Resting in Redemption...

[johnz]

God is showing us allot in these verses. He is comparing 3 things. 1: Creation 2: The Promised Land 3: Salvation. If we can understand the first 2, then we can better understand salvation.

Hebrews 3

16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

------THere were a whole lot of sins that they Children of Israel commited. But what Kept them from the Promised Land? Unbelief. Nothing else.

Hebrews 4

1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.

------Come Short of What? Come short of entering into His rest. How can we come short? Let's keep reading...

2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

------Just as it said in Hebrews 3:19. The same way that the promised land did not profit them because they did not have faith is the same way that the Gospel will not profit us if we do not have faith.

3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest,' " although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; 5 and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest."

------Praise God! This is where it starts to get fun. When did God create Adam? On the sixth day. God created everything that Man would ever need before he ever created man. After God had created everything that man would need he created Adam and put him smack dab in the middle of it all and said him "All of this is yours. You have dominion and authority over everything there is." So now when Adam needed an apple did he have to say, "I want an apple. Do you think you could make an apple tree God because I'm really hungry and I like to eat an apple"? No. Praise God! God had already supplied and provided for every need that Adam would ever have. Did he have to ask for it or work for it? No. All he had to do was know what was allready his and partake of it. So God created Adam on the sixth day after all the work of creation was done and all Adam had to do was rest with God on the seventh day. Adam was the last creation on the last day of creation. All he had to do was rest.

6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest,

------Here is where we'll get into the Children of Israel and the Promised Land. Remember back at the end of Hebrews 3 that this is what he is talking about. Praise God. This is going to get even better, here goes... What Kind of Land did God bring them into? A land that might be flowing with milk and honey? A land that would some day be flowing with milk and honey? No. It was a land that was allready flowing with milk and honey, before they ever got there. Look in Dueteronomy 6:10-11 "So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant--when you have eaten and are full--"

Praise GOd! Everything was allready done. It was complete and prepaired before they ever got there. Did they have to build houses? Did they have to dig wells? Did they have to plant food? No. Praise God, it tells us that the spies brought back a cluster of grapes that was soo big that it had to be carried between two grown men. Thats grapes bigger than your fist! It was an abundantly blessed land. But my point is that it was allready blessed and prepared before they ever got there. They did not have to wait for God to bless the land, it was pre-blessed.

You say "Well they had to fight many battles and kill giants." You're missing the point. What kept them in the wilderness for 40 yrs? They SAW the giant and had no faith in God but put faith in their own strength which they knew was not enough. So becasue their faith was in themselve and their strength they did not want to go in to the promised because they thought they would be killed. If they only had faith in God and believed that it was GOD who was going to conqure the people. That it was GODS strength that would cause them to prevail. Thats what their children did 40 yrs later. If only we had faith in God and believed that it is GODS righteousness that has secured salvation for us. But we would rather be like the Children of Israel and put our faith in ourselves and never enter into the Promised land, never enter into salvation.

Do you know that Jesus is doing the same thing right now.He said in John 14:2-3 "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Prasie God! Heaven will be ready for us when we get there. He will allready have your mansion. You wont have to wait 2 wks while they finish up the landscaping. It will allready be done.

8 ...then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.

------We are in this day of rest. We are in the day that they were talking about. This is where the 3rd point comes in. It's all been leading up to this. Leading up to the Gospel, to salvation.

10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

------Let's bring this all together. The same way that God created everything that Adam would ever need before came on the scene. The same way that the Promised was allready blessed and ready before Israel got there. Is the same way that salvation ahs been provided before we could do anything about it. All Adam had to do was rest and enjoy creation. All the Children of Israel had to do was go in and inhabit the land. And now salvation has been provided, and in order to enter into God's rest we must "cease from our works".

I want to ask you this; Are you resting in redemption? If you are working then you'll never obtain it. If you're working, then you faith is in you and your strength, not in God. Really examine what you believe, where your faith is. Is all of your faith in God, or is some of it in you?

This is Gods love for us, that while we were sinners Jesus died for us. God did his part. He created everything else before Adam could earn it. The promised land was ready while Israel was still in rebellion. Salvation was provided while we were still in sin.

Dont be like Israel, who missed out on what God had provided for them. They missed out because they thought they would do it themselves, in their strength. If you try to do it in your strength you will always fall short. Don't miss out on the promised land that God has provided for us. In order to enter into what God has, you have to cease from your works. Prasie God, there is rest in redemption. God's rest.

John

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[RND]

Are you resting in redemption?

Indeed I am Brother!

However, I am worshipping on the Sabbath!

Good post Brother.