When thinking of “What we do,” there’s that intriguing verse in Hebrews 4:11 which says, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest,” and it’s compared to the Israelites too, who didn’t enter his rest because they “disobeyed” (3:18).
So what “effort” or “obedience” on our part is required of us to enter God’s rest? Or put simply: what are WE supposed to do?
In reply, the author of Hebrews hits us out of the blue, and seemingly totally out of context too, with verses 12 and 13. Which start with a point well documented in history, that “God’s word has an enormous effect on people. That’s because it slices right down to our innermost desires, motives, intentions and attitudes, revealing all to God who sees every bit of us in vivid detail, and we cannot hide from him either. And one day we get to meet this God who knows everything about us, out in the open, face to face.”
Scary stuff. So we’d better put the effort in, right? But think how much effort it would take to be perfect in such a God’s eyes. Not a desire, motive, intention or attitude must be left unchecked. Every bit of his word must be followed in exact detail. Not even one thought, wish, or daydream allowed to stray into territory God wouldn’t approve of.
Impossible? Yes, but absolutely necessary, verse 11, so that “we don’t fall into the same disobedience trap the Israelites fell into.” Is there an answer to all this, then? According to verse 14, yes there is, because it starts off with “Therefore,” the answer then being, “since we have a great high priest….let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”
Verse 15 then explains what that faith we profess is: it’s faith that we have a high priest in God’s presence right now, who knows every weakness we’ve got, and from his own experience as a human knows exactly what we’re up against, and he’s there on our behalf, ready to help us in any way we need.
Our response to that is in verse 16: “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with fullest confidence, that we may receive mercy for our failures and grace to help in the hour of need.” The “obedience” and “making every effort” on our part, then, is totally trusting Jesus to do that for us now and always, because “HE is our salvation, not us”….(next blog)
Buck To Basics 