REST IS MATURITY.
Rest is not the absence of crisis. It's the presence of God through crisis. God wants to give you rest—to settle you down in your marriage, family, relationships, finances, health, job, etc.
Key passage: Hebrews 3:7-12 ESV
"If you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts....
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God."
The HEART is the beginning of REST. Jesus said, "I will give you rest.... For I am gentle and lowly in heart"
(Matthew 11:28-29 ESV).
Rest is the CONDITION of your heart (Hebrews 3).
They went through trials in the desert. The trials exposed their hearts. Circumstances don't change us, but they DO EXPOSE US.
There are four major chambers of the heart.
- FEAR — A fearful heart panics when Satan projects himself as a lion, a giant, an army. We need an established heart.
- LUST — A lustful heart is never satisfied with the provision of God. We need a contented heart.
- PRIDE — Rose up in rebellion against God and Moses as God's authority. A proud heart looks down on others as inferior. We need a humble heart.
- IDOLATRY— Worshiping any material thing and making it an idol in our heart. We need a worshiping heart.
Rest is the CONFIDENCE in the Scriptures.
- What will you do with the promise of God?
- "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him" (1 John 3:21-22 ESV).
- "We who have believed enter that rest" (Hebrews 4:3 ESV).
- Scripture tests our hearts. Scripture is a "two edged sword" that discerns the "thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12 ESV). It discerns between soulish emotion and spiritual confidence.
- When our hearts are full of unbelief, we don't receive the promise of God.
- "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (Romans 10:8 ESV).
Rest is the CONFESSION of your mouth.
- "Let us hold fast our CONFESSION" (Hebrews 4:14 ESV).
- To confess means to "say the same thing." You must say what God says about your situation.
- Jesus is the high priest of our confession. He takes the promises we speak and brings them before God. He takes up our case and sympathizes with our situation.