Reading Through The New Testament – October 19th, 2016 – Hebrews 4 I frequently envy babies in stro
I’ve had moments walking through a mall with my girls where they are hanging on me and we are rushing to get somewhere and I’m tired and want to rest but I can’t.
Then I see a stroller pass by me and there’s some fat baby fast asleep in a blanket being pushed by their mother. Then I think to myself: “Must be nice”.
I’d love to just be pushed around the mall while I take a nap.
Why am I telling you this? - you must be wondering.
Because we all long for a break from all this striving, don’t we?
Hebrews is a really complicated book. There’s so many themes that when we read we kind of go “uh what?, what are they talking about?”
In this chapter there’s a lot of talk about entering rest, or not entering rest.
Why are they talking about rest so much?
There’s even this funny verse about “making effort to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:11) That’s a strange idea to have to expend all this effort to rest. Doesn’t sound like rest at all does it?
The author of Hebrews has a really vast and high view of Jesus. Almost unlike any other person in the Bible. They see Jesus in a new way - and one way is that Jesus invites us to enter an eternal Sabbath rest.
Wow. I love this chapter.
In Hebrews 4 the author is explaining that obeying, not hardening our hearts, is to also receive this invitation to rest.
To stop striving.
To stop from constant worry, work, and anxiety.
Just like God rested on the seventh day because the work was done, so is the same invitations to us.
Why?
Because the work is done.
Jesus did all the work we need. His blood has forgiven us, given us life, and has made a home for us for all eternity. To enter this rest of our souls is to have faith that there is no other thing we need to do to be saved.
or, as I like to say it: we become the fat baby asleep in the stroller, at peace because our Dad is doing the work. We can trust and rest.
Yet, we do have to make effort to rest. Because the world will always call us to worry. We’ll be pulled back in thinking that we have to earn the love that was given, we will always fight against the lie that we need to work harder to be loved more.
So, as you read this, take a deep breath. Make an effort to rest. Calm your anxieties and stresses. Jesus has done all the work that needed to be done for your salvation and forgiveness and there is nothing you have to do today that will make you more loved than you already are.
Rest.
Don’t strive.
This is what faith in Jesus looks like.
It looks like peace.
Like a baby asleep in a stroller.