when you quit trusting in yourself and quit thinking that you have to earn the blessing of God, and you just rest in what Jesus did.”

There remains therefore a rest to the people of God - (you). Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest…aaaaah! You can do it.