How To Enter God’s Rest?–Part IV: My Conclusion
Does God’s promised Sabbath-rest only follow completion?
If my premise has been correct during this four-part blog series—that, indeed, rest only follows completion of something significant in each of God’s four rest scenarios in Scripture—then what can we learn from this continuity?
Below are three comparatives I believe we can draw. See what you think.
Comparative #1 — Our promised land (the kingdom) and God’s Sabbath-rest, as spoken of in Hebrews 3 and 4, is similar to (antitype) that of the children of Israel (type) in that God has already prepared it for us and empowers it in support our initiatives and efforts on his behalf to occupy and advance it. But unbelief and disobedience disqualifies and prevents one from entering and enjoying.
Comparative #2 – The Israelites did not trust God’s promise of preparing the Promised Land, his completion of the Old Covenant system, and delivering them into the land. Likewise today, many Christians do not trust in God’s promise of having delivered the everlasting kingdom, his completion of the New Covenant system (his plan of redemption), nor the confirming correctness of the Holy-Spirit-led expectations of the NT writers and the early, 1st-century church of this timely fulfillment and completion circa A.D. 70.
Comparative #3 – The Israelites disobeyed by not wanting to enter into and occupy their inheritance by pushing out opposing forces. Instead, they grumbled and wanted to go back to their bondage in Egypt. Likewise today, many Christians disobey by not wanting to advance the kingdom by pushing out opposing forces. Instead, they long for a return to the bondage of the Old Covenant system—i.e., the popular belief that when Jesus’ comes back He’s going to set up his kingdom in rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and re-institute animal sacrifices, etc. Arguably, this retro belief is the greatest heresy in the church today.
Hence, history repeats itself. Not only do these unbeliefs and disobedience disqualify and prevent those holding them from entering and enjoying God’s promised Sabbath-rest, here and now, they also invite God’s anger and wrath.
I believe the urgency and warning of the message of Hebrews 3 & 4 today is, this type of hardening of hearts and rebellion is a still-constant and dangerous temptation for the people of God. Once again, we have not believed God’s promises to deliver what He promised when He promised it.
Therefore, to enter God’s promised Sabbath-rest today, we must believe in the past completion of our “once-for-all-delivered faith” (Jude 3) and combine that good news with the actions of faith—i.e., go out and take the land for his kingdom (see Matt. 11:12; Luke 16:16; John 14:12; ). Ignoring or contradicting this divinely revealed pattern and delivered reality produces the viscous circle of hardening your heart in unbelief and the rebellion of disobedience.
Unfortunately, faithfully going to church every week will not get you into this rest. Nor will sitting around anxiously waiting for Jesus to come back and take you out of here and fulfill the uncompleted portion of God’s plan of redemption.
Oh sure, these Christians are saved and heaven-bound. Some may even appear to be comfortable with their partially completed faith. But they cannot enter and enjoy God’s promised Sabbath-rest, here and now, in this life, in this world. They fall short, once again (Heb. 4:1).
So today, many Christians are overly occupied with the demands and distractions of everyday life and live lives of frustration, anxiety, and “quiet desperation”— as Henry David Thoreau wrote: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”
They prefer to hold on to their cherished but false, non-completed beliefs, harbor doubts and fears, and are tossed to and fro, distressed, disturbed, or even disquieted, worrying about their self or fretting over other earthly matters. Sadly, are they not following the example of the wilderness generation and will fall short of reaching God’s promised and available Sabbath-rest due to their unbelief and disobedience?
So where am I wrong on all or any of this?
Yes, there is much more to discuss regarding the defining and entering into God’s present-day, Sabbath-rest. But my purpose in this series’ four blogs was simply to introduce the topic, propose my premise, and present a brief comparative analysis.
However, would you now agree that we moderns need to “make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience” (Heb. 4:11)?
I welcome your comments.