Resting in the Arms of Jesus - Wednesday Service

Main message: God's promised rest is still available today; entering it requires faith (not self-effort) so we can stop striving, cast our cares on God, live in his peace, and do our work empowered by trust in Jesus.

Key points:

• Hebrews warns that the promise of entering God's rest still stands, but unbelief (called disobedience) keeps people out—so tremble and believe.
• God's rest means ceasing reliance on self-effort and performance, being at peace with God (forgiven, free from guilt), established/settled in Christ, and totally dependent on God for support.
• Rest is not inactivity: it's "rest in work"—doing what God calls you to while trusting him rather than striving to produce results by your own power.
• Practicals: cast your cares on the Lord, replace worry with prayer and thanksgiving, praise as if provision is already done, and cultivate humility so God's grace can work.
• Theologically: under the new covenant we begin in God's rest and then work out of that rest because Christ (and the Father in him) does the work through us.

Scriptures mentioned: Hebrews 4:1-11, Hebrews 3, Psalm 46:10, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 Peter 5:5-7, Psalm 55:22, Joshua 24:13, Deuteronomy 6:10-13, Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 4:8, Isaiah 26:3, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, John 5:17, John 14:10, Galatians 2:20