The book of Hebrews speaks of God's rest for His people.It makes a comparison between the children of Israel entering the promised land of Canaan and God's children in Christ entering into the promised land of the finished work of the cross.
For if Joshua had given hem rest, then God would not afterward have spoken of another day.There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His(Hebrews 4:8-10).
Promised land living for the believer in Christ is successfully living above the power of sin.Sin is the source of all poverty, disease, broken relationships, and despair.It is the one thing that can prevent God's people from prospering in the way that He desires for them.
The good news is that through the cross of Jesus Christ, God's people can live above the power of sin.To do so, we must learn to rest in the finished work of the cross rather than work from our own resources in overcoming the sin that besets us.
In the cross of Jesus Christ, God condemned sin, but gave grace to the sinner.That grace empowers God's children to identify with Christ's death, and indeed become dead to sin.Once we are dead to sin, it no longer has any power over us.
The law is useful for educating the conscience about what sin is, but it is powerless to help the believer in Christ overcome that sin.Therefore, the Hebrew author encourages God's people to cease from their work and trust in the cross of Christ for the victory they need.
The amazing thing about experiencing God's rest in the cross of Jesus Christ is that it will produce a work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope (1 Thess 1:3) that is greater than any work, labor, or patience that we could produce on our own through law and our own attempts of serving the Lord.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest...for promised land living in Christ (Hebrews 4:9).
God's desire is for His children to experience His rest. His rest comes from obedience to His Word, His Spirit, and His leading in His people.
In the days of Moses, they sent spies into the land promised to them by God, but the majority of the spies came back with a bad report, saying,
There we saw the giants ; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight. (Num 13:33)
They spread their grasshopper mentality and fear to the rest of the congregation, and the result was disobedience to God's word through Moses.
Scripture's commentary on this event was that those people never entered God's rest that comes from obeying His Word. The good news is that we as believers can enter that rest today.
Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. (Heb 4:1)
The key error they made in Numbers was fearing the giants in the land more than they feared the Lord. A healthy, reverential fear of God will make you unafraid of the giants that are out there because you believe in God's omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (everywhere all the time). When you combine these attributes of God with His personal leading, it gives faith to obey, face the giants if necessary, and enter into His rest of obedience.
There is no rest in a grasshopper mentality, but there is the divine rest of God in hearing and obeying His voice to fulfill all His calling in our lives.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience (of the children of Israel in Moses' day). (Heb 4:11)
Pastor Davis is Senior Pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church
The fear of God is not a very popular subject in American Christian circles anymore, but it should be.Properly taught and applied, a healthy, reverential fear of God will not produce anxiety, but security in the life of the believer.
In Philippians 2:12-13, the apostle Paul wrote:
...work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Paul is encouraging the Philippians to work out their own salvation with a healthy, reverential fear of God because their faith is greater than a work of man.It is a work of God in them.It is not according to man's good pleasure, but God's good pleasure.
This truth is also found in Ephesians 1:5:
...having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
A healthy, reverential fear of God is based in what I call the "omnis" of God.God is Omniscient (all-knowing), Omnipotent (all-powerful), and Omnipresent (all-present and everywhere all the time).This same "omni" God has initiated a work of grace and faith in the believer's life according to the good pleasure of His will.Knowing that the grace and faith we are experiencing in Christ are a work of God for His good pleasure brings security in Him when we are yielding to His work. It only produces anxiety when we are resisting His good work in us.
We Americans have at times chosen to replace the security that comes from the work of His good pleasure in us with other systems of security.We can find security in things such asSocial Security (security in retirement), family (security in relationships), healthcare (security in insurance), or even denominational structures of our churches.None of these things are bad in and of themselves, but they can never replace the security that comes from experiencing the work of His good pleasure in us.
God's children who come to understand His "omnis" and the work of HIS good pleasure will have a healthy fear of God and become very secure in Him.
Pastor Benjamin Davis is the Senior Pastor for Abundant Life Covenant Church
As a senior in high school, I am at a seemingly bittersweet point in my life. Despite the excitement of the future and the fun rituals of senior year, reality also sets in as I determine what this future I have been dreaming about for so long is going to look like. Even at the beginning of the school year, I am making decisions that will affect my future, whether it be which colleges (if any) to apply to, what career I should pursue, and more immediately how I can have a successful senior year. BUT GOD has already been faithful in preparing me for these decisions so that there is no fear as I plan for the future and can experience his peace and his best for me right now.
Already, I have seen many of my classmates fret over their future. They believe that they stand outside a vast and dark abyss in which their future lays, and they have no idea how to walk assuredly. Thankfully, all believers in Christ have assurance for a safe and prosperous future. Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version) reads, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you; to give you a hope and a future.’” The question then is how do we access this promise?
First, it is above all necessary to get into a habit of spending time with the Lord daily and meditating upon His Word. Joshua 1:8 (New King James Version) states, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” With every promise that God gives, there is always a reward. God calls us to spend time seeking Him daily, so that we gain a deeper revelation of who He is, who we are, and how we can partner together to live out life successfully. For me, a great change in my thinking had to come in order to realize this truth. I had always known God had a calling on my life and that He would show it to me, and this summer He began to reveal that calling. What I did not know, however, was what to do after He had revealed it. For so long I had waited for His confirmation that I was unsure what to do after I received it! Thankfully, the Lord put people in my life to keep me focused on the path I am on today. During a discipleship meeting with my youth pastor this summer, we discussed how God began to speak to me concerning a future career as an attorney, and I was excited! Pastor Clark admonished me, telling me that in order to live out this future calling, I have to be sensitive and listen to how the Lord moves each day. “Life’s hard, yard by yard; but inch by inch, life’s a cinch!” He spoke this wisdom to me and it has stayed with me ever since. Daily, I have to lay down all the things the Lord has called me to and I have to submit them to His leading, regardless of my opinion. As I get into this God-given mindset, I have learned that if I seek His guidance and then do it, my way is made prosperous, far more than if I had tried to do things my way.
Spending time with the Lord is critical for all success (spiritual, emotional, relational, financial, intellectual, etc.) but then in order to achieve the benefits of the things He speaks in the dark (in your quiet time with the Lord, Matthew 10:27) we must go out into the world each day and do the things He leads us to. Ecclesiastes 11:6, “In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.” God calls us to sow the seed He has given us so that we may reap the benefits of His blessings. I have found this Scripture to be true in all areas of life. I need to sow good seed in my studies at school, in my relationships with friends and family, and in my attitude and thought life. As I go about diligently sowing my seed for the Lord, I receive the blessings I expect from His promises. In the time that I have entered into this sowing and reaping lifestyle, I not only am more successful with the things I do, but I also enjoying doing them. I have learned to take pleasure in reading assigned texts for school (even Russian literature!), for mowing the lawn and spending time with those that I have difficulty sometimes being around. Most outsiders who view my workload might think that I do not have time for fun with all that I do. They are sorely mistaken! God blesses every hour of my time and as I seek His ways, I enjoy every minute of it! That is not to say I have perfected this lifestyle, but as I release faith and believe all that is in my life is good and works for a greater good (Romans 8:28-29), I have nothing to fear and can enjoy the life God has given me today. It is by far the greatest philosophy of life and feeling anyone could experience!
As I have discovered this way of living fear-free and joy-FULL, it is my prayer that you too find this path of peace and prosperity He calls all of His children to. All you have to do is turn aside to seek Him (because He is speaking to you today; you just have to open up and listen!). Then, begin to spend time with Him daily and then diligently sow your seed in all that you do every day. Once you begin to realize these things, the fear of an uncertain future fades quickly away and God’s best is there to stay.
Garrett Pratt is a Senior at Central High School, Springfield, Missouri
