Better Covenant for us
In the 3rd chapter of Hebrews, we study the ministry of Moses under
the Old Covenant and the ministry of Jesus under the New Covenant. Moses as a
servant was verily faithful in all his house. But Christ
was counted worthy of more glory than Moses inasmuch as he who hath buildeth the house hath more
honor than the house (3:3). Christ was faithful as a Son over His own house;
whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end (3:6).
Under the New Covenant, we are the house of God built by God, Jesus being the
Chief Corner Stone. We would remain as the House of God if we hold fast our faith
till the end.
God wanted the people of Israel to enter the Promised Land (the land
of Canaan). It was not His will that
they should remain in the wilderness over a long period of 40 years, just with their seeing His works by way of miracles.
Evil heart of unbelief
They had an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God (3:12). God was grieved with them because they
do always err in their heart: and they have not known My ways (Vs.10). God swore in His wrath, They shall not enter into My rest" (Vs.11). The
land of Canaan was a place of rest for
the people of Israel.
Sin of unbelief
But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today;
lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Vs.13). Unbelief
is a sin. These days, the people of God do not take God at His Word. They have fallen into the trap of the Devil through unbelief.
Jesus could not perform miracles during His earthly ministry on many occasions because of unbelief (Mark 16:14). Today also, the people of God harden
their hearts through the deceitfulness of sin. The Devil makes the people of God doubt the promises of God so that they do
not hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of their hope firm unto the end. Do you have an evil heart of unbelief, in
departing from the living God? If some miracle is not performed by God in the manner we want it, or if there is some delay
in receiving some blessing from God, we fall into the temptation of departing from the living God. We do not hold Him firmly till the end. Half-way through,
we leave Him and go our way. The Devil rejoices over this. Backsliding or departing from the living God takes us backward
from the Promised Land.
Being partakers of Christ
We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast unto the end (Vs.14). Our confidence in Jesus should be unshaken and firm.
It should be steadfast unto the end. We are made partakers of Christ in this very world. The people of this world would find Christ in us. These days, the people of God want to receive only some
morsels of blessings from God through miracles like the people of Israel
under the Old Covenant. Have you ever thought of being made partakers of Christ?
Remaining in the wilderness all the years
Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt
by Moses.. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief (16-19).
Similarly, not all the people of God redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus
enter the Promised Land. They want to remain in the spiritual wilderness being satisfied with the morsels of divine healing
or some miracles. They do not know that there would be showers of blessing in the Promised Land (Eze.34:25-26). They are grieving the Holy Spirit by their unbelief. If they
remain in the wilderness for a long period, they will also perish as the people of Israel
did. The people of Israel had encountered a physical death
in the wilderness because they grieved God by unbelief. Similarly, we also face a spiritual death in this wilderness if we
do not enter the Promised Land.
Rest for the people of God
Let us now proceed to the chapter 4 of Hebrews. In this chapter, the Holy Spirit
teaches us in detail of the rest for the people of God under the New Covenant. All
the people of Israel could not enter the rest because of unbelief.
This place of rest is none but the Promised Land. The gospel concerning the Promised Land was preached to the people of Israel
also in the same manner as the gospel of Christ is preached to us today (4:2). But the word preached to the people of Israel
did not profit them, not being mixed with faith (4:2). The gospel of
Christ does not end with our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior and with our receiving some morsels of blessings from God.
In many churches, they claim to preach the full gospel, whereas the word full is not mentioned as an affix
to the word gospel. We find the glorious gospel, and not full
gospel. It is the gospel taking us to the glorious land.
God did rest the seventh day from all His works (4:4). There was another
day for the people of Israel under the Old Covenant (4:8). For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another
day (Vs.8). That was a day of rest in the Promised Land.
We have to rest in the perfect work of Gods redemption for us through the Blood
of Jesus as God rested from His perfect work of creation. It is our faith in the finished work of salvation for us through
Christ Jesus. Christ will not again to the Cross for saving us from sin or for healing us. There remaineth,
therefore, a rest to the people of God (Vs.9). In this place of rest, we have to depend upon God 100%, and to have fellowship
with the members of the Body of Christ, the Church.
Ceasing from our own works
For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God did from his (Vs.10).
Entering into rest does not mean physically resting from the ministry of God.
Here, we have to do what God wants us exactly to do in His vineyard. We should
not do more than or less than what He wants to do. If you are an evangelist, you should abide in your calling. If you are
a prophet, you should abide in your calling. You cannot be both a prophet and
a pastor of some local church. If you are an apostle, you cannot confine yourself to the pastoral functions of a local church.
You should not be an all-rounder.
Here, you have to cease from your own works. Doing your own works means taking
on your shoulder many responsibilities which are meant for the other members of His Body. It is a body ministry, each one
of us performing our individual role as a team.
Let us labor, therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the
same example of unbelief (Vs.11).
(T.Job
Anbalagan)
