Entering The Rest!
What does entering the rest really mean? Does anybody know? Have you ever come across anyone, since you first believed, who told you that he has entered the rest of God? As far as I can remember I have never come across anyone who told me this! Not even in the four decades of my Christian walk have I heard a sermon about the rest of God. Now, there is a full religious sect, I call them a sect because they are, that walk and talk and act and build their life around that one thing; the day of rest! Nothing can be further from the truth than that.
Get ready for some theology now. It has been a while since I wrote about a theological matter. The truth is that before I write, I look up to God for guidance as to what topic He wants me to relate to you. I am told that this website has thousands of readers, I have not met any of them and I may never meet any of them, but God knows them well and knows the needs they have in their life. I always ask the Holy Spirit to lie on my heart the interest, and to guide my fingers as I write.
I believe the majority of what destroys people is the restless life that they lead. Saint Augustine, the great theologian and one of the Roman Catholic Church’s father and authority on the scriptures, believed to have said “The heart of man is made for God and it remains restless until it rests in Him.” I believe that this statement is worthy of note and remembrance as we journey in this life. The physical, the emotional, and the psychological problems that most people have stem from the lack of the rest that Saint Augustine is talking about. The physical rest is not always the problem, although what body can go on endlessly without sleep, or rest. Not one body can. Every body needs the physical rest; God intended it this way.
Let us now look at the emotional, the psychological, and the social problems that most people have. Do these problems emanate from the lack of God’s rest? You bet they do! Remember what Saint Augustine said about remaining restless! This post is not about the saint, although I have a great respect and admiration for his contribution to the Christian ideas, and his theological writings about confessions and other topics. I must admit that I am an admirer of a licensed Christian family counselor; I think they are indispensable. A friend of mine convinced me that she had the ability to give counsel while being biblical. There is no good or wise advice apart from biblical teachings. In fact the Bible says, “The fear of the Lord (love and adoration) is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). These counselors can listen to the clients and give advice on how to act in certain circumstances. They can give advice on the appearance of the individual, and on handling certain events in the patient’s life. I have heard advice on career selections and they are all useful and good; but none of these good ideas will enter the patients into true rest.
The Bible clearly says; “For we who believe enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:3). If we go all the way back to the book of Genesis 2:2, we read “And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” What is greatly misunderstood is that God did not go back to work on Sunday or Monday mornings, or as we know them as the first days of the week, or workweek. When God rested on the seventh day He simply rested forever, and as God blessed the day of rest He blessed it forever. He entered the eternal rest; this is the rest that we enter when we believe. There is no turning back, when we are born again, there is no way to be unborn. We have a date, a time, and a place of birth. That cannot be undone. When God rested, like I said before, He rested not until the first day of the week, but forever! The understanding of this biblical truth is essential to every believer. It is the beginning of additional understanding of truths. You see, Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is in us; does that mean that we do not have to wait until we die to be in heaven? The answer is yes!
The Church is a part of heaven just like an elevator floor; one minute it is a part of the first floor, the earth, but in a little while it will be a part of the 50th floor. Think of this floor as the church here on earth. But in a little while it will be a part of heaven. This is not as complicated as it seems. Jesus said he who loves, my Father loves Him and we come and make our habitat with Him! Heaven is where God is, so when God is with His people, hat means the church is Heaven. I must make the distinction that I do not speak of any particular church. Although, if attending your church is not a heavenly experience, please look for another! It is a serious matter; your life is on the line and your destiny is in jeopardy. The church (the ecclesia, or God’s people) is the body of Christ, and He is the head. So the head is always attached to the body. Wherever you find the body, you find the head, and vice versa. And one day when Christ removes his body from earth, we will enter eternity with Jesus; body and head. He is only way we can go into Heaven, so it is like we are attached to Him. He made it clear that the only one who came from Heaven is the one who is in Heaven, and that is Jesus. I have to continue this topic in future post. But for now, accept Christ as you Savior. Enter God’s rest and begin enjoying heaven on earth. I thank Christ for my opportunity to be a citizen of Heaven.
Get ready for some theology now. It has been a while since I wrote about a theological matter. The truth is that before I write, I look up to God for guidance as to what topic He wants me to relate to you. I am told that this website has thousands of readers, I have not met any of them and I may never meet any of them, but God knows them well and knows the needs they have in their life. I always ask the Holy Spirit to lie on my heart the interest, and to guide my fingers as I write.
I believe the majority of what destroys people is the restless life that they lead. Saint Augustine, the great theologian and one of the Roman Catholic Church’s father and authority on the scriptures, believed to have said “The heart of man is made for God and it remains restless until it rests in Him.” I believe that this statement is worthy of note and remembrance as we journey in this life. The physical, the emotional, and the psychological problems that most people have stem from the lack of the rest that Saint Augustine is talking about. The physical rest is not always the problem, although what body can go on endlessly without sleep, or rest. Not one body can. Every body needs the physical rest; God intended it this way.
Let us now look at the emotional, the psychological, and the social problems that most people have. Do these problems emanate from the lack of God’s rest? You bet they do! Remember what Saint Augustine said about remaining restless! This post is not about the saint, although I have a great respect and admiration for his contribution to the Christian ideas, and his theological writings about confessions and other topics. I must admit that I am an admirer of a licensed Christian family counselor; I think they are indispensable. A friend of mine convinced me that she had the ability to give counsel while being biblical. There is no good or wise advice apart from biblical teachings. In fact the Bible says, “The fear of the Lord (love and adoration) is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). These counselors can listen to the clients and give advice on how to act in certain circumstances. They can give advice on the appearance of the individual, and on handling certain events in the patient’s life. I have heard advice on career selections and they are all useful and good; but none of these good ideas will enter the patients into true rest.
The Bible clearly says; “For we who believe enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:3). If we go all the way back to the book of Genesis 2:2, we read “And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” What is greatly misunderstood is that God did not go back to work on Sunday or Monday mornings, or as we know them as the first days of the week, or workweek. When God rested on the seventh day He simply rested forever, and as God blessed the day of rest He blessed it forever. He entered the eternal rest; this is the rest that we enter when we believe. There is no turning back, when we are born again, there is no way to be unborn. We have a date, a time, and a place of birth. That cannot be undone. When God rested, like I said before, He rested not until the first day of the week, but forever! The understanding of this biblical truth is essential to every believer. It is the beginning of additional understanding of truths. You see, Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is in us; does that mean that we do not have to wait until we die to be in heaven? The answer is yes!
The Church is a part of heaven just like an elevator floor; one minute it is a part of the first floor, the earth, but in a little while it will be a part of the 50th floor. Think of this floor as the church here on earth. But in a little while it will be a part of heaven. This is not as complicated as it seems. Jesus said he who loves, my Father loves Him and we come and make our habitat with Him! Heaven is where God is, so when God is with His people, hat means the church is Heaven. I must make the distinction that I do not speak of any particular church. Although, if attending your church is not a heavenly experience, please look for another! It is a serious matter; your life is on the line and your destiny is in jeopardy. The church (the ecclesia, or God’s people) is the body of Christ, and He is the head. So the head is always attached to the body. Wherever you find the body, you find the head, and vice versa. And one day when Christ removes his body from earth, we will enter eternity with Jesus; body and head. He is only way we can go into Heaven, so it is like we are attached to Him. He made it clear that the only one who came from Heaven is the one who is in Heaven, and that is Jesus. I have to continue this topic in future post. But for now, accept Christ as you Savior. Enter God’s rest and begin enjoying heaven on earth. I thank Christ for my opportunity to be a citizen of Heaven.
posted by Rev. Alfred Batarse, PhD. | 9:35 AM
2 Comments:
Amen. I loved this post. It's wonderful to read it in the morning and feel the Lord's presence, it makes the day go by smoother and more restlful. Thank you Lord for your Love and Thank you for Rev. Alfred. I LOVED IT :)
Hello, I am thankful and blessed to hear these works of wisdom.
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