In Hebrews 4, we read about entering God’s rest. But what is God’s rest? How do you enter God’s rest according to the Bible and live from His rest and experience the peace of God in your life?
The road to peace and eternal life
Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teaches thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea (uIsaya 58:17-18)
The road to peace and eternal life, is the road of faith in God and obedience to His Word.
Without ukholo and without obedience to God’s Word and His voice, you can’t please God and walk on the path of the righteous.
On the path of the righteous walk those, abakholwayo kuYesu Kristu, the Son of God and obey Jesus and stay loyal to Him.
Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebhere 11:6)
Without faith it’s impossible to enter His rest and receive the things, that God has provided for those, who are in Jesus Christ.
The life in Jesus Christ is all about faith in Him and to stay in Him; ilizwi.
When the redemptive work of Jesus was accomplished on the eighth day, God could enter into His rest. Because His old creation; ixhego, who was separated from God and fallen from his position and affected by evil, was restored (healed) by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His blood. Man had the ability to become a son or daughter of God; umntu omtsha, who is reconciled with God and restored in His position and has in Christ the highest (ngokomoya) dominion on earth. Now everything was good, yes very good (Funda kwakhona: Ngosuku lwesibhozo, imini yendalo entsha).
How do you enter God’s rest?
In Hebrews chapter 4, we read about entering God’s rest. We can only enter His rest, by faith through regeneration in Him and be obedient to Christ and His words.
The people of Israel were abangamthobeliyo uThixo, when they dwelled in the wilderness. They didn’t believe in God’s provision, and kept doing their own will.
They went their own way, and they tested and evoked God to anger, by creating other gods. But they didn’t only made other gods, as a substitute for God, they also murmured and complaint, became disobedient to His law, sinned etc.
God hated their attitude. Every time that God gave them a chance to repent, but they often times, they were not willing to repent. God saw, that His own people didn’t trust Him, and therefore they didn’t obey God.
God had shown His love to His people, by leading them out of the land of Egypt, bringing them out of the oppression of Pharaoh, leading them through the water into the wilderness, and by protecting them day and night, by feeding them, by taking care of them, and by doing many wonders.
Longing for their old life
But it wasn’t good enough, because His people kept complaining. They were longing for their old life in Egypt, when they had plenty of food and drinks. They were willing to go back and be oppressed by Pharaoh, in return for food and drinks, instead of living in freedom and have God as their Provider.
His people were rebellious and didn’t want to listen to God and obey His words. While God loved them so much, because they were the apple of His eye. He wanted the best for them, and wanted to take care of them. But they didn’t trust Him. Because of their disobedience and because of their rebellious behaviour, God promised them, that they would never enter His rest.
There was only one man of that generation, who was allowed to enter God’s rest and enter the promised land, and that was Joshua.
Joshua entered the promised land, with a entsha generation. Joshua was faithful and obedient to God. He kept His commandments and His law.
Why did Joshua keep His commandments? Because He loved God with his whole heart, and trusted Him.
When you trust God, you will obey Him
Without faith, you will not be able to trust Him and obey Him. When you really trust God, then you shall also obey Him. You shall follow-up His advice. His Word shall be in you, and you shall keep His Word, and stay obedient to His Word.
Ngokukholwa kuYesu Kristu, you are redeemed from the powers of darkness, and now you belong to Jesus. When you become again, you will become a son of God and live in His Kingdom. When you enter His Kingdom, you shall enter His rest. You will not enter by your own works, but by faith in Jesus Christ and by becoming born again in the Spirit.
As long as you stay in Christ, you shall stay in God’s rest
As long as you stay obedient to His Word, and keep His commandments, you shall stay in Christ and stay in God’s rest. Ngoko ke, you shall experience peace in your life.
But you can leave His Kingdom any time you want. As soon as you become disobedient to the Word of God; to His will, and His commandments, you shall leave Him and His Kingdom, and you shall depart God’s rest.
When you leave His Word, you shall leave His peace, and shall fall.
Ngoko ke, the devil only wants one thing, and that is to bring you into a place, where you will become disobedient to God, and live in rebellion against His Word.
Xa u permit sin in your life, and become disobedient to God, you shall experience turmoil. The peace, God’s rest, that you experienced before, shall be taken away from you.
Why the wicked have no peace?
God says in His Word, that the wicked, the people who live without God, don’t experience peace and that they are like a troubled sea:
But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked (uIsaya 57:20-21)
The wicked, abangakholwayo; those, who don’t know Jesus Christ, live without God, and do what pleases them. The unbelievers have no need for His advice, they don’t need His love, His care, nor His provision. The unbelievers have appointed themselves as god over their lives and have made their own worldly facilities, that have taken over God’s provisions. They live in sin and iniquity. They walk on their own path, the carnal path, which leads to eternal death.
‘Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men’
God warns you not to enter the path of the wicked, and not go in the way of evil men. The only way to not enter this path and way, is by staying obedient to God’s words and keep walking in faith and obedience to Him.
You have choice. Therefore you can choose the way of the world, with all its turmoil, or choose the way of Jesus, that gives you rest, noxolo, and leads to eternal life.
Believe in Jesus, and keep His commandments, and He shall keep you in His rest and in His peace. When you keep His commandments, then you shall stay in God’s rest and experience peace in your life. Ewe, then your peace shall be like a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
‘Yibani yityuwa yehlabathi’
