Breaking Free: Embracing the True Gospel of Rest and Union
Ezekiel 35-36; Hebrews 4; Proverbs 31
A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
And it’s true. It determines whether and how we worship. Our thoughts decide whether we run to Him or from Him. Whether we walk in joy or condemnation. If we have the wrong thoughts about God, then we cannot possibly have correct thoughts about ourselves or those we know.
Our theology determines everything. It determines how we relate to everything in life.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the Gospel. What it is and what it isn’t. There’s a way of preaching the gospel that isn’t good news at all. We can preach the invitation as a yoke and a weight that hinges on our acceptance and response. There’s a way of preaching the gospel that still makes us the central figure in the salvation story, which as it turns out, is no gospel at all.
In my younger years, when I felt more certain of my ability to walk out the conditions, I championed this kind of Gospel. I had faith in my own strength and faithfulness. Those days are gone. I’ve gone through too many dark times. I’m acquainted with my weakness today, and I know this is not a safe place for my hope.
I’ve come to the end of myself again and again. And I’m no worse for wear.
As it turns out, weakness and frailty don’t negate the real gospel. To the contrary, our weakness leads us to the Good News, which isn’t based on anything I can do, or not do.
The Gospel is good news because it rests on someone else altogether. The Good News is about one thing: Our Father has sent His Son, and His Son has finished the work. Jesus didn’t just die for us. No! It’s far more glorious than that. Jesus died as us. And because He did, we get to rest too. We get to cease from all of our labors too, and enter into the eternal celebration of our union with Him.
Hebrews 4:
9 So we conclude that there is still a full and complete Sabbath-rest waiting for believers to experience. 10 As we enter into God’s faith-rest life, we cease from our own works, just as God celebrates his finished works and rests in them. 11 So then, we must be eager to experience this faith-rest life, so that no one falls short by following the same pattern of doubt and unbelief.
We don’t have to spend another moment trying to enter into the work! We get to spend every moment entering into His rest. Our lives are no longer about self. We’ve been rescued from that hell, the hell of falling and living into self. We’ve been set free to live for Christ. This is the Good News!
Separation from Christ is just a delusion. You can’t be separated from the One who loves you, made you, and placed you into His Son. He is One. You are One.
King David said it this way:
Psalm 139:
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
There’s nowhere we can go from His presence. Our God made all things. He’s in all things. Separation is a delusion. A deceptive delusion. We were all once like children covering our eyes, thinking that just because we closed our peepers the Lord was somehow gone. But He is always present. Always close.
We live and move and have our being in Him. There is no distance. Nothing left for you to do. You are loved. You are divinely set before Him. There’s nothing left for you to need to accomplish. You can rest. You can rest. Keep your eyes closed if you want, but I can tell you from experience, it’s more fun if you open your eyes.
Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts
- Reflect on A.W. Tozer’s statement, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” How does your current perception of God influence your feelings and actions towards Him?
- Consider the concept of the Gospel as both a yoke and a weight versus the Gospel as pure Good News. How have you experienced the Gospel in your life, and what shifts do you need to make to embrace it as Good News?
- Reflect on your own experiences of coming to the end of yourself. How have these moments of weakness or frailty led you to a deeper understanding of the Gospel’s true meaning?
- Hebrews 4 talks about entering God’s rest and ceasing from our works. What does entering this rest look like in your daily life? How can you more actively pursue this faith-rest life?
- The idea that “separation from Christ is just a delusion” presents a powerful truth about our constant union with Him. How does acknowledging this unbreakable connection impact your sense of identity and purpose?
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