Labor to Enter God’s Rest – The Exodus – Part 4

Labor to Enter God’s Rest – The Exodus – Part 4

Hebrews 4:11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (NKJ)

Hebrews 3:12 Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. (NKJ) “Falling away” = aphistémi (af-is’-tay-mee) – apo’ = denotes separation, departure, or reversal of a relationship. – Histémi (his’-tay-mee) = I place myself, stand, I set in balance or weigh.

What made their heart to be considered “evil?” They chose to believe their 5 senses over God.

Numbers 13:25-33 When they returned from spying out the land… 26 … they brought back word to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 “But, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” 30 Then Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31 But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against that people, for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the sons of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone through to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw giants, the sons of Anak, of the race of the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (NKJ) (NLT)

The way we see ourselves determines the way we see everything else. Knowing Who’s you are keeps fear from belittling you.

Numbers 14:6-9 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 “If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 “Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” (NKJ)

Fear and unbelief is considered rebellion because it is telling God, “No!”

Numbers 14:26-35 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. 28 “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; 29 your corpses shall fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30 ‘Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 ‘Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they shall know the land which you have rejected. 32 ‘But as for you, your corpses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 ‘And your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they shall suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses lie in the wilderness. 34 ‘According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you shall know My opposition. 35 ‘I, the LORD, have spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there they shall die.’” (NKJ)

Faith does not speak death by complaining.  It speaks life.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (NKJ)

Luke 6:45-49 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. 46 “And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 “Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My words, and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 “But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.” (NLT)