How Do We "Labor To Enter Into God's Rest"?
Posted October 28, 2010
I was asked: "Do we enter God's rest once we believe that all our works, good or bad, are really His works, working out all things according to the counsel of His own will?"
Let's see if we can support it further with the Lord's word in the Scripture. I will re-affirm what the true Rest is and take some time on it;
Heb 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
Heb 4:2A For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them...
["THEM" is Israel according to THE FLESH (1Co 10:18, Heb 3:16-19). "Them" is not some man or people out there, but the 'old man' within each of us, when we were walking after the flesh and knew Christ AFTER the Flesh (2Co 5:17 ).
Heb 4:2B ...but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Heb 4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
Heb 4:5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Heb 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Heb 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Heb 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
So not entering into" that rest", "His rest" is basically "because of unbelief:", and while in the state of unbelief, we literally serve the beast within and we all do according to our own ways and served our own idols of the heart and we do our OWN works, which indeed have an appearance of Godly worship and blinds us into thinking we are doing God's service but in God's sight they are nothing but "dead works".
The first of these elementary principles of the doctrine of Christ we MUST leave behind and move on to perfection is this "Dead works", as written in Heb 6v1. This is basically the LORD removing these SHADOWS of the good things and replacing with the Perfection, replacing it with the REALITY and the BODY casting these shadows,-the SPIRIT of CHRIST himself. [Col 2:16-17]
This Is, Was and Will be process of coming OUT of the shadows ('of death'), ceasing from our own "dead works" and becoming his workmanship is the ENTERING into HIS Rest. (from death into Life, Christ - Joh 14:6)
Entering into His REST IS BY DOING THE WILL OF GOD, OBEDIENCE AND KEEPING HIS WORD.
This ceasing from our own works, from Sin, is THROUGH suffering and death of the flesh by letting go and leaving all our idolatrous works of the Law of sin and death - Law of Moses - behind!
DO NOT MAKE the fatal error of thinking because it says "own works" that it is a work of 'Free will'! Our own works of the flesh, which in Hebrews is called "Dead works", is because we were KEPT UNDER a carnal commandment, under tutors and guardians and ministers of BABYLON until the appointed time of the Father, NOT Free will! While under these carnal commandments of men, when we obey, e.g tithing, physical sabbath/days/months/year keeping, RELIGIOUS works, literal water baptisms, sacrifices of bulls and goats; in doing so, we are transgressing the Law of the Spirit, are unknowingly saying the sacrifices of Christ is insufficient to atone for our sins, and disbelief of Him, we are KEPT under Wrath!
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them...[Not Free will...] until the time of reformation.
BEFORE this time of reformation, we are still doing our own works of the Law, imputing wrath and treasuring wrath in our Hearts against the day of wrath, through obedience to these "carnal commandments" and "carnal ordinances"..we are FAR from entering in His Rest!
Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
When God "sware in his wrath", what that means is basically he is keeping us yet under the Law of sin and death/Moses, "concluding us all to disbelief"-(Rom 11:32), "confines us all under sin (Gal 3:22) ...under tutors and guardians of the Law...till the appointed time.(Gal 4:2)...before he begins to reform us and drag us FROM, remember, FROM our "own works" of Law/ "shadow of death"/ "From realm of wrath THROUGH wrath into HIS Rest, His Kingdom.
Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.[..is the same meaning as this; ]
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, [same as in Wrath - Joh 3:36] that he might have mercy upon all [...All will in due time, in his own order, enter His rest]
So, we come from being in complete "sin and trespasses"; IN HIS WRATH, doing the Will of the Gentiles who knows not God (1Th 4:5)...
1Pe 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: ...["ALL DEAD WORKS" we must cease from...]
Eph 2:1 And you [whosoever hears] hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.!!
...to being cleansed in our polluted blackened heavens, and through that cleansing ceasing from dead works and to serve the Living God; to become His workmanship...that is entering into His Rest...because we now are "believers" and acknowledging that HE is the One and ONLY working all things according to the counsel of His own will...: that Rest is to the intent that we become...
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
This statement is repeated in the same book of Hebrews..
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works [ceasing from "own works"....for what end purpose?...] to serve the living God? [His Rest!]
2nd witness;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, [..for what end purpose?.] zealous of good works. [His Rest!]
Do you now see how the Lord is working ALL, from us being in His Wrath to us entering into His Rest? So marvelous a mystery!
The Hebrew word for 'rest' is "Shabat". [Strong's #7673: To rest (x11), to cease (47x) to stop, to end.] The noun form we call in English, "Sabbaths". There is a 'rest' while we are in the flesh, what the Scripture calls YOUR Sabbath of the flesh, but the True Rest is in Christ, in the Spirit. While we were keeping our carnal so-called sabbath of Sundays and going to Babylonish churches and being one mind with them, at that point we were reveling in our (self) righteousness of the Law - (Php 3:6) and at that zenith of our walk, it was still a Shabat away FROM the SPIRIT of God, separated and liberated away from God, that is, we were NOT in obedience and laboring in His work. We were believing a lie under a strong delusion and so spiritually desolate only the Lord could reveal it to us.
Our own Sabbath is doing things "our own ways"..which we MUST Cease from! Listen to this admonition...
Lev 26:27 And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;...
Lev 26:33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
[What great news because once the land of the flesh within us is desolated, made waste and destroyed via the Sword drawn after you...]
Lev 26:34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
[Christ in you, your new sabbath, your rest to enjoy, but do not forget that...]
Lev 26:35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
How true! The Hebrew word for 'rest' and 'sabbaths' in these verses is from the same Hebrew root word, thus there is "your sabbath" we are to turn away from and there is another sabbath we are to keep and enjoy. As long as we continue to dwell on our carnal 'land' and do our sabbaths according to the commandment and traditions of men, we will NOT find our true Rest in Christ. The meaning of "As long as it lieth desolate".."your sabbaths" is revealed unto us, we need not guess or speculate...
Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words : [Your sabbaths!]
Now this verse will become clearer in your understanding...
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour [Isa 58:13 not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words] therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
In Conclusion.
In HIS REST, once we have ceased from our own carnal works, we are to become His Workmanship, and do bare in mind, it is ALL His works from the beginning...to end...in you.
2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation [His Rest] through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Col 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Col 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Col 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Tit 2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine [shewing] uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
Tit 2:8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
I have taken a bit of time to explain how we are to think what God's rest is all about. Notice that being in God's rest, just like so many seeming contradictions, is not a "Rest" as the flesh thinks or a time to be lazy and slothful in business, but rather it's when we cease from the works of the flesh and the Lord begins a new work of laboring in the Spirit with and in us, His body. No lazy servant or members are granted entrance in His Rest! Therefore...
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
I recommend that you read the Articles Free from the Law and Christ is our Sabbath.
May the Lord continue to keep you in His Rest. Amen
Ayo Fabiyi