Strive to Enter that Rest

Context 

The writer of Hebrews, who possibly could be the apostle Paul, although it does not say, was writing to those who had believed in Jesus Christ, perhaps mostly to the Jews, and he was explaining to them the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and how that Jesus was the fulfillment of what the Old Covenant was about. He was/is the promised seed of Abraham, the recipient of God’s promise to Israel (Galatians 3:16).

For we read in the New Testament that the promise was made to Abraham and to his seed, meaning to Jesus Christ (the seed of Abraham). So it was for all who believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who looked ahead in faith to the coming of the Christ under the Old Covenant, and it was for all who believed in Jesus as the Christ under the New Covenant which God now had with his people, as he had promised was coming.

And so Paul explained to the believers that we are now God’s house, his temple, by faith in Jesus Christ, but provided that we hold fast our confidence in our hope (faith). And this is not speaking of any kind of faith, but of God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ which is aligned with the character and the teachings of Christ and those of his NT apostles. And then he gave a warning that if God speaks to us that we are not to harden our hearts against him as most of the Jews did in the wilderness.

And then he talked about those who rebelled against the Lord in the wilderness and how they did not enter into his eternal rest because of their sinful practices, and their rebellion against the Lord, and because of their disobedience, which God called “unbelief,” and he still does (see Hebrews 3-4; 1 Corinthians 10:1-33). And then he warned the Christians to take care lest there be any of them with an evil unbelieving heart leading them to fall away from the living God. And that warning is for us today, too.

And so the message here to the believers in Christ is that we must be careful that we are not like the Jews of old who rebelled against the Lord and did not get to enter into his eternal rest (eternal life with God) because of their disobedience to the Lord and to his commands. So the warning here is that if we hear God’s voice speaking to us we are not to harden our hearts as they did. We are not to rebel against the Lord and refuse to obey him, for if we do that, we will not have eternal life with God. See:

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:11-13 ESV). 

So here is the encouragement to us all. We are to strive to enter into God’s eternal rest (our salvation from sin and eternal life with God). And no, this is not works based salvation. Not one of us, of our own accord, can do anything to earn nor to deserve our own salvation. Even the faith to believe in Jesus Christ is not of our own doing, but is gifted to us by God, and is persuaded of God. But Jesus said if we are going to come after him that we must deny self, die daily to sin (in essence), and follow him in obedience. For if we go our own way, instead, we will not have eternal life with God.

[Heb 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Eph 2:8-10; Tit 2:11-14; Luke 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Gal 5:16-21]

So, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ we are now to submit to God’s will and purpose for our lives. We are to leave behind us our former lives of living in sin and for self, and we are now to walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commandments (New Covenant) in righteous and holy living, and no longer in sinful rebellion against the Lord Jesus. For if sin is what we obey, in practice, and if righteousness, godliness, moral purity, honesty, faithfulness and obedience to our Lord is not what we obey, we will not have eternal life with God, but we will die in our sins (see Romans 6:1-23).

So, we need to be students of the Scriptures who study the Scriptures in context and who are testing the spirits and the words of other humans against the teachings under the New Covenant, in context, so that we make certain that we are following and obeying the truth and not the lies. For, as noted in the Scriptures referenced above, we are all going to stand before our Lord one day and we are all going to have to give an account for what we did with Jesus and with his gospel and with the salvation from sin he provided for us on that cross. So don’t be one who disobeys God.

The Prayer

Written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, 

Alberto Testa and Tony Renis

I pray you'll be our eyes

And watch us where we go

And help us to be wise

In times when we don't know

I pray we'll find your light

And hold it in our hearts

When the stars go out each night

Remind us where you are.

Let this be our prayer

When shadows fill our day

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqFCbtRz1Z0

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