Hebrews: What is God’s Will?

“What is God’s will for my life?” I think every Christian has asked that question at least once. The goal of the believer is to do the will of God.  But there are so many possibilities and options – how do we know which one to choose? We’ve really made it much more complicated than it is.  God’s Word is very clear as to His will. The writer of Hebrews borrowed from David to explain Christ’s mission, “I have come to do your will” (Heb 10:7, 9).  “And by that will,” he added, “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (v. 10).  There it is. God’s will is that we would be made holy. It’s as simple as that. Of course, God has a path for you and me that encompasses our career and spouse, children, and ministry, but all of that is secondary to holiness. And while we can go to college to prepare for our career, holiness is not something we can accomplish for ourselves. Holiness is a work of Christ on our behalf.

Oh, men tried to make themselves holy through the law, but they failed. First, because they could not – would not – be faithful. Their sinful desires drove them to worship other gods. Then after God punished them by taking away their land, they went to the other extreme of strict obedience to the law resulting in legalism. They were like a pendulum that swung all the way from one side to the other. And neither end brought about holiness. Only one thing could – the sacrifice of Jesus – the God-man who stepped out of heaven and into human flesh.

But there is one point I want you to see – the writer said that by the will of God, “we have been made holy . . .” It’s a done deal. We complicate holiness because we believe we have to do something to be holy. Jesus has already done it all.

Ah, but we’re not done with this idea of holiness. There’s more ahead to consider and we’ll talk about that in a future devotional. In the meantime, Beloved, I pray you can rest in knowing that, if you are in Christ Jesus, God has already declared you holy – and His.

Hebrews: A Sabbath Rest

Several years ago, for seven seasons, my son and I served as collection center coordinators for Operation Christmas Child in Tallahassee, Florida. We received thousands of shoebox gifts and prepared them for transport and processing. It was wonderfully fulfilling and we enjoyed it tremendously. But the end of collection week I was completely drained. Yet I got up the next day and went to my office. It was an exhausting week, but I didn’t take a day off to rest because there was still work to do.

In Hebrews 4 (read vs. 1-11) the author spoke of the Sabbath rest the Lord offers His people. Drawing from the creation account he said, “On the seventh day God rested from all His work” (Heb. 4:4; Genesis 2:1). Did He rest because He was tired after six days of creation? No. The author said, “His work has been finished since the creation of the world” (Hebrews 4:3). God’s rest was not inactivity, it was completion. God rested because His work was done.

How does this connect to the Israelites and to us? Return to the desert where the Lord told Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites” (Numbers 13:1). Did you see it? God had already promised them the land – it was a done deal. All they had to do was go in and take it. But they saw the enemy rather than the completed promise. They “hardened their hearts” (Heb. 4:7). God responded by saying “They shall never enter my rest” (3:11; 4: 3,5).  Likewise, salvation is also a completed work. Remember Jesus’ final words from the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus’ death completed the work of salvation. There is nothing left for us to do to be saved. We receive what has already been accomplished.

There’s an even greater rest yet to come. Our writer said, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience” (4:9-11). Look at Jesus’ words at the new heaven and the new earth: “It is done” (Rev. 21:6). What is done? Creation is done. Salvation is done.  God’s plan of the ages is done. Beloved, don’t miss out. It’s all been done for you. Believe it. Receive it. And rest.