FBCWest 463 | Be Diligent to Enter God’s Rest
Recorded On: 08/08/2021
Bulletin
FBCWest
August 8, 2021
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – John 4:23 & 24
BAPTISM
“Look to the Son”
“Way Maker”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“Be Diligent to Enter God’s Rest”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“The Spirit and the Bride”
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
“Amazing Grace (Hymn #165)”
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate
Continued Praise and Worship
“Glorious Day (passion)”
“Forgiveness”
Benediction “Egypt”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Sermon Notes
Hebrews 4:1 Take serious not entering into God’s rest, which is to cease from self work or action, but lean on God
Hebrews 4:2 The gospel (Good News) needs to be united by faith
Hebrews 4:3 – 6 It is God’s rest those who have faith enter and those who are disobedient cannot enter His rest
Hebrews 4:7 Immediate action is required
Hebrews 4:8 & 9 There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God
Hebrews 4:10 Those who enter God’s rest, rest also themselves like God did
Hebrews 4:11 Be diligent to enter God’s rest
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
We've been going through a study of the Epistle.
To the Hebrews.
By the writer's own declaration towards the end of the letter, he says the purpose of the letter was to exhort those readers.
In the faith.
And the predominant part of this letter is that although every once in a while he turns to a warning, last time we took a look at the beginning of this.
Passages about warning and the warning was not to procrastinate that if you hear God's voice today, then we're to respond today and not let that opportunity of hearing his voice.
Escape us, he's going to continue on without warning, saying as first party Warning Act immediately.
Here are the consequences.
So in Chapter 4, which I think we would think, well, new thought, new, everything that's part of the problem with the way they kind of divided up the chapters and verses. Sometimes the thought is just a continuation of what happened before, and so verse, one of chapter forces. This therefore let us fear if Wala promise remains of entering his rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. Now if you read the commentaries, they hate the word.
Fear when it comes to.
Christian belief because we should not fear God.
Well, the scriptures tell us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom.
But it's not. In essence, if you will a sense, and for us believers a sense of.
Fear and trembling, although the scriptures also say that for those who fall into a the hands of a wrathful God, there ought to be fear and trembling. But you need to take God seriously and respect him, and so there are serious consequences if we fail to respond to his word. And so it says. Therefore, let us fear.
If, while I promise remains of entering his rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. Now notice the fear is not necessarily that the writer is missed out.
The writers concern is that we might have missed out.
It seems today that the church and the and and the teaching is all about you, God. Just so in love with you that he had to have you in it so important about you and it's you, you, you, you, you but the Scriptures always talk about somebody else and hear the warning is about something we need to be fearful. We need to take it serious that somebody might come short of God's promises.
It's not just about us.
That's why we should pray for the missionaries who go to foreign countries, especially those in hostile areas, and spread the gospel because they take seriously that they need to spread the good news to everyone so that everyone has the opportunity to enter this rest. But it doesn't need just to be foreign missionaries. We have a responsibility as well to preach the gospel here.
And here is wherever you are.
As we are going, we are too.
Discuss and exhort and, and passionately plead with those.
That they might not miss out.
If.
There is a heaven and there is.
Then you would want everybody to go.
If there is a hell and there is, you wouldn't want anybody to go.
But taking the negative aside, just the fact of being in God's presence continually for an eternity, ought to be.
Enough of an incentive.
For us
to make sure that there are still those who don't not enter his rest.
For indeed, we have had good news preached to us, just as they also, but the word they heard did not profit them because it was not united by faith in those who heard now, though those who heard he's talking about is when God delivered his people from ******* in Egypt.
Now if you read.
Genesis and Exodus. You'll see that the people of Israel went to Egypt for a while. That was it was good.
But then there was a pharaoh who did not know who Joseph was, and he placed them because of fear that they were growing as a large community, that nation that he put him in ******* and slavery.
And they were like that for about 400 years.
And the interesting thing was they were praying to God for a deliverer.
So God sends a deliverer.
Any performs a number of signs and wonders.
Turns an island. The blood he turns day into night. He has cattle diseases. He has a boils. He has locust plagues. All these different 10 things that pretty much affect the Egyptians may not his people.
And then the last wonder is the Passover of the Death Angel when they saw the blood on the door post and the lentil, then they saw God walk with them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night he parted the Red Sea.
He further man and the wilderness, he fed them meat.
And constantly they complained and wanted to go back to Egypt.
One of my.
Repeated warnings.
To y'all.
And whoever my hair is that there are so often, you know, here in Christian music and other you know God, I want to see a miracle, and Lord knows, I like see miracles. I you know those are cool. It's you know you don't see him every day. It would be awesome to see a miracle. But the problem is.
Not never, but very frequently. Miracles and faith never seemed to unite.
It's always give me another one.
Give me another one.
And this is what the writer of Hebrews is saying is they saw all of God's wonders and signs. He walked with them. But yet all those things that hook place did not was not united.
By their faith.
For we who have believed, enter that rest.
Just as he said, as I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest, although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. Now I want you to notice something.
Here is the warning.
We are to respond immediately today, but the consequences if you don't unite that in faith you don't participate in his rest.
And it's vitally important to understand it's his rest.
We kind of think about rest. If you're carrying something heavy and the older I get the shorter distance I can carry something heavy, and so I carry something heavy and I don't get quite there. So I set it down and I rest a little bit. Then I pick it back up and then I go a little further and then I set it down and then there gets to be a time when I go the effort that I'm using to pick it back up again. Am I spending more energy than if I just keep sharing it? But that's what happened. And then there are times when my.
Sun will see me and have penny on me and he'll grab it for me and and take it.
But that's not the rest we're talking about. He's talking about his rest, the complete and final cessation of work and activity.
Not only that though.
The scripture says when God finished his creation every day, he would create something the stars and the sun and the animals, and whenever he would complete a day, he would say, and it was good.
But when he finished creation.
He said it was very good.
And God's rest is very good. We no longer have to strive and wonder whether we're good enough to be in his presence. Because as Jesus said, there's no one good but God. And since we're not good, we've got a problem.
Notice when Jesus was talking to him, he said all you are weary and heavy laden.
I will give you rest.
Notice he didn't say I will let you rest.
You said I will give you rest the rest that God gives us is unique because it's eternal and it springs up from so no longer do we have to struggle with. Am I good enough? Is my sins covered? What about my shame? What about the sins I did after I profess all these things we no longer have to be worried about and struggle with because he.
Finish the work. That's why Jesus, when he finished his work on the cross, said it is finished.
His work was done.
And therefore it is not our work that gets us there, but his work, and so our desire is to enter his rest, the eternal rest, the rest, that never accuses you. If you're ever think.
That you're not.
Good enough.
It's not God accusing you.
If you think well, I need to do something else.
I need to get baptized. I need to.
Give certain things I need to to do these ministries. If I need to add something else that's not God speaking.
Because the adversary always wants you to think you're not good enough and the truth is, you're not.
But God made you so because he rested from his works and part of his work was your salvation.
Before the foundation of the world, he chose us in him.
So, just as I swore my wrath, they shall not enter my rest.
That should scare.
Those who aren't his.
Because there not being his rest means you're still in constant striving and turmoil.
For he says, said somewhere, concerning the 7th day, and God rested on the 7th day from all of his works. And again in this passage they shall not enter my rest. So there is an opportunity for God to give us his rest. But the warning that you should make sure that you enter that rest.
The offer, but the warning.
Therefore.
Since it remains for some to enter it and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, he again fixes a certain day today saying through David. After so long a time just.
As he has been said before today, if you hear his voice, do not hurt hard in your hearts.
So it is saying is.
There's still others who are need to come to faith.
There are those who wonder well how come Jesus just doesn't come back now?
And and.
I remember many years ago thinking well if he doesn't come back soon, there won't be anything to come back to. And as the world kind of gets not progressively.
Speedily worse and worse and worse.
I have an alement think more well why isn't he coming back 'cause it's getting so bad 'cause apparently there are still those who need to enter his rest.
So he's.
But he's saying it may not always be today, so you need to make immediate action 'cause there is going to be a time when he cuts off that offer of entry into his rest.
Then he will say in verse 8/4 of Joshua had given them rest. He would not spoken of another day after that.
So what is what he's saying is when Joshua took over for Moses, they had entered the promised land.
But it wasn't done. They didn't get to rest when Joshua entered the promised land, they had to take it from those who were living there.
But the sad thing is, even in Joshua's day they didn't take all the land.
There got to be a point where they decided, well, let's let's do a mop up operation and this tribe can fight whatever people are left in in their part. And this tribe. Whatever people left in that part will. Can you handle it?
But Israel never eliminated everybody from the land except them.
And for years and years and years.
All the way through King Saul and King David. There were the Paula. There were the Philistines, who were their enemies who are constantly invading and taking the land, and then having to take it back. You see, Joshua did not give them rest, even though they had entered the promised land.
So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
Now there is a dispute by what this means. Some people say, well, the Sabbath rest for the people of God are.
Israel.
And others say, well, the people of God are us.
Not at the risk of taking sides. I think it's both.
When it says the people of God, it means the people of God.
So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. So we live.
In this world.
In his subject to pain.
And illness and sickness and sin and death, and sorrow and shame. And all of those things that we don't enjoy about life.
There comes a day.
When we will.
Have that true rest where we dwell in his promised land which is.
One both heaven.
And the millennial Kingdom.
There's coming a time when we will rest in him, but until then.
Isn't it better?
To enjoy God.
And rest in him.
Then struggle against him.
Or to struggle on our own. When God says, come to me.
Come to me.
For the one who has entered his rest, has himself also rested from his works as that God did from his.
Now he's not saying.
Go out Monday morning if you're still working and quit your job.
Or if you're going to school, check out he's not talking about no one. He's talking about no longer struggling spiritually to attain salvation.
He's saying God rested God performing 4 by grace. You have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God.
And so when we acknowledge that it's no longer our efforts but his.
We can come to that rest.
Therefore.
Let us be diligent to enter that rest.
So that no one will fall.
Through following the same example of disobedience.
You see they were disobedient because they it wasn't that they didn't follow the law. It wasn't that they.
Didn't observe the commandments, although they struggled with them.
God.
Was angry at them because of their lack of faith.
It is always amazing to me.
When you read Exodus.
And having seen all these wonders of God.
And Moses grew up on the mountain top.
Talking to God.
When they were given the opportunity to do that and said no no, you go. We're fine where we are.
But because Moses was up there a little too long, they decided to create their own God.
They got jewelry and whatever, and they melted down and created a golden calf.
What I find perversely funny.
Is it God tells Moses what's happening and God is really angry?
IMO this kind of calm down, calm down. It's it's OK I'll go down and talk to him. It's OK and he goes down and he sees what's happening. Then Moses gets really angry once God to wipe him out so you know he. It's like to say kind of ignorance is bliss. So as long as you don't see what's happening a God you're kind of overreacting. It's OK, kind of whatever.
But when he sees it, but again, how short of time.
From miracles.
To taking on another God.
Their failure wasn't that they didn't.
Follow the law.
Their failure was they didn't believe.
And the writer of Hebrews is saying.
Make sure you don't make the same mistake they did.
Come with belief, respond and belief. Respond in faith.
It's not.
What you do?
For what he's done for you.
One of the.
Ways to be wise.
You should see the mistakes other people made.
And don't do them.
But we all have a tendency when somebody makes this mistake to use that as an excuse to make mistakes. So as my children were growing up.
As far as I told them I was perfect.
I never did anything wrong.
I could walk on water. That was a little inch on the ground, but I was perfect.
Because I had my experience, it seemed when kids.
When their parents would try to be honest and say, well, you know I did this and I did that and I messed up here and I mean that when the kid was doing the same thing they would yell back and well you did it.
It sure you did it, so why can't I make my mistakes?
Because you're being dumb.
And so I never wanted my kids to now after they grew up, they kind of realized you had dad's not perfect. I still try to fool him, and but they still don't buy it. Libby never thought of it anyway, but.
But wisdom, wisdom, let me read it one more time, wisdom.
As they say, comes from.
Experience.
Experience comes from making bad decisions.
One way to short circuit that.
Is when you watch somebody else make a bad decision. You don't do that bad decision.
Somebody.
You see dating a person you think? Why would they date that person? It they have nothing in common that blah blah blah blah.
Are you in that kind of relationship where you've got nothing you know?
Learn from other people so that their mistakes don't have to be your mistakes.
So that you develop wisdom.
Without the pain and the sorrow that comes with bad decisions.
So the writer of Hebrews is saying.
All you need to do is look at the people of God.
The children of Israel.
They were disobedient not because they didn't measure up to the law.
But because they didn't respond in faith.
Now.
I find this interesting.
Word of God says.
If you have the faith, the size of a mustard seed.
You can tell this mountain to move and it'll be moved.
So apparently most of us don't even have a faith the size of a mustard seed.
Maybe, just maybe, just a suggestion instead of asking God for a miracle.
'cause not gonna do us any good anyway.
'cause we're still not going to have.
Maybe we say God, I really believe your word when you say for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourself. It's a gift of God. God, can you give me a little more granular phase?
And a little more granular faith.
A little more granular faith.
So that I might not be like these who were disobedient by not following you in faith.
If faith is a gift of God.
Maybe we should ask for that for Christmas.
And for Thanksgiving.
And for Halloween.
And for Independence Day.
And for Easter.
And for Valentine's Day.
And for your birthday.
And for New Years.
Because that.
Is what pleases God.
That would allow us to be in his rest, not ours.
You can be in my home for a period of time and and we can give you some peace and quiet for a short period time.
Until somebody gets irritated and angry, and then somebody raises their voice.
The best of us.
Have short fuses.
God doesn't.
His rest is eternal.
And there's nothing you can do to take yourself out of that. Once you are there. So therefore let us be diligent.
In in train.
That rest.
So that no one notice. Again, he doesn't say that, so that you won't enter that rest. So this says that no one will not enter that rest. It is a one, another faith.
Sound about you going out and being.
The greatest favor since Moses.
It's about us.
Walking together as a body.
Encouraging one another.
Picking one another up loving one another.
So that we all enter that rest.
How sad.
'cause there are people like this in in worldly things. Where well, I got mine too bad about you. I got mine. Too bad about you, that's not what he's saying. It's I got mine. Let's get you too.
Let's get you to.
We're going to sing the song in a moment for.
Reflection time.
The spirit and the bride say, come.
It's the voice of God who says, come.
Come those of you.
Who haven't been loved before? Come those of you.
Who the world cassine?
Come those of you who thought you could make it on your own, you can't.
The Holy Spirit says, come.
That means you too.
And it says, and the bride says, come and the church.
In the same voice as the Spirit says, come to him.
You won't know what it's like.
Until you have entered that rest.
Be a part of it.
And maybe someday, just maybe.
We believers.
Well, look.
Like it's a good thing to be a believer.
Rather than all down and dejected, noport mean I haven't seen a miracle in 32 months.
Here's a great thing about prayer.
If you pray consistently.
You're going to see God moving a lot more than if you don't ever pray.
His guards out there doing stuff as we sang.
Even if I don't see it, you're still working, even if I don't feel it, and that's that's our culture. It's it's all about what we feel.
And God goes, it doesn't matter what you feel, your mind. If I've called you.
Nothing can separate you from my love.
Not even your own obstinance.
So the warning is.
Don't.
Procrastinate to hear his voice today com.
The warning is if you delay.
And you missed that opportunity. And he closes that window of opportunity.
Then you will never have the opportunity to enter his rest.
Again, wisdom.
Some people
wouldn't mind betting their house.
On a card game or a dice game or something.
Now I wouldn't 'cause as I tell people, the only good at the only luck I have is bad, so I would lose.
But betting.
That if you hear God's voice.
Now.
And you don't respond now.
You're betting eternity.
That you'll have another opportunity.
I wouldn't bet my house, let alone my eternal security.
Come.
And all God's people said.