Eternal Rest – Hebrews 4:3

March 19, 2024 Becky

A Heart Filled With A Verse

Eternal Rest - A Heart Filled With A Bible Verse For Rest

Hebrews 4:3

“For only we who believe can enter His rest. As for the others, God said, ‘In My anger I took an oath: “They will never enter My place of rest,”‘ even though this rest has been ready since He made the world.” Hebrews 4:3 (NLT)

aheartfilled.com

Eternal Rest

In my Life Application Study Bible, chapter 4 of Hebrews is titled “Promised Rest for God’s People”. It’s a short chapter with only 16 verses, so I encourage you to stop real quick and read through the chapter before continuing with this devotion.

Besides the key verse for this devotion (Hebrews 4:3), some of the other verses that stand out to me when I read through this chapter are:

“God’s promise of entering His rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.” Hebrews 4:1 (NLT)

“For this good news – that God has prepared this rest – has been announced to us just as it was to them.” Hebrews 4:2 (NLT)

“So God set another time for entering His rest, and that time is TODAY. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: ‘Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts.’” Hebrews 4:7 (NLT)

“So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9 (NLT)

God Promises Eternal Rest For His Children!!

Eternal rest is our ultimate reward, friends!! We get to walk with this hope every single day we are here on Earth. God’s promise, mentioned in this chapter, will come to pass. As fellow Believers, our final rest will be literally in His presence forever and ever. But, until then, we have access to our Heavenly Father through the means of filling up on His word, which is “alive and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). It’s through this time we take to fill up on this goodness that we begin to find rest in His presence. We rest deeply the more time we spend with Him. It’s in these quiet times, alone with Him, we find His peace, assurance, and understanding of what verse 3 is all about.

Eternity With The Author Of Rest

I absolutely love the Life Application Study Bible Notes for this chapter of the Bible. It allows me to dig deeper into the chapter. While I know eternity with the Author of rest is in my future, I still love being reminded of this promise. Do you know where you will be resting throughout all of eternity? Check out what the Bible note from Hebrews 4:6-7 says…

“Now God offers us the opportunity to enter His ultimate place of rest – He invites us to come to Christ. To enter His rest, you must believe that God has this relationship in mind for you; you must stop trying to create it; you must trust in Christ for it; and you must determine to obey Him. Today is the best time to find peace with God. Tomorrow may be too late.”
Life Application Study Bible, ©2004, p 2092

Eternal rest is available to us all!! (John 3:16) Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you know for sure that your eternity will be spent with the Author of rest? If not, I encourage you to keep seeking out the truth in God’s Word, because…

“God wants us to enter His rest. For Christians, it is peace with God now and eternal life on a new earth later. We do not need to wait for the next life to enjoy God’s rest and peace; we may have it daily now! Our daily rest in the Lord will not end with death but will become an eternal rest in the place that Christ is preparing for us (John 14:1-4).”
Life Application Study Bible, ©2004, p 2092

“For only we who believe can enter His rest.” Hebrews 4:3a (NLT)

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:11 (ESV)

Our final rest is dependent on what we believe now.

Friends, please don’t harden your hearts. Take action when you hear God’s voice. Invite Him in and lean into His presence today, tomorrow, and every day after!!

Ready to start seeking out the truth in God’s Word? Make sure to read my Found In Jesus post for recommendations on where to start your hunt!