"The Work Is Already Done...Rest"

Hebrews 4:8-13

8) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

9) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

11) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

12) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

13) Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

T

oo often, we can find ourselves in a struggle to determine just exactly what to do in any given situation. In general, this is because our minds are always seeking solutions to allow us to "s.o.s.": "save our skins". The thinking behind this is that if I am "saved" (pleasing to the Lord), my life should go absolutely smoothly, with no cares, no worries, no concerns. The reality of salvation is not that these things will never assail us, but that they will never overwhelm us, for all who belong to the Lord are cared for by Him. This means also, that all that concerns them is handled by the Lord.

Most of us are very familiar with the scripture that tells us that though we face temptation, along with the temptation, God is gracious to us and sends us a way to bear that temptation—with that Way being Jesus Christ.

Though we have the assurance spoken of above, all too often when we are tested, we begin to feel unequal to the task. Our vision becomes shortsighted because we tend to focus on what is happening rather than the point that the Lord has in allowing it. You see, whatever the incident, there is an example in the scriptures. Take, for example, the conditions under which the Israelites were forced to labor while in Egypt. No doubt most of them focused on the discomfort and treatment they suffered. God's "point" was that He would take what was meant to destroy them and allow them to grow. For the more strenuous the tasks assigned to the Israelites, the more they "grew": the greater (in number) they became. Our lesson? The more we are tested, the more "progress" we make. You see, it is through these things that we are changed and it is through change that we get to heaven.

Essential to our success is that we accept that the Lord has the difficulties of life worked out already. Though we know what God being God means (that is, the implications of His power and authority), we will still ceaselessly try to aid Him.

In that the Lord has assured us that all that needs to be done for us has already been done, how does one explain that the scripture speaks of a remaining "rest"? In the case of the children of Israel, they evidently did not receive rest in the land of the enemy. There was something else to be had. Many times, the children of Israel were instructed to thoroughly eliminate the enemy from lands that they conquered. Frequently, they did not comply. This led to many problems that "disturbed" their "rest". We, too, are guilty of the same mistake. We will get saved, but fail to "rid" ourselves of the "enemies of our salvation"—and all who have tried to simply "cover them up" have failed.

There is no question that when we enter into salvation, we enter into the rest of the Lord. You see, salvation, our "Sabbath," is rest. This is the state where no further "work" is necessary. Whereas the Jewish Sabbath was under the Law, Jesus came that we might celebrate "Sabbath" all of the time.

Why does it seem that redeemed Man finds this hardest to understand? Once the Lord had completed something, it was done. When God created light, it existed thereafter. When He hung the planets, it was not necessary for Him to do it again. Once He had created grain, He did it once, for all. Likewise, salvation. Once the bloodshed was over, Jesus had been liberated from the grave and Man had been blessed with the Holy Ghost, salvation became available to all.

When Man was in need of a solution, God provided that which is perfect; flawless. If he had been able to deliver himself, we would "owe" no one. But, in that Man's only Solution came in the form of Jesus Christ, a Man Who had to shed blood and feel the sting of humiliation and rejection, how dare we even begin to think that we might possibly have any answers?

In order for us to be recipients of the benefits of the work of Christ, we must receive those benefits. As long as we remain confident in ourselves, only, we will never be at rest. He who "rests" in the Lord also "relaxes" in Him. The most strenuous thing that we are required to do is to "bring ourselves under subjection" to the power of the Spirit. Granted, this might seem impossible, but the man who finds himself successful at this will be the man who enjoys total relaxation in the presence of God.

Be encouraged by the fact that despite our gross inadequacies, it is possible to live the abundant life in Christ. If such were dependent upon our pitiful flesh, we would be hopeless. However, because God is God, He provides us an avenue to redeem ourselves—through dependence on the Spirit. How much easier could living a life get than to have all one's difficulties handled by Someone else?

All of our lives, we are required to work. We get so that we can hardly wait for the weekend—and take as much time off as we can. What a God send that "the work is done...(and we can finally) rest."