God's Gracious Rest Is Available to You Now
Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash
Our Problem with Rest
Years ago, I met a young couple from New Zealand at the Hong Kong airport. As we waited for our next flight out, we got to talking. I asked them about their experience in my home country, the USA.
They worked in the US for a couple of years and noticed that Americans have trouble resting. They realized we don’t seem to know how to take time to rest, even when we’re sick.
Think about it. Immense amounts of sick leave and vacation time go unused each year by Americans. When we take vacations, they’re often expensive and so activity-filled that we need a rest after our vacation! This carries over to our faith.
Most Christians may believe in the truth of salvation by the grace of God alone. We may believe this truth about God’s grace, but find it difficult to rest from our efforts to be "good Christians.”
Many people even struggle with the conceptual truth of God's grace. Perhaps we need to be reminded not to rely on our efforts and willpower, but to rest in the Lord’s strength and goodness.
Scripture Text
God’s promise that we may enter his place of rest still stands. We are afraid that some of you think you won’t enter his place of rest. We have heard the same Good News that your ancestors heard. But the message didn’t help those who heard it in the past because they didn’t believe.
We who believe are entering that place of rest. As God said, “So I angrily took a solemn oath that they would never enter my place of rest.” God said this even though he had finished his work when he created the world. [vss 1-3]
Somewhere in Scripture God has said this about the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.” God also said in the same passage, “They will never enter my place of rest.” However, some people enter that place of rest. Those who heard the Good News in the past did not enter God’s place of rest because they did not obey God.
So God set another day. That day is today. Many years after your ancestors failed to enter that place of rest God spoke about it through David in the passage already quoted: “If you hear God speak today, don’t be stubborn.” [vss 4-7]
(Hebrews 4:1-7 GW) [Context– Hebrews 4]
Key Phrase —
God’s promise that we may enter his place of rest still stands.
Dig Deeper Into the Text—
What was the reason those who heard the good news did not enter God's rest?
What gets in the way of experiencing God’s rest? How can we enter into it?
What do we need to guard against and why?
Things to Consider—
Believers hear about and talk about God's grace, yet it's one of the most difficult things for people to accept. As a pastor, I've seen this over and over with many people and for many years. This is tied to our problem with taking time to rest and be refreshed.
What about the weekends or at least Sunday? Again, the average family has too many things going on and we're too busy to enjoy a break from our usual labors. Even when we do, we probably feel guilty, as if we should be doing something more important.
The lesson from this text directly applies to you and me. We may believe God intends for us to rest from our efforts at pleasing Him, overcoming sin, serving Him in some way, or being burdened by other obligations, real or imagined.
But knowing the truth and living it out are two different things. What’s our problem? Unbelief. Not doubt, but an unwillingness to believe and accept the capacity and completeness of God’s grace. It seems too good to be true.
This was an important reason for God establishing a sabbath rest. We just have a hard time letting go of our efforts to "fix" ourselves or the people and the world around us.
Surely God doesn't just give us His kindness and goodness without doing something for it! Right? Wrong! God extends His grace—His kindness and goodness—to us who believe Him. He will when we trust in Him.
God’s gracious rest is still available for those who fully trust in Him!
Answer These Questions to Apply God’s Word in Your Life—
Why do you think entering the promised land illustrates entering the rest of God?
What was required of the people that they failed to do?
Is it difficult for you to accept that God wants you to stop trying to make yourself better?
What stands in the way of you trusting God and receiving His gracious rest?
Here’s a link to a free study guide for the book of Hebrews— Study Guide and Study Questions for Hebrews
