MAKE ME ENTER INTO YOUR REST, O LORD

DAY :                    THREE.

DATE:                   MARCH 8, 2019.

THEME:               MAKE ME ENTER INTO YOUR REST, O LORD

TEXT:                    PSALM  95:11.

“So, I declared on oath in my anger, ‘they shall never enter my rest.’” NIV (Cross Reference Hebrews 3:11)

INTRODUCTION:  Rest is one of God’s greatest gifts. The Hebrew word for rest is nuach and it means to be quiet, to cease or to rest. The Greek word is anapausis, meaning cessation, refreshment. The Vines Concise Dictionary defines rest as quiet, calmness, tranquillity, peacefulness, serenity and stability. So, what does it mean to enter into God’s rest? How do we enter into it and how can we fail to enter into it?

CONTEXT:  Hebrews 3-4 explains the concept of entering into God’s rest and gives context to it. When God gave the Israelites the land of Canaan, He promised them that He would go before them and defeat all their enemies so that they could live securely (Deuteronomy 12:9–10). God required of them only that they would trust in Him and His promises, and their obedience; but the Israelites disobeyed Him consistently. They murmured against Him, longed to go back to Egypt and into bondage. (Exodus 16:3, 17:1–7; Numbers 20:3–13). In anger, God swore that they would never enter into His rest.
The particular “rest” referred to was that of the land of Canaan. But, eventually, the next generation did place their faith in God and, by following the leadership of Joshua, forty years later, they entered into God’s rest in the land of Canaan (Joshua 3:14–17).

Using the Israelites as an example of those who were not resting on God’s promises, Hebrews Chapter 4 makes the application personal, both to the Hebrew Christians and to us. We too can miss God’s rest and if we suffer such a fate, we will also have a longer-than-normal journey back to God’s rest or not at all, which will be a calamity as God’s rest transcends life and reaches to eternity

APPLICATION:

1. What is God’s rest? God’s rest is not rest from our daily work or rest from physical exhaustion, but rather it is that profound peace that God gives to those who love and obey Him regardless of circumstances and/or status. Rest and peace are synonymous. God’s rest heals and makes us whole. It is a rest that calms our fears and gives us a sense of stability to face the future with confidence, regardless of what is happening around us, whether in trials or joyful times because we are trusting the Lord. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stead on thee: because he trusted on thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:3&4).
2. God’s rest is salvation: “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it” (Hebrews 4:1). The promise that still stands is the promise of salvation through God’s provision—Jesus Christ. God’s rest is that which sums up the end game of our existence on earth. The only way we will enter into God’s eternal rest is by being saved on earth; and we are saved when we accept Jesus as our Saviour. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.” (John 1:11-13). As children of God, we have the assurance of salvation, which means eternal rest with Jesus Christ. Salvation also means that we are equipped with all the help we need to enjoy God’s rest on earth.
3. God’s rest is letting Him order our steps: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” (Psalm 37:23). God is all-knowing; therefore, His wisdom should be our wisdom. If we do not trust God’s wisdom, we will always be using human wisdom, scheming, plotting, and so on, and we will be very unstable and restless. If God is not glorified in our lives, we are glorifying ourselves, forgetting that without God we are nothing. We will not be at peace, at rest. It is only when we trust the Lord that we have peace and tranquility, knowing God is in control.
4. God’s rest means a transparent life before God? God’s truth and word are the greatest realities in life. “Neither is there any creature not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of whom with him we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:13). God sees everything we do, and nobody is hidden before God. We have to be careful how we live because God will bring us to judgment and accountability someday. “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro, beholding the wickedness of men.” God is watching us and will reward evil and wickedness someday. But a life of transparency is rest. God understands our struggles, He knows us, so we do not need to pretend. He has promised never to leave or forsake us. We can cast our burdens unto Him and lay them at His feet. His yoke is easy. We are at rest in Him.
5. The final rest: There is also our final rest when our labours are ended in this life for the people of God. Then we go back to God and are ushered into His presence for eternity. Revelation 21:4 says: “And God shall wipe all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death; neither sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away.”
6. When we possess God’s rest, it eases the pain we bear daily. God’s rest refreshes and relaxes our minds and bodies. We are able to lie down in peace, instead of being torn by inner struggles. We are able to operate our lives in peace and achieve our vision and goals, and our minds are calm and restful, not rattled by anything.
7. What can hinder us from God’s rest: (a) Lack of faith in God’s word, unbelief and rejection of his word (Hebrews 11:6); (b) hardening of heart through the deceitfulness of sin. In Psalm 95 7-11, we see why God was so angry with the Israelites that He swore the oath that they would not enter into His rest. “Today, if only you would hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah;” (c) testing and trying God; (d) not knowing God’s ways by knowing His word. Lack of knowledge of God’s word means we will not be able to overcome the enemy since we will have no words to use. (Revelations 12:11); (e) depending on our own wisdom, intelligence and manipulation of events in whatever we do. We are mere clay in the hands of the potter, we are not the potter, so what we achieve is by His grace only; (f) worrying and fretting and discontent shows we do not trust God and His assurance that He will “never leave us or forsake us; and also that “no good thing will He deny those who walk uprightly.”

CONCLUSION:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we come to you in the mighty name of Jesus, the name above every other name. We confess that we have not been totally reliant on your saving grace and power. We have leaned on our own power and understanding and not on your everlasting arms and we have not enjoyed your rest because of our feebleness of spirit. Lord, we are sorry for limiting You in our lives. We ask that you forgive us our sins of unbelief and faithlessness and that You give us Your rest. We take on Your yoke today, Lord, for it is easy and we cast all our burdens on You. Give us Your peace, Lord which passes all human understanding, and may we find rest in You, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.