Christ the True and Better - Hebrews 4:1-13 - The True and Better Prophet pt. 4

I will tell you this is not going to be an easy message but it's an amazing scripture.

Oh, in my studies as you know you guys go through studying, you're spending time in

the Word and all of a sudden you're doing Word study, you're going deeper and then you

come across this truth that you've, it's like it's brand new and I had one of those moments

and I'm like whoa, that's it and then I just start typing crazy and this is one of those

moments.

I'm telling you what a powerful, powerful doctrine and truth this is.

I think many times because the way it's written we have a tendency to miss because you think

about it and you don't know how to, we don't know how to explain it.

So this is so good.

I will tell you there are parts in here that are really convicting and so I hope you're

ready for that.

It is going to challenge each and every one of us here which God's Word is supposed to

do that which we find out in this chapter in verse 12 and 13.

So you will experience the sharpness of God's Word, the piercingness of God's Word and the

ultimate judgment of our thoughts and intents of our heart in God's Word.

It's an amazing, amazing scripture.

So we're going to start off in verse 16 so you can see the context.

We're going to read it.

It's going to be a little bit long but it's important.

As we go through each verse we're going to pull a lot of stuff out.

Verse 16, for who were those who heard and yet rebelled?

Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses?

Let me pray.

Father I want to thank you so much for your goodness.

Lord guide us through your Word.

Teach us the full counsel of your Word.

May it produce in us the maturity in Christ that we may come to the full knowledge of

Him who has saved us for your glory in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Verse 17, and with whom was he provoked for 40 years?

Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?

And to whom did he swear they would not enter his rest but those who were disobedient?

So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Therefore while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of

you should seem to have failed to reach it.

For good news came to us just as them but the message they heard did not benefit them

because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

For we who have believed entered that rest as he has said, as I swore in my wrath they

shall not enter my rest.

Although his works were finished from the foundation of the world, for he has somewhere

spoken of the seventh day in this way.

And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.

And again in this passage he said, they shall not enter my rest.

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it and for those who formerly received the

good news failed to enter because of disobedience.

Again he appoints a certain day, today, saying through David so long afterward in the words

already quoted, today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts.

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would have spoken of another day later on.

God would not have spoken of another day later on.

So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

And for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from all his works as God did

from his.

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sort of

disobedience.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing the

division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intents

of the heart.

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes

of him to whom we must give an account.

Wow.

You read that and you go, what is all that?

How do we unpack all that?

And what is it about this rest thing?

And what does he mean that some get the rest and some don't get the rest?

It's a lot here and it's not easy.

And so let's start off with principle number one.

God's rest comes through only the gospel.

God's rest comes only through the gospel, the promise of Christ.

Rest is only given and it is given to a person through a promise and given by Christ through

the cross.

That's important to understand because the rest that people are thinking about, many

of us think about is rest from having to work and to toil the land.

But you remember why Adam toiled the land?

Because of sin.

Sin is to toil.

And so this promise that we receive given by Christ, and it's only given, it's not

something you decide for yourself.

It's not something that you work for.

It's not something that you get.

You don't have the power to rest.

Only God can give rest to a person.

Verse one, therefore while the promise of entering his rest still stands.

You see if his rest was about the land, then there would not be a need for a promise.

Okay, this promise that still stands, this rest, this kata pausis, kata pausis is the

word here, stands.

Kata pausis is a resting place, metaphorically, the heavenly blessedness in which God dwells

and of which he has promised to make preserving believers in Christ partakers after the Torah

toils and trials of life on earth are ended.

That's what this word means.

In other words, your rest is not rest from working.

There's no retirement.

The rest he's talking about here is in Christ with Christ, period.

The kata pausis is the blessedness in which God dwells by which we will be in and with

him.

That's the idea in the Old Testament too.

God made a promise to Abraham, did he not?

And that promise was then given to Isaac and Isaac gave it to Jacob.

Well Jacob took it by God's divine will.

And Israel was born and God sets that promise with Moses and he says, I will take my people

to a land that I will give them and I will be their God and they will be my people.

That was the promise.

You will be in me and with me.

Where I go, you go.

And they were like, no, I don't want that.

Why did you take us out of Egypt?

You brought us out here to kill us.

You remember all that?

Gratefulness, terrible.

But just because they didn't enter it doesn't mean that it doesn't still stand.

The promise of being in Christ and with Christ where he is still stands.

And this is what he says, the rest of verse one, let us fear Fabio.

Let us, lest any of you should seem to have failed, be devoid, lack in worth to reach

it.

To reach what?

To reach rest in Christ.

What does Fabio mean?

Now this is an amazing little word.

This word fear means to reverence or venerate or to treat with difference or reverential

obedience.

Reverential obedience.

Now let's go back and read it from this perspective.

Therefore the promise to enter his place where he dwells of which he has promised to make

preserving believers in Christ partakers after the toil and trials of life.

That's what that means.

Still stands, let us with reverential obedience, lest any of you should seem to have been devoid

or lack worth to reach it.

In other words, how important is Christ?

How much do you love him?

Jesus says if you love me, you obey me.

That's one of the main sticking points in the scripture we're reading here.

The issue of Israel's disobedience.

The reason why they could not enter the rest is because they were disobedient.

So verse two, for good news, here it is, came to us just as to them, but the message they

heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

There were a few of the Jews who did listen and we know them.

Moses, Joshua, Caleb.

Do you remember?

And all the saints before, but those who did not listen, those who did not accept the good

news, interesting word, same word for gospel, they didn't answer.

Why?

Because they wanted what they wanted.

They wanted their calves.

They wanted their food in Egypt.

They never really wanted Egypt.

They never really wanted to leave Egypt.

They wanted what they wanted because their hatred of God.

Disobedience is hatred toward God.

That's what you see.

Now that being said, it brings us to principle number two.

So if our rest comes only through the gospel, then all who believe in Christ have true rest

in him because rest comes by faith alone in Christ alone.

The only way you can get rest from your toil is in Christ.

By faith alone in Christ alone.

Verse three, for we who have believed enter that rest.

What rest?

In Christ.

We are in Christ.

If you are in me and I am in you and I am in the Father, you are in the Father, rest.

Do you get it?

So when Jesus talks about that in John 14, about us being in him and him in the Father

in John 13, don't you understand what it means to be in?

It means to be at rest.

Okay?

Now here we go.

As he said, as I swore in my wrath, they shall not, who are they?

Those who did not believe.

Believe what?

Believe the promise.

Now think about that.

I want you to think about that.

How did they not believe?

God shows up through Moses, tells Moses, you'll be my representative.

You're gonna redeem my people out of Egypt.

He pulls them out of Egypt.

He guides them in a cloud.

He guides them in a pillar of fire, a pillar of a cloud.

Takes them to the Red Sea.

Crosses the Red Sea in a pillar of a cloud and a pillar of fire.

Brings them to the wilderness.

Takes them to the mountain by which he's gonna give them the standard.

They turn around and they do exactly what he says not to do.

They build a calf.

After that, they complain.

I'm hungry.

I have no food.

God gives them manna.

They complain about that.

You guys know the whole story.

I've talked about this for like three weeks.

And then they end up saying, let's go take the land.

And they're like, send spies.

You guys know that.

I talked about that last week.

And they were like, we ain't going in.

Why?

Because we don't believe that God will do what he says he's gonna do.

That's basically what they said.

We're not going in.

So because of their disobedience and their disbelief in what God said he would do, if

I go with you, I will go before you.

I will hem you in as a mother does her chicks.

You will be fine.

Take the land.

We're not gonna take the land.

What?

So what does God do?

You can't enter the land with me.

See, the only way to go into the real true promised land is that God must go before you

and you must go in with him and be with him.

And they didn't want him.

That clarifies in these verses.

You're gonna see that in a minute.

And so let's keep reading.

He says, as I swore in my rest, they shall not, who are they?

Those who did not believe enter my rest.

Although his, meaning Christ's works were finished from the foundation of the world.

What?

So many of you guys would think the works that he's talking about is his work of creation.

I mean, he created everything in six days.

On the seventh day he rested.

So if God rested on the seventh day, he stopped creating.

That's not what it says.

It says on the seventh day, God rested from what?

All.

All.

All his works.

All of his created works and all of his self-vific work.

All of his work was done.

And he sat and he rested.

Now think about that.

How can I prove this out?

What's it say in Revelation 13?

Does it not say that his works were completed in Christ before the beginning of creation?

That we are in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world, which means the

Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the world, that we may be in the book.

Think about this work.

The work of justification done since the creation of the world.

The work of sanctification done since the creation of the world.

The work of his redemption done since the creation of the world.

Forgiveness done.

Renewal done.

Regeneration done.

All the works that God had done were done.

And he rested on the seventh day.

Everything, all works.

What an amazing, powerful, omnipotent and sovereign God we have.

That God sits on his throne in glory and rejoices in the accomplishments of his character displayed

to all creation in Christ.

And there's nothing that the enemy can do about it.

Not a single thing.

No he tries.

That's why the scripture says that God laughs.

I was like, are you kidding me?

It's already done.

But yet you strive in vain.

Whoa.

Powerful God we have.

And so, next principle.

True rest can never be found in a day.

Can never be found in a law.

And can never be found in a place.

So I'm gonna say this.

Wow, that just totally reset my stuff.

Really, you're just gonna do your own thing right now.

Okay.

It just totally did that and I'm like really upset about it.

Leave it alone.

Alright.

So, here's one of the things I want us to understand.

If rest cannot be found in the day, I'm gonna say this respectfully, but I'm gonna be honest

with you.

The seventh day of Venice are wrong.

They put their hope in the day to determine their righteousness before God.

And the only righteousness that we get is through Christ.

It is not based on what day you keep.

It's based on you giving every day to him.

Every day is his.

And our rest is not in a day.

Our rest is in the person of Jesus Christ.

That's the point.

So for all our seventh day guys and our law keeping fellows and those who think that we

can find rest by going to a place, you'll never find rest for your lives outside of

Jesus ever.

He is your only rest.

How do we know that?

I'm gonna show you in a minute.

That's hard to grasp.

Why?

Because rest is not a ceasing of work.

But by repentance and belief in a promised one, we find rest.

It's Christ is our rest.

If rest meant ceasing of work and you came to Jesus, why are you still working?

Hebrews chapter four verse four and five, for he has somewhere spoken of the seventh

day in this way.

God rested on the seventh day from all his works.

The word works here means act or deed.

God has rested from all his acts, from all his deeds, from all his works.

Everything.

And again in this passage, he said, they shall not enter my rest.

So if rest is in him and where he is and he is our rest, that means they, those who live

disobedient lives will never enter his rest.

Here's the proof.

Isaiah 30 verse 15, for thus said the Lord God, the Holy one of Israel in returning and

Isaiah 30:15

rest, you shall be saved in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.

Do you get that?

In repentance and being in Christ, in rest, you shall be saved.

Apart from Christ, you cannot be saved.

You have to be in him and he in you.

And you must turn from your wicked ways.

How do we know that?

Next principle.

Rest is only given to God's people and now is the time for your rest.

The rest from the toil of sin.

And here's the proof of what I just said previously.

Today is your rest.

As I said, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, return and believe in the gospel.

You want real true rest?

Be in Christ because you will never find rest anywhere else.

So Hebrews chapter four, verse six through seven says this.

Therefore it remains for some to enter it.

Some does say all.

No, only some enter the rest.

And those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience.

So what causes, what is the root cause of those not entering the rest of Christ?

Disobedience.

Sin.

The only way you can enter is through Christ and those who enter through Christ are obedient

to Christ.

You coming to Christ as a work, in the work of the Holy Spirit as he does in your life

in your heart and changes you and you repent and you come in the gospel, what you end up

coming to the realization is the very obedience of you coming was done in Christ.

So it says this and again he appoints a certain day, not tomorrow.

Tomorrow is not the day of your salvation.

Today is.

Not tomorrow.

It's not I have to get my life right before I come to Jesus.

I have to stop smoking before I come to Jesus.

I have to stop watching things I shouldn't watch before I come to Jesus.

No.

You don't get yourself right to come to Jesus so you can find rest.

You come to Jesus to get rest.

So today saying through David is so long after in words already quoted, today if you hear

his voice do not, do not heart in your hearts but many do because they love their wickedness.

Pastor says in John 3, they love the darkness, they hate the light and everything they do

is exposed to Jesus.

There's nothing hidden from his eyes.

Here's the hard part.

Many times we try to find rest in putting our hope in man.

Man will disappoint.

So rest comes from no other person.

It does not come from a pastor nor of a leader, not from a doctor nor from a government and

not from a constitutional document.

Rest is not a political party nor from what it promises.

Rest is not found or given by a political candidate nor the promises they make.

Rest and hope is never found in the president of the United States.

For any church to demand that there is a hope outside of Jesus Christ is sin.

Repent it is evil and it's wrong.

There is no hope outside of Jesus.

You better hope that the president puts his faith and hope in Jesus Christ because if

he doesn't you put your hope in the wrong man.

I'm just being honest.

This is something I'm extremely passionate about.

Now I know I'm getting a little excited.

Rest and hope is only given by Jesus Christ, the King of all kings and the Lord of all

lords.

He alone rules.

He alone sits on the throne of all creation and rules sovereignly and providentially at

all things.

Every president, every single leader, every single person is used by God to accomplish

his glory.

If you have any question about that look at Judas Iscariot or Nebuchadnezzar.

That being said, rest will not come by a political election, Hebrews 4 chapter 4 verse 8 through

10.

For if Joshua had given them rest, how?

By leading them into the promised land then God would not have spoken of another day later

on.

Why would I say that?

Because if you remember when God was about to bring them into the promised land, guess

who was not leading them in?

Guess who was not walking in by a pillar of fire or by a pillar of cloud?

God.

God had left them.

Fine.

Is this what you want?

You go take it.

And guess who leads them in?

Joshua.

Though Joshua was a godly man, though Joshua and Caleb were the only two out of all the

people of Israel that could enter the land because God said they could because they kept

the promise, God was with them.

Think about that.

They had an opportunity to go into the promised land into the rest of God by knowing that

he will lead them in by the pillar of cloud and destroy their enemies.

And they were like, no.

Not only did they do that once, their children ended up doing it.

Do you remember?

We talked about that last week.

Wow.

But do you know that we can enter his rest and as a result boldly go into the throne room

of God unabated, unappeated in any way.

We can go to the father and say, hey, wow.

So verse eight and 10, this is what it says, for if Joshua had given them rest, God would

not have spoken of another day later on.

So then there remains a sabbath, a sabbath rest for the people of God.

For all mankind, the people of God, through the gospel, the gospel is crucial to the reality

of coming to rest in Christ.

Without the gospel, there is no rest.

For whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did his.

What works?

The works that he's talking about, his works are the salvific work of Christ through the

cross and our being brought and forgiven through him.

And he is the end of our toil and suffering of sin.

He is the end of our works of sin.

He is, it is final and true rest.

That's what this means.

Your toil, your work is the work of your sin that you do every single day and through Christ,

he puts an end to that toil.

Why?

Because he doesn't count it against you.

He has cleansed us, past, present, and future from all sin.

And if God loves us, then he'll discipline us.

We read that later on in Hebrews 14.

He loves us in Hebrews 9, sorry.

And so this word sabbatismos, this Sabbath rest, this is what it means.

The blessed rest from toils and troubles looked for in the age to come by the true worshipers

of God and the true Christians.

The rest from toils and troubles.

Wow.

Mary Ellen, that's going to be a beautiful day.

And it's a beautiful day for us now.

How do we know?

How do we know this is true?

How do we know that everything we talked about so far is true?

Matthew chapter 11, verse 27 through 30.

Matthew 11:27–30

He says, all things have been handed over to me by my father and no one knows the son

except the father and no one knows the father except the son and anyone to whom the son

chooses to reveal him.

Then all of a sudden, everybody forgets about that verse because they love verse 28.

When you're struggling in life and things are difficult, you take this Bible verse and

you read it to yourself and you go, oh, this is so nice.

But they totally forget why he gives it.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Labor and heavy laden of what?

Keeping of the law, which you can't do because you're a sinner.

Labor and heavy laden with what?

The consequences of your sin.

Labor and heavy laden with what?

The burden that you carry because of your sin.

Come to me, all who labor and heavy laden, I will give you rest.

Why?

Because my yoke, take my yoke upon you.

Take my burden because it's a lot lighter than yours.

You don't walk through life without burden.

You have a responsibility in life.

What's that?

To live in obedience and righteously with God and through God.

And this is what he continues to say, take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Where do you learn from him?

Through his word.

For I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

To love God is not a burden.

To trust God is not a burden that can't be carried.

But if you want to carry your sin, you will walk with your back bent.

How many of you guys watched?

Have you ever read the book Pilgrim's Progress?

It's exactly what he means.

Christ is not a burden that we can't carry.

What a glorious burden it is.

What a glorious yoke to carry.

Proudly Christ wrapped around my neck.

Confidence knowing that I can with him do all things.

So more proof.

Turn to Daniel chapter 9 please.

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

This is going to wreck some people, it's meant to a little bit I guess.

Daniel chapter 9.

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

This is going to challenge many of you.

Trust me.

I know, I know this is going to challenge, this is going to stretch you.

This is meant to stretch you.

It's meant for you to really understand where your faith lies.

Where your faith comes from.

Let's turn to Daniel 9 verse 24.

Daniel 9:24

This is important because in order for us to really understand this idea of where our

Sabbath rest rests upon him, you have to understand that the work that was completed is completed

and done.

There's no other hope.

Our glorious days in Christ.

70 weeks are decreed about your people and about your holy city.

So this is what happens.

Daniel's praying to God.

Our captivity is coming to an end.

Where are we going to go?

What's going to happen to your people?

Please don't forget us.

I know we deserve everything we get, but please, we're your people.

You made a promise.

So what God does is he sends Gabriel and Gabriel comes to him and he gives him this word.

So this is Gabriel speaking on God's behalf.

Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and about your holy city.

To finish the transgression, there it is.

To put an end to sin, number two.

To atone for iniquity, number three.

To bring in everlasting righteousness, number four.

To seal both vision and prophet, number five, and to anoint a most holy place.

How many weeks?

Seventy weeks.

To do what?

Put an end to sin.

And if you read the rest of the prophecy, you come to understand it's really about Christ,

the prophet, the one who was going to come, the anointed one who was going to come and

deliver his people because he's going to be cut off.

And then there's an end to sacrifice.

Sacrifice is done.

I don't know about you, but there ain't no sacrifice in Israel right now because Jesus

didn't end to it 2,000 years ago through a prophecy which he had given to Gabriel to

bring to Daniel to say this is how it's going to end.

I want you to get this.

This is important.

Who did all this work?

Let's go through it.

First, decree about the people of Israel and about Jerusalem.

Put a finish to finish the transgression.

What is transgression?

Breaking God's law.

How did Jesus finish the transgression?

He fulfilled the law.

Done.

Do you remember when Jesus says it is finished?

Okay.

Two, to put an end to sin.

What is sin?

Missing the mark.

What's missing the mark?

Hitting the standard by which God given through the commandments.

Can we do that?

Nope.

Is sin dealt with?

Did he not forgive you for your past, present, and future sin?

Has God atoned for your sin?

Done.

Here we go.

To atone, pay for the iniquity, the debt, the UO.

That's what this means.

Who paid the debt?

Jesus.

To bring in, oh, sorry, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness.

Did he not bring in everlasting righteousness?

People would say no because there's still sin in the world.

Christ is your righteousness.

Is it not everlasting?

Christ reigns whether we like it or not.

Now last one.

To anoint a most holy place.

Where is that holy place?

Where does God dwell now?

In you.

You are his holy place.

You and you and you.

And we sit back and we hear preachers teach a false doctrine stating there's still seven

more years because Jesus isn't done yet.

And the scripture says that he was done before the foundation of the world.

And then when Jesus dies on the cross, he says it is finished.

It's complete.

And then we go, there's still seven more years left.

My God reigns now.

And he reigns forever.

And he will never give up his throne.

He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

How do we know that?

Philippians chapter two.

For every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the King of kings

and Lord of lords.

He's not going to be.

The days of that foolishness have got to end.

And I'm going to tell you the truth.

In Christ, it is completely finished for you.

There is no need for anything else.

He will come and will destroy all things that are contrary to him.

That's a guarantee.

And it's done already.

So how should we walk?

We walk in confidence with Christ, bringing the gospel to every living creature so that

his people will come to him.

That's the point.

We don't stop preaching the gospel because he reigns.

We preach the gospel all the more because he does reign.

Because if you love him, you will obey him and you will go and preach the gospel.

So we dealt with a couple of things.

The issue of politics and the issue of false teaching.

So rest can be found in his word through the gift of faith on the wings of the gospel.

How do we know?

So faith comes from hearing and hearing that of the word of Christ.

So in order for us to be in rest, we have to be in rest by faith.

Faith comes from the gospel that God brings into our lives and he plants it into you through

the power of the Holy Spirit.

And he does his work and you respond.

Now look, verse 11 and 13, how do we know this is true?

It's amazing.

Verse 11, let us therefore strive, give diligence to enter the rest, to enter that rest so that

no one may fall, come under condemnation is what that word means, by the same sort of

disobedience.

What disobedience?

Not believing the promise.

Faith being sure of what you hope for in the evidence of what you don't see.

So how do we know that?

Well we know that because verse 12 clarifies it.

Here's how you know that you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can know.

Here it is.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper.

It cuts by a single stroke.

I don't know about you, but I like those karate samurai guys.

And they're like, and they cut a guy in half like completely one stroke.

Like I wish that, you know, I don't know if I would wish that would happen to me, Ben,

but I would love to do that to a tree.

You know what I mean?

One stroke, because we're like, it takes a while.

But that's how powerful this is.

This sword is no joke.

So his word is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword.

And piercing, penetrating to the division of soul and of spirit, joints and of marrow,

and discerning.

This word discerning means fit and skilled to judge.

The word of God is not only a sword that cuts with a single stroke, it penetrates and it

is fit and skilled to judge the thoughts and intentions of your heart.

Now here's the crazy part.

Verse 13 kind of shook me.

I'll be honest with you because the word he uses here for exposed is kind of shocking.

And no creature, that means any created thing is hidden from his sight but are naked.

So we kind of know what naked is, laid bare, open, no covering.

And exposed, now here's the freaky word.

This word exposed means exposed by the bending of the neck.

In other words, God would take your neck, bend it, and look deep into you.

It's like, what?

I don't know about you but that's kind of wild.

Literally it means exposed by the bending of the neck.

In other words, he just looks down, deep into the human.

So not only does he deal with the issue of the physical but he deals with the issue of

the spiritual.

The deepest secrets of your heart are exposed before him.

There is no secret he can't see.

So keep trying to cover it up.

You'll never cover it up.

Why?

Because he says this, but are naked are all, but all are naked and exposed by the bending

of the neck to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Ouch.

How's that feel?

When you think about the sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God who sits on the

throne providentially guiding all things for his glory so that one day we can experience

his glory forever.

And he goes, there's no secret.

Y'all are exposed.

What?

Now we understand why his word is living inactive.

Gets down to the deepness of mankind.

Not only physically, spiritually, no secrets.

Wow.

That is a powerful, amazing, omnipotent God.

And how do we treat him?

We treat him like he's still not in control.

We put our hope in a seven year prophecy that doesn't exist.

And we put our hope in a government or an official that they will make America great

again.

It's not the point.

It's not an issue of who you should vote for.

It's an issue of putting your trust and faith in the only God who is the King of Kings and

Lord of Lords and who rules forever.

That's really what it's about.

If the church would get this, God's favor would be on America today.

And the reason why America is in the situation she's in is because the church has abandoned

the gospel.

We have walked away from the one thing that matters.

We have put our hope in things that don't, especially in broken men.

And we toil in our lives with no rest.

How do we get rest?

Psalm 95 verse seven through eight, for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture

and the sheep of his hand.

Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

Why?

Because Romans 10, 17, so faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ,

which you are clearly hearing today.

Hebrews 11, one.

Why is faith so important?

Because faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.

That if we trust him and believe his promise, when Jesus said the time is fulfilled, the

kingdom of God is at hand now.

Repent and believe the gospel.

Jesus died for your sins, was buried and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures.

1 Corinthians 15, there is no other way.

Come to him, return to him.

If you are his people, repent.

If you're not, repent and believe and know.

And if the spirit of God is speaking to you today, if you hear his voice, do not harden

your hearts because you will not have tomorrow.

There's no guarantee for God's works are the works of soteriology, salvation.

He, Christ, is our rest from all toil and suffering of sin.

And we come to rest in Christ's work and works through believing faith, which he gives thus

through obedience brought by the gospel, the good news.

We repent and believe in him who brings and is our rest.

Father, I want to thank you so much for your goodness.

Thank you that you are our rest.

You are the only real true king that you reign sovereign, providentially, omnipotently over

all things for your glory.

You are absolutely magnificent and all the world's words that we could, all the adjectives

we could use to try to describe you can't even come close.

But Lord, we give you glory and your people scream hallelujah.

We thank you and praise you, help us to really understand the importance of these truths

that our rest is in a person.

It is you, Lord Jesus.

In Jesus name, Amen.