The Good News - Home

Entering His Rest  dooropen.wmf (1200 bytes)

by David A. DePra

Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost says, "Today if you will hear
His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the
day of temptation in the wilderness, when your father's tempted
Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. Wherefore I was
grieved with that generation and said, "They do always err in
their heart and have not known my ways." So I swore in my
wrath, "They shall not enter into My rest." (Heb. 3:7-11)
 
     Here, in these verses, begins the comparison of the promised
land to the believers true rest in Jesus Christ. It is a tremendous
picture of God's grace, and it's effects upon us. It is therefore
helpful to briefly review the story of Israel if we are to grasp that
Truth as it pertains to us.
     When God delivered Israel from Egypt, He brought them to the
land He promised Abraham and said, "Send thou men, that they
may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of
Israel.." (Num. 13:1) Notice the words, "Which I give." God's
giving of the land to them was no longer in the future. It was a
thing done. The land now belonged to them. They simply needed
to believe God.
     Initially, Israel did believe. Or, at least they acted like it. We see
no indication in the Word of God, at least initially, that Israel
doubted that the Lord had given them the land. Afterall, they had
finally arrived, hadn't they? Their slavery was over. They were
ready to move in and take possession of their inheritance.
God's first command to them was to spy out the land. Twelve
spies were appointed from the twelve tribes. They went in and
scouted out the promised land, returning after forty days. They
back brought some of the fruit of the land, along with a report of
what they had observed. (see Numbers 13) Their report about the
benefits of the land was good. They said, "Surely it floweth with
milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it." But their report about the
inhabitants was not good. They said, "Nevertheless the people be
strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very
great, and moreover we saw the children of Anak (the giants)
there." (Num. 13:27-28)
      We can hardly grasp how this report must have shaken the
children of Israel! They had not expected this! A land filled with
walled cities and giants? What kind of inheritance was that?
     As babes in Christ, we often expect that the free gift of God in
Jesus Christ means we are going to have a big party. The benefits
of being a Christian are what we are interested in: Prosperity,
health, blessing, protection, and miracles. We don't want to hear
about walled cities and giants abiding in the "inheritance" God
gives us. Surely, God would not give us an inheritance like that!
Once we find out that it is precisely what God gives us, we may
cry, "There must be some mistake!" We may even begin
wondering if what we have received is the real thing!
     Can you identify with this? Have you ever become
discouraged at your spiritual condition, fearing that your failings
and imperfections mean you haven't received the real gift of God?
Are you overwhelmed by the presence of giants and walled cities
in your life? Have you asked yourself, "How can I expect God to
fellowship with a mess like me?"
     These things offer a source of doubt to many Christians. It is
not that we doubt God, or His Word. But we do sometimes doubt
ourselves -- our understanding and our ability. When we see
walled cities and giants we are apt to say, "There must be some
weakling like me. Surely if I were in God's will, I would not have
such spiritual problems to contend with. I have no chance of ever
overcoming these things."
     Do you see what such words suggest? They suggest that
somehow these giants and walled cities got onto God's property
while He wasn't looking. Now it is up to me to drive them out. But
more than what such words suggest, notice what they reveal:
They reveal that I am still looking at myself -- rather than at
Christ. I am taking MY spiritual temperature and using it to judge
whether I am worthy of God's rest, i.e., His grace in Christ. That is
legalism.
     According to the Bible, the normal spiritual condition for the
Christian -- upon entering God's rest by faith -- is to
immediately face walled cities and giants. Get that. To do so is
normal. It is expected. God knew those giants were in the land
He gave to Israel. He planned things that way.
     Have you ever wondered why God gave Israel a land in such a
condition? Why didn't He drive out all of those tribes ahead of
time so that He could give Israel a perfect land, free of all of those
terrible obsticles? And while we're asking, let's apply the question
to our spiritual inheritance in Christ. Why, after we have died in
Christ, and been raised in Him, do we have to overcome sin, stand
in faith, engage in spiritual warfare, and have such a hard time?
Why doesn't the new birth translate us out of all of those things?
     The answer points to God's eternal purpose in His people.
God could have driven out all of the inhabitants of the land FOR
Israel. He could have done all of that FOR them. But God had
a greater purpose than that. He wanted to do a work IN Israel. And
that could only be accomplished if they, themselves,
overcame the obsticles in the land, through faith in God.
     Get that. God does many things FOR us. But He really wants to
do a work IN us. He wants to take what Jesus Christ has done for
us and make it a living reality in us. Why? Because He is
preparing us for the eternal ages, when we will live with Him
forever.
     The instruments of God's work will be those giants and walled
cities. As we "drive them out" by standing in the faith of Jesus
Christ, all which God has done for us will be made articulate in us.
This is spiritual growth.
     Isn't it amazing how we don't even meet the giants until we get
into the promised land? Clearly, the promised land isn't heaven.
There are no giants living up there. The "promised land" is the
spiritual inheritance in Jesus Christ which God has given you and
I. We must enter in and take possession. As we do, God's primary
purpose will be accomplished: We will be conformed to the image
and likeness of His Son.
     Now on with the story. Israel did send in the spies. And they
brought back a report which basically accused God of being
unfaithful to them. The people chose to believe that report instead
of trusting God.
     We know what happened. They had to wander in the
wilderness for forty years. Quite a judgment God pronounced
upon them. All of that generation, with a few exceptions, died.
     Now, note again why Israel did not enter the land: They would
not believe. This is clearly verified by Hebrews 3:19. "They
could not enter in because of UNBELIEF."
     Let's understand what this DOESN'T mean. It doesn't
mean that God locked them out of the land because they
weren't spiritual enough, or righteous enough. God never
" I have given you this land. Believe, receive and enter it." It
was Israel's OWN refusal to believe God that kept them out of
the land. THEY refused to go in. (see Numbers 14:1-4) The
refusal to enter was THEIR choice alone.
     The reason they refused was, of course, because they
calculated that THEIR qualifications did not measure up to
the obsticales they saw in the land. This is often what WE do.
Rather than believe God despite our limitations, we focus ON
them. We let what we see and feel overwhelm us. We simply
won't look away from ourselves to God's grace in Jesus Christ.
     God's judgment upon Israel was to give them exactly what
they wanted: A place outside of the land. He told them they
would have to wander in the widerness for forty years. Yet
once this judgment was pronounced, Israel said, "We will go
up to the place which the Lord has promised. For we have
sinned." (Num. 14:40) Was this repentance? No. God knew
why Israel was now so compliant with Him: They wanted to
avoid the punishment for their actions. All of a sudden a land
filled with giants didn't look so bad. It was preferable to
forty years of wandering in the wilderness.
     This reveals a important Truth. It shows that obeying God
simply to avoid negative consequences is not faith, and is
totally unacceptable to God. It is nothing more than unbelief
in action. Incredibly, it is actually possible to "obey God" --
not because I believe Him -- but because I don't. Real
obedience is the result of faith in God. Not fear of judgment.
See I Cor. 7:10. "For Godly sorrow leads to repentance to
salvation, not to be repented of. But the sorrow of the world
works death." Israel had "worldly sorrow." Worldly sorrow is
because of the consequences of my sin. Godly sorrow is
sorrow because of the sin itself. It is towards God Himself.
     The message here, and that of Hebrews, is that we cannot
enter into the rest of God through unbelief. It does not matter
how much we want to get in. We can't enter on our own terms.
We can enter only by faith in Jesus Christ.
     Note this passage from Luke: "Then said one unto him,
'Lord, are there few that be saved?' And He said unto them,
'Strive to enter in at the strait gate. For many, I say unto you,
will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." (Luke 13:23-24)
     Jesus is talking about people who "seek to enter in," They
WANT in. Yet He says they "shall not be able." How can it
be possible to SEEK to enter into the things of God, yet not be
ABLE to enter --- especially since entering does not depend
upon OUR works? The answer is the same as it was with
Israel. I cannot enter God's rest on my own terms -- no matter
how much I seek to enter. . And I certainly cannot hope to
enter based on my spiritual credentials. I can enter God's
rest only if I cease from MY labors (i.e. cease trusting in my
own works and spirituality), and begin resting in the finished
work of Jesus Christ. Then I will "be able."
     This message of Hebrews 3 and 4 is fundamental
Christianity. It is really the gospel -- the same one proclaimed
by Jesus, and expounded by Paul. There is only one way into
God: Through the Way, Truth, and Life. And we enter into
God's free gift by faith.

The Good News - Home

Hit Counter