By: Robert Serreyn

Question? What are “The Rest” mentioned in Matt. 11:28,29 and Heb. 3:11?

Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Hebrews 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

Answer:

Matthew 11:28 – I will give you rest = Salvation. A person FINDS REST when they put their complete trust alone IN CHRIST for the payment of their sins and the burden of trying to please God through works, human merit or religious deeds has been lifted.

Matthew 11:29 – Ye shall find rest unto your souls = Serving the Lord. A christian FINDS REST in “Doing the Lord’s will” and they are NO LONGER burden by a guilty conscience

Hebrews 3:11- They shall not enter into my rest = Not being blessed by the Lord for the Lack of not serving or putting him first in your life. The christian will have burdens (no blessings) as they refuse and fail to do the Lord’s will.

In Scripture there are Three Rest identified…

– Past Rest, Present Rest, and Future Rest.

Past Rest: Deliverance from the Penalty of sin = Salvation – John 5:24

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Present Rest: Deliverance from the Power of sin = Yielding to the Holy Spirit – 1 John 4:4, Galatians 5:16,17.

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Galatians 5:16-17 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Future Rest: Delivered from the Presence of sin = Upon entrance in Heaven – Revelation 14:13

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

IN CONCLUSION:

All three rest are for OUR BENEFIT.

Matthew 11:28 is for our ETERNAL benefit…Heaven not hell

Matthew 11:29, & Hebrews 3:11 is for our PERSONAL benefit… receiving blessings not the corrective hand of God.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to know IS Jesus Christ as savior, just simply believe that Jesus Christ went to the cross and DIED and shed his blood, was BURIED and three days later RESURRECTED from the dead to pay for your sins.

The moment that you do YOU HAVE (at that second and forever) Everlasting Life which WILL NEVER be taken away no matter what.

-Christ DIED for you – Romans 5:8

-Christ PAID your sins in full – 2 Corinthians 5:21,1 Peter 2:24

-BELIEVE (Trust In Completely) in Christ ALONE as the complete payment of sin for salvation – John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:8,9

“For the wages(payment) of sin is death (eternal torment in hell); but the GIFT(salvation) of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 6:23

IT IS THAT SIMPLE – THE GOSPEL TRUTH