Resting In The Finished Work Of God
For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said, "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest'", although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. Heb 4:3
The rest of God is entering and abiding in His finished works. God rested in His finished works, and when we enter into His works, we enter with Him into that same Rest. The fact that all of God's works are finished is something we have missed for too long. There is nothing left for Him to do.
Before Adam was sent from Eden, to till the ground from where he was taken, it is interesting to see that after he was created, his first day of walking in Eden was in God's rest. God's last day, the seventh day, His day of rest, was also Adam's day of rest. All the works had already been done, which left him in a perfect world with nothing to do but rest in it. Everything was finished and he was commissioned to have dominion over all those works.
When one is called of God to do His will he is called into a finished work; called to duplicate what is already completed in the heavenlies. We must have a clear understanding that all is finished before we step into the call of God. Acknowledging this and believing it positions us in a state of rest and assurance in what God has called us to accomplish. Jesus said, "...for the works which the Father has given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me." (John 5:36) Every work He did was in God's Rest. There were no struggles, no sweat. He saw the finished works, believed them, and brought them into manifestation by His word. Christ instructs us to pray, "...as it is in heaven, let it be on earth". This is a clear view to the reality of the finished works being reproduced on earth.
Think about what you have just read. All His works, everything He made was made before it was ever seen in the earth! Before a flower grew it already was, and the same is with you and me. We were here before we arrived. Ephesians 2:10 says, we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
From an earthly perspective it is not easy to lay hold of the reality that God made everything in Christ first before it was manifest on earth. That is why we are encouraged in Colossians 3:2-4 to set our affections on things above, not on things of the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
All He had to do was speak forth His word and activate what was already alive in Christ! There are those things which are in Christ waiting for their time and season to be made known in the earth. We are chosen of God to be a voice that unlocks and activates the finished works of God in the earth today. That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) This scripture illuminates the concept of the finished work of God. Our responsibility is to duplicate and manifest the reality of that which is finished in the heavenlies.
When Jesus was on the earth he didn't attempt to do anything outside of what He perceived was in the finished works. He simply spoke that which he saw; bringing into existence what was already done. "...the Son can do nothing of Himself, only what He sees the Father do; for whatever He sees the Father do, the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19) An example of this can be found when Jesus healed the man who was born blind, Jesus answered, "Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:3) The man was healed before he even heard those wonderful words, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam."
Walking in the rest of God and manifesting the finished works requires that we embrace the mind of Christ which is available to all who are followers of Christ. Our human mentalities cannot perceive the things that are eternal. Therefore, it is necessary that we cultivate an eternal mentality. Paul exhorts us to "set our minds on the things above and not on the things of the earth". We need to become heavenly minded in order to become effective on the earth. Furthermore, being diligent to construct a belief system which has faith in what is not seen by the natural senses is crucial to being able to enter the rest Hebrews speaks about, For we who have believed do enter that rest.
Believing is the key to the rest of God. However, we cannot believe spiritual truths that have not been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. There must be revelation in order to believe. We cannot grasp the things of eternity until they have been illuminated to us by the Spirit of God. Just laying hold of teachings because they sound good will not enable us to walk in the rest of God. Our believing is more than mental persuasion; it has to do with where we are in Christ and the things He has enabled us to comprehend by the Spirit.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest... (Heb 4:11a). The King James says that we are to labour to enter that rest. The words diligent and labour sound as if we can't help but break into a sweat; however, the word labour here means to act with speed or to be eager. It is essential for all longing to enter the rest of God to make it a priority and do so with haste!
The rest of God is entering and abiding in His finished works. God rested in His finished works, and when we enter into His works, we enter with Him into that same Rest. The fact that all of God's works are finished is something we have missed for too long. There is nothing left for Him to do.
Before Adam was sent from Eden, to till the ground from where he was taken, it is interesting to see that after he was created, his first day of walking in Eden was in God's rest. God's last day, the seventh day, His day of rest, was also Adam's day of rest. All the works had already been done, which left him in a perfect world with nothing to do but rest in it. Everything was finished and he was commissioned to have dominion over all those works.
When one is called of God to do His will he is called into a finished work; called to duplicate what is already completed in the heavenlies. We must have a clear understanding that all is finished before we step into the call of God. Acknowledging this and believing it positions us in a state of rest and assurance in what God has called us to accomplish. Jesus said, "...for the works which the Father has given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me." (John 5:36) Every work He did was in God's Rest. There were no struggles, no sweat. He saw the finished works, believed them, and brought them into manifestation by His word. Christ instructs us to pray, "...as it is in heaven, let it be on earth". This is a clear view to the reality of the finished works being reproduced on earth.
ALL THINGS WERE BEFORE THEY WERE MANIFEST
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. This is the history (generations, descendants, families) of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens Before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground. Gen 2:1-5Think about what you have just read. All His works, everything He made was made before it was ever seen in the earth! Before a flower grew it already was, and the same is with you and me. We were here before we arrived. Ephesians 2:10 says, we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
From an earthly perspective it is not easy to lay hold of the reality that God made everything in Christ first before it was manifest on earth. That is why we are encouraged in Colossians 3:2-4 to set our affections on things above, not on things of the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
All He had to do was speak forth His word and activate what was already alive in Christ! There are those things which are in Christ waiting for their time and season to be made known in the earth. We are chosen of God to be a voice that unlocks and activates the finished works of God in the earth today. That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) This scripture illuminates the concept of the finished work of God. Our responsibility is to duplicate and manifest the reality of that which is finished in the heavenlies.
When Jesus was on the earth he didn't attempt to do anything outside of what He perceived was in the finished works. He simply spoke that which he saw; bringing into existence what was already done. "...the Son can do nothing of Himself, only what He sees the Father do; for whatever He sees the Father do, the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19) An example of this can be found when Jesus healed the man who was born blind, Jesus answered, "Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:3) The man was healed before he even heard those wonderful words, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam."
Walking in the rest of God and manifesting the finished works requires that we embrace the mind of Christ which is available to all who are followers of Christ. Our human mentalities cannot perceive the things that are eternal. Therefore, it is necessary that we cultivate an eternal mentality. Paul exhorts us to "set our minds on the things above and not on the things of the earth". We need to become heavenly minded in order to become effective on the earth. Furthermore, being diligent to construct a belief system which has faith in what is not seen by the natural senses is crucial to being able to enter the rest Hebrews speaks about, For we who have believed do enter that rest.
Believing is the key to the rest of God. However, we cannot believe spiritual truths that have not been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. There must be revelation in order to believe. We cannot grasp the things of eternity until they have been illuminated to us by the Spirit of God. Just laying hold of teachings because they sound good will not enable us to walk in the rest of God. Our believing is more than mental persuasion; it has to do with where we are in Christ and the things He has enabled us to comprehend by the Spirit.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest... (Heb 4:11a). The King James says that we are to labour to enter that rest. The words diligent and labour sound as if we can't help but break into a sweat; however, the word labour here means to act with speed or to be eager. It is essential for all longing to enter the rest of God to make it a priority and do so with haste!
