Week 24
Hebrews 4:9-11 “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest…”
One of the most overlooked benefits of God’s saving work in Christ is the REST that it provides those who trust Christ in faith to save them.
This text in Hebrews uses the concept of restfulness to express the peace, the calm, and the assurance one has in Jesus Christ. This is the restfulness of the soul. It is precious beyond compare!
Jesus expressed a similar concept in Matthew 11:28-30. He said, “Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, 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.” There is much to do in Christian discipleship, and following Christ is not a passive game. Christian discipleship is active and energetic, but there is restfulness in all of it.
The rest that we have in Jesus contains a delightful sense of acceptance by God, the taking away of our sin guilt, the establishment of a sweet and loving relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, the call to Christian discipleship and obedience, and the promise of eternal life in heaven where we will enjoy the glory of Christ forever! We can rest now because there is nothing we need that God has not supplied in the Lord Jesus. He is ALL, and all we need is in HIM!
Sin drains our vitality but loving Jesus and living in His life and favor restores our human essence; we become in Christ and through Christ’s life what we were created to be as humans. We can live, work, love, worship, and obey Him through the grace given to us in His salvation. And we find in Christ the fullness of life and joy in doing so. His commandments in the Scripture are not burdensome to us (1 John 5:3), because we love Him and rejoice in Him.
In Christian teaching and life, we always acknowledge the principle of “already, but not yet.” There are parts of God’s gift of rest for us that are for the NOW of life, but there are other parts of this rest that we will not experience until THEN – when we get to glory! The Bible teaches that there is coming a glorious day in heaven when God’s people will rest from their labors (Revelation 14:13). Every Christian has this promise: When we get to heaven we will experience along with all other virtue and divine favor the COMPLETE REST of soul and body that Christ gives in His saving work. Christian friend, until then, be at peace, be at rest, commit all to Him who died for you, and live in the sweet calm and assurance that all is well. Be at rest!
Prayer: Dear Lord, there are times when my soul is agitated and frustrated, and I lose my peace. I thank You that in Christ You give to me rest for my soul; I delight in this gift! Please help me to remember this wonderful rest that you give and help me to live in that rest. And when I depart from it, please grant that I may hasten back to my rest in Christ through faith and trust in You. Amen.