Working to complete a finish work

Working to complete a finish work

Imagine if one day you came home early to prepare a wonderful dinner to your spouse. Then, after you finished preparing the meal, you carefully hid it at a special place and quickly went out to get some fresh flowers and scented candles to fully impress your loved one. On your way back, to your surprise and disappointment, you found your spouse at the kitchen, busy preparing dinner. She could be lying on the couch, resting, if she only knew the work was already done!

Are we acting the same way toward God?

"I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build--the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them".

Joshua 24:13

The Israelites didn’t believe God had given the land which flowed with milk and honey (Exo 3:8) and for this reason they didn’t enter and enjoy it. The Promised Land was a picture of the finished work of Christ, because it is a land in which God’s people would enjoy living in houses they didn’t build, eats from vineyards they didn’t plant. Their blessings were based on the work of another.

Today some Christians also struggle to believe that God is “that good” to give them blessings based on the finished work of Christ and not based on their own performance. Some find hard to believe that by Jesus stripes they ARE healed  (Isaiah 53, 1 Peter 2:24); They find difficult to believe that ALL their sins have been forgiven (Daniel 9:24; Rom 4:7, Eph 4:32, Col 2:13, Heb 10:17, 18); They don’t believe they are ALREADY complete, and their ONLY LABOR is to enter in God’s REST and allowing the Holy Spirit to YIELD HIS FRUIT in their lives(Col 2:10, Heb 4:11, Gal 5:22-25); They don’t believe that the enemy HAS BEEN defeated by Christ at the Cross, and that today we should ONLY ENFORCE that victory by holding on to the TRUTH that we are RIGHTEOUS as we proclaim the GOSPEL of Christ which will strengthen our FAITH and make us rejoice over the SALVATION that is revealed through the WORD (Ephesians 6:12-17).

I strongly believe that the reason why many are not getting answers to their prayers is because they are trying to finish the work that has been finished by Christ. This very act of trying to get something God has declared it’s already yours is called UNBELIEF. The book of Hebrews explains this truth brilliantly:

1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

3 For we which have believed do enter into rest (…)

6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief”.

9 There remaineth therefore a rest* to the people of God.

* (the word here is sabbatismos, a Sabbath rest, a rest from all work).

10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

This is the only portion of scripture that tells us to fear and that fear is linked to not believing that THERE IS A REST provided by God to his people. When we don’t enter in that rest by worrying and trying to gain God’s approval by self-effort, it does not put our salvation in jeopardy, but it means that we will not enjoy all the fullness of the blessings that ARE ALREADY provided in the REST. The author of the book of Hebrews goes on to explain what is that rest today:

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

In verse 14, the word “profession” in the original Greek means: whom we profess to be ours. In other words, keep confessing that Jesus is ours and that we are His. Keep confessing that we ARE HEALED, THE ENEMY IS DEFEATED, WE HAVE FINANCIAL PROVISION, WE HAVE WISDOM, WE HAVE GOD’S FAVOR, ALL OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN, WE ARE GOD’S BELOVED...

Jesus is our Sabbath! He finished the work of redemption at the Cross and created by His on flesh a new and living way to all of us into a place of rest in the Father’s heart (Heb 10:20).

Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into this wonderful place of peace and rest, prepared to those who BELIEVE in God’s Word.