#90 THE REST OF THE REDEEMED 9-5-26
The book of Hebrews speaks often about inheritance, promise, and rest. The inheritance belongs to those who trust God, and the promise of rest runs throughout the story of redemption (Hebrews 1:14; 6:12; 9:15). The land of promise in the Old Testament was more than a piece of earthly territory. It pointed forward to something greater. It was a shadow of the spiritual rest we find in Christ. It was not primarily a picture of heaven someday, but a picture of fellowship with Jesus today.
Heaven will certainly be a place of eternal rest, but Hebrews calls us to something we can experience right now. There is a rest for the soul that comes from knowing that Jesus has finished the work of redemption. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This is not merely a promise about the world to come. It is an invitation for today. Christ does not simply promise to give us rest when we die. He gives rest to those who come to Him while they live.
REST FOLLOWS WORK
Rest follows work. God completed His work of creation and then rested from His work (Genesis 2:1-3). Hebrews connects that divine rest with the greater rest available through faith (Hebrews 4:3-4). Under the Law of Moses, the Sabbath taught Israel to stop working and rest. It was a shadow pointing toward something deeper and greater.
The Sabbath reminded God’s people that they did not have to keep working endlessly. There was a time to cease from labor. There was a time to rest in what God had accomplished. In Christ, that picture becomes reality. We are not saved by working hard enough to make ourselves acceptable to God. We are saved because Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves.
THE WORK IS FINISHED
The greatest words of rest in all of Scripture were spoken from a cross. Jesus looked at the work He had come into the world to accomplish and said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). He did not say, “I have started it.” He did not say, “I have made it possible if you can finish the rest.” He said, “It is finished.”
Then Hebrews tells us that Christ “offered one sacrifice for sins forever” and “sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). The sitting down matters. Priests under the old covenant continually stood and offered sacrifices because their work was never finally finished. But Jesus offered Himself once, completely and perfectly, and then sat down.
His sitting down tells us that the work was completed. The sacrifice was sufficient. Redemption had been accomplished. The victory had been secured.
REST IN THE REDEEMER
This does not mean that Christians stop serving, obeying, praying, working, or growing. Faith produces action. Grace teaches us to live differently (Titus 2:11-12). But there is a difference between working for salvation and working because we have been saved.
We serve from rest, not for rest. We obey because we love Him, not because we are trying to purchase His love. We walk with Christ because He has already opened the way to God. Our good works are not an attempt to finish what Jesus left unfinished. They are the fruit of trusting the One who finished everything necessary for our redemption (Ephesians 2:8-10).
There is a great freedom in knowing that Christ is enough. When the conscience is troubled, look to Christ. When guilt overwhelms you, look to Christ. When you feel that you must somehow earn God’s acceptance, look to Christ. The answer is not found in working harder to become worthy. The answer is found in trusting more deeply in the One who loved you and gave Himself for you (Galatians 2:20).
The rest of the redeemed is not laziness. It is confidence. It is the quiet assurance that our salvation rests upon Christ and not upon our ability to save ourselves. It is the peace of knowing that the Savior who began His work in us is faithful to continue His work in us (Philippians 1:6).
One day we will enter eternal rest with God. But do not wait until heaven to enjoy the rest Christ offers. There is rest for the weary heart today. There is peace for the troubled conscience today. There is fellowship with the Redeemer today. Christ has finished the work. Come to Him. Trust Him. Abide in Him. And rest in the finished work of the Savior.
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Father, thank You for Jesus and for the finished work of redemption. Teach us to stop trying to earn what You have freely given through Christ. Help us to work faithfully, serve gladly, and obey lovingly, but always from the rest of knowing that our Redeemer has finished the work. Give peace to our hearts and help us rest completely in Jesus. Amen.
BDD
