Enter God's Rest

Be Fearful If You Do Not Have A Relationship With Jesus!

The only way to enter the rest of the Lord is through Jesus Christ.

Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

The good news of the gospel has been preached. God loved us enough to send His Son to be a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus came and lived a perfect life. He went to the cross of Calvary and bore the shame, guilt, and punishment for our sins. He died and was buried. On the third day he rose from the dead and conquered sin and death. This is why the believer can proclaim:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Hearing and understanding the gospel is not good enough for salvation. Hearing and understanding must be accompanied by belief in the gospel. This means that it is not meant for others but you need salvation. You receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. Share story about man crossing the tight rope. Are you willing to get in the wheel barrow?

The Israelites Refused the Rest Of God

God had promised to deliver the nation of Israel into the promise land, but the Israelites didn’t have enough faith to enter that rest.

Unbelieving Spies

27 Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the [m]descendants of Anak there. 29 Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

These spies focused on the situation rather than the promise. They were depending on their own strength to conquer the land rather than God’s strength.

Believing Spies

30 Then Caleb quieted the people [n]before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”

Caleb trusted the Lord and His promise. Even though it did not appear to be something that the Israelites could do, He knew God would deliver on His promise.

Believing in God brings rest

What are the giants in your promise? What are the obstacles in your life that are preventing you from walking in God’s purpose for your life?

God has a purpose for your life that is great! Be sure that your purpose is meant to ultimately bring glory to Him! Often we have this concept that as long as we are doing what the Lord wants, things will be easy for us. On the contrary! If things were easy for us would they require faith? Just as the Israelites would have to conquer the giants to inhabit the land, we too will have to conquer giants in our lives to in habit the rest of God. The difference is who is your strength. Are you or is God?

When it comes to sin, you cannot defeat it or overpower it on your own. There are some sins in our lives that seem like they have a stronghold in our lives and we just can’t whip them. You can’t! Have you asked the Lord to remove the desire to sin in your life?

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

I believe Paul had a sin that he struggled with. He wanted the desire for that sin to be removed. Jesus told him that He would not remove it, but that He would be his strength in it. There are some weaknesses in our lives that God will not remove because they are meant to keep us humble and dependent on Him. He will always be our strength in times of temptation.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

There will always be giants in our lives. Will you allow Jesus to be your strength.

No One Can Escape the Word Of God

It is living and active

The Word of God is not something to just be read and understood. Reading God’s Word requires action on the reader. James puts it this way:

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

A person that reads the word and does nothing with it will continue to live their lives the way they always have and never receive the blessing God desires them to have. Use YOU TUBE example. If you want to know how to do something YOU TUBE will show you how. If you watch the video and don’t do it, you have wasted your time.

It pierces the soul and the spirit

Reading God’s Word changes your being! The soul and spirit are your will, emotions, and mind. When a person diligently reads and lives God’s word, it changes the personhood. You begin to be conformed to the image of Christ. Tell story about how I use to think and how God changed my thinking. Tell about how I would get angry when I didn’t get what I wanted. Tell about how I didn’t care about others but only myself. God’s Word has changed me and is changing me!

No

No creature is hidden.

Everything is laid bare before the Lord. He knows your thoughts, words and actions. He knows your motives, fears, pride and everything about you! We need transformation!

Jesus Is Our Transformer

Jesus is our high priest who has been tempted in every way except without sin. I would venture to say that He has been tempted beyond what we have ever been tempted. How many of us have had the fullness of Satan’s temptations thrown at us? Probably none of us, because we always give in before the fullness of his temptation is brought to us. Satan through everything that he could at Jesus. Satan knew that if he could get Jesus to sin, He would be greater than God. We are not that important to Satan. He uses his other forces to tempt us.

So when we are tempted, we can call on Jesus to come to our rescue! We will find grace to help in our time of need.

7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.