In the world today, things are very high-strung. People are very busy going from this thing to that thing. Always in a hurry, and always desperately seeking, but never finding true peace; true inner rest and tranquility. Now the world has many different avenues by which people try to find peace. There are many rituals and tools, and things that people pursue to chase after this inward rest.
The Bible though has another method, one which is opposite to our natural human thinking. We tend to have this idea that in order to really rest that we must shut-off our mind, empty ourselves and relax.. usually in front of the television or with music. But are those activities truly “restful”? What we will be exploring today in scripture is true Biblical rest; what it is, and how to receive it.
You see we tend to have this idea of rest as purely being the absence of physical activity, but how many understand that you can be totally inactive in your bed and still not experience any rest or peace. And there are millions of people experiencing that every night because they are troubled in their mind and spirit.
Peace in your body from physical work, is only the outer layer. True rest can only be found in your spirit. When your spirit is at peace, everything else; your mind and your body will also be at peace as well. However if you are not abiding in the truth of God, if you are not embracing His Spirit of Grace, then you will never be able to truly have peace and rest.
Quite often what I find as I talk with people, is that they are being beaten down and made afraid and unsettled by the affairs of daily life and the fear of the future. You see God never said that their would not be giants in the Promise Land, and there are many giants that we perceive to be in our land today. Financial trouble, cares and the worries of life, symptoms in your body… whatever it may be, the giants are there – but here’s the funny thing about the giants. The giants actually could not do anything to God’s people, because God was with them… yet because God’s people did not trust the Word of God’s promise regarding their inheritance of the land, the people were afraid of the giants needlessly, and ended up dying without ever inheriting what was promised. Because they did not trust what God was doing they were fearful of the giants, that could actually not lay a finger on them! (Numbers 13:28-33).
Many believers are living this same way today. We experience challenges in our life, and oftentimes we already know what the will and word of God is concerning our situation, just as the Israelites also knew, but also just as the Israelites, we do not fully trust that God has already gone ahead of us and given us the victory over the giant. We do not trust that He has already given us the land in victory.
Today, do you believe that God is your provider even when you have bills piling up? Do you believe that He is your healer even when you experience symptoms of sickness or pain? Remember that the giants in the land of Canaan looked very imposing, the walls were very steep and the city looked well fortified against attack; but those were all outward appearances, those things were what they were seeing with their human eyes; their physical senses – they weren’t seeing with their eyes of faith… God had already promised them the land, the appearance meant nothing!
So let’s see what the scripture has to say regarding the rest and peace of God, starting with Hebrews 4:1-4
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
For to us was the gospel preached, as well as to them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
For he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.”
Verse 1 of Hebrews chapter 4 is actually a continuation of the end of chapter 3, in which an analogy is being drawn between the promised land of the Israelites and our promised land today which is Jesus Christ. So if you think that I came up with this analogy myself, in-fact it was the Holy Spirit who first made it in the scriptures!
Now you will notice that verse 1 starts off rather strangely… with the words Let us therefore fear. We know that God has not given us the spirit of fear (2nd Timothy 1:7) – and indeed we are not to fear any evil force or power (Psalms 23:4). However here we are told to be cautious of one thing: You see, you have been given a promise, just as the Israelites were given a promise…and since we know that they failed to inherit because of nothing more than silly, foolish unbelief, we are likewise told here, be cautious that you do not do the same, and fail to inherit what is yours in Christ Jesus.
Look at verse 2. For to us the Gospel was preached as well as to them. But the word preached to them did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
They had the word, they had God’s promise… but if you read the account in Numbers 14:36, the ten spies came back with what God calls an evil report. When God gives you a promise, no matter how fantastic it may seem by our human standards, God calls it evil to flounder in unbelief, and it can end up robbing us of His promises.
Let me give you a practical application of this: You are experiencing some symptoms in your body, you have pain or you feel weak and tired. Now you know what the word of God says regarding these things. You know that Jesus Christ already has carried your pains and has borne your sicknesses (Isaiah 53:4), you also know that when you are joined together with God, your strength is continually renewed (Isaiah 40:31). But instead of holding-fast to these words of God which are life and health to all of your flesh, you choose to fall back into the low-minded reasoning of the world and say “Well, this is just a natural part of life, after-all I’m not as young as I used to be.” – even though you should also know from Joshua 14:11 that years of age has no correlation to strength or weakness when God is factored in.
The Greek word for “faith” used in this verse is pistis, which means “trust”. Trust in what? The Economy?, Doctors?, Yourself? No! Trust in God and the finished work of Jesus Christ! So we can see from verse 2, there is definitely a profit, for those who believe the Gospel (the “good news”) of God.
Verse 3 continues. We which have believed… We saw from verse 2 that not everyone who hears the Gospel will believe, obviously… and if they don’t believe it won’t profit them – but verse three says: we which have believed, do enter into rest. You see my friend, it has nothing to do with your performance, but it has everything to do with how and what you believe. It has nothing to do with your works, and everything to do with God’s works.
When the Israelites failed to believe God’s promise in Numbers 14, He swore that they would not enter into His rest, and in the second-half of verse 3 here, we see a hint to how God sees things: He says that the works were completed before the foundation of the world. You see, even though our senses tell us certain things, God says that His work is completed already. So while you may be dealing with an apparent lack right now; whether it is in your finances or your body, God says that need has already been met… now you should latch onto that word from God and rest in that.
Drop down in this same chapter to verses 9 through 11:
“There remains therefore a rest to the people of God.
For he that is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
Take notice that there is a rest for the people of God, and it is not a “sometimes rest”, it is a rest that remains. It is a rest that is there regardless of time or circumstances. However very few believers are experiencing this, and the way to begin resting is right in the next verse: for he that is entered into His rest he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His. The verse does not say “cease from life” it says “cease from your own works” – translation: Stop trying to do things in your own strength, by your own power. Cease from that, and rest in Christ. Are you trying to work to please God? Cease from that. Are you trying to solve your problems with your own wisdom? Cease from that. Are you trying to satisfy your perceived needs in your own human reasoning? Cease from that.
You might say “But James, I need something to do!”. Fine. God gives you something to do in the next verse, 11:
Let us therefore labor to enter into that rest: lest anyone should fall after the same example of unbelief.
The only labor that we have in Christ Jesus today, is to labor to fully rest in Him. And when we begin entertaining unbelief, we start to fall back into our own works. You see, it is so easy today for us to fall back into our own works, and a demand-centered mentality, that God says “labor to enter into rest”. He has to tell us to rest in Him, because we can get so stubborn and foolish, that we leave His rest at the drop of a hat sometimes!
Let’s conclude today with verses 12-16:
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Verse 12 is a big one, and a very important detail is here, because many people have trouble discerning the word of God in their lives. So if you have been asking the question of “Is this thing from God or is it from me?” verse 12 has your answer because it states that when the genuine word of God comes, there will not be any doubt, because it separates the soul (your mind and emotions) from the spirit. You see, your mind and your emotions can lie to you. Your thoughts and feelings can play tricks on you; but the word of God will separate those things from the spirit, and you will know the truth.
Your mind and emotions may tell you that you are depressed, unloved, worthless, sick, tired, feeble, old, or stupid. But the word of God will separate out those things in favor of the truth. We are not called to live by our emotions or to build on shifting sand, but to live by the Spirit and to build on the solid foundation of the Word of God.
Notice that the verse also states that the word of God separates the joints and the marrow. Now the joints have to do with the body, and the marrow represents life. When the word of God comes into contact with a sick body, it will bring life to that body; and when the word of God touches your life, it changes your life; it gives you new life. And whatever the word touches, even death, the death will give way to that life. Don’t ever limit the power of God’s word.
Verse 13 continues: God made every creature – including you – and He sees and knows all things. He knows that one day you’ll stand before Him, and He also knows there is only one way to be justified and only one way that you can have true rest, and that is in verse 14:
Seeing then that we have such a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to the profession of our faith. Verse 15 even goes further to tell us why we can hold fast to our profession of faith, and this is such an important detail: He was tempted in all points, yet without sin.
Now I want to spend a few moments on this verse because it is crucial to our security in Christ. Jesus is impeccable. He cannot sin. There are some groups that believe Jesus could have sinned if He wanted to. That He still had an inward natural urge and propensity for sin, but He simply didn’t say “yes” to it.
But no, He was always deity, even when He walked on the earth. We have a fallen, sinful body from fallen Adam, but Jesus does not. When Mary held the baby Jesus in her hands, I’m sure He looked like He was helpless, but she is from time; He is from eternity. She was holding in her hands the One who holds all things together (Colossians 1:14). That’s His humility, even though He is deity.
The word for temptation used here in this context is “tested in life” — all trials and testings are included in this Greek word. Quite simply, God cannot be tempted to sin, He has no sin nature! But He was tested in all points “sin apart”. That’s the literal translation of this phrase. He cannot sin, but He was tested. What were some of His testings? He was rejected, He suffered grief, He was tired, He was thirsty, He was hungry, He experienced emotions, He was betrayed. But He cannot sin. This is the impeccability of our LORD. This is His divinity and greatness. Far greater than us or even our ability to comprehend.
If His sinning was even a possibility, then there is no security for salvation. What if one day in Heaven, Jesus sins? As the High Priest goes, so goes the entire nation. So you see, Jesus absolutely, positively cannot sin! This is why you can rest securely in His finished work. This is why belief is all that is required.
And we end, with the beautiful truth of verse 16: Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of Grace. Not in ourselves, but in the security of Jesus Christ. Notice that we are not coming to the throne of judgment, but to the throne of Grace. As you embrace the truth of the Grace of God, you will have boldness, not trepidation. You will have peace, not turmoil, and you will have rest and not a troubled spirit. Look at what the throne of Grace gives us: that we may obtain mercy. This mercy is not a merit or earned reward. It is a Gift of God’s Grace. The verse concludes: that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. We come to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy. The throne of God’s Grace is the only way to obtain mercy. And it is His Grace that gives us help in time of need.
So whatever your need is today, you have an avenue through Jesus Christ, to come boldly to the throne of God’s Grace, and obtain mercy and help. This is the love of God for you. He is trustworthy; He is faithful. Embrace the truth of His Grace, and enter into His Rest.