To Encourage You

Hebrews 4:1 “Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.”

Do you realize that not all fear is bad?  You’ve seen the t-shirts with the words in bold letters, “No Fear!”  I’m not real sure of the point the wearer of these t-shirts is trying to make for if one has no fear of anything it is possible they might end up in a very bad place.  

A child learns very early on, especially if they’ve touched one, that they should fear a hot stove. I recall an incident many years ago when a friend’s child unwittingly leaned against a wood burner and was instantly burned.  I’m sure that child never thought about a wood burner in quite the same way again.  And while Jesus told His followers many times to “fear not,” and to trust Him, He also warned that there were some things of which we should be afraid.  For example, He said this in Matthew 10:28: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him Who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Similarly, we are told in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  To fear God is to recognize that He exists and that what He says is to be taken very seriously, for there are very severe consequences if we do not. 

A person Who doesn’t fear God has no understanding of Who He is.  They don’t realize the power He has. They don’t realize the absolute Truth of all He has said.  They live life as if the existence of God doesn’t matter, and their nonchalance will one day end in nothing but fear if they don’t wake up.  That’s the warning of God’s Word to us, such as the words written in the verse above from Hebrews 4.  This passage is speaking of God’s “rest.” This “rest” is simply a synonym for salvation.  Before one knows God there is no true rest in the sense that the word is used here. For one, many people are trying to deal with their feelings of guilt, anxiety, and fear (no matter what their t-shirts might say) by their own efforts and works. This might be by way of various religious practices, such as a list of dos and don’ts, or by various religious ceremonies. Others might seek that inner rest by visiting a psychologist or psychiatrist and taking whatever advice they give or taking whatever medicine they prescribe.  Some look to Yoga or other Eastern meditation practices.  But there is only one place that true inner peace, the “rest” of God, is available, i.e., by placing our faith not in our own works but on the work of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus did all that is necessary for our salvation. He paid the debt for our sin on the cross. It is only as we place our faith in what He has done for us, rather than in what we can do ourselves, that true rest comes.  But we must believe, and there is a time limit for us to do so.  It’s not something that should be put off. It’s not something we should think that we’ll do “someday” perhaps at a time when it is more convenient to us.  No, God has told us we should fear lest our opportunity passes, and we find our self in a place one day where there is no rest. 

You see, the Bible tells us that “There is no peace for the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22).  There’s no inner peace now, and there will be no peace in eternity.  That’s one of the most sobering realities of hell: no peace, no rest, forever.  What a wonderful thing is physical rest, that time in the evening when the day’s work is done. It’s a gift of God.  In fact, from the beginning, God has ordained one day in seven as a time of rest. It’s a precious gift.  But this Sabbath rest is but a shadow of the eternal rest that is available to those Who will believe and be saved. 

It’s an awesome reality, this wonderful gift of God, but to miss it by failing to believe while there is yet time is the greatest tragedy that any person can experience. And so the Lord warns us to fear lest we miss it. 

May the hearts of all who know Him rejoice in the precious rest of God. And may those who do not be taught to fear lest they forever miss the opportunity to experience it.