This broadcaster has 1234 podcast archives available on-demand.
Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.
April 27, 2020 4:00 am
All of us experience times when we are way down by the circumstances of life and we can find help in a good nights sleep. For some rest and relaxation. Ultimately, that's not going to solve our deepest needs today on Truth for Life. Alastair beg describes what it means to find rest for your souls were in the book of Hebrews chapter 4 in turning now to this fourth chapter, and particularly to these first 13 verses that is one question which ought to be immediately apparent to A's and one that any honest seeker will be because to ask in making inquiries of the text which is how we learn from. We will be forced to ask the question to what does the writer read for our when he mentions God's rest where where where does the book of Hebrews come together in the person of Jesus Christ and his work therefore will be no surprise to us if we could go to the words of the Lord Jesus and find one encapsulating statement as to the essential nature of this rest and I believe Buchanan is Matthew chapter 11 and in verse 28 where Jesus looks out on the people and he says to them come to me all you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and Larry for me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
What is this rest to which the writer speaks while it is foreshadowed in Canaan. It is related to the rest of God in creation. It has something to do with the Sabbath principle for the people of God, but it ultimately finds its apex in the experience of the rest, which comes from our soul man and women this morning all across our city long for rest. The writer says it is those of us who have believe, who have trusted in Christ who entering to this rest.
Have you entered into this rest.
Have you ever believed in the Lord Jesus Christ to men and women think that they can live all their lives with a disregard for God spurn his invitation to discover rest for their soul abuse.
His day.
This claim has worked die and enter into their rest. The Bible holds out no such whole what he says is that unless we have discovered rest for our souls and our experience of genuine believing faith in a moment in time.
Then there is no prospect beyond the grave for anything other than the most horrendous of description regarding Hannity live at the apex of restlessness is not restlessness that makes people do this they drum their fingers.
Don't these people drive you nights I haven't seen ladies doing about man do this all were doing gnashing of teeth might have something to do with restlessness getting the tears that can never be stopped. Might have to do with the awareness of the fact that I have not found rest for my soul. You got the picture. That is the body of these verses what I wanted do is give you the three phrases that stand out in relationship to that instruction regarding rest this matter of rest is of great significance. The earthly fulfillment experienced by the people to follow in Joshua was but a faint shadow of the rest into which God's people are brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we do well to pay attention to the expectations which surround the instruction and let me just note them with you in verse one, three little phrases verse one. Let us be careful let us be careful let us be careful that none of you be found to a fallen short of it. A more accurate translation may be, let us be fearful. Kenneth Taylor paraphrases it, we ought to tremble with fear because some of you may be on the verge of failing to get there.
After all, Phillips. Let us be continually on our guard. Why is this because the promise has been revoked because the opportunity of rest is now past. No, look at the text. The promise of entering his rest still stands like the wilderness wanderers. We have had the message of the gospel preached was just as they did, but we need to be careful says the writer of the Hebrews, so that we do not respond in the way in which the majority of them responded and what was their response. While he had the gospel preached to them by the message they had was of no value to them because those who inherited did not combine it with faith. We decide and listen to it they knew it very well but it made no difference in their lives. They were like people who have memorized menus in restaurants but they were skinny souls because they never eaten any of the food that was described on the menu. People who knew train timetables in Britain all of my heart, but he never went anywhere they could tell you when the trained crew is coming and when the one deliverable would believing be singular goal. I never go I just memorize the timetable futile and strange thing to do you ever eat. No I just memorize the menu and that's exactly what they were doing they were listening to the word as it was proclaimed to them and they were learning it. They were storing up in their minds, but he never combined with faith and it was absolutely useless to them.
Sortie description of futility where the problem lies with the message. No with the messenger know that some of the best preachers of the day, straight from the lips of Moses right from the heart of Joshua right out of the cry of Caleb majlis in the Caleb hey guys, we do not going to get this mountain, Caleb, you're an old man I know and I'm 85 years old.
He said, but I'm still as strong as I was in the first give me this mountain, let's go get Sandman where with Caleb. There's a low price and forget Caleb even say that for 85 years. We know that stuff careful. This is the precarious place seems better to be a pagan with no interest in the possibility of being reached, then to be a casual, almost believer learning the menu and memorizing the timetable, but never eaten the food.
I never taken the journey be careful, be careful to listen to the gospel while remaining destitute of faith is to fall short of God's promise rest.
The parable of the sore we mentioned last week, what was the issue. The issue is not the problem, not a problem with the seed, the issue is a problem with the soil. Almost all the people had the same seed so the issue was the soil hard hearts.
Acidity alkalinity, anger, bitterness, resentment, jealousy, disappointment, self-pity, all of these things, following up the soil so that when the seed of the word is so it means nothing. That's why you can listen to the word of God preach with a bitter heart.
I don't care who you are. I don't care what you say and the reason I can say that with such confidence is because the Bible says with clarity and I know it because I love this. So until we come to the point where our hearts are broken and are neither collapsed and we are before God with a genuine desire to hear his voice, and you can sit from on the Sundays that doesn't mean I'm that's why people can and services. Service ends but either next let's go will ever be a time in your life where you want to crawl out on your hands and knees there.
Every time we was it don't speak to me. I've been listening to the word of God with a hard heart for seven months and got broken my heart this morning I woke up petty bone road and talk to God.
If you feel that both duties last year or so while is like the sorrow where the birds came and hated before he could even get down careful sweetie say something to be trivialized or fiddled with Don do what they did and that is a continuous rejection of God's written and spoken word of God.
Verse one. Combining it with faith. What is it mean to combine it with faith and means to believe it means to trust it.
I don't know how to put it except to tell you what I do like when the when someone else's praying and I'm listening. I try and listen in such a way that when the person says and and this week what you are times were sharp, I'd say in my heart sing God.
That is true, my tongue was short this week that Lord, what about getting underneath things and when the word is preached. That's for me that's my writing and on.
She is God related in my heart as I may never pass this way again. I may never hear your voice again. I may never have this truth conveyed to make it different today.
Lord Mahar my heart make in mind today week is the effort of my heart and called my warmest thoughts when I see Diaz-Balart out crazy as I ought I want to see you as you are good.
I know how we can all my heart that we got that something different from listen to sermons as a different experience was very good this morning person so like that thing on the such and such, but I have a compassionate burning longing to see these congregations get serious about the Bible and about Jesus. Serious like our lives in heaven depended upon it that serious, so serious that we would be so careful lest we got our number strapped to our front last week been marked in the book lest we began the math and within 6 1/2 miles were dropouts that serious. That's how serious he wants us to be let it be careful that none of you have fallen short that you started off and you were going all marathon at 6 1/2 miles through it if you took the tag off and your check. Careful verse 11. Let's make every effort to corroborate make every effort also somebody is God's grace alone. That brings us into his rest. Of course it is. But how does he do it by means of his word, which we hear and receive by means of the faith which we must constantly exercise making every effort means I don't want to grow cold. I don't want to go slack.
I don't want to give way to doubt it means not simply the hearing of the Bible. But it means the doing of what the Bible says is what James says in verse 22 of chapter 1. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says and what is easy to the preacher.
He says don't simply preach the Bible do what it says Judy like you can preach the Bible and deceive yourself, you can assume that because you studied it all. We can preach that on Sunday that you're doing and you're not doing it at all is not a message from me to you. This is a message from here to us. We are all in this boat together live once and now you going to get excited like that you better be as excited about that, when no one can see you as you excited about it when everybody can see you making every effort in your Christian life you making every effort to get involved in this church. I making every effort to share your faith. You making every effort to get me on being a pew sitter that simply comes along and says down.
I said you know what I'm committed to Jesus Christ. I'm committed to his people is not the best church I was ever in the best people I ever saw the best preach and I ever heard don't really like the music but you know what I'm committed to Jesus Christ and I'm committed to that, and frankly, if it was that good. I should join it because I'd screw the whole thing up just by my attendance myself.
You're so smart just let us make every make every effort to be an encouragement to one another, but do not do what they did what they do, they fail to enter because of their disobedience, they failed to enter because of their unbelief.
As verse 13 of chapter 4 and is verse 19 of chapter 3. Again I say to you, the warnings are not here to do anything other than Warner's says one commentator. We should note that these warnings are misunderstood when they are thought to teach the believers. True believers may fall away and be lost just as accidents are avoided by obeying the roadsigns which are put up for our safety.
So we are preserved from the dangers of our pilgrimage by paying heed to those warnings which are annexed to the promise of salvation.
Therefore, all who know the plague of their own hearts will never deem it safe to dispense with what God considers to be necessary for their spiritual safe. You know the plague of your own heart or your frequent flyer.
We ask you, want to consider your social reforms will she say read the safety car reader safety car not only the safety car. I'm on these things all the time where I shoot you know that the exit row. The emergency exit may be behind you to see many people looking over their shoulders relates to cool to look over their shoulder. There's always there's always one or two little lady from Memphis and somebody else from somewhere in there. They're looking all everywhere. Whatever she says I'm doing she's watching that lady with the thing in the blowing it up and taking it down. She's like your grandmother watching TV. She's taking it all in. She's really being careful. She probably be the only lady that will be any use if it ditches off the end of the runway. When you live when you land in Newark. She's the only one that was careful paid attention and made the scene. The greatest danger is the longer we go, the longer we go the more we think we know it and we fainted because we know it would doing it because were doing it. We don't need the warnings, the warnings are for those of us who have been running the marathon for a while. We are in grave danger of being like those who fell along the way that brings us to the final phrase we must give accounts. The last phrase of the chapter of verse 13, we must give account. In other words, the boots of our lives are going to be audited. There's absolutely nowhere to hide, says Kenneth Taylor. He knows about everyone everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all seeing eyes of our living God.
Phillips, no creature is any cover from the sight of God. Everything lies naked and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Jeremiah 2324. Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see them, declares the Lord, the answer is absolutely not and what is the EMR MRI that God uses in order to bring to light these things in our lives. The answer is it is the word of God this word he says is living and it is active, the Bible does things. Specifically, he says it reaches the innermost recesses of our beings.
It reveals and it judges my thoughts and my attitudes. It shows me up at some uncomfortable thing. In many cases, to be exposed before the Bible the way in which the doctor comes in deep examines us with skill and with care. And he knows where to put his hand and when he puts his hand very says is that it and the tears running down our eyes. Answer the question without a word he has touched the spot where the issue is to be found in the word of God says the writer does that very thing. You see, the Bible does not ultimately have a scientific purpose.
Science is a body of knowledge that is acquired by observation and by experiment and by induction, but the Bible is revelation is the statement of God concerning truths which can be discovered empirically.
The Bible does not have a literary purpose for the music. What I like to read the Bible, especially in the King James version as such a lovely lyrical twist to it.
So will you know that's fine but that's not the issue.
The glory of the Bible is in its message, not in its style.
It doesn't have a philosophical purpose. The Bible does not set out to categorically answer the big questions of life. Where did evil come from and how do I deal with suffering and its origin. It tells us how to deal with it. It doesn't answer the philosophical question so what is the purpose of this book was a profoundly practical purpose. The purpose of the book is to introduce us to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ so that we might see the fact of our need of him that we might trust him as our Lord and our Savior and that we might enter into the rest that he is promised the sharpest instrument of the day was a double-edged short sword says the writer. Think of the sharpest thing you might think of and then multiply and that's how sharp the Bible is. He says it pierces to the very heart of the matter.
Therefore, we dare not take it for granted when it is written when it spoken were going to give an account. We need to make the effort. We need to be careful for those of you incidentally who have regarded the Bible is just a collection of the religious writings and I meet with us all the time. Below say to me I don't know why you would have such an emphasis on the Bible. After all it is just a bunch of old stories, is it not put together by men.
While I have a challenge for you. Why don't you take a Bible and just begin to read it and if you read it with a thoughtful and an open heart. God will respond to your intellectual integrity. He won't cater to your intellectual arrogance he cannot defy his existence and expect to make to make himself known but if you come and say Lord Jesus Christ. If you are real and if this book is living and is alive. I ask you to speak to me in it and through show me myself. Show me my Savior. May this book be alive to me. Love the statement of the Chinese man who on reading the Bible for the first time said the man who made my heart wrote that book, Jesus said, come unto me all you who are weary and heavy late and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 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. We must give account.
Therefore, let us make every effort and let us be careful compelling challenge from Alastair back from a series titled fix our eyes on Jesus. Alastair is back in just a minute with a brief prayer, so please keep listening. God's word really is rest for our souls. When the Scripture is taught. God uses his word first to leave unbelievers to salvation.
Second, to provide comfort and to establish the faith of those who already believe. All that works together to strengthen local churches. Those are the outcomes that we pray will flow from the teaching you hear on this list are funded program and if you'd like to dive deeper and supplement what you hear on Truth for Life with the study of your own. We hope you will search through the topics you find the Truth for Life.org or on our mobile app where you can listen and download Alistair's messages free of charge. All of this is possible because listers like you provide the necessary support that covers the overhead expenses, and funds. This ministry when you give today we want to show our thanks by inviting you to request a timeless book classic.
Really, it's a beautiful new edition of the Pilgrim's progress beyond the Bible itself, the Pilgrim's progress is one of the most influential and widely distributed books on the Christian life ever published its imaginative allegory that all of us can relate to as we navigate temptation on the road to salvation. The pilgrimage in this story is named Christian and there are characters who seek to derail him from entering the celestial city. It's a story that has encouraged believers for generations. This new addition has been lightly updated for easier reading and it contains a rich collection of editors notes that will help enhance your understanding.
Request your copy of the Pilgrim's progress.
When you donate online at truthforlife.org/donate or call 888-588-7884.
Now here's Alastair close with prayer father, thank you that when we cut to the very heart of it comes down to two very simple questions that you ask us, will you trust me and will your baby and we ask for grace today that we might do both, for Jesus sake Bob Lapine hope you can join us tomorrow for a study of Jesus role as our great high priest Bible teaching of Alastair Berg is furnished by Truth for Life. Learning is for Living