17/12/2020 - DECISION WITH NO REPENTANCE

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…and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” Hebrews 4:5

Regarding the controversy over the Sabbath, mentioned in verse 4 (which has been a source of confusion among many servants of God), we believe that He will tell us everything we must know. We can´t live far from the Father’s love nor prevent people from enjoying the rest of the Most High. In fact, that’s the reason why we preach the Word of God. Those who don´t enter His rest will suffer forever.

What saddened the Lord the most was the Jews’ refusal to believe the good news about Canaan. The report of ten of the twelve spies made the people believe the lie, refusing to trust what was declared in Egypt. The Almighty took them to the land of the Amorites, then ordered them to go up and possess the place, but they decided to send spies to observe the territory (Deuteronomy 1:22). To make matters worse,  they did not believe the positive report brought by the spies Joshua and Caleb.

Their disobedience in not taking possession of the promised land made the Most High become very angry, so they missed the great opportunity to see how great and real God is. If they had followed the divine command, they would rest from their works and experience how much the Lord had done and would do for them. Their negative attitude caused them to walk in the desert for 40 years.

People who today do not stand by the Word taste how bad it is to fail to hear the Lord. They will not find refreshment for their soul. If life has been difficult for you, rest assured that this is due to your attitude towards what God has been telling you. When we converted, everything became new, so we must seek to know divine will and carry it out.

As they went up the mountain, God would have used His power to scare off the inhabitants of the Promised Land, and they wouldn’t need to fight against any people. After 40 years, walking back and forth, the Hebrews finally obeyed the Lord and only then, with much struggle and the loss of many lives, they began to occupy Canaan. The first battles came unexpectedly, but they defeated their enemies.

Whoever does not obey the divine plan will struggle a lot. Obeying God will bring you into the Lord’s rest. Notice that this happened years later with Israel, when Joshua led them (Joshua 22:4). The rebels will never taste the good of the Most High and will stay out of divine promises, because they did not given Him any attention. Did Jesus make a mistake when He did the work on the Sabbath, as the Pharisees said? Now, He is the Truth; therefore, so He makes no mistake (John 14:6)!

Observe without any bias what Jesus said about the Sabbath. After all, He is Lord of that day and of all things (Luke 6:5). He came to give us an example of how to speak and do things (John 13.15). The Jewish leaders who suggested sending spies to see if the land was as God had said were overcome with fear. So Moses prayed to God and received His yes.

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares