A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (September 8, 2016)
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9).
At the beginning of each day the foundation must be laid upon which every project, duty, and calling is built. The foundation is “Entering Into His Rest.” Instead of operating from a place of stress, you will operate from a place of rest. That place of rest can be entered when you believe His promises that you have victory over the world (1 John 5:4). His rest is not a condition but a place that you enter.In Hebrews chapter 4, we are told that God rested on the seventh day from His works (v. 4). Of course, God did not cease from His works because He was tired, frustrated, or exhausted. He ceased from His works because everything was finished and complete. He entered a place of completion that He called His rest.
In the early years of my ministry, one of the things I believed and taught my church was this. The Word of God always works and nothing can keep His Word from working. Then one day while reading my Bible, I encountered a verse that shook my core belief. This verse told of two groups of people who heard the Word and the Word they heard was the same gospel. But the Word the first group heard was totally unprofitable to them simply because it was not mixed with faith in their hearts. How could this be? Then I began to realize a foundational truth of God’s Word. His promises are conditional and faith is the catalyst that activates them.
For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it (Hebrews 4:2). This passage reveals that the gospel was preached to two groups of people and that the gospel was not different, but the same. The first group who heard the gospel was the Hebrews who were taken out of Egypt. The good news of deliverance was preached to them and all they had to do was believe God, cross the Jordan, and enter into Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey. It was the place of rest that God had for His people. God’s plan was to deliver the land to them. All they had to do was put their faith in Him and the land was theirs. They rejected His promise and as a result, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
Likewise, the gospel, the good news of deliverance, was preached to us. As New Covenant people, Jesus has paid the price in full for us to enter into a place of victory. We have been given promises of life, health, healing, and prosperity, and like the Hebrews of old, we have a choice. Do we remain in bondage or do we accept His promise and enter into His rest?
Again, Hebrews 4:2 reminds us that although the Word was preached to the Hebrews, it did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith in their hearts. They did not believe the promise of God, therefore they did not receive the promise of God. Every Israelite who was above the age of twenty at the time the promise was rejected (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb) died before the Hebrews entered the promised land.
Once Jesus’ disciples asked Him what was the work they were to do. His response was to believe (John 6:28-29). He did all the work and it was completed when He said, “It is finished.” Now we must rest in what He has completed. Every day born-again believers are standing at the Jordan, making the decision: Do I believe God, cross over, and enter into His rest today, or do I reject His promises and pick up the cares of the world and begin my day with stress, tension, apprehension, and worry?
His rest is vital to the Christian lifestyle. As a born-again believer, this must be a daily walk and a conscious effort must be made at the beginning of each day: Today I will enter into His rest. Today I will believe His Word. Today I am healed. Today I am prosperous. Today I have the joy of the Lord. Today I will be led by His Spirit. All of this cannot be done from a point of frustration, but from the foundation of rest. Before your feet hit the floor, enter into His rest.
