Today we continue our series entitled, “Pursuing Grace-Based Success!”
Here are our foundational scriptures:
(Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV)
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.
9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.
10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.
(1 Corinthians 1:30,31 NLT)
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
(2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV)
Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
For the last few days, we have been looking at a passage in Hebrews 4. Let’s continue.
(Heb 4:3-7 ERV)
Only we who believe it are able to enter God’s place of rest. As God said, “I was angry and made a promise: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’” But God’s work was finished from the time he made the world. Yes, somewhere in the Scriptures he talked about the seventh day of the week. He said, “So on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” But in the Scripture above God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.” So the opportunity is still there for some to enter and enjoy God’s rest. But those who first heard the good news about it did not enter, because they did not obey. So God planned another special day. It is called “today.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. It is important to learn how to rest in God.
The late Dr. J. Vernon McGee said the following when commenting on this passage:
“This is the Sabbath. God rested on the seventh day, and that was the Sabbath day. However, the Sabbath today is not a day you keep or observe. Have you entered into the real Sabbath today? Do you know what it is to trust Christ and Christ alone for your salvation? Are you trusting anything else? Is He it? Have you entered into rest? I had a good friend who was a doctor and who observed Saturday as the Sabbath. We used to play tennis together, and we got pretty well acquainted with one another. One day after we had played three sets of tennis, we sat down on the bench, and we began to have what you would call a religious argument. He looked at me and said, “McGee, do you keep the Sabbath day?” “Yes, I keep the Sabbath.” He looked at me real hard and said, “What day?” I said to him, “Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then I start all over again on Saturday.” He said to me, “What in the world do you mean?” “Well, the way I understand the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Sabbath day is now this day of grace in which we live, and Christ, after He died on the cross and came back to life, went back to the right hand of the Father and sat down. He sat down, not because He was tired, but because He had finished your redemption and mine. So now He tells me, ‘You rest in Me.’ I have a Sabbath day every day—I rest in Christ.” That doctor friend looked at me in amazement. “Well,” he said, “that’s better than having just one day, isn’t it?” I said, “It sure is. Seven days a week is a sabbath of resting in Christ.”
I am not looking to start a debate over the observance of the Sabbath on Saturday, Sunday, or any other day. I will stay away from that. My point, and the point of Hebrews 4, is that there is a supernatural rest available for believers today. God freely offers this rest to us by His grace, and He expects us to access it with our faith. This rest is a rest of grace, comfort, and supernatural peace. When you are resting in God, you can be at peace internally, even when things are going haywire externally.
2. Rest in the finished work of Jesus and in the finished plans God has for you.
— The Father rested when He was done with creation. He did not rest because He was tired. He rested because He was done.
— Jesus rested when He finished the work of salvation. He came to the earth, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, suffered, died, was buried, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. When He got to heaven, He sat down at the right hand of the Father. Once again, not because He was tired, but because He was done.
God now gives you the opportunity to rest in what He has already done for you.
— You can rest in the finished work of the Father in creation. You do this by accepting the fact that you were created in His image and likeness.
— You can rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. You do this by repenting of your sin, accepting Him as Lord, and settling the issue of your eternal destination, knowing you are saved from the power and penalty of sin.
— You can rest in the grace God has given for your divine assignment. You do this by meditating on the fact that you are here for a reason, that reason is your divine purpose, and everything you need to accomplish your assignment has already been prepared for you.
*** When you learn how to rest this way, in the things of God, many of the attacks of the enemy designed to rob you of your rest and peace — things like fear, doubt, unbelief, stress, anxiety, uneasiness, uncertainty, and worry — will have no power over you! This is really important becuase it is hard to be a success when you have no peace.
3. Don’t make the mistake of missing out on the blessing of God’s rest.
(Heb 4:6,7 NLT)
So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.”
We already studied that God’s rest was offered to the Israelites when they were made free from the bondage of Egypt. However, because of their disobedience and unbelief, they missed out on receiving Canaan. Over a thousand years later, the writer of Hebrews tells us that God’s offer for divine rest still stands.
The actual Greek language used gives us the understanding that what is being offered actually “remains over from a past time.” It’s almost as if this is a blessing that is just out there waiting for someone to have the faith to appropriate it. The Father has done His part by making the rest available, and those who originally received the offer failed to accept and appropriate it because of unbelief. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you and I did the same thing? Wouldn’t it be sad if we did not learn from the mistakes of those that have gone before us? The writer even gives us additional motivation by quoting David when he said, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.”
While you are on your life’s journey, attempting to become successful day in and day out, you are constantly bombarded with distressing thoughts from the enemy and from this world (just watch the news). If you are not careful, you will lose your peace, your hope, and possibly even your sanity. Part of walking with the Holy Spirit is learning to discern His voice. If you do, there will be many times when He says to you, “Be not afraid. Relax. You can rest. This is in my hands.” And when this happens, if you can hear His voice, a single word from God can bring peace in a moment of distress. God does not want you stressing. If you are going to walk with Him for the long haul, you will have to learn how to enter into His rest!
4. The offer to enter into God’s rest is available TODAY.
TODAY divine rest is available to you. TODAY you can enter into a rest that will give you peace from the inside out. TODAY the Father can deliver you from negative stress. TODAY anxiety can fall off of you like water falling off of a duck’s back. TODAY supernatural peace can flood your heart and your mind. Yes, TODAY is the day! The time is NOW! Will you do it? Will you tap into divine rest? Will you appropriate the rest that remains from time past? Will you take God up on His offer? Don’t keep waiting on God to give you rest when He has already made it available. He is now waiting on you to make a demand for it. You have not because you ask not. Will you ask (in faith) today?
5. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
When I preach, I often talk about the voice behind the voice, the Word behind my words. What I mean by this is that while I am preaching the logos (written Word), the Holy Spirit, at the same time, is preaching rhema (living words). The written word (logos) that I preach may cut and make an incision, but the living words (rhema) that the Holy Spirit preaches, while I am preaching, cut with precision, causing those that receive the Word to make a decision. The same thing happens while you are reading Today’s Word. You are reading what I wrote, and that has the ability to bless you to one level, but while you are reading it, the Holy Spirit Himself is speaking to you. What the Holy Spirit says to you will have a much greater impact on your life. Understanding that, I will also quote David and say, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” Enter into God’s rest.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
I also thank You for teaching me about Your rest. The offer to enter into Your rest is a life-changing Word, and I receive it by faith.
I can rest internally as I pursue Your best for my life. Your supernatural rest shall keep me from unnecessary stress as I seek to be successful. So I die to self, I no longer trust in the arm of the flesh, I no longer strive for success on my own, and I rest in Your grace, mercy, power, and favor.
I also thank You for the Word behind the Word, the voice behind the voice, the rhema behind the logos! In addition to reading the Word, I hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to me behind it. I hear the Holy Spirit telling me that divine rest is available to me TODAY, and I will not harden my heart towards it.
My ears are anointed to hear what the Holy Spirit is telling me, my heart is anointed to receive it, and I declare that I will respond IN FAITH. I lay hold of the divine rest that is available for me, and I do so TODAY! TODAY I enter into Your rest. TODAY I make a resolve to embrace Your grace. TODAY I stop stressing, and I stop relying on my ability alone.
TODAY I have changed, and I will never be the same. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
