The Seventh Day: Rest (Live By Faith)
It Is Finished!
There's not much to say about the seventh day. God finished His work. He finished doing everything needed for our salvation. And there's nothing we can add to it!
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. (Genesis 2:1-4)
What in this whole analogy indicated that man could do anything to earn favor with God? Nothing! God did it all. He provided everything before He ever put us here: A plan for redemption; provisions to live on during our short lives here; and the ability to live an abundant life above all of our circumstances.
Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." (Hebrews 4:2-4)
There is but one thing left for each person to do. It's to merely accept God's gift of His Son. It's a "limited time offer." There will be a time when we will not be able to do that any more --death happens for most at a very inopportune time. His message is basically: Don't blow your chance to live eternally with Me!
And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. (Hebrews 4:5-8)
Rest is not only for the lost; it's also for the Christian. The way to please God is to quit striving to live the good Christian life. It can't be done. The only thing He asks is for us to trust wholly in Jesus. When we learn how trustworthy He is, then we can begin to love Him in response rather than duty.
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:9-12)
To further understand the role of a Christian please read through the studies dealing with Law and Grace and Die to the Law. With a firm grasp on that subject living a Godly life becomes easy because it's His yoke we pull and His burden we carry --with Him at our side doing all of the work.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:13-16)
And with Him leading us every step --knowing full well that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus-- we can run to the Father in confidence. We are clothed in His Son and because of that He is also well pleased with us.