Hebrews 4:2 - The Faithful find Rest in Jesus!

Heb.4:2; The Faithful find Rest in Jesus!

Heb 4:2 (CWB) Remember that the gospel was preached to them year 
after year in the drama of the Sanctuary just as clearly as it's being 
preached to us today, but it didn't help those who didn't believe, 
because they didn't have faith in God like those who obeyed. Way back, 
when God created this world He said, "Only those whose faith leads to 
obedience will enter into my rest."  So if we have faith in God and obey 
Him, then we'll receive the rest that He promised, which He alone can 
give.  

In the six days of Creation God set in motion a universe whose 
ages He had already determined. God rested on the seventh day, as 
there is no contingency for which He has not planned. There is no 
problem for which He has not already worked out the solution. There is 
no need He has not already arranged to meet. [The 365-Day 
Devotional Commentary] 

There is no problem we can face that God has not already 
provided a solution. Our task then is not to find our own answers. It is 
to listen for His voice, sure He will lead us into His rest (vv. 
9-11).  How much trust can we put in God's voice? Total trust, for 
nothing in our lives is hidden from Him. His Word searches our whole 
being, not to condemn us, but to sense our deepest, most secret needs. 
With these laid bare, God's Spirit guides us to His rest (vv. 12-13). 
[Victor Bible Reader's Companion] 

Have you ever noticed that when you read the Bible, you tend to 
imagine a tone of voice? Reading some passages, like Psalm 23, we 
imagine a warm, loving tone. Reading other passages we can almost hear 
disapproval or anger. Actually, the tone of voice we imagine is most 
helpful--or harmful--when it comes to really understanding God's Word. 
Take for instance those verses that conclude this fascinating 
passage on God's rest. I suspect that most folks tend to hear a grim, 
threatening tone when they read that God's Word is sharper than a sword. 
That it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, and that 
"nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight." 
But if you do imagine a threatening tone as you read, you'll 
miss the message completely! 
You see, the writer has been telling us that God has a wonderful 
gift for us--an inner rest and peace that you and I experience as we 
respond to His voice when He speaks to us in our today. 
It sounds grand. Until we ask, where are we to hear that voice? 
How will we recognize it? Does God speak to me, personally, and not 
to everyone? 
The simple answer is in the Bible. That book, which is rich in 
truth revealed for all mankind, is also God's living and active Word 
to the individual believer. How can that be? Very simply, God's 
Word, while written by men, is a supernatural channel through which He 
speaks personally to the individual. 
The Word of God is so sharp a scalpel that it is able to 
surgically dissect our inmost being. The living, active Word of God 
assesses even our thoughts and attitudes. Nothing is hidden from God, and 
through the Word He has given us He penetrates our consciousness, to 
speak to each of us as an individual. 
The voice of God is heard in the Word of God. And the Word that 
is His voice echoes in sermons and classes and in Christians' 
conversations. As we are sensitive to God and seek His guidance, we hear His 
voice speaking directly to our hearts. As we respond to the voice we 
hear, we find the promise fulfilled in our hearts. Today, we 
experience His rest and find inner peace. [The 365-Day Devotional 
Commentary] 

What a tremendous message of hope this is. Perhaps you've been a 
disobedient Christian. Perhaps you can look back on wasted years and lost 
opportunities. Perhaps you grieve over relationships so tangled and distorted 
that they are beyond healing. Yet whatever happened to you yesterday, 
"the promise of entering His rest still stands." 
You still have today. And God says, "Today, if you hear His 
voice." God does not say, "Yesterday, if you had heard it." Every today 
gives us a fresh start, another opportunity. If you hear His voice 
today, and respond in faith and obedience, you can still experience His 
rest! You can still know peace, and a tomorrow that will be filled 
with joy. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

Make every effort to enter God's rest He does not tell us to 
struggle to obey Him, for this would be useless. But if we make every 
effort to love God and develop that attitude of simple trust, then when 
we hear His voice in our "today," we will obey. And in this kind of 
obedience we will find rest. [Victor Bible Background Commentary] 

Mat 11:28 (KJV)  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest. 
Mat 11:29 (KJV)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I 
am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your 
souls. 
Mat 11:30 (KJV)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.