The One Who Enters God's Rest
[Psalm 95]
How do you find "rest for your heart"? In verse 19 of Psalm 94, which we meditated on during last week's Wednesday prayer meeting, the psalmist says: "When my heart was grieved, your consolation brought joy to my soul." When we are in difficult and challenging situations, how many thoughts do we have running through our minds? In those moments, the Lord not only comforts us but also gives peace to our souls and brings joy to them. To enjoy this peace and joy in our souls, we must, like the psalmist, learn "the Lord's commandments" in the midst of our struggles (in the midst of suffering). By doing this, we can govern our hearts with the Lord's commandments, even in suffering, and enjoy the peace that God gives us. Through this, we will also experience the Lord's mercy. When we do this, our souls will be able to find rest.
The Bible in Hebrews 4:9-10 says: “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His.” The "rest" that remains for you and me will be when we enter eternal rest on the day the Lord returns. There, just as God rested from His work, we too will rest from our works. Therefore, we must strive to enter that eternal rest (verse 11).
In Psalm 95:11, the psalmist David says: "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" Today, based on this verse, I want us to learn two things that the one who enters God's rest does. Therefore, as we move towards God’s eternal rest, I pray that we may also enjoy the rest that He gives us in the process.
First, the one who enters God's rest praises God.
Look at Psalm 95:1-2: “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” David urges everyone to come (“come”) before God with gratitude and “shout joyfully” (twice). In other words, he is encouraging us to praise God together. Why does David urge us to approach God together and praise Him joyfully?
(1) The first reason is that God is the “Rock of our salvation” (verse 1).
The reason we should approach God together with praise and gratitude is that He is our Savior. When we think of God as the Rock of our salvation, I am reminded of the gospel hymn "My Rock, My God," which goes:
“My God, my Rock, all that He does is perfect;
He is my life, my Savior, I praise what He has done for me.
Faithful is the Lord, there is no mistake,
Good is the Lord, my faithful God.”
Those of us who have received God’s grace of salvation must praise Him, the Rock of our salvation. And as we live through the wilderness of this world, we should praise God with gratitude. Just as God provided daily bread to Israel and delivered them from hunger, and brought water from the rock to quench their thirst, He also quenching our spiritual thirst, which is why we should praise Him. Dr. Park Yun-sun once said, “Anyone who does not think of the Savior or does not rejoice in Him is still unaware of how miserable their condition is.”
(2) The second reason we should approach God together to praise Him is that He is the “Great God” (verse 2).
In Psalm 95:3, it says: “For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.” Do you remember the gospel hymn "Great is the Lord?" The lyrics say:
“Great is the Lord, give glory to Him,
In His holy mountain, the city of God,
Beautiful and high, the joy of the world,
On the northern side, Zion, the city of the great King,
Sing Hallelujah, Sing Hallelujah,
Sing Hallelujah, the great King’s city.”
When our problems seem too large, and pain and wounds feel overwhelming, we can look to the great Lord and, through the grace He gives us, we can praise Him joyfully with thanksgiving. When we realize that we are small due to suffering and hardship, we are able to praise the great God.
(3) The third reason we should approach God together to praise Him is because He is the great Creator God.
In Psalm 95:4-5, it says: “The depths of the earth are in his hands, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Do you remember the gospel hymn "Great and Mighty is the Lord"?
“Great and mighty is the Lord, our God,
Great and mighty is the Lord, our God,
We lift the banner high, waving it for the King,
Great and mighty is the Lord, our God.”
The great God created and rules over the depths of the earth and the heights of the mountains—places beyond human reach—and He also created and rules over the heavens, earth, and the seas. This is why David praised God (as Dr. Park Yun-sun explained).
We must come together to praise God: the Rock of our salvation, the great God, and the great Creator. Our praise should be offered with gratitude, and we should sing joyfully to the Lord. When we truly enter God's eternal rest, we will forever praise Him with gratitude and joy.
Secondly, those who enter into God’s rest worship God.
Look at Psalm 95:6:
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
We praise God because of the great things He has done for us. The great Creator, the mighty God, the Rock of our salvation, has bestowed upon us the grace of salvation, and for that reason, we praise Him. To worship God means to honor Him for being God. In other words, we don’t worship God just for what He has done for us, but because “He is our God” (v. 7). He is “our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care” (v. 7a). If we are truly worshiping God, we must listen to His voice (v. 7b). We must never harden our hearts (v. 8). Also, just as the forefathers of Israel tested God in the wilderness, we must not test God (v. 9). We must cultivate our hearts like a well-prepared field and listen to God’s word with a receptive spirit.
In today’s passage, David encourages us to “bow down” and “kneel” (v. 6) before God, and he teaches that those who worship God must listen to His voice and obey His commandments. If we say we worship God but do not listen to His voice or obey His commands, then we are only worshiping God with our lips, but our hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13).
As a result, the forefathers of Israel caused God grief for forty years in the wilderness (Psalm 95:10). They were a people who did not know God’s ways, and their hearts were deceived (v. 10). They refused to listen to God’s voice and disobeyed His commands. Therefore, they provoked God’s anger and, as a result, were not allowed to enter His rest.
Those who enter into God’s rest worship God. And those who truly worship God listen to His voice and obey His commandments. A true worshiper never hardens their heart when hearing God’s word. On the contrary, a worshiper diligently prepares their heart, softens it like plowed ground, and quickly listens to God’s word. They know God’s ways, so their hearts are not deceived. As a result, they do not grieve God, but rather bring joy to His heart through their worship. And they enjoy His rest.
You and I are those who are moving toward our eternal rest. Therefore, while we long for the eternal rest that God gives, we are already partially enjoying that rest in this world. As those who enjoy that rest, let us praise and worship God today.
Enjoying God’s rest,
Pastor James
(Wishing that we will praise and worship God until the moment we breathe our last)