Hebrews 4:4-5

"For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest (and that's the word we're really looking at. God rested) the seventh day from all his works. 5. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest."


Now this whole idea of rest then is laying on us the simple fact that if something is complete and there is nothing more that man can do, God himself has said "It's very good," then what are we to do? Rest. Now if you're resting, and I'll just use a simple childlike illustration. If you buy a ticket from Tulsa to New York and you go and take your seat and the plane no more than takes off and makes its curve and probably heading back toward the east, immediately, as soon as you're able, you jump up out of your seat, you run forward and you may even be able to get as far as the pilot's cabin, you say "Are you really going the right direction?"


Now we'd say that's ridiculous. That pilot knows where he's going. But listen, not half as ridiculous as when we doubt God. But you see this is exactly what people do. They make a profession of salvation, they may go through a prescribed ritual, and there's no peace, there's no assurance of salvation. So what do they do? They're constantly running here, running there, trying to find the answers to their dilemma. I mean, we have it happen all the time. And then all of a sudden, they enter into this saving Grace of God where they suddenly realize they can do nothing but believe it and then what can they do? Rest. Just like the airline passenger that can sit back in his seat, relax, start reading something and forget all about the responsibilities of where that pilot is going. Because they have total faith in the plane and the system.


Well, that's what we have to do with our salvation. God has said it's finished and we don't have to sweat and work and try to do this and do that. We just rest in it. Now that doesn't mean we don't work. I'm talking about the salvation experience. And see that's why Canaan became such a beautiful picture of the whole scenario. Rest was rejected because of unbelief but on the other hand a picture of what rest really can be for the believer. Oh, we can just revel in the fact that we don't have to work, work, work, work for salvation, as that's all been done. It's finished.