Enter His Rest – The Sabbath Is About Resting From Works – Through Faith Alone
Do you know what it means to “enter the rest of Christ”?. Are you resting in Christ? God calls us to rest in the finished work of Christ. While He may use us, God does not “need us” to do stuff to help Him make us righteous. Religion, on the other hand can never be satisfied and it will always demand more work out of us.
It might begin with “hey you need to read your bible more”.
-You’re reading your bible. Great! Now you need to give 10%.
-You’re tithing now. Good! Now you need to be serving more at church.
-You serving. Cool. Now God needs you to knock on doors and hit the parking lots of local shopping centers to make sure everyone hears about Him. Come on, God can’t do it without you. I don’t care if it makes you uncomfortable you need to get out of your comfort zone. That’s what God demands.
And on and on the list goes and it seems like no matter how much you “do” and how much effort you put into it, religion will always make you feel like it’s not enough. Don’t get me wrong, all of those things are awesome IF it’s what you really desire to do. The problem is when we’re doing it to get right with God. The problem is when it becomes a DUTY. Religion may use the word grace, but it will push you for more and more works every time. Can you see the difference? Religion will refer to works as fruits which is really just a religious legalistic twisting of scripture in most cases. Yes, sometimes fruits are in the form of works, but not the kind that you do to earn peace with God.
Speaking of resting, did you know that the Sabbath is a picture of resting (in faith) from working to please God? Genesis 2:1-2 tells us “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
Now watch what we learn in Hebrews. The book of Hebrews is almost entirely about one kind of sin. It’s about the sin of unbelief, and the Jews keep running back to the law (works) for righteousness. The writer urges them to ENTER REST and get right with God by faith ALONE. Interestingly God shows them a picture of this rest by illustrating what He did on the seventh day. He rested.
[Hebrews 4:10-11] says “For the one who has entered His REST has himself also rested from his WORKS, as God did from His. Therefore let us be DILIGENT to enter that REST.
Funny, Hebrews is basically saying ‘work to enter rest’. And contrary to what religion teaches this is talking about entering rest from works. It’s not anti works, it’s just saying you enter rest when you realize you are 100% right with God through faith and nothing you do or don’t do helps or hurts that peace. Do you see how that is true rest? You see we actually really begin to let Christ live in and through us when we begin from a position of rest.
No burden whatsoever to do something on your own to get right with God.
In Matthew 12 Jesus is urging workers of the law to abandon religious teaching and rest in Him, and says His demands are easy and have no burdens. He is talking about freedom from law and works THROUGH FAITH.
[Matthew 12:28-30] “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you REST. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am GENTLE and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is EASY and My burden is LIGHT.”
So by all means read your bibles. That’s awesome. Share the gospel. That’s great. Serve in a church building, if that’s what your heart desires. But if you prefer to serve in a cancer ward or a friend’s home then that’s just fine with God too. But the question I will ask you is this…….
Are you working to please God or have you entered His rest and accepted that your faith was enough?
“Without faith it is impossible to please God” Heb 11:6
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
