Promised rest for God’s people | Pr Yvonne Chong

You're listening to a message to go from axt church. We hope this message

will light up your day. I'm gonna bring us into the world of God

today as well, even as I share, because it's quite intertwined. And

and I want to share that because, uh, a lot of times,

when we draw towards the end of the year, that's where you're like,

ah, okay, it's time for holiday for some some of you you're gonna

prepare study for exams. So sorry, but yeah, you guys, we

will be able to celebrate after that. And and I remember, you know,

growing up, December it's always sometimes a thing that I look forward to,

a month that I look forward to because I can let my hair down.

People out there in the world, you know, they start partying because

you know, Christmas somehow people it feels like not like not like Chinese New

York raya a time that you know, you feel like, okay, I

can It's just be relaxed, enjoy, exchange your gifts and presence and and

and uh, a lot of people in the world so capitalize on this right

party. You know, consumerism goes on a skyrocket high even in December,

as all marketing teams. They go crazy alcohol liquors, you know. Uh,

it's selling really well in December. So uh so it's it's it's like

a party, man. But you know, what I want to share today

is to remind us, like, hey, you know, stay on costs

as believers. You know, stay on costs, because our relationship with God

does not come on a holiday in December, right, Uh, it continues

on our face within Him, continues on. So today I'll be sharing from

Hebrews chapter four, and uh and the whole of chapter four. Actually,

I'm gonna draw different points from here, so you guys can get ready to

turn to that, because I always do that wherever I got to preach and

get ready to read the scriptures. Okay, probably before that, right,

I just give us a background for those of you who use the New King

James version. Right, the chapter starts with the word what what does it

start with? There's a new King James version. Therefore, Yes, So

for any person here or any English teacher here, when you see the word

therefore meaning that's something that has happened before that, right stuff, and then

therefore then you have to do this stuff. Okay. So when I was

reading it, that I realized, Okay, since there's a there for here,

meaning we have to refer back to the chapter before that, and if

it so happened when I look at that chapter three or so, it starts

with therefore the reverse back to chapter two, and chapter two also starts with

therefore, so he goes back to chapter one. So I gotta start with

chapter one. Not really, but I'll just give us a summary because I

need to rush to Shirkumbangan later. But an overview of what Hebrews is.

Okay, you see it's an episil. If you don't know what that is.

Uh, it is a letter, Okay, it's a letter written Some

people say it's written by the abostle Paul, but it's not entirely proven that

it's just him, so it could be a letter from different ones. But

this letter was written right to the Jewish believers at the point in time,

and it's still relevant to all of us today's although it was addressed to the

Jews Jewish believers, Okay, there can be Jewish unbelievers as well, all

right. So the believers that believe in Christ, they actually stepped out.

So what happened was they came out from their faith, which is Judaism into

Christianity. Okay, But along the way they got distracted the other party had

And what happened was they decided to gostan Malaysians and ghostan the Rivers back to

go backwards. Why because they wanted to run away from persecution by their own

people. Okay. So Hebrews was written to encourage them, to exhort them

to go into perfection. Okay. Uh, And it was it is written

to appeal based on who Christ is, the superiority, superiority of Christ,

that Christ is even above the Judaic system, like so you know, reversing

meaning right, they want to step out of Christianity and go back to their

old ways because say think that you know, Judaism is supreme. So it

is written based on that, and and and so he Brews itself as we

read later or so, Uh, different chapters would have different theme. So

it can be a theme of challenge to the believers and encouragement or empowerment to

them. Okay. And since and and it's also written right to if we

paraphrase it right, it's written to say that, you know, since God

has given Christ to them or to us, so we ought to listen and

obey what he says and not move from it. And in these modern days,

right, Uh, it's very hard. You know, the word obedience

listening to someone and obeying, it's really hard because it's not part of what

it's been taught these days, because there's a lot of like you have your

own you have your own belief you have you can voice out right, but

when you say obedience, you know, meaning to follow true and true.

But in our faith that'si you know, even in the church today, you

know what the world has has crept into the crypt into the church. Right,

the cultures of the world has crypt in Uh. It's not to say

that in church then you know, you totally throw away your rights, you

don't need your brains and you just follow. It's not that. But the

thing is it has crept into the church, meaning it has created into our

faith that we start challenging the word of God as all to say like,

okay, God, not truely, I have an option, uh, not

to obey what you say. And and that would be another discussion for another

time. You can go out to Stephen and ask him, like what you

can't have a debate with him, It's fine Okay, I need to go

soon, so you can debate with tired. Yeah, and and but obedience

and God says this word as well, obedience is better than sacrifice. So

he Brews itself presents a really really tough ideas, hard ideas uh, on

on our faith, on Christianity. And and what you can do is I

want to cover only chapter four, but you have time go digest even from

chapter one onwards, right, Okay, So chapter one and two summary explain

how the Messiah could not be an angel. Okay, the Messiah is not

an angel, uh, because if you go to issue right now as well,

they have two two, two groups of people. One thing that you

know, Jesus, the Messiah has not come. They're still waiting for the

Messiah. And one already knows that the Massia Messiah has came already. Okay.

So one and two explain that the Messiah could not be an angel,

but had to be a human, had to be a human in order to

become our example, all right, of our salvation. And chapter three that's

where I'm gonna just look at it a little bit more. It describes that

Jesus is worthy of greater glory than Moses. Because you know, they're still

still looking at the Old Testament, right, those who think that the Messiah

is not here yet, so the shift have to go to Christ and that

Jesus has already fulfilled the promise that Moses spoke of. Okay, So chapter

three, right, if you look at verse twelve to thirteen, sorry,

chapter three, yeah, verse twelve to thirteen. First, can someone read

it? Can start way with a second row, so you can just pass

the mind and once you're that reading can pass to the next PERSONA. Yeah.

So Hebrews chapter three, verse twelve to thirteen. You can read both

of the verses. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you

an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the Living God. But exhort one

another daily while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through

the deceitfulness of sin. Okay, And then next person, you can read

from verse nineteen he Brews three nineteen. So we see that they could not

enter in because of unbelief. Yep. So in chapter three itself, right,

we see that there are these obedience came about because they had a lack

of faith in God. I'm not gonna ask for sure hands, but sometimes

you do have a lack of faith in God as well. Right, And

there are fear over the task hand. Okay, they were given a task.

You can go read out more what it is. And there was fear

that crept in and because of their disobedience, right, it has so that

disobedience. You know, they were supposed to enter the promised land. Right

if you look at numbers chapter thirteen to fourteen, God gave them a promised

land. They were supposed to enter it, but they couldn't and they lost

their inheritance, the huge punts how much? How much? How many years

were they wandering around before they could actually enter? Forty years? Right,

how many of you are here forty years? Oh? Okay, forty years

forty years. Imagine, you know, going in circles for forty years,

sometimes four days also you're like, God, what's happening? Four months You're

like you're bthering or for it is? It's like forty years and they couldnt

do that because of their disobedience and what uh, what's adding on to that?

As all right? It is because they had unbelieving heart, all right?

So chapter three itself, you know it wants that unbelieve it is.

Uh, it's very tempting to go that place. Uh. And sometimes it's

like, God, you're not showing up. God, you're not healing my

loved one. Uh. Probably you cannot really heal hah. Probably you know,

God, you don't really listen to what I have, uh, you

know, been proving. So it is a very dangerous place to go to.

And we can always be tempted to go there because it's as human human

behavior. We always like the point fingers at other people. Right, it's

your fault, it's her fault, it's not my fault. Right. It

is dangerous to be there. So chapter four the title I'm gonna come to

Chapter four, and I titled this according to the New Living Translation because I

thought, like, wow, it is really a good reminder. Uh.

It The title is promised rest for God's people. So right, even in

as we draw towards they there say a lot that is happening, and we

are reminded that, hey, you know, to keep on course. Why

because God has actually promised rest. And I will not read through the whole

of Hebrews four, but I'm going to draw some points for us here.

Okay, before I chow before I leave. Okay. So in Hebrews chapter

four, right, it echoes a few common themes from the different parts and

portions of the New Testament. Okay, so in the in other epistles,

right in the other letters which Apostle Paul wrote, how many epistles do hear

write? Here knows? Okay, you can go, you can go find

out. Okay. So Apostle Paul encountered a lot of weird false teachers.

We find them a lot these days as well, who claim that christ Christians

have permanently missed out on the aspect of their Christian experience. And often this

was a claim that jesus Second Coming had already occurred. Okay, there's for

this weird people that say, oh, the second Coming has happened. And

and in in chapter three, you know, the writer of Hebrews want the

readers not to miss out on the rest offered by God due to this obedience.

And here it seems to be assured that some leaders have the opportunity to

obtain this rest, uh, and it has not been pasted to them yet.

So I will you it might be like her, what's going on?

Okay, I will I will explain a little bit more. In Probably we

can just look at chapter four, verse one, a few verses here,

so at least you'll understand my context of what I'm sharing. Okay, Chapter

four, verse one, Mike can read it. Mm hmm. Okay.

The first, since a promise remains of entering his rest, let us fear

less any of you seem to have come short of it. Therefore, since

a promise remains of entering his rest, let us fear lest any of you

seem to come short of it. First of for indeed, the gospel was

preached to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard

did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

Okay, So the promised rest all right in this chapter chapter four,

right, it was this obedience again that has it all costs Israel a huge

loss, right, and and it has caused Israel to suffer. So this

rest that you know that is offered by God, right, you can actually

refer to it in some ninety five. So what this rest means, that

is referring to it actually provided Joshua uh and Joshua's tasks. Joshua managed to

bring the israel Likes into Canaan land right into the Promised land. And and

and that was the rest that was given to him. So imagine me,

the rest is the destination that they need to go to, and there they

could enjoy land flowing with milk and honey. So the real problem for Israel

we knew that they failed to obey God because they were afraid they were failful.

And this literal sense right that God is referring to the word rest itself.

It is not in English word. You know, we refer to other

relaxation. You know, you want to take a rest, you go for

a holiday, a leisure, right. But it is about rewards what it

is, okay, So it is a reward which comes once we have rested

from or completed the works that were assigned to us. You can look at

he ruleschapter fourth, verse nine to ten. It is actually stated here therefore

remains therefore a rest for the people. For he who has entered his rest

has himself also ceased from his works, as God did from his the seventh

day God rested, right, he was creating, creating and doing different things,

and a seven day he arrested. So it came from a completed task.

Okay. So what is this rest that we have in Christ? You

know, rest definitely, you know helps us to recuperate, rejuvenate and different

things. But what does it look like, you know, you know,

according to God? All right? The first one, it means that believe

us, you know Christians, or to make every effort to obey God while

we still can. When you say that God has promised rest, but we

have to make an effort to get to it, all right, he brot

Chapter four of US eleven and say says, let us therefore be diligion to

enter the rest lets anyone. For according to the same example of the disobedience,

to be diligient means right, we have to work. We have to

do to work on it. Second one is the key to our ability to

complict our work, ah, And the key to that is the word of

God, which is written in the Scriptures verse twelve. Right, I want

to okay, I'll be reading from a new living translation. It's they say,

for the world of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than

the shoppest two aged sort. And this is a very common thing. You

know in church you always hear people pray. Right, you know, God's

word is a double aged sort. What it does is it cuts in between

soul and spirit, between joints and marrow. And what happens His word exposes

our illness, innermost thoughts and desires. Wow, human nature. You know,

it is very easy to confuse with selfish piety, religiousness, devotions.

We can sometimes easily confused that with true godliness, all right, that is

from Matthew for those of you are taking on Matthew chapter seven, verse twenty

one, or during three. We can also fool others as well by it.

It's like, wow, this person super religious. We can fool others

first Semuel chapter sixteen, verse seven, and sometimes we can cheat ourselves as

well Jeremiah seventeen nine. But we cannot full God in Hebrews for verse thirteen,

right, because his word is like a super shart knife, all right,

and it exposes the intentions of our heart. It exposes what is in

our brains, right, and it's alive. It means right, the world

of God is a liar and active to the extent that it can actually do

that. It can distinguish what we have in mind, all right. So

drawing towards are close, right. The only unique thing that above all any

other faith and religions, is our relationship We've got okay. Hebrews chapter four,

verse fifteen, New Living Translation. Here it says, right, this

high priests of ours, understands our weaknesses. For he faced all of the

same testings we did we do, yet he did not sing. So according

to the Bible, God does judge us. Okay, judgment does happen,

but he who judges right is full with sympathy for our weaknesses. If you

read this verse again, so any other religions, your judge, your your

judge ary so hands. That's why they have to do a lot of rituals

to hopefully gain some you know, comera points as or whatever or not.

But although God judges is, he understands us. He understands our weaknesses.

And because he has gone through it and Christ he experienced all the sufferings and

all the temptations and he was still a human. He struggled, but he

did not sing. Okay, And it's accounted very clearly in the world of

God. So what does this mean. It means that right him. Because

of that, he is the perfect example. There's not any other faith leaders

in the world can actually claim that He's the perfect example and he's the perfect

sacrifice as all. Okay, So for those of us here, you know,

we know that today you know, God drawn towards the end authority this

year and looking that great. But do know that you know, even in

our flaw, he turns it around right. And and you know in verse

sixteen encourages us here, you know, no matter our flaws, you know,

continue to come boldly before the throne of our gracious God without any condemnation.

Uh, there will there at instrument. We will receive his mercy and

we will find grace to help us when we needed them most. All right,

so very extreme can come up, and I'm going it's just close with

this to remind us, hey, you know in seven points actually close to

seven plans to pay close attention to what you have heard. First point,

that's from Hebrews chapter two, first round. In this fight of faith,

this journey that we're on, you know, instead of partying, you know,

let's enter to perfect rest we've got you know, let's be diligion about

it, and and and and you know how you can actually do that is

to pay pay close attention to what you have heard. Don't neglect your salvation.

That's from Hebrews to verse three. Consider Jesus. Consider him always in

everything that we do, in every decision we have, considering Jesus, Miss

Jesus, I need to do this. But what do you think can I

or can I not consider him? Do not harden your hearts. Okay,

that's the fourth one. Take care against unbelieving hearts. That's very important because

if you are entered a perfect rest with Christ, with God, we need

to have believing hearts. Exhaust each other every day against the difficult deceitfulness of

say. That's the sixth one. It's really important to continue to want so

hence that's why we always encourage you. It will be part of a bili

living family, be part of church, be part of homes. Because we

need to warn each other. We need to remind each others like hey,

please you know, like hey, danger up ahead avoided. Uh, that's

the pit for sayce you know avoided. We need to do that. Seventh

fear the unbelief uh and sorry, uh. The fear the unbelief that will

keep you from the promised rest. Okay, So, fear is unbelieved and

that will keep you from the promised rest that God has has given. Okay,

so today you know church as we are always you know, at Pastor

Glorious Mom's funeral not too long ago, and at the funeral, what was

share And I thought like, wow, this is a really great reminder in

this race of faith, we always get reminded to stay on court. Why

is that so? Because right at our birth, all of us, right

our parents give birth to us, our mom give birth to us. And

at our birth, you know it said that that is God's give to us.

The ability for us to be birth, to have life and and to

live life with a purpose, that is God's give to us. But how

we choose to live our lives would be a gift to God. You know

Christmas as well, it's a gift. It's a season of giving and and

a reminder for all of us, you know, the promised rest that God

has already given to us is that. But how we choose our life will

be a gift to God. So what is your gift to God today?

How does your gift to God look like today? That is for us,

you know, to us ourselves to reflect and and that would be that can

be a prayer to God. Also, we hope you've been blessed by this

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