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“Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience” ( Hebrews 4:11 )

It takes effort to enter into God’s rest, it takes faith. Resting in God’s grace comes moment by moment, resisting the urge to trust in ourselves. This is a process in which the foundation hinges on God’s character. Unless we lay a good foundation understanding who God is and His will concerning us we will never be able to build and surround ourselves in the rest that God desires for us to experience in Him.

We are warned not to follow the example from Israel’s past. The generation that came out of Egypt distrusted and provoked God. They were disobedient and unbelieving; therefore they never saw the promise of entering into Canaan fulfilled. The entire generation passed away in the desert. We are reminded to make every effort to enter into God’s rest so we will not follow in their example.

God’s main charge against the Israelites was they never understood or knew Him. They did not perceive nor recognize His way and become intimately acquainted with Him. “That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways’” ( Hebrews 3:10 ). They let their preconceived notions about God overrule His demonstration of goodness, love and mercy. Their hearts were dull and hard toward Him and the result was disobedience, not trusting in God choosing rather to complain about everything.

The good news for us is that we can take this example and learn from it. The Israelites were not able to enter into the promised rest because they were not familiar and intimately acquainted with God and His ways, but we can enter and remain by understanding and fellowshipping with God. We can experience rest simply by knowing Him and His promises.

Part of the reason Israel failed in this is because they thought God brought them into the desert to kill them. It is hard to trust and obey someone when you believe they are out to harm you. Unless we understand God’s love for us we will also fall prey to responding as the Israelites did, distrusting God. Instead, we must let the truth of scripture speak and minister to our hearts; bringing enlightenment of His true character and desires concerning us. We can learn to trust Him by knowing these things and progressing in our relationship with Him.

Jesus came to show us God’s true and complete nature ( Hebrews 1:1-2 ). Jesus is the picture of how great God’s love is toward us. He was sent to bring us into a deep and meaningful relationship with the Father. His grace and mercy is poured out on us covering and washing us clean, restoring us to a state as if we had never sinned. This is the foundation of rest.  Starting here will soften our hearts opening them up to receive a revelation of God. We are to strive to enter this rest that was promised and by becoming intimately acquainted with Him and His promises we will continually dwell in this place. Unlike the Israelites who were increasingly hard of heart, we can be just the opposite becoming increasingly sensitive to the Lord’s direction for our lives.

Tomorrow we will look at Hebrews 4:12; The Word of God is Alive and Full of Power.

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his” ( Hebrews 4:9-10 )

I remember as a teenager the pastor of the church we attended spoke one Sunday about resting on Sunday. The point of his message was to set aside one day a week to rest and focus on God. He cited the example from the Old Testament about keeping the Sabbath. After the service several people came up to me asking me if I still planned to work on Sundays commenting that I shouldn’t because the Bible said to keep the Sabbath holy. I worked a part time job at a local restaurant and worked when I was scheduled, which included Sunday evenings. Although the pastor meant well, he missed the point of Sabbath rest, it is not one day a week set aside to rest from our labors; the Sabbath Rest is Jesus.

In the Old Testament, the Law gave instruction about the Sabbath Rest. The Israelites set aside one day to cease from their labors when everyone around them strived seven days a week. Israel prospered above others because this rest was about trusting in God as their source and not trusting in human labor.

Everything demonstrated in the Old Testament was a type and shadow of what we would have as New Testament believers. They were copies and illustrations of what would be provided in Christ. A shadow is a vague outline resembling what is to come. For instance, my shadow has the shape of me. If I were to come around the corner my shadow would arrive ahead of me. You could see it and understand that a person was coming. You could make out my shape and know certain things about my height, weight and even length of hair. But you wouldn’t be able to fully interrupt what I look like by my shadow; that is not until you see me face to face. The same is true with the Old Testament, the Law was a foreshadowing of what Christ would be and do. It gave guidelines and regulations but these served merely to point us to the savior, the reality has always been found in Him. At that time when they looked they could see certain things about who the savior would be but they did not have a clear picture, just the shadow of what was coming.

As New Testament believers we can look back and fully understand these things and see Jesus woven throughout the entire scriptures. We have the real thing. We have the expressed image of God, everything the Law and prophets spoke about ( Hebrews 1:1-3 ). Since we have the fulfillment of these things, there is no need to live under the shadow of what was coming. The same is true for the Sabbath day, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” ( Colossians 2:16-17 ). We must look at the Old Testament through the filter of Jesus otherwise we will get bogged down in confusion and never progress into full revelation of who God is and what he has provided in Christ. Instead we will continue living under the very things we have been freed from.

The Sabbath was a symbol of Jesus and now it is a New Testament reality. We can trust in the finished work of Christ and rest continually in this. We don’t have to set aside one day a week to cease striving; our entire lives as believers dwell in this place. When Jesus hung on the cross he said, “it is finished” ( John 19:30 ). He had fulfilled everything in the Law and provided the righteousness of the law to us as a free gift. We do not need to add one thing to it, Jesus provided the way, and by trusting in this provision we rest from trying to do it on our own. This is the true Sabbath rest that God desires for His people. This rest is so much more than most people’s interpretation of the Old Testament scriptures about the Sabbath day. The Sabbath is fulfilled in Jesus and knowing this amazing truth will equip you for a lifestyle of trusting in God and finding constant rest in Christ.

Tomorrow we will look at Hebrews 4:11; Making an Effort to Enter the Rest.

“Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day” ( Hebrews 4:7-8 )

An important truth to understand when reading the Bible, is that in the New Testament we see the literal and spiritual fulfillment of the events that happened in the Old Testament. This example from Israel’s past in their pursuit into Canaan is something we must pay close attention to because this was a foreshadow of entering into the true promised land of God.

In fact the writer of Hebrews calls to our attention that this passage is not even speaking about entering into Canaan, it is speaking about entering into the rest that David saw and prophesied about in Psalm 95. This rest comes through faith in Christ Jesus. David looked forward to the time of Christ and called us blessed because he saw the righteousness that Christ awards through faith. “David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him” ( Romans 4:6-8 ).

When David saw this, he instructed under the influence of the Holy Spirit not to let hardness of heart numb this amazing truth. He warned against being like Israel during their time in the wilderness; hard and insensitive to God. Rather, when we hear His voice and His offer of life we are to respond in faith accepting the good news of Christ which has the power to save ( Romans 1:16 ).

The writer cites these scriptures from Psalm 95 over and over in Hebrews 3 and 4 emphasizing the importance of the condition of our heart. Israel is the example, but the offer of entering into this rest is still available today. David talked about another day because Joshua didn’t give them the true rest that comes from God. It was a mere shadow of Jesus. As believers we have another opportunity of securing this rest through faith in Christ Jesus. Everyone who believes enters into this rest ( Hebrews 4:3 ). Thankfully this offer is still available today! The only requirement is faith; faith placed in Jesus. He is the true and complete Sabbath rest that God promises His children.

Tomorrow we will look at Hebrews 4:9-10; True Sabbath Rest Through Christ.

“Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, “So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.” It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience” ( Hebrews 4:3-6 )

It takes faith to enter into God’s rest. Faith placed in the finished work of Christ and not in our works. God’s rest is more than setting aside one day a week to cease from labor, it is placing our entire trust and confidence in Christ to save us. God’s special relationship with Israel was not fulfilled because of their disobedience, so it stands to reason that this rest through relationship is still available for all who believe. If unbelief keeps you out, then faith brings you in.

When God created the world the Bible says that He rested on the seventh day. This was not because he was tired and couldn’t create anything else; it was because it was finished. There was nothing left to create. He didn’t have to produce more fruit trees to feed Adam and Eve. He created everything with seeds and the ability to reproduce. Everything was planned out and created to sustain mankind. God rested on the seventh day because everything was finished and complete.

In fact, Adam and Eve were created dwelling in the rest of God. There was no labor involved. Sure they had jobs to do, naming the animals and overseeing the garden, but God’s rest has nothing to do with taking a break from work and activities. It has everything to do with trusting God as our source. They walked and talked with God enjoying His fellowship and trusting in Him for everything.

God created mankind to dwell in this rest right from the start, this was always His plan. God never desired for mankind to go through all we have because of sin. He created us to live in a constant state of Sabbath Rest. He created us to love us. Sin is what ruined this plan.

However, the fall of mankind did not catch God off guard; He had made provision long before there was a problem. 1 Peter tells us, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” ( 1Peter 1:18-21 ). Christ was chosen, foreordained and destined for the cross from the beginning of time before the world existed because God knew that sin would separate us and remove us from the resting place in which He created us to dwell. Sin is what separated us, but sin is no longer an issue through Christ’s sacrifice, so there remains the promise of entering into God’s rest through faith in Jesus.

Just as God rested because everything was finished and He created everything with seeds and the ability to reproduce, we can rest in the finished work of the cross. We too have been born again with the living and lasting Word which regenerates our spirit. Peter goes on to say, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” ( I Peter 1:18-23 ). Jesus restores us to where mankind was before the fall. He has erased the guilt and shame that sin heaps on us. He has restored the relationship with the Father that we were created for. By trusting in Jesus as our source we too can enter into the rest that God desires for us. The rest in which He created Adam and Eve. Jesus is the Sabbath rest for the people of God.

The Jews missed out on this promise because they chose not to trust in God after they heard the good news of their deliverance. He wanted to take them into immediate possession of the land He promised to Abraham. Instead unbelief kept them out ( Hebrews 3:19 ). So it stands to reason that if unbelief keeps you out of this promise, faith brings you in. Faith placed in Christ and what He did to restore this relationship. Only you can keep yourself out of this rest. But entering in allows you to cease striving and working out your own salvation. Instead it allows you to dwell in relationship knowing that God has provided everything for you with a wonderful promise to sustain you every day of your life.

Tomorrow we will look at Hebrews 4:7-8; The Promise of Rest is Available Today.

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith” ( Hebrews 4:1-2 )

Did you know that faith is the only way to enter into the rest that God offers. This rest is still available today but it remains that some will enter and some will not. The deciding factor is faith. When we choose to believe and solely trust in Jesus then we enter into the rest that God promised His people.

Once again we look back on the Israelites as our example. The writer of Hebrews reveals an amazing truth about them, they also had the gospel preached to them, just as we have but if was of no effect because they did not combine the message with faith. The wonderful thing about the gospel is that it is the power of God. Paul spoke of this very thing in Romans, he said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” ( Romans 1:16 ). When the gospel is presented the words go into our hearts and release power, the correct response is one of faith. Faith looking toward Jesus for His grace and mercy. Grace plus faith equals salvation ( Ephesians 2:8-9 ). Salvation through Jesus equals entering into the Sabbath rest of God, because Jesus is that rest. This is why the gospel is so powerful.

The Israelites heard the good news message but did not combine it with faith. This caused them to wander the wilderness distrusting and provoking the Lord continually. The message they heard was their deliverance from the bondage in Egypt. God brought them out and wanted to take them into immediate possession of the land He promised Abraham but their disdain for Him blocked any attempts to do this. The root was a heart issue. They did not lean on God in absolute trust and confidence of His power. They had no understanding of His character, nature and goodness toward them. They did not respond in faith and the result was being shut out of the Promised Land because of their unbelief and unwillingness to enter in ( Hebrews 3:19 ).

This lesson from Israel’s past is a foreshadow to our deliverance from the bondage of sin. Jesus has brought us out from under its rule and dominion by His victory on the cross. Sin was defeated once for all. When we hear this good news message the correct response to have is one of faith. Looking to Jesus and putting our entire trust and confidence in His saving grace. This brings us into the rest that Hebrews 4 is talking about. It goes on to say later in the chapter, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his” ( Hebrews 4:9-10 ). What we rest from is trying to work out our own salvation because Jesus provided this for us. He is the true Sabbath Rest and remaining in Him brings us rest on all sides.

The promise of entering into this rest is still freely offered today. All that is required is faith because Jesus’ part has been completed. We simply respond to the good news message of Jesus. We trust solely in Him and rest in absolute confidence that He will preserve us until the end. When we stop striving in this life is when we truly start to live!

Tomorrow we will look at Hebrews 4:3-6; It Takes Faith to Enter Into Rest.

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience” ( Hebrews 4:9-11 ).

We are called into a Sabbath rest as people of God. Many assume this means resting on Sunday. However it is much more than this. We enter into this rest when we accept Jesus by faith. He is the literal fulfillment of the Sabbath Day. Just as God rested after creation was finished because there was nothing left to create. Jesus rested after He redeemed mankind from the power of darkness ( Hebrews 1:3 ). We enter into this rest when we look to Jesus to save us because it is done and complete. It is finished! Nothing else needs to be done in order to secure our salvation. Jesus is the guarantee of this promise. Since He is resting at the right hand of God because His work is complete, we too can rest securely in Him.

Israel did not enter this rest on the basis of unbelief, Hebrews makes this clear, “so we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief” ( Hebrews 3:18-19 ). God did not shut them out of the Promise Land, unbelief did. The next chapter gives insight, “For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest...” ( Hebrews 4:2-3a ). So it is fair to say the only way to enter in is by faith. Faith placed in what Jesus did to secure your salvation. Jesus is our Sabbath Rest and remaining in Him is what brings rest to the people of God.

Jesus told His disciples, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" ( Matthew 11:28-30 ).

Tomorrow we look at Hebrews 3:12-13; Finding Encouragement in One Another

One of the major problems the Israelites experienced was that their preconceived notions overruled their experience. God wanted them to trust Him. He proved Himself faithful year after year and yet the people were oblivious to it. They saw the works He did and instead of engaging in an intimate relationship with Him they ungratefully turned against God.

However, had they recognized even the smallest of things God did for them, their hearts would have become more sensitive to Him. They would have experienced Him as Moses did. Exodus reveals, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” ( Exodus 33:11 ). God willingly offered friendship to Moses and in return Moses walked and talked, face to face with the Lord. This is why Hebrews tells us that Moses was a faithful servant over the house of God ( Hebrews 3:5 ). When Moses first saw the burning bush, he did not know who God was. But at the end of His life he walked and talked with Him as a friend.

It is important for us to move on in our relationship with the Lord. We need to be sensitive and open to His direction for our lives. We need to attentively listen and understand His will for us and then walk in it. We should not be like the Israelites; hard and insensitive to His mighty works, but we should be like Moses who grew in familiarity and understanding every day of his life.

This of course, is a process, but it has to start somewhere. The only place to start is Jesus. Paul told of this process when speaking about his encounter with Jesus in Acts. Christ sent him to the gentiles to “To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” ( Acts 26:18 ). The first step is having our eyes opened. We cannot progressively move on with the Lord unless we have realized who He is as both God and Savior. Secondly, when we see this, we must repent, which means to turn and go the opposite way. It means leaving the sin nature behind and being born again by the Spirit of God. Next we are translated into God’s kingdom. Colossians says “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” ( Colossians 1:13 ). He brings us out from under the authority and control of Satan’s Kingdom and places us into Jesus’ kingdom.

The next step is receiving the forgiveness of sins. Sadly this is where many people get hung up in this process. They either do not know they are forgiven and washed clean by the blood of Jesus or they cannot forgive themselves for their past. Like the Israelites, having this viewpoint will taint your perception of God and His loving acceptance of you. It will keep you immobile in life failing to move forward in intimacy with the Lord. Instead of being accepted on the basis of Jesus, you will keep yourself at a distance, never walking in the relationship that God desires to have with you.

However, once you understand that you are totally accepted and forgiven by God you can progress into the next stage which is a place among the sanctified. Sanctification is the process of becoming holy. Paul said the Holy Spirit is what sanctifies us, “God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” ( II Thessalonians 2:13b ). God looks at us as holy and righteous the moment we place our faith in Jesus to save us. But aligning our hearts and minds to God comes in stages. It happens as the Holy Spirit reveals God’s truth to us. Jesus told us “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” ( John 14:26 ). It is His job to speak God’s truths into our lives and bring understanding to our minds. But we have a part in this, it comes by relationship. It comes by walking and talking with the Lord just as Moses did. It comes by the Word of God. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” ( John 17:17 ).

The last step, thankfully, takes a lifetime; it is a journey not a destination. But to start we must understand certain truths about God. We must remain sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and we must participate in the relationship. God’s major charge against the Israelites was “they have not perceived or recognized My ways and become progressively better and more experimentally and intimately acquainted with them. Accordingly, I swore in My wrath and indignation, They shall not enter into My rest.” ( Hebrews 3:10-11 Amp ). He was broken hearted that they never wanted to know Him. From the Israelites example we understand that we are called into intimacy with God. They were not able to enter into His rest, which means there still remains a rest for the people of God.

Tomorrow we look at Part 4: Entering into His Rest

“That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' “(Hebrews 3:10-11).

Do you long for rest? Are you tired? weary? Does life seem more than you can bear most days? As believers, we have a promise of entering into the Sabbath rest of God but many times we miss this plan for our lives because we do not know it is available. We continue on with our lives and certain things hinder us from entering into the rest God has promised His children. We can look at the example from Israel’s past to understand how to enter into this rest.

As the Israelites wandered through the desert they became increasingly hard of heart. They saw God’s provision for many generations and yet in their defiance they refused to acknowledge Him choosing rather to grumble and complain about Him. The problem was not in their circumstances. It was not because they were wandering through the desert for all those years lacking in provision. The problem was in their hearts. The true attitude and intentions of their hearts were the cause of all their problems. Proverbs says, “For as he [man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7a KJV). Their hearts were sick. They could not recognize the wonderful works of God because this blinded them to it. He provided them with food, water and protection. Miraculously their clothing and shoes never wore out the entire time they were in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 29:5). And yet the attitude of their hearts tainted their perception of God, continually.

The reason is because they never progressed into a true revelation of who God was. They never became acquainted with His ways. They did not strive to understand His character and they misinterpreted His actions concerning them. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, “And so I was provoked (displeased and sorely grieved) with that generation, and said, They always err and are led astray in their hearts, and they have not perceived or recognized My ways and become progressively better and more experimentally and intimately acquainted with them. Accordingly, I swore in My wrath and indignation, They shall not enter into My rest.” (Hebrews 3:10-11 Amp). They never entered, not because God kept them out, they kept themselves out because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:19). They believed the wrong things about God. They saw His work and instead of progressively coming into further understanding of His nature and becoming more intimately acquainted with Him, they held fast to their unbelieving viewpoints. These ideas drove them around the wilderness for forty years.

Tomorrow we look at Part 2: Lessons from Israelites