Rest in the Finished Work

By Brian Williams

Hebrews 3:19 tells us why the children of Israel did not enter into the promised land. Their problem was the same thing that keeps children of God today from enjoying the full benefits of their salvation: unbelief.

I point this out not to condemn; rather, my desire is to see the children of God fully possess all of their benefits in Christ.

Hebrews 4 begins with a sober warning. The very first verse tells us to fear coming short of entering into His rest. In an analogous sense, this hearkens back to the days of the ancient Israelites, to whom God promised a land flowing with milk and honey; a land with homes already built and awaiting their occupancy; a land with large water wells already dug for them; a land of extraordinary vegetation; and the list goes on and on. All they had to do was to go in and rest in the "finished work".

According to Hebrews 4:3, these "…works were finished from the foundation of the world." It was always God's will to lavish the Israelites with this finished work, but as Hebrews 3:19 makes clear, they did not enter in because of unbelief.

In a far grander manner, Revelation 13:8 tells us that Jesus, the Lamb, was slain from the foundation of the world. It has always been the Father's will for Born Again Christian's to rest in the finished work of His Son, Jesus, the Lamb. Tragically, like the Israelites of old, many of God's children today never fully enter into this blessed rest of the Son's finished work because of their unbelief.

I'm referring here to Christians who don't believe that the Lord still heals today, and to Christians who don't believe that all of the gifts of the Spirit are valid for today. Essentially, I'm lovingly referring to Christians who don't understand that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore; and to beloved Christians who don't understand that it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4).

We have an amazing salvation folks! Romans 1:16 tells us that the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. The word for "salvation" in the original Greek text is closely related to the Greek word "sozo", which includes being saved, rescued, delivered, healed, and much more!

The gospel of Christ is a glorious gospel of grace wherein the power of God is available to you in whatever area of your life you are willing to believe for. Now that's AMAZING GRACE! If you're only willing to believe for being saved from hell, then be it unto you according to your faith. But know this, the Lord wants you to experience so much more. Take a look at Psalm 103, where the psalmist enumerates some of the glorious benefits of the child of God. The psalmist advises us to "…forget not all His benefits".

Likewise, Hebrews 4:9 tells us that a rest remains today for the people of God. Verse 11 even tells us to labor to enter into that rest. Then, immediately in verse 12 the Holy Spirit informs us that the Word of God is quick, powerful, sharp, and piercing. The placement of this verse (right after verse 11) is absolutely deliberate because the Word of God is the antidote that utterly destroys the unbelief that will keep you from entering into and resting in the finished work of Jesus.

Don't be destroyed for a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Fully believe that it is always God's will for you to be healed, prospered, delivered, favored, and blessed beyond measure. It's all in His finished work for you. Just believe and receive.

"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all." – First Timothy 4:15