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LIVING AT REST In fact, the very first step in maturity is “repentance from dead works.” Heb. 6:1 Later on he says we are to have “our conscience purified from dead works to worship the living God!” What are dead works? They are religious works and sacrifices that God never asked us to do. Dead works burn us out, like they did to Nadab and Abihu who offered “strange fire” to the Lord and it burned them up. Dead works killed them! (Lev 10:1) We all can identify with getting stressed out with religious stuff put on us by leaders who appeal to our guilt for not serving or giving enough. Stress and worry put tremendous pressure on our minds and bodies. Fortunately, God never expected us to live with constant stress, worry, guilt and anxiety. In fact, God was angry because his people did not enter his rest. “As in my anger I swore, ‘They will not enter my rest.’ ” Heb. 3:11 Those who did not enter His rest did not get to where they were going. They disqualified themselves from the Promised Land. Why? It is about unbelief. Heb. 3:19 “So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” Heb. 4:24:2 “For indeed the good news came to us just as to them; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest,” So what did they fail to believe? That God was able to bring them to the place of rest. Unbelief is most often expressed by with grumbling and complaining about the cards they had been dealt. The antidote to complaining is gratitude, which took me into the place of rest. Phil 2:14-16 “Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.” It is about disobedience which is the same as unbelief. Heb. 4:6 “Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,” It is interesting that the Hebrew for complaining is not only to grumble, but to “lodge and stop over for the night.” It means to “stop.” It is to sit down and say, “I’m not going to do it.” It is about living in the NOW. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” again he sets a certain day—“ today”— saying through David much later, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Heb. 4:7 Pascal wrote about staying in the present. “We do not rest satisfied with the present. We anticipate the future as too slow in coming, as if in order to hasten its course; or we recall the past, to stop its too rapid flight. So imprudent are we that we wander in the times which are not ours, and do not think of the only one which belongs to us; and so idle are we that we dream of those times which are no more, and thoughtlessly overlook that which alone exists… The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means; the future alone is our end. So we never live, but we hope to live; and, as we are always preparing to be happy, it is inevitable we should never be so.” It is about “It is Finished.” “…though his works were finished at the foundation of the world.” Heb. 4:3 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness…” 2 Cor. 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." Rom. 8:32-33 “He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?” It is about ceasing from our own works and entering his finished work. Heb. 4:10 for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.” Phil 3:8-10 “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.” Phil 2:13 “for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” It is about the Word dividing soul and spirit to discern the intents of our hearts. Heb. 4:12 “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” It is important to realize that soul and spirit are completely different. The transformation of the soul (will, emotions, intellect) comes when we let our spirit speak truth to our soul. We are all carrying around a spirit of truth, but it is buried under a mountain of lies from the world, flesh and devil. These lies have been imbedded in our souls, and need to be erased by truth from the spirit. Babylon (the world) treats the souls of men as merchandise. “And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no man buys their merchandise anymore; merchandise… of the souls of men.” (Rev. 18.11-13) The world is out to capture the souls of men and silence the truth the spirit is speaking. The most critical issue facing humanity is answering the question, “Who am I?” All over the world imposter selves are battling each other in marriages, families, churches, religions, and countries. When we find our True selves, we will come together in spirit and find our place in God’s kingdom. That unity is already there, it just needs to be uncovered and seen by the eyes of our understanding. It is about grace and mercy. Heb. 4:16 “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Eph 2:8-10 “Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” One of my favorite thoughts comes from Ecc. 3:14 I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by. It brings me peace that I cannot blow it badly enough to ruin God’s work. Nor can I add anything to His work. I can only join Him in what He is doing. And that is peace. "I do not see why it is that I cannot make more progress." "I have been faithful—I have helped many—I have heard hundreds of lectures—I have read hundreds of books—I have given of my substance—and still am in this terrible condition." The answer to all this is simple, "Be still, be still, be still, and know that I AM God.” (Walter Lanyon) |