Strive to Enter that Rest

[Christsfreeservant]

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.

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

[Cribstyl]

Amen....Well done.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Amen....Well done.

Glory to God.

 

[Cribstyl]

One reason we believe it was Paul is because when he said this in Ch 6

Heb 6:1
Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 and of instruction about washings,[fn] the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3 And this we will do if God permits.

We know that these so-called elementary doctrines are in Paul's epistles to Romans and Galatians and other epistles.

You can't leave something you have not started to do.

 

[Cribstyl]

Heb 4:1
¶
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
Heb 4:2
For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.[fn]
Heb 4:3
For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 4:4
For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
Heb 4:5
And again in this passage he said,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
Heb 4:6
¶
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
Heb 4:7
again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
Heb 4:8
¶
For if Joshua had given them rest, God[fn] would not have spoken of another day later on.
Heb 4:9
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
Heb 4:10
for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Heb 4:11
¶
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.


In my understanding of these scriptures, it pinpoints when God ended His Genesis ch1 work in creation, He rested.
There is no mention of rest being given to man at that time.
If Joshua had told them that they were resting with God by keeping the Sabbath, there would not be another day to talk about resting with God. These texts are saying history shows there is another day besides the day of keeping the Sabbath.

Where its says; whoever has entered God's rest has also stop working as God did. I believe that work stoppage for us is death. What are your thoughts?

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Heb 4:1
¶
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
Heb 4:2
For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.[fn]
Heb 4:3
For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 4:4
For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
Heb 4:5
And again in this passage he said,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
Heb 4:6
¶
Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
Heb 4:7
again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”
Heb 4:8
¶
For if Joshua had given them rest, God[fn] would not have spoken of another day later on.
Heb 4:9
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
Heb 4:10
for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Heb 4:11
¶
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.


In my understanding of these scriptures, when God ended His Genesis ch1 work in creation, He entered into His rest.
There is no mention of Sabbath given to man at that time.
If Joshua had told them that they were resting with God by keeping the Sabbath, there would not be another day to talk about rest but there is.

Where its says; whoever has entered God's rest has also stop working as God did. I believe that work stoppage for us is death. What are your thoughts?

From the context of Hebrews 3 and 4 along with 1 Corinthians 10, on the same subject, I believe he is speaking of our salvation from sin and eternal life with God which is our Sabbath rest under the New Covenant. And if you read all of Paul's writings it makes it even more clear, for obedience to God is required for salvation and eternal life with God and so disobedience is what keeps us from receiving salvation and eternal life with God.

 

[Cribstyl]

Whoops..... I thought this way a discussion thread but it's not.

 

[Cribstyl]

From the context of Hebrews 3 and 4 along with 1 Corinthians 10, on the same subject, I believe he is speaking of our salvation from sin and eternal life with God which is our Sabbath rest under the New Covenant. And if you read all of Paul's writings it makes it even more clear, for obedience to God is required for salvation and eternal life with God and so disobedience is what keeps us from receiving salvation and eternal life with God.

Agreed,........ God bless