Hebrews 4:1-19

The book of Hebrews presents for us some very challenging passages to interpret.  Since I am writing this blog with only my Bible and not consulting commentaries, dictionaries or other resources, I ask you to bear with me on potential theological issues that we may face.  I am trying not to make this a theological debate but rather look at more practical devotional applications that we should take away from the text.  Today’s passage talks about “rest” we all know what it means to rest, in fact we all wish we could do more of it.  As we look at the idea of rest, I think the best way to interpret this thought is viewing it as ceasing from working for our own salvation and simply resting in Christ and His work for our salvation.  Christ said “come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”  In that sense we are all called to rest in Christ how.  However, there is also a future view of a “rest” that is yet to come.  That rest can be viewed as a rest that we will experience on earth during the millennial reign of Christ and/or our ultimate “rest” as we enjoy the glories of heaven for all eternity.  There are several passages in this book that, at first glance, seem to teach that believers can lose their salvation and therefore “miss” the “rest.”  I do not hold to that position.  I believe that these passages are best understood as referring to those who have been exposed to the Gospel of Christ and have even become “friends of the Gospel” may even be members of a local church, but that they have never truly rested their faith exclusively on the cross of Christ.  Or these passages could refer to true believers who, due to disobedience, will be disqualified from millennial positions and eternal rewards.  At any rate, we can all agree that the ideal presented in Scripture is that we faithfully rest in Christ now so that we might fruitfully rest with Christ in the millennial kingdom and then finally rest with Christ for all of eternity in heaven.  However we interpret this rest, this is what we must remember about it.

SOME ARE IN DANGER OF MISSING GOD’S REST: The sad truth of the matter is that there are many who are blessed with the true revelation of Jesus Christ through His Word and His faithful messengers, but they never truly rest in Christ.  They continue to insist on depending upon their own efforts or religious practices as a means of pleasing God.  These efforts are both frustrating and futile.  They are frustrating because nobody can ever know when they have been “good enough” or “done enough” to gain this favor with God.  They are futile because no amount of effort can ever earn God’s favor.  The only means by which man can be accepted by God is through faith in the work which Christ has done.  God has provided the only means by which we can rest from our sin and its consequences, and that is through Christ alone.  It cannot be through Christ and works or Christ and religion, it must be faith in Christ alone.  We either reject God’s way and stand condemned to a life on earth and for all of eternity without rest, or we trust Christ and experience a rest that only He can give us both now and for all of eternity.

WE SHOULD DELIGHT IN WAITING FOR GOD’S REST: As I said earlier, there is as since in which we enter the rest of God as soon as we trust Christ.  However, I think you will all agree with me that the rest we experience now is a partial rest due to our continuing battle with sin in our own lives and the live of those around us.  Therefore, there should be an eager anticipation in all who have “rested” in Christ, for our ultimate “rest” when we will be forever with Christ and perfectly transformed so that we are like Christ.  That is the rest to which we must eagerly look forward.  Our anticipation of that rest should fill our hearts with hope and our hope in what Christ has promised should fix our hearts to live for God’s glory as we wait.  In other words, our anticipation of future rest should facilitate our present rest.  As believer we must be in the habit of always looking back on what Christ has done and always looking forward to what Christ will do.  As we are faithful to remember and anticipate the work of Christ we will find rest for our souls both now and for all of eternity.

ALL MUST DRAW NEAR TO CHRIST TO HAVE GOD’S REST: The key to God’s rest, whether on this earth in this life or in heaven for all of eternity is Christ.  He is the only means by which we have any access at all to the rest that God has prepared for us to experience.  We can rest from our enslavement to sin because of the sacrifice of Christ.  We can rest forever free from the influence and presence of sin because of the cross of Christ.  If it is rest from sin that we desire, we must draw near to Christ.  He experienced all of the temptation of sin without ever giving into that temptation.  That means that He was tempted beyond anything that we have ever experienced because we usually give in to temptation before it reaches the level of temptation that Christ face.  Since He knows all about our struggles He is well qualified to give us rest from our struggles with sin.  He understand us, He knows the path to freedom and He longs for us to draw near to Him that He might give us rest now and for all of eternity.