Rest in Christ

4 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
                  “As I swore in my wrath,
                  ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5 And again in this passage he said,
                  “They shall not enter my rest.”
Heb 4:1-5
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Rest in Christ
The promise of God’s rest stands firm, and we are invited to enter it through faith. Yet, as Hebrews reminds us, failing to trust this promise results in missing that rest. For the Israelites, their failure to trust God in the wilderness kept them from the Promised Land. For us, the stakes are even higher: rejection of God’s Word leads to eternal separation from Him. But thanks be to God, Jesus endured the wilderness of this sinful world and perfectly trusted the Father on our behalf. His obedience, even to the point of death on the cross, secured the eternal rest we could never achieve. Through His resurrection, Jesus ushers us into the ultimate Sabbath rest, a life reconciled to God now and forever. By faith in Christ, we find peace today and look forward to the eternal joy of His rest. Hold fast to His promise, for it is sure.