As we slip into Hebrews we’re slipping into a sermon
already in progress.
So far, we’ve heard that God spoke at various times in
various ways through prophets, angels, priests and in these last days, through
His Son. Heb. 1:1-4.
Therefore, we must give the more earnest
heed to what we’ve heard (Heb. 2:1), lest we drift
away and neglect so great a salvation (Heb. 2:3).
Lest we reject and depart from the
living God. Heb. 3:12.
Neglecting and rejecting His Voice, causes hardening
of the heart which leads to rebellion, disobedience and the deceitfulness of
sin, which ends in God’s wrath. Heb. 3:16-19.
However, for those who hear His Voice, harden not
their hearts, there remains a rest where the people of God cease from work as
God did from His. Heb. 4:9-10.
So far, the theme of Hebrews 4 has been, His Voice
and His rest.
Revolving around Ps. 95:7-11, (Heb. 3:7-11).
“Today, if you will hear His Voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”
When we don’t ignore His Voice our hearts grow fonder
of His Presence. However, when we neglect, reject, ignore His still, small,
Voice, our hearts grow farther, harder, calloused.
Hebrews 4:11
Let us therefore
be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same
example of disobedience.
The New Living Translation reads: So let us do
our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel
did, we will fall.
Other translations say things like: Let us labor
therefore; make every effort; strive; to enter His rest.
Wait, how can that be? You just said “for those who
hear His Voice, harden not their hearts, there remains a rest where the
people of God cease from work as God did from His. Heb. 4:9-10.”
So, why does it say we must be diligent, do our
best, make every effort...that sounds like work?
I thought His rest, referred to Salvation and Salvation is by grace through faith, a gift of God not of works. Ephesians 2:8-9.
True. Salvation is a Gift from God we cannot earn.
However, it is received by grace, through
faith.
Faith is a verb. Faith is action. Saving Faith is
living faith, following Jesus, who said, I must be about My Father’s
business. Luke 2:49.
Faith without works, is dead. James 2.
No Christian should ever be bored.
There’s a huge difference between working to earn
Salvation and working because of Salvation.
At the altar to become husband and wife you don’t say,
“I believe.” you say, “I do,” and for the rest of your life you keep right on
doing and doing and doing, love.
If you don’t you might’ve said the words, went through
the motions, but you never made the internal commitment, that consummates the
covenant of a healthy, Godly, marriage.
A gold digger might fool a spouse here on
earth but will never make it past the Pearly Gates to the streets of gold.
God is not mocked, He is not fooled, no
gold digger who says, I want heaven, but not Him, will make it in.
Many will try. Many will say, ‘Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name,
and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to
them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23.
Toward the end of Billy Graham’s life he said to be
saved we must: Repent. Receive. Believe. Then, he went on to explain that believe
means to commit.
Amen.
We must be diligent, make every effort, do our
best, to enter His rest.
What does that look like?
Simply put Him first.
Matthew 22:37-38,
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all
your mind.’ 38 This is the first
and great commandment.
Matthew 10:37-38,
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who
loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who
does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Do we make decisions according to what we think,
what we want:?
Or do we ask Him first, and follow His Word, His
will, His lead, His peace?
We must be diligent, make every effort, do our best,
to enter His rest by asking, Lord, do You want me to do this, go there,
spend that money, date that person, buy that car, take that job, move to that
place?
Pray for that person or give them a piece of my mind?
Should I watch that movie? Listen to that music? Laugh
at that joke?
Do you want me to continue to drink, smoke, chew? Go
with those who do?
Are the words of my mouth and the
meditations of my heart acceptable in Your sight, my Lord, my Strength, my
Redeemer. Psalm 19:14.
Should I get up and go to Church, or sleep in?
Speaking of Church.
Church is not a restaurant you choose to satisfy your
appetite. I want Italian, I want lobster, I want burgers and fries. I want
hymns, I want praise and worship, I want it loud, I want it quiet, I want fast
food, I want feel good food, I want, I want, I want...
Feeding your want, your flesh, is the wrong
reason to choose a Church.
Some go to the hospital because they’re sick. That’s
good.
Others go because they’re doctors. That’s better.
Church is kind of like a hospital, where all the
patients are in training to become doctors.
Most accurately, Church is family. One big,
messy, joyful, God loving, family. Each family member has chores.
We ought to ask.
Lord, where is my Church family? Not only to be fed,
but to feed.
What will be most beneficial to Your family, Your
Church, Your Ekklésia?
Where do You want to use the gifts and talents and
callings You’ve given me?
It’s not about me, but Your family.
It might be 1,000 miles away, watching online, but if
that’s where God plants you, then be engaged, commenting, praying, influencing,
doing your best, being diligent, to hear His Voice, follow His rest, His peace.
The benefits are above and beyond anything you could
ever ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20,
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we
ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
The better we know and understand His Word
the better and clearer we can hear His Voice. Without
which we may be easily deceived.
12 For the
word of God is living and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul
and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The Bible is a miracle.
Sixty-six Books written over 1,500 years, forty
different writers from all walks of life, three different languages, on three
different continents, with one theme and zero contradictions.
It has much, much, much, more documentation as to its
authenticity than any other ancient writing.
It becomes more relevant and trustworthy every day as archeology
and science catch up with the undeniable proofs of the Bible.
Around 25% of the Bible speaks of prophecy. HIStory
proves that every prediction of the past has been fulfilled just as the Bible
predicted in advance. There are more prophecies yet to be fulfilled, and they
are quickly unfolding in real time right before our very eyes.
It’s not a book or movie you watch once and done,
because it is alive and powerful and discerns your thoughts and motives.
A Scripture you’ve read a million times will speak Truth
just when and where you need it most.
Never stop hearing His Voice, feeding on His Life
giving Word.
Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but
every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matt. 4:4.
Isaiah 55:11, So shall My Word be
that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall
accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which
I sent it.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word
of Christ. Romans 10:17.
Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth
Practical application.
Passages with a Promise.
Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Psalm 37:4:
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires
of your heart.
Philippians 4:6-7: Be
anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to
God; 7 and the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ
Jesus.
Matthew 6:33:
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you.
We will fall, we will drop the ball, we will mess up, but
if we’re committed to covenant with Him, we’ll be miserable when we blow
it.
If we’re really committed to the Lord, we listen for His
Voice and heed His Word.
My sheep hear My Voice, a stranger’s voice
they will not follow. John 10:4-5, 27.
As we listen, as we follow, He changes us from glory to glory into His glorious Church without spot or wrinkle. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, Ephesians 5:27.
Are you going from glory to glory, are the spots and
wrinkles vanishing away?
Are you looking more like Jesus every day?
Are you shedding the old you and becoming new?
Are you replacing bad habits with good ones?
Do you glow in the
dark?
“You are the light of
the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a
lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light
to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works and glorify your Father
in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16.
YOU DON'T NEED STORIES TO MAKE YOU FEEL
GOOD. YOU NEED THE WORD TO MAKE YOU BE GOOD.
13 And there
is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked
and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
He sees and knows everything. There’s no hiding. There
is a Divine Reckoning coming. We can do it now at the cross under the mercy and
blood of Christ, or later under the Great White Throne judgement with our own
blood on our hands.
The world is watching to see what happens since Tulsi
Gabbard declassified documents confirming what everyone already knew regarding
deep state corruption.
What they want to know, is if there will be justice? Will
anyone be held accountable?
We have a God given desire for justice.
Trouble is, the world has gotten so corrupt that many
call evil good and good evil, so their form of justice is corruption.
Maybe, God will give us an object lesson about the
judgement and justice that’s coming by allowing us to see some justice served
in these last days, with the latest wave of exposed criminal activity.
I have more hope than faith for that to happen.
But one thing we can know for sure and certain, beyond
the shadow of a doubt.
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."
One day.
Soon.
14 Seeing then
that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Now the theme starts to shift from hearing His Voice
and entering His rest, to Jesus as our Great High Priest. This continues all
the way to chapter 10.
Once a year, the high priest passed through the
veil into the Holy of Holies, to make atonement for the sins of the people.
However, Christ passed through the veil of death and back
to life and into heaven.
Upon His death the veil in the temple was torn asunder—since
God wouldn’t need it anymore.
Because Jesus became, not only the Priest, but the
Perfect Sacrifice once and for all.
Therefore, since we've heard His Voice, His Word, we must hold fast our voice, our word, our confession, echoing His Voice, His Word, without quitting, compromising or going quiet.
For, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62.
15 For we
do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without
sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne
of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need.
God dwells in unapproachable light. Splendor and glory
beyond imagination surround the throne. Jesus our Great High Priest, is crowned
King of kings and Lord of lords, holding all power by His Word.
Yet, He invites us to come boldly, like a child running,
bursting, through his daddy’s office door, just to sit in his lap and say “I
love you.”
Family.
All that.
All this.
All the prophets and priests.
All the messages from angels.
All the writings meticulously and miraculously kept, jot
by jot, tittle by tittle, for thousands of years.
His coming, His suffering, dying, rising.
All of it, so He could call us, family.
Knowing that, knowing how much He went through because
of His great love for us, how can we not run to His throne? For mercy
and grace and help, but mostly, to simply say, “Lord, I’m
listening for Your Voice, and I love You, forever.”
Let’s tell Him just that.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Voice, please
help us to listen, Your rest, please help us to enter in, Your Word, please
give us wisdom to rightly divide. Mostly, thank You for Your great Love.
We love You, forever.
Amen.
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