Enter the Eternal Promised Land
1. The Lord Came, Comes Every Day, and Will Come
The Bible, our Book of Advents, teaches us that the Lord has come, He comes to us every day, and He will come back. Advent is not only about Jesus being born long ago in Bethlehem. When we think of Jesus we should not just see the baby in the manger. He is so much more. He is the great I AM, the Lord of the universe. We cannot comprehend the mind-boggling greatness of Jesus Christ. Just listen to this:
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Col 1:15-20)
This is the Lord who came. He made it possible for us to receive an eternal inheritance and to enter the eternal promised land, the kingdom of heaven. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Pet 1:3-5)
The Lord came and He gave us new life and a living hope. He is coming to us every day and He enables us to live this new life, the kingdom life, already now. And the Lord will come back to lead us into the eternal promised land. We, who believe in Jesus and follow Him in obedience, will enter that promised land. We will enter God’s eternal Sabbath rest, that is, the eternal rest of heaven, pure bliss, perfect contentment, perfect peace, shalom, wholeness, and fellowship with God.
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:3-4)
Is there anything more important to you than entering heaven, the eternal promised land? All the advents of our Lord Jesus Christ are leading to his final, decisive advent on the last day. As we confess in the Apostles Creed, “He ascended into heaven. From where he will come to judge the living and the dead.” When our Lord appears in glory, we want to make sure that we are on the right side of history and ready to enter the kingdom of heaven.
2. Are We Ready to Enter the Promised Land?
So, are we ready to enter the eternal promised land? Let us go to the first chapter of Joshua. Israel is ready to enter the promised land. The Lord said to Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” (Jos 1:1-3)
Not every Israelite entered the promised land. Not everyone today will enter heaven. The problem back then was that Israel didn’t trust God’s word. When they came to the promised land, they didn’t trust God’s promises to conquer the giants who lived in the land. At the border of the land, they refused to believe that God was faithful to the promises he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For such disobedience, God condemned them to wander in the wilderness for forty years.
Then God brought them into the promised land. He was with them as He promised Joshua. He gave them victory and settled them in the land. Now, would they be faithful to the God who had done so much for them? At the end of his life, Joshua said, “‘If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.’ And the people said to Joshua, ‘No, but we will serve the Lord.’” They did, for a while. But as we know, God’s people forgot the jealous God who had brought them out of slavery. They polluted the land with idolatry and immorality, with unbelief and disobedience. They brought shame to the glory of God. Their promised land did not last forever; their sins sent them into exile. Hebrews chapters 3 to 4 explain that some did not and some will not enter the promised land, God’s eternal Sabbath rest because of unbelief and disobedience. Heb 3:7-11,16-19:
So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion during the time of testing in the wilderness … So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” … Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
Heb 4:2-3,6: For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest … those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience …
Looking back at Israel, we see how short-sighted they were. But are we any different? As the centuries march on and it seems that our Lord is delaying his return, what do we do? Do we persevere in faith and hold on to the living hope of his eternal promises? Or do we doubt, grumble, complain, give up, and try to take matters into our own hands? Instead of trusting God, we become anxious, worried, and fearful. We fear the giants of this world. Do we remain faithful in living the kingdom life in obedience to our Lord, or do we give in to the ways of the world?
The Bible is our Book of Advents. Century after century God’s comings, big and small, lead to Jesus Christ who is bringing us to a better promised land, to an inheritance in heaven that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. How amazing the love of God that comes to us. Before the creation of the world, the Holy Trinity ordained the advent of the Son into the flesh. The Son’s advent in Bethlehem led to our redemption by his death on the cross, and through the resurrection of Jesus, the Father has given us new birth to eternal life. Today this Spirit of God rests upon us. While we look back at all Jesus has done for us in history, we are also looking forward with hope, anticipation, and excitement. Like the people of Israel ready to cross the Jordan to an earthly promised land, Jesus will lead us through the valleys of the shadow of death in this world to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Are we ready to enter the eternal promised land? Is there anything more important to you than entering the kingdom of heaven? The stewardship of our faith and eternal salvation is the most important stewardship we have and it deserves our greatest care. We have been saved totally by grace, not by our works, but we are responsible for what we do with God’s gifts, with the new life He gave us. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling as we learned in Philippians. You and I should have the utmost concern to enter the eternal promised land that is before us. How?
3. Be Strong and Courageous
First, we steward our faith and salvation by being strong and courageous as we wait for the final advent of our Lord. Be strong and courageous as we live the kingdom life in this world because our Lord is always with us. “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous … Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Jos 1:5-7,9)
The Lord keeps coming to you. He keeps making advents. He keeps coming to you week after week in worship, as his Spirit serves you His Word. He keeps coming to you during the week when you have your devotions. He keeps coming to you when the verses you have memorized and biblical principles of faith guide you in life. He keeps coming, and all His comings point to his final advent when He will lead us into the eternal promised land. Yes, in this life and world we will suffer trials and distress of all kinds. These will test the genuineness of our faith. It will purify, and strengthen our faith. And if we persevere, on that final day we will receive praise, glory, and honor from our Lord.
4. Make Every Effort
Second, we steward our faith and salvation by making every effort to enter God’s Sabbath rest. Hebrews 4:1,9-11— Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it … 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. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 3:12-14— See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.
We make every effort through faith and obedience. We steward, take care of our faith. We hold on to faith. We nourish our faith. We do so by fixing our eyes and thoughts, our hearts and minds on Jesus Christ. “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus” (Heb 3:1). “And let us run with perseverance the race marked for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:1-2). We keep on loving Jesus even though we have not seen him, and even though we do not see him now, we believe and continue to believe in him (1 Peter 1:8).
We make every effort by obeying his Word. When we hear his voice, his Word, we do not harden our hearts in rebellion (Heb 3:7-8). “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Jos 1:7-8) When we do this, the Living Word comes to us through His written Word, and He enables us to be strong and courageous, to nourish and keep our faith, to persevere through all kinds of trials and sufferings.
5. In All This We Rejoice
And in all this we greatly rejoice though now for a little while we may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of our faith may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though we have not seen him, we love him; and even though we do not see him now, we believe in him. We are filled with (rejoice with) unspeakable and glorious joy for we are receiving the end result of our faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Pet 1:6-9). What is better than this? Is there anything more important than this?
The Lord came and brought God’s kingdom into the world. He came and opened the way for us to enter that kingdom, the eternal promised land. The Lord comes to us every day and empowers us to live the new kingdom life. The Lord will come back and lead us into that kingdom, God’s eternal Sabbath rest and peace. Are you ready to enter the eternal promised land when our Lord comes back or when He calls you home? Do not postpone. Do not wait. Do not hesitate. Today is the day. Now is the time. Let us not grow weary in making every effort to be ready to enter the eternal promised land through faith and obedience with our eyes fixed on Jesus.