First of all it’s helpful to quote the scripture correctly.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

It doesn’t say “rest from labors” as if we aren’t going to do anything. It says, “ceased (or rested) from HIS OWN works.” In other words you stop doing your own self-directed and self-empowered works. You seek to only do those works that God directs and the Holy Spirit empowers.

In salvation this would mean that you cease from doing any of your own works of righteousness to justify yourself and you put your faith only in the completed work of Christ to save you. You “rest” from your own efforts to save yourself and rely entirely on faith in Christ to save you. That is the “rest” (from your own works) of faith.

In our onging works or labors for the Lord we must give up any sense of self sufficiency.
1. For Direction: We cannot direct our own way.
Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

2. For Strength and Ability: We must not trust ourselves in any way.
Phi 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
2Co 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
1Pe 4:11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Phi 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Remember what Jesus said:
Joh 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Hope this helps.

Yours in Christ,
Riley

We now have peace with God, and there’s now no condemnation for those who come to Christ, and are in Christ.

And our burdens and yokes are lighter and easier.

The context that this sensational claim is made in is interesting because in vs 12-14 Christ says that the gate is wide and the way is broad that lead to destruction, but the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few there be that find it. (My friend, Bill, has made the comment that both gates have the same sign,”This way to Heaven”) In vs 15-20 Christ tells us to beware the false prohphets who come to us in sheep’s clothing , but that we will know them by their fruits (see also Hebrews 13:7). Then in vs 24-29 Christ says that it is the wise man who hears His words and acts on them, but the fool is the one who hears His word and does not act upon it(see James 1:22).

Christ is the narrow gate and the narrow way. Religion is the broad way, religion says chart your own course to God, choose what you want to believe, what you want to do, believe that there is something you can do to achieve right standing before God. False prophets tell you they know the way, so follow them. They will always lead you away from Christ never to Him. We can know them by their fruits, the result of their conduct and not be led astray by their sensational works and claims. It is the wise man who hears Christ say “I am the way, the truth, and the life. Come to the Father through Me.” and then follows Christ and Him alone. It it is the fool who hears the same words, but decides to make his own way, chart his own course, and great is His fall.

In essence these are the same things that Jonathan Edwards was talking about in his treatise on Religious Affections. These things that men, religious men, do with zeal, with fervor, with all the externals and vernacular, but are far from Him.

This is exactly what the risen Lord asked Peter wasn’t it.

“Peter do you love me? Then feed my sheep”. Peter loved the Lord, and he even told the Lord, “Lord you know all things, You know I love You!”

Jay, do you love the Lord? If yes , then He calls you to serve Him, because you love Him. AND IF YOU LOVE HIM, THEN IT’S BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED YOU.

I went over why I believe this is so in my earlier comment, so I won’t go into it again.

Morris Brooks’ comment was excellent as well. I appreciate his thoughts on this matter.

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” John 14:23

And we show are love for the Lord the most, by loving the least of these.

And he who does not love me will not keep My words”. If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord come!” 1 Cor. 16:22

The bottom bottom line is not “do you love Christ.”
The bottom bottom line is does Christ love you. It is not that we first love Christ, but that he loves us first and died for us. In fact nothing is of us first. If you have anything it is because it is given to you, 1 Cor 4. The strength of the love that you have for Christ is in accordance with what he gives you. And, if you think that you are loving Christ, think again. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” You sin everyday, so everyday you prove that you do not love Christ, but even in your unfaithfulness, he remains faithful because he cannot deny (hate) himself. Thank God for grace. Grace, such a misappropriated name for some churches.

Amen, Thomas!

After all, as Matthew 7 describes, He’s not going to sit on the throne asking each person, “Do you love Me?”, He’s going to tell the Father whether or not He knows them/you.

It will be those standing there going “But Lord!” who will be claiming love for Him. “But Lord, didn’t we do X, Y, and Z in your name?!” Essentially, “Look at how much we loved you!” and yet He says they are LIARS because they lived as though He never gave them a law to obey. They are lawless and unregenerate yet they claimed to be Christians. This is why deeds demonstrate true saving faith, and this is why each can be known by their fruit.

Paul Washer does an excellent exposition on Matthew 7 in several of his sermons that are online to listen to at various sites. I know it is in the Youth Conference message, I think also in Examine Yourself message, and the ‘True Gospel’ and ‘Biblical Assurance’ series.

Ah, yes, but if we love Christ we will keep His commandments. So everyday we prove we love Him as we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. It is true that we love Him because He first loved us. He has poured out His love within our hearts through His Holy Spirit and we are rooted and grounded in this love. His love does not reside in those who are not His. So if we are truly His we can not help but love Him and it is this love that compels us to no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf.

We work out that which has been inwrought. We are working out while He is at work in us, and it is this work, this good work, that He has begun that He will complete. But in the middle of all of this is sin. The sin that is present in our members, waging war against the law our our mind. Sin, the great weapon of the enemy which has caused the death of all mankind, which seeks to master us. It is in the battle against sin that our love is proven. The issue is not do we still sin, because we do, but the issue is do we battle against sin, do we strive against sin, are we actively resisting sin. We are to watch and pray that we would not enter into tempation for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Are there those who are weaker in the faith, those who are less mature? Yes, Paul talks about them in I Corinthians 3:1-3, Romans 14&15, and the author of Hebrews in 5:11-6:3, and 12:12-13. James 3:2 also alludes to it. Those of us who are more mature, including John Mac, do not have to “sit” with those who are less mature to understand that we sin. In fact, it is just the opposite. It is written that those who have been forgiven much love much. Does this mean that those who were more egregious and pervasive in their sin are the ones who love more? No, it means that it is those who see their sin for what it is and understand the depth of their depravity, who, therefore, understand the depth and the riches of the mercy and compassion of God, who then love Him more. This is something that happens as we work out our salvation and grow in Him. Let us, therefore, not think that we have arrived, but realize that we have not and continue to press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.