In order to experience the fullness of peace you must also gain rest from your labors and victory over your enemies, the natural ones as well as the spiritual ones. Though Jesus came to give us His peace, we sometimes have to labor/work to protect and maintain that peace. Likewise with rest, it must be fought for, won and maintained.
The Labor for Rest
“For whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore labor to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:10-11
When we rest we rest from our works (doing things our way through fleshy efforts) and we enter into faith laboring with our prayers and through our obedience to enter into God’s rest. Just as Jesus labored in prayer until sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground before going to the cross and overcame the enemies of death, hell and the grave, (see Luke 22:44) we can overcome any enemy the same way – through prayer and obedience.
Entering the Rest of God
“We who have believed enter that rest” Hebrews 4:3
We enter God’s rest by believing in Him to give us the victory over our enemies. You must believe God is able to give you the victory before you get. This is the result of prayer and obedience. As we learn to obey God’s instruction given in times of prayer and communion we become more confident that He is able to do what He promised because we begin to see His works!
Maintaining the rest of God
“So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” Joshua 21:43-45
Joshua and the children of Israel entered into rest of God for a season, until they transgressed the covenant they made with God (see Joshua 23:16). While they obeyed God’s instructions they were victorious and at rest which brought peace to the land and their lives.
However, because of disobedience the rest of God was not maintained and the day (or age) of rest was held out for a future time. The writer of Hebrew says, “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,” Hebrews 4:8-9.
The day of rest has come and is available to those who are in Jesus Christ but there is still the cost of faith and obedience. Beloved, I pray that you would labor to enter fully into God’s rest.
Leave a Reply