Leading One Another to Christ's Rest

By Wayne Barber

In the classroom of adversity, the lesson God wants to teach us is to trust Him and His Word beyond what we can see or understand.

There is an old song that was written by John Stallings that always blessed me entitled “Learning to Lean”. That title perfectly describes what living this life on earth as God’s children involves—it is an experience of learning to lean on Christ. The chorus goes like this:

“I’m learning to lean, learning to lean, learning to lean on Jesus;

Finding more power than I’d ever dreamed; I’m learning to lean on Jesus.”

The generation of Israel that was miraculously delivered out of captivity in Egypt ironically never learned to lean on God and His Word. They could trust God to take them out of Egypt, but they would not trust Him to take them into Canaan. Canaan was not a picture of Heaven because you don’t fight battles in Heaven. Canaan was where God wanted His people to live and enjoy. As their place of rest, it was to them what the fullness of Christ is to us—where God wants us to live and enjoy.

But, just like with them, unbelief—refusal to trust Him—locks the door to all we have in Christ. Unbelief is not a lack of faith but an unwillingness to believe and obey! Unbelief denies us our rest. It is belief and belief alone in Christ and His Word that unlocks the door to all that we have in Him.

Now, in this journey of learning to lean on Jesus we need each other. As we are learning to lean on Jesus and His Word we need to be mindful to watch out for one another. Hebrews 3:12 says, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”

The phrase “take care” translates the Greek word blepo, meaning literally “to see,” but here meaning to be aware of what’s going on around you. It is in the present imperative, which is a command. In other words, we are to continually be aware of what is going on around us and in one another’s lives—we are to watch out for one another.

The word “brethren”, used 9 times in Hebrews, tells us that the author is talking to Jewish believers. He had warned these Jewish believers of drifting away from that which they had heard and understood and obeyed (Heb. 2:1). Here, he warns them to take care of one another’s hearts, regardless of circumstance. Don’t let the circumstances around you cause you to have an evil and unbelieving heart. 

“Evil” here is the Greek poneros, a word pointing to the evil which is active against that which is good—the outworking of the flesh in one’s life rather than simply one’s bad character. The word “unbelieving” is the word apistia, which describes a heart without trust or belief for what God says. It’s a believer who has just been hit by a tough circumstance, and instead of trusting God and His Word, reacts with his flesh. How many have been there?

The phrase “that falls away” comes from the word aphistemi, meaning “to depart from, to stand away from, to withdraw from, or to remove oneself from.” Many people make the mistake of saying that these are believers who lose their salvation by departing from God, but that is not the case. These are believers who choose rather to depart from God in that they go back to compromising their convictions and depending upon their own abilities and solutions, just like the children of Israel who chose not to follow God. They would rather trust their own ways, and because of that they were denied their rest.

As we journey into God’s rest in Christ, we must be aware of each other lest anyone choose to walk in unbelief. Who do you know right now that is slipping in the midst of their trial and are not walking in their rest? Are you watching out for them?

When we are living our lives trusting Christ, leaning on Him and His World, then we will be able to discern the evil character of one who walks after his flesh. “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Heb. 5:14). We can actively watch out for one another as we see the flesh manifested in others. 

Since we are able to discern when our brother or sister in Christ is going through tough times and is at risk of making foolish choices, then we are to go to them and encourage them to lean on Christ and His Word: “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13).

To show us how powerful this temptation is, the author tells us to “encourage one another day after day.” “Encourage” is parakaleo in Greek, meaning “to come alongside, to comfort, to beseech.” It is in the present tense, indicating that this should be always ongoing, on every occasion. Let this be your practice to watch out for one another and move quickly to encourage one another.

He points to the danger that we are seeking to deliver one another from entering: becoming “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” “Hardened” comes from skleruno (as we see in v.8), and involves the process one drifts into when they choose not to believe and trust God. Hardening comes when we are seduced into trusting our own flesh over Christ, cutting us off from His rest and from the mission and purpose we have as believers.

“For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end” (Heb. 3:14). “For we have become” is perfect indicative active, pointing to something that happened in the past that bears a present result in our lives. We were made His companions in kingdom work and have no business not trusting Him!

In fact, the author reminds us that trusting Christ in all areas of our lives is the mark on us that we are His and are about His purpose—we “hold fast” to the faith that began our Walk with Christ until the end. We trusted Him to save us, and if we are going to be a part of His divine purpose then we trust Him to take us all the way through. “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col. 2:6).

Now, once again, he reminds them of their ancestors through the rest of the chapter.

He points his audience back to Israel and how they ultimately refused to trust God. Their hard-heartedness was ultimately reflected at Kadesh-Barnea where they chose not to go into the promised land. “While it is said, ‘Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.’ For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years?” (Heb. 3:15-17a).

He asked a question which was easily answered. “Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?” (Heb. 3:17b). He repeats his question and his answer that they all knew about in verse 18, “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient,” and drives his point home in verse 19, “And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.”

God saw to it that Israel at that time would not enter the rest He wanted for them because they refused to obey Him! Once again we see that unbelief is not lack of saving faith; it is refusal to trust. Only faith—leaning on Christ and His Word regardless of what is happening in your life—releases all that God has already given us in Christ.

Wayne Barber is senior pastor of Hoffmantown Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Pulpit Helps Magazine, a ministry of AMG International, was a monthly publication which ran from 1975-2009. Founded by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, Pulpit Helps was dedicated to the mission of equipping pastors, Bible teachers, and students of the Word for preaching, teaching, and living God's Truth. Each month, Pulpit Helps provided sermon starters, bulletin inserts, illustrations and quality articles on preaching, counseling, Christian living, and more. The ministry goals of Pulpit Helps continue today in the form of Disciple Magazine online.