The Rest of God - 2/2

All things have been provided for us to enter the "rest of God." Going over my last post, we now know that the rest of God is a metaphor for the Gospel, according to Hebrews 3 and 4. However, I must warn, not in a very strict sense.

Recall, also, that the "rest of God" was entered in by "belief" alone. "Gospel..... mixed with faith." (Heb 3:2)

Let us examine further the main example that the author of Hebrews uses to make his point. He spoke of the Israelite nation, and their journey to the promised land. God had laid out a rest for them in this land "flowing with milk and honey." The entry of the Israelites into the promised land was blocked because of their lack of faith. (Heb 3:18) In many cases, the story of Israel can reflect the story of a Christian. 

The Israelites crossed the Jordan, and entered the promised land. Immediately, they began conquering city after city. God had provided all things necessary for victory, but victory was fought for, and conditional upon the obedience of the Israelites. 

I want us to see this. 


Jericho was conquered because of the explicit obedience of the Israelites (Joshua 6). Victory was therefore attributed to God alone. It was not because the Israelites had an impeccable army. 

Read the next chapter: Joshua 7 - Immediate defeat. 

Achan, one man, disobeyed God. As a result, the Israelites were defeated. Notice also that the city of Ai was small compared to Jericho, yet because of the disobedience of one man, there was defeat. The people of Israel were then in turmoil. "...the hearts of the people melted and became like water." (Joshua 7:5)

The "rest" was disturbed by disobedience. 

How crucially God takes this matter of obedience. There was no rest because there was no obedience. 

Think of Adam and Eve. Think of Jonah. Think of Saul and the Amalekites. Think of Bathsheba. Think of Samson. Think of Absalom. Think of Moses and the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. Think of the rebellion of Korah. Think of Balam. Ringing a bell?

The rest of God was nullified when there was no obedience. It's not that His power was defeated, or that the rest of God was no longer available, but rather that God was unwilling to work with a people that did not obey.

He set the terms for entering His "rest," so he also sets the terms for it's continuance.

The same can be said of the believers relation to God. 

Because of faith, we have entered the rest of God. His provision for victory, comfort, guidance, protection, peace and so much more has been made available to us; and His providence will never leave. 

However, like the Israelites, we have the tendency to disobey. However small the disobedience, it has the potential to interrupt peace with God. 

The work of God is nullified when there is no obedience. It's not that His power is defeated, or that the rest of God is no longer available, but rather that God is unwilling to work with a person that will not obey.

Let me be clear. I do not mean to say that disobedience severs our relationship with God, or makes the Gospel of no value. Not at all. Disobedience does, however, disturb fellowship with God.

Christ set the terms for entering His "rest," so he also sets the terms for it's continuance.

There is blessing in obedience. (John 13:17) 

Take note of  John 13:22-24.

John 13:22-24 - Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” 

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

We Abide in Christ when we obey. Christ compels us to abide, for then we will bear fruit. There is fruit in obedience. Apart from obedience, there is no fruit. 

What I see in Hebrews 3 - 4 is the working of God to make available for us a rest. A provision for us to be at peace with Him, and to enjoy all that comes as a by-product. He provided the same for the Israelites. Yet there is something that threatens this peace, and that is disobedience. 

There is spiritual stagnation in disobedience. I don't have to tell you that many Christians live their lives destitute of fruit because of disobedience. You have surely witnessed it.

Hebrews 4:11 - Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.

The Israelite forwent so many blessings because of their disobedience. Can the same be said of us?

We like to quote the following verse, but reading it in context sheds new light on it's original intent.

Hebrews 4:12-13 - For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

We are all naked before the Word of God. Nothing can hide, and all disobedience will be portrayed.

We must be diligent to enter the rest of God, which is first entered in by faith, and then continued in by constant obedience. Submission of our will to the will of God; therein we find rest. 

-Jerry 

The Rest of God - 1/2

For the past few days I have been reading Hebrews. I was chugging along, a chapter a day, until I reached chapters three and four. A lot in those chapters puzzled me. 

The writer introduces this idea of the "rest of God" in verse 3:11. The context is the following: God had refused the Israelites entry to the promised land "because of unbelief." The unbelief of the Israelites had kept them from entering into "the rest of God." We know that they were kept from the promised land, so it is interesting to note that God saw the promised land as a "rest" for the Israelites. Unbelief kept them from it. 

Starting in chapter 4, the writer makes an important connection. Just as the Israelites had the opportunity to enter the rest of God, we also have that opportunity. Just like unbelief kept the Israelites from the "rest of God," so can unbelief keep us from it. Note verse 4:2-3. 

The "rest of God" profits those who have it preached to them, and have it "mixed with faith." Meaning that the "rest of God" only has effect in our lives when "mixed with faith."

Hebrews 4:3 - For we who have believed do enter that rest...

The "rest of God" is an Old Testament parallel to the Gospel.

Pretty neat! God calls the gospel a "rest." No longer do we toil in effort to please or appease God, but instead rest on the fact that he has done all things necessary to please and appease Himself on our behalf. That is, the work of Christ on the cross, and His resurrection. Entering the "rest of God" is only possible because of Christ, and our faith in Him.

The writer uses two Old Testament examples to strengthen his point. 

He used the example of the Israelites entering the promised land. Have you ever noticed that the Israelites did nothing to enter the promised land? God delivered, clothed, fed, guided, defended and manifested Himself to the Israelites, despite their constant grumbling and disobedience. We, also, do nothing to enter the rest of God. It is a work of grace.

The writer also used the example of Creation. Have you ever noticed that God worked to create the entire universe, brought man into creation on the sixth day, and then rested. Adam did nothing, and yet enjoyed the labor of God as a rest. Man did nothing.

God did all things necessary for Adam, the Israelites, and us to enter "His rest."

Clearly there was work commissioned to Adam to subdue the earth, as it was also for the Israelites upon entering the promised land. However, the "works" that the author talks of is not work as a means to material gain. The "works" that the author is speaking of is work as a means of altering eternal standing before God.

Let us also not make the mistake and think that Christians are not called to work. We have much work to do, but this work is an act of obedience and love to our God. We need not "work" to alter our eternal standing.

Knowing all this, I then asked myself the following question: Rest from what?

Verse 4:10 is key in this idea. 

Hebrews 4:10 - For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Those who have entered the "rest of God" have ceased from works. As you can recall, "Works" mean a human effort to appease and/or please God. 

Just like God worked for 6 days, and then rested, we too, because of the grace offered to us, can enter that rest. We do not worry or toil over "work," because all "work" has been completed, and there only remains rest. God has worked, and brought us in on the "sixth day" to enjoy "His rest." We enjoy the fruits of His completed labor.

All the "work" has been completed, and surely, "it is finished."

- Jerry 

"Meat-heads" 2/2

Last week I wrote the Post "Meat-Heads" 1/3. This post is a continuation.

There is a breed of society referred to as "meat-heads." If you don't know them already, know that they spend much of their effort at the gym. A 'meat head' is the guy who spends unhealthy amounts of time on enhancing his body, and getting "big." He is also interested in self-benefiting relationships with the opposite gender. 

For the most part, we tend to shy away from this kind of person, seeing that he is very obsessed with himself, and his trivial pursuits for physical perfection. I mean, are they for real? Can they be truly obsessed with getting "big?" Yes.

However, what ticks me off the most about this stereotype is how they use the opposite gender for themselves. For some reason, and at some instinctive and animalistic level, girls are attracted to those big and buff dudes. That isn't an evil in and of itself, and although we might be jealous, what ticks us off is how they use them. Those guys pick a girl up, and after their one night/week/month/year thrill, they dump her like a melted shake.

However, the fundamental selfishness that roams in the mind of the quintessential "meat-head" is much more common than what we like to admit. We have a tendency to do same, only in a much more subtle way.

We talk to her because we want her attention. We text her because we are lonely. We learned to play the guitar because she thinks it's cute. You ask "deep" questions so she sees how "deep" you are. We play volleyball every week because we know she plays.  We make ourselves slaves of her affections so that we can satisfy our own ambitions. How sick can we get? 

We either know these relationships will not end up in marriage, or lie to ourselves in order to think otherwise so that we can enjoy it longer; and therein lies the nature of the 'one night stand.'

Alas, perhaps I didn't match up the reasons with the activities, but I can guarantee you that any action towards a girl based on those motivations is imitating that buff guy with too much tan. You will pick her up, use her, and drop her. If you're slick, you can give several reasons, but they would ultimately boil down to being rooted in your own desires.

There are a lot of girls that need selfless guys that know how to guard purity. That is something we should obsess over. And we might think that we guard purity by beating up the guy who does something disrespectful to a sister, and certainly so; but the most common way that you can protect her is by keeping your own emotions and desires at bay. Any "meat-head" can protect 'his girl' by punching that guy in the face, but it gets harder when we are the guy that needs a punch in the face.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
- Apostle Paul

Christ died for the church. Not only did he die on the cross, but Christ died to His own desires. That kind of love is beyond self fulfillment, and was fully focused on you and me. Christ demanded nothing from the Church, and yet gave everything. We should do likewise. We should demand nothing from our sisters, and yet be willing to give them everything. This kind of sacrificial love kills us; especially because we receive nothing in return.

At a more practical level, this means not using your sisters to satisfy your own desires. Not that we should become monks, but begin asking yourself about the nature of your friendships with girls. Look at how you two communicate; is it flirtatious? How do you feel after your conversations? Encouraged? Distracted? Cloud 9?

And therein lies the essence of being a gentlemen; not in opening doors or being a good conversationalist, but in the silencing of your own ambition at the altar of weaker sex.

- Jerry

"Meat-heads" Part 1/2

I am not really too much informed on the slang of society. I didn't go to public school, and that's obviously where people learn all the slang, right?

However, I do know what a 'Meat Head" is. A 'meat head' is the guy who spends unhealthy amounts of time on enhancing his body, and getting "big." He is also interested in self-benefiting relationships with the opposite gender. Usually, this kind of person lacks any sort of meaningful knowledge, and is not interested in pursuing any. He is materialistic, empty, and selfish. Yuck.

I tried the whole gym thing for a while. I am still skinny, so it clearly didn't work out for me.

Oh! And they post photo's of themselves at the gym. Often...

Any names come to mind? [Just kidding(Not really)]

Now, I am not going to point out and call some people "meat-heads" and not others. That would be silly of me. However, I think that the "meat-head" syndrome roams deeper in the hearts of guys than what we give it credit for.

Maybe as you read the description, you thought of your own life, and how utterly different it is from what I was defining. However, what we hate about the "meat-head" is not his exercise, but his obsession with empty and materialistic things. What we hate about the "meat-head" is how he just picks up girls to satisfy himself. What we hate about the "meat-head" is not the info that he knows, but that he is full of stupid info.

Now that we are a little beyond the sleeveless shirts, gym shorts, and protein shakes, let us think a little more. You and me may not be obsessed with getting "toned, big or ripped," but how often do we pursue and give attention to truly empty things?

To name a few potentials: Video games. Friends. Sports. Youtube. Netflix. Movies. Facebook. Texting. Drugs. Working Out.

Even good things, like a career, family and school can grow and become something obsessive when we pursue those things for empty reasons.

Are these influences in our life as useless as the "meat-head" and his 4-hour-a-day gym routine? Maybe. And although I hate generalization, I am pretty sure you can find yourself in them.

I am not going to 'ban' these things from your life. I am not your mommy, and she probably couldn't take those things away from you anyway. However, I trust that you are enough of a "non-meat-head" to realize that our minds naturally tend to focus on the affairs of this life, and are often futile in their very nature.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 

- Jesus Christ

Those are some strong words from a guy who knew how to pursue what mattered. Christ was living at an entirely different level that the people listening to Him.

Do you want to come after Christ? Keep in mind that it involves losing yourself in Him. Your own interests take a backseat ride when you deny yourself. This isn't a call for the guy pumping iron and blasting dubstep (Sorry, I hate dubstep), or for the guy watching Netflix. We can try and keep our relationship Christ at arms length in some sort of limbo between religion and hypocrisy, but that really isn't following Christ. Christ defines what it is to follow Him, and he conveniently left us really specific instructions.

"But... but what if I gain the world? Fulfill all my dreams? Meet the perfect Girl? Have tons of babies? If I deny myself, there is no way I can do what I want." You might say; and in fact are right in thinking.

But then again, the better question is: "what if you lose your soul?"

-Jerry