For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his (Hebrews 4:8-10).
In Hebrews 4, the writer uses the word “rest” repeatedly, referring to three different things. First, he refers to the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, into which Joshua led the people of Israel. Second, he refers to God’s work of creation, and how God labored six days creating the world and he rested on the seventh, the Sabbath. Third, he refers to a place of spiritual rest in which God invites his people to enter.
So, this special rest that God is inviting you into can be compared to entering the Promised Land, and it can be compared to a perpetual Sabbath Day — a never-ending day off, so to speak. That’s because this special rest to which God has called is like the Promised Land. Why? Because God is inviting you into a life of abundance. He’s inviting into a life a peace. He’s inviting you into a life of joy.
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Life in all its fullness. That’s what God promises to His people. He wants you to be satisfied and content. He wants you to feel optimistic about tomorrow and to feel secure in His love. He wants you to have life in all its fullness. That’s what the place of God’s rest is; it’s like a spiritual Promised Land.
God’s rest is also compared to the Sabbath Day. When God finished creating the world, He stopped working. He rested. He did not rest because He was tired. He rested because He was done. He rested in order to bask, so to speak, in His completed creation. There was no more creating to do, so He rested. This word “rested” implies that one is satisfied with a job well done, a job completely finished.
When Jesus died on the cross, the last words He spoke were, “It is finished.” He said, “It is finished” meaning “I have done all that needs to be done in order to bring men and women into a right relationship with God. My work is done. It is finished.” Jesus rested when His work was done. In the very same way, God is saying that you can enter into that Sabbath rest because He has done everything for you, and His work is complete.