August 2013 ~Christian Monthly~
A Rest to the People of God
Written by Rafael Kurtti
Published in the Aug. 1960 CM;
Submitted by Dave Impola; Seattle, Washington
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is
entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from
his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after
the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4:9-11)
BECAUSE OF THE DISOBEDIENCE OF the
children of Israel,
many of them did not reach the promised land. Unbelief caused them to become disobedient.
Unbelief even today causes many who start in the spirit to end in the flesh.
Our text begins:
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people
of God. In each of us there is an inward desire to have peace and
fellowship with God. This is because, at creation, God breathed into man's
nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. This innocence did
not last long. The devil, who is the father of lies, deceived our first parents
and they doubted God's words, believing a lie rather than the truth. As a
result of this disobedience, they lost their innocence and now were held
accountable to God for all their acts. Still, through repentance and faith, the
first state can be restored through the Seed of the woman who bruised the
serpent's head. The Holy Spirit seals the promise of eternal rest in the heart
of every penitent believer. The rest to the soul is sweet, especially to those
who have gone far in the way of sin. This is only a foretaste of that eternal
rest awaiting the people of God.
Our text
continues: For he that is entered into
his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Many who are dead in trespasses and sins make
an attempt to better their lives. We are all self-righteous by nature; we do not
want to receive salvation as a gift. We would like to give unto God at least a
few fervent prayers, a promise that our life has some good points. But God does
not want our good works, as they are but filthy rags in His sight. We must come
unto Him utterly lost and condemned, without any worthiness on our part. Jesus
said He did not come to call the righteous but sinners. God's Law demands
perfect obedience from us, and we find we have broken it in word, deed and thought.
We find no possibility of escaping God's wrath in our own works. Only by
turning to Jesus, whom God made to be sin for us, can we find a way of escape.
Jesus had compassion upon us and took our sins upon His innocent body, suffering
in our stead and dying our death that we might live. When our hearts are cleansed by faith, then
begins a new life in obedience to God's will.
T he person whose sins are
forgiven and blotted out in the shed blood of Jesus Christ also has ceased from
his own works as God did from His. In Romans 3:20
are the words: Therefore by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge
of sin.
A new force and power before
unknown now impels a child of God to walk in newness of life, worthy of the
name of Christian. No place in Scripture is it shown that the Law is a source
of strength to a Chr
istian or that it helps him to
deny himself and take up his cross and follow Jesus. We read in Titus 2:11-12: For the grace of God that bringeth salvation
hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.
Luther writes in
his discourse on Christian liberty: "The
Christian is free and master in all things. The Christian is in bondage and a
servant in all and to all. He is free and a master by faith; he is a servant
and a slave by love. Although a Christian is thus made free, he voluntarily
becomes a slave to act toward his brethren as God has acted toward him through
Jesus Christ. I desire says he, to serve freely, joyfully, and
gratuitously a Father who has thus lavished upon me all the abundance of His blessings.
I wish to become all things for my neighbor as Christ has become all things for
me. From faith proceeds the love of God; from love proceeds a life full of liberty,
charity, and joy."
All those who
are truly born again experience rest from their own labors. As they have known the
love of God toward them through Jesus Christ, they, in like manner, show it by
a new life, serving God in their fellow man. The Law does not accomplish this,
but the grace of God. They serve God in the newness of spirit and not in the
oldness of the letter, for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.
To serve in the
newness of the spirit means obedience to the Spirit. This is self-denial,
sacrifice, humbleness. Paul shows the
fruit of the Spirit: But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23) Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell
you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
The child of God
knows that one day he will enter into that eternal rest of which the writer of
this epistle speaks. The children of Israel,
journeying through the wilderness, had God's promise that He would bring them
to a land flowing with milk and honey. But many of them hardened their hearts,
committed sins, and they did not enter into rest. Even today there is the
danger of provoking God's wrath by disobedience and sin. We read in the third chapter
of this epistle: Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while
it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
(Hebrews 3:12-13)
In the last words of our text we
read: Let us labour therefore to enter
into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. As weak and often-erring travelers on the
road to eternal rest, we are beset by many temptations, trials and sins. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne
of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
(Hebrews 4:16)
The children of Israel
had an earthly high priest who made sacrifice for their sins. And almost all things are by the law purged
with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary
that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but
the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. (Hebrews
9:22-23)
Because of the
imperfection of these earthly sacrifices, God sent His only begotten Son as a
perfect and ever-sufficient sacrifice. By
the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)
Have you been
cleansed in His blood, dear brother and sister? In Jesus' name and blood even
today your sins and mine are forgiven. The way into the most holy place was opened
when Jesus died upon the cross. All the sacrifice God wants is a broken and a
contrite heart. Whenever sins beset us, let us approach this altar in our midst
where Jesus' blood still flows for our cleansing and atonement. One day our
pilgrimage will cease and we will fully enter into His rest. Then this mortal,
sinful body will no longer hinder our praises to Him who love us with an eternal
and undying love.
May the love of
God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit keep your hearts and souls in Jesus'
name. Amen.
