The Rest of God
Does anyone like to rest? When I was a teen, I used to be able to sleep until 2pm! Now-a-days, I wake up a few times during the night and I can’t seem to sleep past 6:30am! Sometimes, I just would like to sleep late! But of course, waking up is a good thing to be able to do too!
But getting rest can mean a lot of things. Rest can be sleep, but it can also mean, just relaxing and hanging out. Or vacation, or retirement, or just not having to do anything, freed of responsibility and stress and just living the good life. Seems some rich people get that but being rich sometimes has it’s own problems so many rich people sometimes wish they weren’t rich! Weird, huh? Yeah, if you don’t want it, I’ll take that peril off your hands! LOL!
Exodus!
Moses and Aaron led all of the Jewish people out of Egypt.
Spies were sent into Cannan but all of the spies gave a bad report but two gave a good report. Joshua & Calab. They said the people were like giants in their eyes, but Josua and Calab said they could take them. So the decision was made to not go into the promised land at that time.
So, instead of entering the promised land, what happened? They were doomed to wander for 40 years in the wilderness South and East of the promised land.
What happened during those 40 years of wandering ? The people got bit by snakes!
God’s remedy was for Moses to make a brazen serpent and if someone was bit by a snake, all they had to do was to look up at the brazen serpent on the stick and they would survive.
Those who did as the Lord prescribed, and looked up at the brazen serpent, miraculously survived! Those who did not, died. The book of Numbers sort of talks about the Numbers of people from Exodus! The brazen serpent was, of course, a symbol of Christ on the cross!
John 3:14,15
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
So look to Jesus and live!
During that time, Moses disobeyed God when he struck the rock twice when he was specifically told to only strike it once. So Moses got to look onto the promised land but didn’t get to enter into it and he died. The leadership was handed to Joshua.
So of all the people, who survived and got to enter the promised land?
Pretty much everyone who left Egypt died! Specifically everyone over 40 died except for two people. Anyone know which 2 over 40 didn’t die and got to enter the promised land?
Joshua and Calab.
So In Psalms we find out how God felt about that people that left Egypt!
From Psalm 95:7b-11
Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
So the people who left Egypt weren’t really God fearing people. They didn’t have faith in Him, they easily turned to idols, and did horrible deeds. Remember what happened at Mount Sinai where the people turned to the golden calf and did unspeakable deeds? Not only that, but while wandering, they grumbled and complained at God and pretty much just wanted to go back into slavery under the false Gods in Egypt! Sick!
So, they were promised the Promised Land, yet none of them got to enter it but two! Why did they not enter? They had no faith in God! At all! In fact, they rejected God!
Matthew 7:13,14
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
So now we arrive at the Book of Hebrews chapter 4 where the writer of Hebrews (probably Paul) explains what happened back then.
Hebrews 4:1-11 (1-3a)
1 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. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
“So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
So did you see that? They heard the Gospel message of the Savior to come, but they didn’t put their faith in God! They saw no value in that message? To them the message was nonsense and foolishness! Look at that brazen serpent? You’re stupid, I’m not doing that. Croak!
1 Corinthians 1:18
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Today, you tell people to put their trust in Jesus and what do they say? You’re stupid, I’m not doing that. And, we know there are two things for sure, death and taxes. And for them it will be so sad!
Hebrews 4:3b-6
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,
So here, he’s equating entering into the promised land with the seventh day where God rested from all His works!
So the argument has shifted from people entering a land to people trusting in the Savior and receiving salvation?
This is why people call heaven the promised land - heaven is not really what it’s talking about, it’s talking about saving faith, but the reward of saving faith is of course heaven!
Hebrews 4:7-11
7 God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
So people entered the promised land, but this was promised land is only like a symbol of something even greater. Those who have faith receive the promises and the promises are much greater than just some plot of land in the middle east!
If you have faith and trust in Jesus you can “REST” on those promises that your salvation is secure. You have some great rewards awaiting you.
Sadly, there are many who just can’t put their faith in God or in the simple plan of salvation that Jesus came to save sinners. Right now we work trying to share the gospel and God’s love with others, perhaps some will turn, but so many have hard hearts and just can’t repent of sin and turn to God. Their hard hearts are killing them!
Don’t perish because of lack of faith like the Jews had who fell in the wilderness. Do you see the spiritual snakes all around that have bitten you? Your only hope is to look to Jesus now and live. Today is the day! Now is the time of salvation! If you say, I’ll think about it later, you may not have a later, and this is the most important decision you can ever make!
Some of you have figured it out! I know some of you have put your faith and trust in Jesus to forgive the sin that is dragging others to a devil’s fate. Wide is the road that leads to destruction. Narrow is the road of those who find salvation! Do you know how to be saved? Find out now!
