“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”
I made a social media post recently that said, “you can’t add to or improve upon Christ’s finished work, you can only enjoy it.” 98% of the comments were grateful for this powerful truth. But there will always be those people who bring up the need for “works” when talking about the finished work of Jesus.
When the topic of the complete sufficiency of the sacrifice or freedom from the Law comes up, these passages usually enter the conversation.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:26
For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
But this passage should also be part of the conversation.
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Hebrews 4:10
Because of this passage.
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God Hebrews 6:1
Change Your Mind About Dead Works
Dead works are those things you do or think you must do to qualify for blessings, become more holy, become more righteous, stay saved, or make God happy.
When you live from a place of resting in Christ, you know that any works you do are a fruit of your new creation identity. Any work you do as a born-again child of God is not to gain, earn, inherit, release, breakthrough, or manifest God’s promises and blessings. The reality is, all of that is ALREADY YOURS!!
I pray that you bear much fruit, from a place of being firmly planted in Christ, as his grace works through you and you cease striving.
Entering His Rest
There’s another facet to “entering His rest.” Several places in Hebrews describe and expound upon the rest that is available to us.
For context, here’s the whole passage that speaks of the rest we can enter. I’ll then show you several passages that describe this rest.
Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest. As for the others, it is just as God has said: “So I swore on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’ ” And yet His works have been finished since the foundation of the world. 4 For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this manner: “And on the seventh day God rested from all His works.” 5 And again, as He says in the passage above: “They shall never enter My rest.” 6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice,Do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
What Is This Rest?
What is the rest he mentions so many times in these passages? The author of Hebrews touches on this topic several times throughout the rest of the letter. So let’s look at the continual unfolding of this beautiful picture of rest.
Your works do not cause you to enter into this rest, it’s experienced through faith and patience.
Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Here we see that entering His rest is actually entering His presence. And we know that as New Covenant new creations, His presence also enters us as we become the temple of God.
Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil
There are many benefits to this rest. It is secured in a covenant that is upheld by the blood and faithfulness of Jesus. In this rest, God is not counting your sins against you because Jesus already paid the price for them. In this rest, the Holy Spirit will be your teacher. In this rest, the wisdom and logic of God will be part of your nature. In this rest, God will always be merciful to you. In this rest, you will know God.
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
As these passages unfold and we gain more understanding of this rest, we see that he is actually speaking of the New Covenant. Entering into God’s eternal covenant that is made sure by the atoning work of Christ is our rest. And Jesus is our eternal high priest in this new and better covenant based on better promises. And in this rest, you have ETERNAL REDEMPTION.
Hebrews 9:11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
It just keeps getting better and better. In this rest, we have full access to the throne of God. We can rest in His presence, unashamed and entirely accepted.
Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 18 Now where there is [e]remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin. 19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness[f] to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works
And finally, in this rest, we receive God’s kingdom. We become joint-heirs with Jesus. God shares the abundance of His riches in Christ with us. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
I pray that you cease your dead works and enter God’s dynamic and multi-faceted rest. I pray that you are fruitful and productive from this rest, knowing that you already have everything you’ll ever need or want from God.
Clint and Sara Byars - Forward Ministries
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