Numbers 13:30 - Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Deuteronomy 12:7-10 - There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you. 8 You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit, 9 since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety.

Matthew 11:28-30 - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Some seem to meander through life without any concern about purpose or meaning. On the other hand, others feel compelled to discover the purpose and ultimate meaning for their existence.

Christians believe in God. They believe He created this world and life for a purpose. Most importantly, He has told us why we exist and how to live with meaning and purpose. Life is more than the pleasure we can squeeze out of the present moment. Through faith in God we live and work for a meaningful future.

God has provided us guidelines for a purposeful life. In His Word, He has explained the future and how we can be a part of it. History moves through a series of days until it reaches the last day. That day is called the Day of the Lord. In Genesis 2, the seventh day of Creation is described as a day of rest a Sabbath rest. God blessed it, sanctified it and declared it holy. All the work of Creation came to a climax on that seventh day.

Matthew 1:28-30, called the "Great Invitation," summarizes Jesus' evangelistic appeal that bids us to become His followers:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Jesus' invitation is to "let me teach you" (NLT). It is more than an invitation to escape God's wrath or to receive a home in heaven when we die. This invitation is to become a disciple, a learner. It is to take His yoke on us, to accept the responsibilities that come with being Jesus disciple. The important point is that His burden is light, but there is an obligation that comes with following Jesus. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He gave them responsibility: they were to tend and care for the Garden (Genesis 2:15). We don't see looking after the Eden as a heavy burden, but rest is not important to us if we are not tired. We do not normally go right back to bed after we have eaten breakfast, but after a day of activity, rest is welcome.

The same is true in the spiritual. God provides sabbath rest for our souls after a "week" of labor in God's vineyard. Discipleship is learning to live for God and to serve Him. It has to do with learning to be victorious over the Adversary who wars against our souls.

The Promised Land, a central Old Testament concept, is associated with rest. After the narrative about Noah, 70 nations are listed. These nations lost their lands when Nimrod conquered them and incorporated them into the Babylonian kingdom.

Abraham's covenant contained the promise of land. Deuteronomy emphasizes that God blesses the people with a land of rest (12:10). Joshua reminded them, "The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land" (1:13). At the end, he said the Lord gave them rest on every side by helping them conquer all their enemies (21:44).

Rest is associated with blessing in Deuteronomy 12:7-10. The covenant provided blessings associated with a place where God made available the abundant fruits of the land. It was a place they could call home and care for their families.

To Abraham, God provided land and a rest. But, "as soon as they had rest, they again did what was evil. So [God] left the to their enemies who ruled over them" (Nehemiah 9:28, NCV). God's rest, ten, can be lost. Instead of keeping the covenant provisions and developing their relationship with God, they returned to sin. They lost the rest God had give.

Isaiah 14:3 promises rest "from sorrrow and fear, from slavery and chains" (NLT). The nation experienced God's judgment, and rest was linked to being

saved (v. 30). Only by returning to Him would they be saved (v. 2). Rest can be received from God, lost and recovered. God's rest requires us to return to Him and to wait on Him.

Resurrection provides hope. Hope is the way of life for those who follow Christ. In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter expressed joy for resurrection hope.

No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave (Acts 2:26, 27, NLT).

In Hebrews 3:11, God said, "They shall not enter My rest." This refers to those who failed to enter into the Promised Land. Because of disobedience, "they died " in the wilderness, outside the promised rest. God had told them they could win, but they did not believe. Instead, they disobeyed His command to take the land.

This principle still stands. To enter into God's rest and possess the promises He has made, we must conquer the Enemy. We must obey God for the promises to be ours.

God has a place of rest (Hebrews 4:1) that has been ready since the foundation of the earth (v. 3). Although the children of Abraham understood the Promised Land as Canaan, God had in mind a more comprehensive place of rest much greater than Canaan. It is a mistake to limit a promise to what can be realized in a limited time.

The Promised Land is linked to the possession of Canaan by the Jews, but our vision must be expanded. Our rest will be accomplished on the Day of the Lord, when Jesus will return and establish His lordship over the whole earth not just the land promised to Abraham and possessed by David.

This "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13) is the glorious appearing of God our Savior, Jesus Christ. At that point salvation in its final, most complete manifestation will be provided.

Will God provide rest for those who have Spent the day asleep? Or is it for those who have fought the Enemy'? God provided to Israel the Promised Land a place of rest that had to be possessed. They had to defeat the enemy that possessed the land. All of God's blessings are gilts from Him, but His followers are called to fight the Enemy. Rest comes only to those who win the victory.

1. Can you recall ever 'living without a real purpose'? Did it bother you?

2. Why do you think people are unhappy when they have no sense of purpose'?

3. To what extent do terrorists motivate people by giving them a purpose to which they can commit?

4. Do you see Jesus invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 as an evangelistic invitation?

5. What would you consider to be "rest for your soul," as Jesus promised in Matthew 11:29?

6. How can the Promised Land be a gift and something they had to go in and possess (Numbers 13:30, 31)?

7.Do you see the rest promised to us and sassociated blessings as something that can be lost?

8. Is the promise of entering into rest only for those who are able to overcome Satan?