This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. For the last couple of days we have been discussing “Entering Into God’s Rest.” Today we will continue to flow in that same vein.
Yesterday we looked at the first three verses of Hebrews 4. This morning I feel led to go back to verse 2 to reiterate the faith-factor in receiving God’s rest. The writer of Hebrews said, “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Heb 4:2 NIV).
The gospel the writer refers to in this verse was the good news that the Lord was giving the newly freed Israelites the land of Canaan, the land promised to the forefathers to give them. This was a message of grace. The Israelites did nothing to earn their deliverance from Egypt and they had done nothing to earn the Blessing of Canaan. The Lord instructed Moses to send 12 spies into the land on a reconnaissance mission. The recon team was supposed to survey the land, to bring back evidence of the land’s goodness, and bring back information about the inhabitants because taking possession of the land would require a fight. Moses told the people what God said — he preached the gospel.
The spies went into the land, they brought back physical evidence of how good the land was, but they then made the fatal mistake of allowing fear to cancel out their faith. Because the land was inhabited by giants (the Anakin), 10 of the 12 spies developed a ‘grasshopper mentality’ and told the people that there was no way that they could do it. Although two of the 12 (Joshua and Caleb) did their best to drive home the message (preach the gospel) that they COULD do it — that they were WELL ABLE of taking possession of the land and entering into God’s rest — the crowd (millions of people) sided with the 10 instead of the two and the rest, as they say, is history. Millions of people died desert without ever entering into God’s best because they did not believe God.
So what does this mean to you today? You may be thinking, “I got it Rick, I have read the story, but what does this have to do with me today?” Actually, several things:
1. God has offered you divine rest. The Father offered a supernatural rest to the Israelites and the writer of Hebrews tells us that the offer still stands. When I say “rest” don’t think of laying down on the couch or taking a nap. Think of a supernatural internal peace that enables you to maximize your purpose and potential in life. Without this rest it is far too easy to cross over into frustration. Frustration is: “A feeling of dissatisfaction, often accompanied by anxiety or depression, resulting from unfulfilled needs or unresolved problems.” Will there be times when you feel like you have unfulfilled needs or unresolved problems? Of course there will be, but that’s where divine rest comes in. The Father wants you to trust Him SO much that you can truly rest, even while you are waiting on the manifestation of His promises in your life. Because if you don’t enter God’s divine rest, and allow His rest to enter you, satan can creep in and get you to lose heart, to relax the grip you have on your faith, to get you frustrated, and to before you know it you give up, cave in and quit!
2. God’s grace is accessed with your faith. God freely offers you His promises by grace. The promises found in the Word of God were written before you were born, so you did nothing to earn them, they were written for you by God’s unmerited favor, and they stand as open promises, waiting for you to access them with your faith. The Israelites in the text failed to mix faith with what they heard and their lack of faith led to a catastrophic failure where millions of people missed experiencing God’s best. Don’t let this be said of you.
3. Just because God’s promised it, it does not mean you will not have to fight for it. The nation of Israel had to engage in a physical fight to take possession of the land God promised. Most of the time for us today the fight is a faith-fight. When you are in a faith-fight and you are believing God for the breakthrough, it might take a while. That is where divine rest comes in. The writer of Hebrews went on to say, “Let us labor to enter into that rest” (v.11). Remaining in God’s rest is not always easy. The enemy will do his best to get you over into fear, fret, and frustration, but you must be strong enough NOT to allow him to. Once you are in God’s rest you must fight to remain there. When the negative thoughts enter into your mind you must take control of them and bring them captive into the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:3-5).
4. If God expects you to fight, He has already given you the grace to win. God expected the Israelites to physically conquer the Anakin, to fight in faith, and to rely on His grace the entire way. Whether the fight you are facing this morning is physical or spiritual, just remember that God will never expect you to do something He has not already equipped you to do. God’s supernatural empowerment, His grace, is already on you to do what You are called to do. Face your challenge head on, face it in-faith, trust God and His grace, and enter into God’s rest as you wait on the manifestation of your breakthrough. If you are worried, then you are not in-faith, nor are you in-rest. Supernatural rest will help feed your faith and starve your doubts.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this series. I truly appreciate how You take the time to teach me about Your unearned grace and my requirement to live by faith. I now see the type of divine rest that is possible through Your Word and Your Spirit. You have offered me this rest by grace. I shall access Your rest with my faith. I enter into Your rest today and I allow Your rest to enter into me. I receive the Word, I mix it with faith, I apply it to my life, and I rest every step of the way. I trust You with my whole heart, I believe You can do all things in, with and through my life. I live by faith, and my life of faith enables me to live every day in Your divine rest. When the enemy attempts to get me out of Your rest, I resist every negative thought and bring them captive to the obedience of Christ. I will not allow myself or the enemy to get me OUT of Your rest. I live in a stress-free environment from this day forward. I am IN You and You are IN me. I am IN Your rest and Your rest is IN me. I embrace Your grace to face challenges head on, by faith, fully confident that You have already graced me to WIN! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
