They could not enter in because of unbelief

Hebrews
{3:7} Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice
{3:8} Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness
{3:9} When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
{3:10} Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
{3:11} So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.
{3:12} Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
{3:13} But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
{3:14} For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end
{3:15} While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
{3:16} For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
{3:17} But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
{3:18} And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
{3:19} So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.



They could not enter in because of unbelief.

Into what?

Into God's rest.

We need rest don't we?

Think about it for a moment. We are almost always looking for rest time, down time, time off, time away, vacations, weekends. Who doesn't know about T.G.I.F. - Thank God It's Friday. Are they really thanking God, probably not in a very reverent manner if they are, of course some could be who am I to judge. The point being that rest isn't something we are unfamiliar with. Rest is something special in many ways. Vacations are planned for months, sometimes years, vacations from work, vacations lengthy rests. Weekends off work mean putting aside work and entering rest, or at least that's what we want it to be. Sometimes even our rest days turn into work weekends where we find more work at home and such than we did during our work week. Even people will say they need a vacation from their vacations because their vacations ended up being more work than fun and rest.

Entering into God's rest is entering into a life unlike any we know. Entering into God's rest is entering into a life filled with such joy and happiness that we can't imagine it fully in our wildest dreams. We only get miniscule glimpses of what's in store for us who will enter into His rest.

We are given cautions though, and the cautions shouldn't be ignored.

The Bible says it so much better than I ever could...


Hebrews
{3:7} Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice
{3:8} Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness
{3:9} When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
{3:10} Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
{3:11} So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.
{3:12} Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
{3:13} But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
{3:14} For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end
{3:15} While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
{3:16} For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
{3:17} But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
{3:18} And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
{3:19} So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

They could not enter into God's rest because of unbelief.

We need to believe.

We have to get rid of all that would drag us away from belief and there is so much in life that tries to do just that.

There are so many things that pull at our believing and tries to tear down our faith.

Trials, temptations lurk every where we turn, everywhere. There is no place safe from those that would tear away our faith, and *those* are not just humans, but principalities, powers, wickedness in high places. We are surrounded by things that would keep us from God's rest. Getting us to give up our beliefs and caught up in unbelief is something Satan strives for.

Unbelief will keep us from God's rest.

May God help us and here as I repeat one of my favorite Bible verses.

Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Lord help my unbelief, I do believe, I do have faith, help my faithlessness. I don't want to not believe, to not have faith, Lord I need help to believe to have faith.

By the grace of Jesus, by His mercy and love.

Amen.