Is Church Important? Text: Hebrews 4:8-13
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Anything that causes a believer to struggle and strive isn’t rest. True rest, the God kind of rest is found only through your faith and confidence in Christ Jesus, and through His word being made the final authority.
The word of God say’s “it’s finished”; therefore, we as Jesus’ disciples believe it!
Those who have entered into His rest love certain things. They love God’s word, they love God’s church, they love God’s people and they love to watch as God saves their loved ones as well as a complete stranger!
Hebrew 10:25 Is written as a command to keep listen, 25). not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
My wife had a Spiritual dream, in the dream she saw those who had other agendas, and other activities, they wished they were doing other than being at church. These men and women complained about teaching and manning their post for God in the local church. Then she saw Jesus coming into His church and over turning every person’s table which was a type of man’s heart and true desires!
Then I was reminded of what Christ said about His church in Matthew 21:12-13 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”
Notice that these people Christ was speaking to were people inside the temple; people who proclaimed Jehovah, but their hearts and minds were else where!
Buying and selling inside the temple represents those who truly have other things on their hearts. A stronger love for other things!
True rest and faith doesn’t strive and struggle over church or doing the will of God for others and helping others!
True faith celebrates freedom and liberty inside and outside of church! True faith loves to give, true faith loves to come to church, and true faith places Christ at the fore front of everything done and every decision made!
Jesus said in Matthew 10: 34-37 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
What Christ is actually saying is, “that He wants to be first, and He wants us to desire Him more than our own family! ( Judges 2 tells us that after the death of Joshua there was a generation that didn’t know the Lord!)
Going back to the text, Hebrews 4:12-13 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
These scriptures are reminding us that we will be judged on how we love and treat God’s word! Does His word bring strong faith that through God He can do anything for me, in me, or even through me?
God desires to be trusted, loved and honored over everything!
Then we will truly know and understand God’s rest! When you enter into His rest you can and should expect Christ to move mightily through you!
