140-Resting in the Work Completed by God#
140-Resting in the Work God Has Completed
(JP Text Group - Grace Grass Organization)
The topic we are sharing today is: Resting in the Work Completed by God
(Background music: That Love)
Close your eyes and be still before God. You can raise your hand; you know that at this moment, our God loves you very much. This world was created for you. He made everything simply because He loves you, placing you in this world to enjoy His love in His rest. Jesus came to the cross because He loves you.
You can also pray softly; Jesus is listening to your prayer right now. Jesus has always loved you and has never left you. When you reach out your hand, He holds your hand. He wants to save you, to bring you into the light, so that you can enjoy His blessings, abundant blessings, which is Jesus, the one who has always loved you, now in your heart.
When you pray, He is listening to your prayer. Do not doubt; tell Him your worries and troubles because He loves you and is willing to seek you out. Hallelujah!
He has been waiting for you to open the door of your heart; speak to Him in prayer! Do you know how much God loves you? You are His beloved, and He looks forward to walking forward with you. Those days of suffering are over; He wants to give you His rest. He invites you to walk forward with Him; this is Jesus. I believe the Holy Spirit is touching your heart at this moment.
The winter rain has stopped, and the flowers are blooming on the ground. He has prepared everything, waiting to share with you... Do you hear His call? Come with Him! This is our Jesus, the Jesus who loves you! Cast your worries upon Him; He can dry your tears and comfort your soul.
Jesus accompanies you with His grace throughout your life, hoping that you will walk with Him. Follow in the footsteps of Jesus; do not look at this world. As long as you are willing to follow Him, all of this is yours; He will give you all blessings. No matter how much you fail or suffer, He can save you. He wants to rescue you from darkness and bring you into light.
The love of Jesus can warm you; He accompanies you with His abundant grace throughout your life. As long as you are willing to follow Him, come and follow Him! Hallelujah! At this moment, you are in His rest, you are in His provision; He has renewed everything about you. Hallelujah!
Genesis 2:1-3
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day, God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day, he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Let us first say a prayer:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You! Because You love us, You placed us in this world. You brought us into this world not to let us suffer or endure death, but to grant us Your eternal life, allowing us to enjoy Your abundant grace in this world. As the new week begins, we look solely to You, seeking Your words to renew our thoughts within, so that we increasingly have Your thoughts, to view this world through Your perspective. In all aspects of life, You will help me, so I am in Your rest, enjoying the rest You have given me, working in that rest. Lord, through today's words, grant me what I need; I am willing to open my heart to You. Thank You and praise You, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!
What we just read in Genesis 2:1-3 tells us that man was created on the sixth day. In chapter 1, verse 26, God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness." In verse 31, God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Everything God created is good, but after creating man, He said it was very good! This is how you are viewed in God's eyes, brothers and sisters. Do you know that you are very good in God's eyes? It is indeed very good. Because everything is perfect. Amen!
Man was created on the sixth day. Why not create man on the first day? Some say that there was no land on the first day; wouldn't man drown? In fact, if man were created on the first day, it would have been problematic; could he survive in the world? At that time, there was no air, so man could not live. Because God loves you so much, He created you last, after the animals, so we have nothing to boast about; the animals were created before us. But those placed last are blessed and the most fortunate. Amen!
The last shall be first, which means the grace of the last will be greater than that of the first. If you think the Israelites were already blessed enough, today I tell you, you are more blessed than the Israelites. They were under the law; you are under grace. They had to rely on their own efforts to gain God's favor; you were deemed very good in God's eyes from the beginning. As we enter the new year, God hopes we enter into His rest, resting in the work completed by God. God's work of creation has been finished; He did not say to Adam, "Oh, I suddenly remembered there is something I haven't created, so you need to help me create it." God had prepared everything and then created man.
Someone asked me, "Teacher Ren, why did God create us?" Because God loves us. If God created you out of love and then made you manage everything in this world, it would become law. It would be as if God had nothing better to do than to create a group of people and say, "I want to create a ball and put them on it, then let them manage it. If they don't manage it well, I'll take care of them." Wouldn't that be law? In fact, God's purpose in creating us is very simple: He loves us, and that is correct.
The second point is, because He wants to bless us. Letting us manage this world is to enjoy the blessings God has given us. God knows that each of us has a desire for power; no matter who you are, you always want to manage something in this world. The smallest unit of management in this world is the family.
Even if someone has never held any official position in this world, being a parent at home allows them to manage a child. What if there are no children? Don't worry; you can manage a dog, a cat, or even a plant at home. Everyone has this desire, so when God created us, He knew we had this desire to manage the world. God said, "No problem, I will create a huge earth and place you on it; you go manage it." If it were merely to let us manage freely, it would be like the world we see today.
But God is not like that. God created us to enjoy His blessings. Remember this: God loves you, so He created you in this world to enjoy His blessings. Therefore, God prepared everything and placed you in this world to let you know that He is your provider, He is your God, and He can supply all your needs.
When God provided air for Adam, Adam did nothing; he wasn't even there yet. When God prepared the flowers, trees, and everything he would eat and use, we receive God's provision as a free gift of grace. Hallelujah. On the sixth day, God created all this and then created Adam; wasn't the seventh day a day of rest?
Brothers and sisters, the Sabbath and the day of rest are not the same. Why do I not use the term "Sabbath"? The Bible does not say that the seventh day is the Sabbath; do not misunderstand. Many of us say, "Look, God created everything in six days, and on the seventh day, He entered the Sabbath, which proves that day is a day of rest."
In fact, that is incorrect, brothers and sisters. On the seventh day, God never called it the Sabbath. Here, God refers to it as a holy day. On that day, He entered into rest, so it is a day of rest, but it cannot be called the Sabbath; there is a distinction. A day of rest does not necessarily have to be that day.
Brothers and sisters, when God created all things, He did not rest within Himself. This is working in rest; for God, every day is His day of rest. Only the seventh day is called a holy day, and on that day, God rested from all His work. Even when God is working, He is still enjoying rest.
When do we lose rest? It is when you feel helpless, when you cannot control everything, and you begin to feel anxious and restless; you lose your rest. But God is different; at all times, our Jesus possesses rest. No matter what problems He faces, He has God's rest within Him, so He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
He Himself is our rest, so you can enjoy the provision God gives you in this world. You can also strive to make yourself very wealthy; you can work hard to become healthier. You can do this and that, study the stock market, invest; none of this is a problem. But what is important is that God hopes you will do these things with rest. Amen!
Many times, after finishing something, we feel it is not perfect and need to modify it. But after God created everything, He did so in rest, so everything He created is good. If you possess God's rest, everything you do does not need to be repeated; it is good, and it is done in one go. God does not want us to rely on ourselves. For thousands of years, people have relied on themselves and have failed. God hopes we live in His rest.
After Adam was created, did Adam work? In fact, Adam did one thing. On the sixth day, Adam was created, and on the seventh day, God entered into rest, ceasing all His work. Do you think on that holy day, God sat down and said, "Adam, go and prune that tree for me; I think that tree looks bad, go trim it"?
God did not do that, brothers and sisters. What is the great mystery here? God created everything and entered into rest; He brought Adam into rest with Him. In other words, at the very beginning, because God loved Adam, He created everything to serve Adam. He loves Adam and loves you; this world was created for you. You can work for the Lord in this world, and at the same time, you will receive God's rewards.
However, people in the world do not understand this and strive hard in the world without knowing the purpose. Many people say, "I work hard to earn more money." But what does that mean? Some earn money but cannot spend it; how unfortunate! Some spend it in the hospital, which is even more regrettable. God's purpose in creating us today is to let us enjoy all that He has given us. Amen!
Last week, I saw an article online about a young man abroad who invented QR code scanning. It is now very common; many companies use that QR code. With a scan of the phone, everything about the company is written there, originally as an advertisement. It is very convenient. This young man earned over 300 million by the age of 25. Many people invested in his project, but he sold everything, sold his house, and took his wife and children to travel around the world. Others said this person was crazy, but he was enjoying everything God created.
Many people are too busy, busy to the point of becoming a machine, desperately trying to earn money and work, forgetting to take a look at the beauty of the world God created. Of course, brothers and sisters, many people say we need to work; we have to work. That is true. The mindset you have when you work is extremely important. God hopes you will work in His rest.
This means to look at your work, the people around you, and your environment with God's ability; everything will change. You are not complaining every day, asking why you have to go to work, why you have to earn money, why you have to take care of children, and so on. Many complaints arise. If Adam had been created and saw this world, what would his feelings be? Would he feel pain? He would be very joyful because everything is beautiful and new to him; this is Adam. Amen!
At that time, he was in God's blessing, in God's rest. On the day of rest, which is the holy day, God said that no work should be done. So when Adam wanted to do something, God said, "Do not work." You see how important this is. Just like at the beginning of a new week, our important principle is to first come before God, not to rush to work, but to receive His power and rest! With this rest, your work will be different. So did God let Adam work? Yes, let us take a look at,
Genesis 1:26-28
26 Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Brothers and sisters, if God asked you to do this work now, would it be tiring? If anyone thinks it is not tiring, they can give it a try. If God suddenly gave you a hundred children and said, "You name them," you probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night. God's first job for Adam was to name the animals; that was exhausting because there are too many animals in this world. How many unique names can you think of right now? Please don’t say, "I will name it Spider One, Spider Two, Spider Three," that wouldn't work.
So in different situations, wisdom is needed. What should we do? If you rely on yourself, you often work under pressure; this is our current state. If after believing in Jesus, you still rely on yourself to work and handle family issues, you will feel very tired and under a lot of pressure. It is as if you are sick, very rushed, with no time at all; you should work in rest.
When God created Adam, He did something very important. When God created him, He did so in His image and likeness. Brothers and sisters, you have God's likeness; the Holy Spirit within you is the same as God. The power of the Holy Spirit within you is the same as the Spirit that created all things. When God created all things, He used this Holy Spirit; today God has placed this Holy Spirit within you. However, it is strange that many people do not use Him, which is a problem.
God created man in His image and likeness, proving that there should be no gender discrimination. Whether sisters or brothers, the Holy Spirit within us is the same; the Holy Spirit does not distinguish between male and female; He is a Spirit. After creating them, God blessed them. This point is very important; God did not say to Adam, "First name the animals, and then I will bless you." That would mean you have to work hard to earn God's blessings. But in fact, the Bible does not say this; God created him and then blessed them, and then said, "Be fruitful and multiply."
This order is crucial for us; one is under grace, and the other is under law. One relies on oneself, and the other relies on God. When God placed the Holy Spirit in Adam, He blessed them at that time. He then said, "Be fruitful and multiply," which refers to having children.
If God had never given Adam the wisdom to have children, would he have been able to have children? Wouldn't that be impossible? Just joking. Later, it says to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and then subdue it. God entrusted the entire world to Adam to manage, which requires wisdom. If you have three or four children at home, managing them can be quite a headache, let alone so many animals, plants, fish, and insects that need naming. Just think about it; it can be quite a headache.
If you possess God's wisdom, you will find that everything is no longer a job but becomes a joy. This is working in rest, which is different from working under pressure. Working under pressure means you have to do it; if you don’t, there will be trouble. This is working under pressure. But working in God's rest is enjoying your blessings. Just think about it; God created so many animals and then said, "Look at this guy; he likes dirt; I will name you pig." Isn’t that naming according to your preference? Is that pressure? It becomes a joy. Amen!
Let me give you a simple example. If someone loves pets and goes to a pet market and sees a beautiful Havanese dog, they buy it and bring it home. When you name it, it is joyful. You say, "Look, you are all white; I will name you Little White." Later, when you say "Little White," it runs over joyfully.
Brothers and sisters, this is working in rest. Every day, you can understand this truth and go to work with joy, going to work with this rest. When you arrive at the company, say, "God, I am here again. If I don’t come here, there will be no blessings, so I am so important to this company." You are a bearer of blessings because God has blessed you and then let you work to manage the earth. Amen!
If you are a manager in a company, you need God's blessings; you need God to give you wisdom and ability to manage everything. At that time, you will say, "Lord, You placed me here to let me enjoy Your wisdom; that is wonderful." You are not working under pressure; you are working with joy and peace. This is God's rest. Amen!
So you must first rest in the work God has completed. God said you should name the animals. So, did Adam name the animals based on his preferences? Think about this question: If Adam had no authority, no ability, and no rest, this task would become very painful.
How would you name a bird flying in the sky? For example, the eagle, the highest flying bird, with eyes like the sun, looking down on everything; how would you bring it down to name it? When you have rest, you already possess God's authority. If you do not know you have authority, how can you rest?
God has already blessed Adam and then said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it," and then manage everything. The first management task was to name the animals. Adam stood in the midst of creation; you can meditate on the words of the Bible and visualize them in your mind. This ability to meditate will come upon you. Just imagine, Adam standing in the beautiful Eden created by God, beginning to execute God's wonderful and great plan of naming. He stands there, filled with strength, and when a bird flies particularly high, Adam says, "Come down and land on my hand." The eagle swoops down, and Adam says, "Since you fly the highest, I will give you a name; you shall be called eagle." Then he says, "Go," and the eagle flies back into the sky. Isn’t that a source of pride? At that moment, you are enjoying the authority God has given you. Hallelujah.
So today, when you encounter problems in your life, you must know you are in God's rest. This rest comes with power and authority. If sickness comes into your family, you say, "In the name of Jesus, leave my family." Isn’t that like Adam?
At that time, Adam had this authority; he could say, "Donkey, come here; I see you look like a donkey; I will name you donkey." If Adam said, "Stay away from me," it would have to leave. This is the authority God gave to Adam. When you understand that Adam was doing things with God's authority, he was enjoying everything God had completed in rest. Amen.
Animals were created by God. After God created everything, He said to Adam, "All this must obey your words," giving him authority. Today, in Christ, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, and Jesus has given this authority to you. You must carry this authority in your life, no matter which industry you are in, meditate on God's power and authority upon you, and use your mouth to declare and command it to come to pass. Amen!
At that time, when Adam caught a bird, he absolutely did not need a net or bait; it would come with just one word. This is the rest God wants to give you. You are in Jesus Christ; Jesus has already given you this authority, so you are extremely important to God. God desires for you to receive His rest and His power every week, every day.
Our greatest faith in God is rest. The greatest blessing we receive from God is salvation. So how do you receive salvation? Jesus did everything for you; before you were born, Jesus died on the cross for your sins. When you say, "Lord, I believe You have prepared salvation for me; this salvation is complete, and I am willing to receive it!" you are saved. Then this salvation comes upon you and will never leave you.
So brothers and sisters, this is our rest. When you receive salvation, your heart is at rest. At that moment, God says, "If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, you will be saved." So at that moment, you say, "Lord, I am willing to believe in You. I believe You shed Your precious blood for my sins and rose from the dead three days later. I believe You died for me." God says, "Good, since you believe in me like this, let you become my child." The blessings God gives us are much greater than those given to Adam! Hallelujah!
The blessings God gives us include all blessings in heaven and on earth; God has given you everything. So since you have received the greatest blessing, which is salvation, is everything else small? The prosperity of life, economic blessings, and health for your children are all small, right? Since God has given you the greatest, the smaller ones? God is willing to give them to you freely. For example, healing and success; you can let these blessings come upon you in rest.
Isaiah 53:5,
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed.
This verse is very familiar to everyone. Today, I am not telling you how to receive healing; I am telling you there is an order here. You receive healing after peace. When God wants to give you healing, He must first give you His peace. If you are not in God's rest, not in God's peace, it is very difficult to receive healing. Imagine a person who is sick; he says, "Lord, heal me!" After praying, he is still afraid, wondering if he will be healed. Is he in peace? No. But after he prays, he says, "Lord, I believe You have healed me because I feel very peaceful." You know that after you receive peace, healing will come because this is your faith in God, a certainty.
Brothers and sisters, the order of God's words in the Bible is also extremely important. When Jesus was punished for us, He gave us peace. Then when you are in God's peace, physical healing will follow closely. So when you are in God's rest, you will have this peace within you because you know Jesus has done everything, and Jesus has prepared everything for you. Everything you need in life, God has already prepared for you; you are just resting and enjoying the blessings God has given you.
So before healing appears, there must be peace; that is, there must first be rest. Which is more important for us? Some say, "I just like to argue with others; if I win, I feel good." If you win but lose your rest, what is the point? What is the meaning? Proverbs tells us a lot, saying do not argue with a quarrelsome woman under the same roof; go to a quiet place. You must know how important it is to be in rest.
Many people live in a beautiful big house, but their home is chaotic, and they would be better off living in a small house where the family is harmonious. Isn’t this very common? Many men are particularly wealthy, but because there is more than one woman in the house, it often becomes chaotic. Moreover, when the couple was poor at the beginning, they relied on each other and understood each other; they sometimes miss those days.
Why do people behave this way? The reason is simple: they have lost their rest. They are working hard in the wrong direction, thinking they are working hard for a big house, but after working hard, they find it is not the result they wanted. In fact, what they need is God's rest! If you work hard every day to become a successful person, and one day you succeed, but that success requires you to spend more time maintaining it, then what is the meaning?
Many people tell me, "Teacher Ren, why am I working so hard, yet I am still not promoted?" The reason is simple: if you are promoted to CEO, how many performances must you face? You have to handle many things; at that time, you may indeed be successful, but relatively speaking, the responsibilities you bear are greater. You may lose time with your family, and in the morning, you no longer have time to read the Bible or attend meetings.
Why? Because under unavoidable circumstances, you are the CEO, so the boss must send you on business trips to meet important clients, and you find you can no longer use your time. In fact, God knows what is suitable for us; God wants to give you His rest. Amen! He wants you to do all your work in His rest. Hallelujah!
Hebrews 4:3,
For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest!'" And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world.
This refers to the Israelites. Hebrews 4:1-2 also tells us that the Israelites did not enter the land of rest, which refers to the land of Canaan. What was the reason they did not enter that land of rest?
Hebrews 4:1-2 tells us that they did not enter because the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. They could not enter that rest because of their unbelief.
When the Israelites were in Egypt, God told them, "I will bring you out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey." He had already promised; what God says will surely come to pass. Do you believe this today? God says He has prepared everything for you; it has already been done.
God says you should have all His authority; He has already given it to you. Just like back then, God had prepared the land of Canaan, but the Israelites did not believe! So when they reached the edge of the Jordan River, they sent twelve spies and spent forty days entering Canaan to take a look and then returned.
After returning, these people said, "The Lord has indeed not deceived us! That land truly flows with milk and honey; men carried a cluster of grapes back." A cluster of grapes! Brothers and sisters, today when we buy grapes in the supermarket, you can carry many bunches with one hand, but that grape was not a bunch you could carry; it took two strong men to carry it. That was a huge cluster of grapes! It must weigh over a hundred pounds. So such a bountiful land of blessing is what God wants to give to the Israelites. Did they believe? Yes, they were certain that place existed. "Lord, that place is indeed beautiful, but we cannot enter."
Brothers and sisters, this is where many Christians fail today! You must know that many people believe that God has prepared abundant blessings for us, all blessings! The kingdom of heaven is wonderful. They all believe, but many do not believe it is for them. Many would rather believe that sickness, pain, and misfortune are what God wants to give them to refine them and make them stronger. But I never believe that a person who has been sick for a long time can become strong.
Many people working in hospitals, those who have been sick for a long time, are they strong? When you talk to them, are they strong? Are there many who say, "Oh, I am in so much pain!" How many of those who are sick are strong?
But look at those who are joyful, those filled with God's blessings; what are they like? "The river of life, the river of joy..." Because they know this is God's blessing for them. You are blessed; being in God's rest means that God will give you all the good things.
Among all the things God created, there is nothing bad. After God created everything, He said it was very good, and after creating man, He said it was very good. So God wants to give you good blessings. Always remember, if someone insists that sickness is good, then let them have it from God. God will definitely not give it to you; the devil will take the opportunity to give it to you.
Brothers and sisters, God wants us to enjoy His abundant blessings in His rest. Unfortunately, the Israelites did not believe; they said that land was good, but we cannot enter! Remember, brothers and sisters, there are two types of Christians in the world, and both are saved. The first type believes that the land of Canaan is given to them and believes that no matter how difficult it is, it is theirs, and that is their food. Because they believe that since God has prepared it, they will surely enter. Although there are obstacles ahead, God will remove the obstacles; this is what we must believe. Amen!
In grace, you should believe in your life like this. God wants to bless you, but the devil will try every means to set different obstacles for you, making you lose faith in this blessing. You must continue to move forward and continue to believe. Amen. Do not stop believing just because there is a city of Jericho ahead, saying, "Lord, how can we get past such a big city?" Do not look at how big that city is; you should look at the fact that you are already in God's rest. God said this place is given to me, so it must be given to me; what is that city ahead? God will surely make it collapse! Hallelujah.
So Jericho fell. In fact, the people in Jericho were not as tall and scary as we imagine; instead, they were very afraid of the Israelites. But the Israelites, at that time, did not understand; they did not believe, so they had no rest. After returning, ten men said, "Oh, we cannot enter; we will die."
Ninety-nine percent of the people began to cry out, losing their rest. God's words were, "I will lead you into a land flowing with milk and honey; that city, that well is not dug by you, the vineyard is not planted by you, but I will let you enjoy it for free." Hasn't God already said this? What did they do? "Oh, we cannot enter; we will die, we will die, we will die..."
You see, in the face of God's words and promises, they chose not to believe. This is where we need to correct ourselves today, brothers and sisters. God's words say this, but my environment is like this; should I believe my environment or believe God's words? This is extremely important for us. Indeed, the city of Jericho is right in front of us, and it is indeed very large, but God's promises are also in front of us. Which one should we believe? Is it God's promise, or do we think we cannot overcome it?
These ten men said, "You do not know; the people in that city are too tall. In front of them, we are like grasshoppers." Did the people in that city personally say to them, "You look like grasshoppers"? Did they come up with that themselves? Exactly. Brothers and sisters, many times we lose our rest because we do not believe God's words; we guess, we imagine, we doubt, and as a result, we become weaker and lose God's blessings, but this blessing is what God truly wants to give you.
First of all, the people in Jericho never said to those twelve men, "You look like grasshoppers." But they thought, "I cannot overcome; I cannot overcome; I cannot overcome..." In the end, what happened? They did not believe God's words. So this group of people died in the wilderness. Dying in the wilderness is very pitiful, so this is the second type of Christian. They are still saved, but in life, they live like people in the wilderness. Their hearts are poor, and they lack in every aspect. This is the believer in the wilderness. In fact, God had long promised them to enter the land of Canaan, which is a land flowing with milk and honey. Amen! Today, God also wants to bring you into the land flowing with milk and honey. Hallelujah!
You can enter the land flowing with milk and honey not because of how strong you are, but because your leader is too powerful. The previous leader was Moses, who represented the law. You must do this; you must do that. If you dare to go against my will, "snap," I will kill you. But when they waited for Moses to die, they changed leaders, and his name was Joshua, which is the same name as Jesus in the New Testament. The second generation of Israelites could enter the land flowing with milk and honey, could enter into God's promises, and could enter into God's rest, not because their behavior improved, but because their leader changed; they were led by Jesus into the promised land. Amen!
Today, it is the same for us; you can enter into God's grace because of Jesus. He leads you into the promised land; He leads you into the land flowing with milk and honey. When there are enemies ahead, God is in front; indeed, your leader is in front, struggling for you. If your leader fails, then you can say you have failed. If He is victorious, you should always say you are victorious; this is how you view your life in rest.
When David fought Goliath, after Goliath was killed by David, did the Israelites cheer? Did they fight? David fought. David's victory is the same as the victory of the Israelites. Similarly, two thousand years ago, Jesus had a battle with the devil on the cross, and Jesus won. So today, you are in victory. Hallelujah! You have already won. You see, the real Israelites entered Canaan, and when they reached Jericho, they heard the people in the city say, "Actually, we have known about your God's great name for a long time; we have heard about what your God did in Egypt, so when we heard you were coming, our hearts melted." Who is the grasshopper? Exactly, Hallelujah!
Brothers and sisters, if you are in rest, your difficulties will become your grasshoppers; they will become your food. Amen! You will find that when the Israelites boldly charged into Jericho, did they have the ability to fight? Did the tall people see the Israelites and tremble? Although they were not as tall, what mattered was their leader was powerful. What are you afraid of? Your leader is indeed too powerful.
So you must often meditate on the power of your leader Jesus; He has imparted this power to you. Amen! So you are living with this power. The Israelites could not enter into rest because they did not believe, but in fact, God had already prepared everything. Jesus accomplished all the redemptive work for you on the cross today, so He can save you and can save you from all the problems you encounter in life.
Hebrews 4:10, For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.
We should enter into God's rest. The reason God does not work anymore is that all His work has been completed. Today you must believe; we are not striving to find blessings; God has already prepared them. This week has begun; God has already prepared blessings; everything has been prepared. What you need to do now is, like Joshua, lead the Israelites to eat the food ahead, and treat your difficulties as food; the more you eat, the stronger you become.
So Caleb, at the age of eighty-five, said, "Joshua, give me that mountain; I want to lead my people to battle and take it." "My strength was how it was when I was young, and my strength is still the same now." A young man who has passed forty years is still not old; why? Because over the years, he has been eating something—difficulties. Whatever difficulties were placed before him, he ate them, and as a result, he became stronger and stronger. Amen!
If you can overcome every difficulty in your life in the name of Jesus, the next time you encounter a difficulty, overcome it in the name of Jesus, and you will no longer fear any difficulties. Because you believe that God has ceased His work. Jesus has ceased His work. He is now sitting at the right hand of God. The reason He sits down is that all His work has been completed. And now we are like someone cleaning up the battlefield because the war has ended; the devil has already lost, and we are just cleaning up the battlefield.
When you encounter a wounded little devil still flailing about, it is already wounded; you can just step on it. You are not fighting, saying, "Oh, I am so scared; how is it still alive?" It has already lost. You should view the devil's resistance against you in life as a defeated foe, already wounded, already on its last breath. What are you afraid of? Just step on it. So face your life with a posture of rest. Amen!
If you are doing business, get up in the morning and pray, "Lord, I believe I am in Your rest. I believe You have already bestowed Your blessings today, so in the name of Jesus Christ, bring the customers over. Amen!" Pray like this, and then meditate on the power, authority, and grace of God upon you.
When you are in rest, you will find that many ideas and inspirations do not come from your hard work; they come when you are calm and quiet, suddenly coming up with a brilliant idea that can save a struggling business. Brothers and sisters, we should not strive to make ourselves healthier, strive to earn more money, or strive to guard against others, or strive to avoid being laid off. In fact, we should turn it around and say, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I believe that what You have prepared for me is the best," and face everything in your life with God's rest.
So when did God bestow this rest? Let us look at two passages of scripture, and then we will conclude. First, let us look at Matthew 8:20,
Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
John 19:30, When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
In Chinese, it is not apparent that these two verses are related, but in the original text, that is, in Greek, the words "head" and "bowed down" use the same word, which means rest. Originally, Jesus meant to say, "Look, the animals, the foxes have their dens, and the birds of the sky have their nests, but the Son of Man has no place to rest." A pillow is a place of rest, a place of peace.
If our pillow is just a place for our heads to lie down, that would be troublesome. Many people lie down on a pillow but cannot sleep; can they rest? That is not rest. That becomes a torment. But Jesus said, "In this world, I cannot find a place to rest." Can you find a place of rest in this world? Is money your rest? Is a house your rest? Is reputation your rest? Is health your rest?
You will find that none of these are. Ultimately, one day, will these all disappear? But Jesus finally found a place to rest on the cross. Jesus received the drink and said, "It is finished," and then bowed His head and gave up His spirit. Here, the word used is the same as the word for pillow, meaning Jesus finally found His pillow, found His place of rest. He wants to give you this rest on the cross. Hallelujah! The cross of Jesus is your rest.
If you say, "Lord, I have many family curses in this world," the cross of Jesus can break your curses. If you say, "I am very poor in this world," Jesus on the cross can bring you abundance. If you say, "In the past, I was always anxious," Jesus on the cross has brought you peace. Because of Jesus on the cross, everything changes. Jesus found His pillow on the cross, and today God has also given you this rest. You must work in the rest of what Jesus has completed. Amen!
Every day when you wake up, pray for yourself, saying, "Lord, I know that You have given me abundant blessings on the cross because You became poor so that I might become rich. Because You were wounded, I have received healing. Because You were punished, peace fills my heart. Today I receive Your blessings; I am in Your rest." Pray like this every day, placing yourself in Jesus' rest, believing that He has supplied everything for you. Amen!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. In this world, we cannot find a place of rest because this world itself is a shaking world. But only the rock of Jesus Christ is forever unshaken. The rest You have given us through the cross is forever unshaken. Because Jesus, You died on the cross for my sins, today I can enjoy all Your blessings. I know all that You have exchanged for me on the cross.
I have given my sins to You, and You have given me Your righteousness. I have given my inadequacies to You, and You have given me Your perfection, Your righteousness, and Your abundance. Today I am in Your rest, and I work with this rest. In Your rest, I believe that all Your authority, glory, and blessings are upon me. Wherever I go, I will carry this rest of Yours and bring forth Your glory. Thank You and praise You. Thank You for loving me so much. In the name of our Lord Jesus, I pray, Amen.