Laboring To Enter Rest
📖 Hebrews 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
On the surface some can confuse this for works salvation.
📖 John 6:26-27 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. [27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
But what Jesus is referring to is that people were looking for him as he was always escaping somewhere and the multitudes would travel to find him, but it was for the wrong reasons they followed him, they came for the food and this happens in ministries you can get a lot of people if you present food, And so in this case it takes labour to find salvation, but salvation is free itself it still takes effort to find salvation in most cases. hear me out.
📖 Luke 13:22-27 And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. [23] Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, [24] Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. [25] When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: [26] Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. [27] But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
Now we see that Jesus said I verse 24 strive to enter into the strait gate. Meaning it can be work to find salvation! For some it’s handed on a plate, and thats why Jesus mentions to seek and knock and you will find.
📖 Luke 11:9-13 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. [10] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. [11] If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? [12] Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? [13] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
So here we have to look for Jesus and thats labour right, but once you find it God said he will openly give that gift which is the Holy Spirit.
Now look at verse 26 in Luke 13, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets, these people have the wrong idea for salvation, some think their works is enough to get into heaven, but they laboured wrong because they didn’t labour to enter into Jesus’s rest, they didn’t seek and considered Jesus’s gift of eternal life, rather they came for their own glory.
So salvation is a free gift not of works, but for some, many won’t get this free gift because they didn’t seek to receive it. Its almost like when facebook market has free giveaways and you miss it cause your not actively seeking them but others are thats why you never get the free stuff because there are people literally waiting for the free stuff and checking their market place regularly.
📖 Matthew 13:44-46 (KJV) Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
This is the labour that Jesus is on about, it takes a bit to find the truth but once you found it it’s forever yours, this is why Christianity is the most attacked religion in the world, if you look at every other religion there isn’t 100s of copies of bibles in one language as christianity has? And when we look at other religions they don’t have 100s of denominations as christianity has? This is a smoke screen of Satan, it’s a direct attack on christianity so when people try and find the truth they won’t find it easily.
✅ Unbelief of the Israelites
📖 Hebrews 4:1-9 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. [2] 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. [3] For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. [4] For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. [5] And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. [6] Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: [7] Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. [8] For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. [9] There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
We see that the Israelites never made it into that rest of God because of unbelief, so then there remaineth a rest unto the Israelites.
📖 Hebrews 4:7-8 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. [8] For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
and this is why some of the Israelites won’t make it into heaven as written here.
Hebrews 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Because of unbelief, they joined the people of God for the wrong reasons, the same in our church, your not saved coming to church because we call you brother or sister, you might even get called a child of God or Gods people, but if you didn’t find the rest of eternal life by believing faith alone in Jesus then your not saved, and same for the Israelites that didn’t believe.
✅ Mixing of faith
📖 Hebrews 4:1-2 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. [2] 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.
Now some will assume that the mixing of faith is faith mixing with works? No when it says here “but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” The mixing here is referring to the preaching mixing with faith thats what we need for salvation is the word of God which is the preaching and it needs faith for it to have any effect to the hearers as mentioned in Romans 10:14
📖 Romans 10:14-17 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? [15] And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! [16] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? [17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
This is why it’s important for us to preach the gospel.
📖 2 Corinthians 4:3 (KJV) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
We are to preach the gospel and it’s up to the hearer to believe.
📖 Hebrews 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
