Hebrews 4:2

Hebrews 4:2

True faith = obedience

It seems that it is possible to take the “good news” too lightly and to fail to recognise its significance and its dramatic and life-changing implications. Certainly, a large number of Israelites did this and were foolish enough to rebel and disobey the Lord’s commands. As a consequence, they were unable to enter the Land of Promise and to enjoy the prospect of being at rest. The good news they heard and experienced was deliverance from slavery in Egypt and that their wilderness wanderings would eventually bring them to the boundaries of Canaan, the land promised to their ancestors and that was waiting to be claimed. The Lord God had promised them this inheritance, it was theirs! Forever! What extraordinary and exciting news, this was the stuff of dreams, this was the Lord at His most bountiful, this was what the patriarchs had longed for, and the Egyptian slaves had died for. But, as this verse tells us, the message of hope was lost on these people, they did not truly believe, they did not have the faith to grasp what was offered to them and so to claim the prize that the Lord had prepared for them.

The author of Hebrews is trying his very best to get us to see that we, as believers, can be guilty of the same foolish failure. The good news is just as good for us, if not better. God has prepared a land of promise for us, He has delivered us from the bondage of the world and of sin, He has opened the door to salvation that is both life changing and eternally fulfilling. He offers us the prospect of a new life here and now and the hope of an eternal inheritance with Yeshua, our Saviour and our brother. However, these blessings can only be claimed by faith; there has to be a will and desire to take what is being offered and to press forwards in walking with the Lord into the land He has given us. That means crucifying ourselves and our worldly hopes and ambitions and instead, sharing in what He has in store for us. We have to learn to obey and not to resist. Sadly, many of us continue with our own plans and agendas and fail to take hold of the wonderful heritage that could have been ours. We like the benefits and security, the fellowship and the status of being called a member of God’s family, but as for the conquest of Canaan – forget it!

 

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