CHRIST-DAILY
THE REST FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His" (Hebr. 4:9-10). The scriptures clearly discuss a promise of entering into God's rest (Hebr. 4:1). As with most of the promises of God, there are conditions on our part with personal decisions that the Lord encourages and allows us to make. Christ is shown as superior to Moses, with most of the discussion around the children of Israel under the Mosaic law, which needs to be rightly divided for the church today. However, the real premise of this passage is based on the eternal foundation that God's creative works of framing this earth "were finished from the foundation of the world" (Hebr. 4:3). God created the heavens and the earth and all that is therein on six (6) days, and then "God rested on the seventh day from all His works" (Hebr. 4:4). Do not let this verse be misinterpreted, that God doesn't ever do anything in the universe any more. God certainly answers prayers and does many things in the affairs of men. However, the purpose of this passage is to declare that God entered into a rest from His works, and encourages us to learn and enter into the rest for the people of God. Rest is this passage is defined here as ceasing from one's own labors (Hebr. 4:10). Our heavenly Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). The Son had volunteered to be the eternal sin sacrifice, so in the heart and mind of God, the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world (I Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8). The Holy Spirit spirit-baptized us into the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13). We received the incorruptible Seed – the Living Word of God – His Son placed within us at the Spirit birthing (I Pet. 1:23). We now have a new creation shared-life – the Christ-life that is complete and finished in the Spirit. Salvation is the given rest that comes through the Spirit rebirthing. That's what Jesus meant when He said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Then Jesus says, "take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:29). This found rest is for the soul, and speaks of Holy Spirit mind renewal and transformation. The Holy Spirit will reveal and teach us of Christ in us as us. The yoke is a from an example where two (2) oxen were yoked together to share the load of plowing or pulling in the harvest field. Since the Spirit birthing, we are living in a shared-life with Christ. We have to learn Christ by mind renewal, then choosing to yield to Christ and let Him be fully expressed in and through us as us (Eph. 4:20-22). This brings the given rest that Jesus Christ promised. We have to cease from our own fleshly labors to enter into that given rest. We provide Christ a body and a renewed mind. Christ lives His life in and through us as us. That is the rest for the people of God, that our Father intended before the foundation of the world! VWritten by Dwight Davis |
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