Bruce chapter number four where we've already been this morning in our
congregational Bible reading. Some of you may or may not know tonight is Superbowl
the Superbowl is tonight, Superbowl Sunday. Is there anybody here going for the
chiefs? We have one committed over here. Any Eagle fans? Eagles? All right. Okay
there's four or five of you. Amen. Who's going for really good food? Yeah, that's
what I'm rooting for. Good food and fellowship and lots of fun with friends
and family and so I'm I'm I just want to say yay go wings. Amen. All right so I
heard it said one time that a football game is made up of dozens of men in
desperate need of rest surrounded by thousands of people in desperate need
for exercise and I think there's something something humor and truth to
that statement. We're in Hebrews chapter number four. I love are you guys
loving Hebrews? Man it is so so rich and I am I'm so excited about it. Last week
we really covered chapter four. Hebrews chapter four verses one through nine
actually into verse 11. Today we're going to move on from verse 11 to verse
12 and 13. Very very familiar passages of scripture but this is my first time
studying through the passage that lead up to Hebrews chapter four verses 12 and
13 and the context of Hebrews chapter four and I hope you experienced this
last week if you're not with us I'll give you a little summary of what we
learned. There's a word that's used rest and art this word that's used nine
times in our English translation it's this word rest and he he's been using
it he started the author of Hebrews started back in chapter three giving us
this illustration of and this quotation from Psalm 95 that refers back to
Numbers chapter 13 and 14 talking about the children of Israel when they left
Egypt and they went through the wilderness and they got to the Promised
Land but did not go in and they did not go in because of one reason what was it
does anybody remember? Unbelief there was a lack of faith they did not believe God
and so they did not go in. So in verses one to nine which is what we studied
last week we talked about this word rest and we said that who did anybody go
home and have a nap last Sunday? Yeah some of you guys I got you into rest and
that's not necessarily what I was thinking about but you're applying the
sermon and that's good amen you're doing that. What is the rest that he's talking
about? Well he's talking about Sabbath rest the context tells us that it was a
reference to how God described what he did at the end of creation. The Sabbath
rest was an example that God called his people to in the Ten Commandments. The
Sabbath day was a ceasing of labor for the express purpose of focusing on
their relationship with God and if you look at Hebrews chapter 4 look at verse
number let's see number three for which for going into verse four for we which
have believed to enter in his rest as he said I have sworn in my wrath if they
shall enter into my rest although the works of them were finished from the
foundation of the world for he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on
this wise and God did rest the seventh day from all his work so there's talking
there about creation rest or a Sabbath rest and then he's also talked about a
Canaan rest I'm catching you up here okay look in verse number three which I
just wrote for we which have it believed to enter into his rest they said I have
sworn in my wrath that they shall enter into my rest although the works were
finished from the foundation of the world if you were to go back into chapter
three he talks about look I'm kind of improvising here if you look in chapter
three verse number eight verse number seven wherefore as the Holy Ghost say
today if you were here his voice harden not your hearts verse eight as in the
propagation in the day of temptation in the wilderness when your fathers
tempted me proved me and saw my works 40 years when I was grieved with that
generation and said they do always air in their heart and they have not known my
ways so I swear in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest and what we said
was Psalm 95 quoting that was talking about numbers 13 and 14 where the
children of Israel again did not enter into Canaan what Jesus called or what
God called in Psalm 95 my rest rest was a reference to the children of Israel
going out of Egypt from the wilderness and into the promised land or into my
rest the idea was that they were out of their bondage in Egypt they were to be
they were to go through the wilderness and into a place where they would settle
and live of course that first-generation out of Egypt did not go into his rest
because of unbelief as was expressed by David and then he says to us hey not
only is there a creation rest and a Canaan rest there's still a rest for us
in this text the author of Hebrews also references this idea of rest as
something that still exists and it's still available for the people of God
through faith this is explicitly stated in verse nine you guys see it Hebrews
four nine there remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God what is this
rest that remains for both the Jewish believers but also for us well there's
two aspects to it one there's a salvation rest salvation rest it includes
salvation you cannot experience God's rest if you have not been saved our sin
separates us from a holy God and it's by believing and trusting the good news
preached to us that we are made alive through and brought into a relationship
with God we do not have to rely on our own good what works to make us right with
God we trust in Christ's work on the cross as the righteousness that is given
to us to make us right with God we're saved by his work not by our works you
guys agree with that we're not saved you can't do enough good to outweigh your
bad you can't and that's expressed here in verse 10 look at verse 10 for he that
is entered into his rest the salvation rest has also ceased from his own works
as God did from his we can't rest on our own works to get us and make us right
with God then he goes on to say this verse 10 for he that is entered into his
rest they're gonna say like I said has ceased from his own works but that means
there's also a sanctification rest once we have salvation rest we have the
positional relationship with God we are afforded the opportunity to have
fellowship with God we can have a closeness with God we can have a walk
with with him that allows us to have a transformative rest in him here's here's
the idea of rest and I know I've talked about it a lot we talked about it last
week but I want you to understand it and I know on any given week there's people
that weren't here last week and I want you to I want to tell you welcome we're
glad you're here but I want you to understand this there is no eternal
rest with God outside of Jesus Christ there there's a rest that will happen
one day when we get to heaven there's no more sorrow no more tears no more
fighting no more fighting there's really no more politics we're gonna have a
benevolent dictator what he wants to have happens what's gonna happen and he
loves us and he sent his son to die for us it's gonna be awesome so there's an
aspect to this rest that's a heavenly rest that we're not we we haven't
experienced yet you you have been saved if you know Christ as your savior you
were saved you are saved you're being saved and one day you will be saved do
you get it so there's a salvation rest but there's also a sanctification rest
he says in verse 11 let us labor therefore to enter into that rest so it's
not just heavenly rest it's not just salvation rest there is a way of having
a relationship with God right now that is qualified as rest and if you've been
close to the Lord if you've walked with the Lord if there was a time where you
weren't walking with the Lord even though you were saved and now that you're
saved you're walking closely with the Lord you've experienced that if you've
ever had peace in the middle of a very difficult situation if you've ever gotten
a diagnosis and you still have the peace of God in you you've experienced that
rest you know I'm talking about if you've ever not had a lot of money in the
bank and it didn't stress you out because you got Jesus in your heart you've
experienced that rest God wants us to not only have the rest positionally he
has that he wants us to have it experientially Jesus said I've come to
give you life and that life more abundant that's what he wants to do we
believe God for salvation and he saves us we labor to stay in fellowship with
God because it's easier for us to get distracted from staying from obeying and
focusing on our relationship with him and that's why he says you need to labor
not to get saved but to stay in that restful position in that walk with the
Lord what'll keep you out of it he says it right there less any man fall after
the same example of what unbelief so the question then here it is the question in
who wants to who wants to maintain a relationship with God that's characterized
by rest I want that I want to have a close intimate fellowship with God I
hope you do too in fact I think that if you do we'll look at this in some other
passages when you do the Bible says that when we abide in Jesus he's the vine
we're the branches when we abide in him he produces fruit and that's fruit that
will remain that's awesome I want him transforming me like that and I want him
using me like that and if we have a church full of people that are abiding
in Christ and producing fruit man we'll change this community not us God will do
it that's the point the question then is if we want this how does it happen who
agrees this is what God wants right is it God's will that we enter into his rest
yeah but not all of us not all this are always there is that right anybody been
out of fellowship with the Lord this week at some point yeah so how do we how
do we stay in fellowship with him how how do we labor to enter into that rest
if unbelief is what keeps us from entering that rest how do we grow in our
faith and the answer to this is found so clearly in these next two verses these
two verses that we quote so often without any reference to rest are not
disconnected from that concept okay I'm not saying it's wrong that we quote it
not connected to it but isn't it so much richer once you connect it to its
context it is if you understand and apply the truth of today's text and the
truth of the last two sermons that we've said there is so much joy available to
you not one person here smiled at that there is so much joy God is not this
grumpy person up in heaven wanting you to just do what I say God wants you to
experience joy it's one of the fruits of the spirit if you do what he says you
will experience joy you know it's joy is so much better than happiness because
joy remains when happiness goes there is a so much rest available for you there
is so much fruit that will abound in your life this is how God's power could
flow through you an incredible ministry God help me to believe this myself and
live this out for our people God help our people to live this out for Finley and
unto the uttermost part of the earth how does this happen it happens by God the
Father God the Son and God the Holy Spirit through his word that's how it
happens in the mind and word and words of the author of Hebrews he goes right
back to the word of God if the issue is a lack of faith that unbelief that he
keeps talking about if that's what keeps us from God's rest then the thing that
will bring faith is the thing that will keep us in God's rest and I'm thinking
about a verse where is it where do we get faith from where does it come from oh
there it is so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the you know why
that works because the same guy who wrote Romans is the same person who wrote
Hebrews you're saying you believe Paul wrote Hebrews I don't know but I know
the Holy Spirit did the Holy Spirit wrote Romans and he wrote Hebrews the whole
thing works together because it's really one author faith comes by hearing and
hearing by the word of God here's what I want you to know today the word of God is
essential in bringing us into God's rest and transforming us because it's the
only resource that could accurately embody these three descriptions that we
find here in verses 12 and 13 here's the first description are you ready number
one the word of God is transforming because it's alive it's alive look at
verse 12 for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any
two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and
of joints and marrow and as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart
and these two verses we're given an incredible description of the nature and
the function of the word of God the word right now right here in our verse it
says for the word of God is quick that word quick that's translated quick comes
from a Greek word that is ZAO ZAO and art the way we would write it in English
and ZAO literally means alive it means alive it's found 144 times in our
English translation and it's translated as live living alive lived quick lively
livest or livest life and lifetime so when I say my point my first point is
that the word of God is alive it's because that's what the Bible says I'm
trying to make the point that the passage says how is the word of God alive
how is it alive like you're saying Ben I don't hear a heartbeat what do you mean
the word of God is alive wait let me give you a couple ideas first the word of
God a lot is the word is alive because God the father is alive let's set it in
let's set this in his context Psalm 95 and Hebrews 3 and 4 have taught us that
God has a plan and an instruction for us here's God's plan go into my rest
there's a promised land for you to get to not only salvation but a walk with the
Lord there's an accountability here then to a real author who really wrote to us
that's why he says today if you want if you will hear his voice don't harden
your hearts God didn't just say this back when Hebrews was written and nor did he
just say it when Psalm 95 nor was he wanting them to just go in back into
his rest back in number 1314 what day is it it's February 12 2023 and God's
message for us today is believe trust me depend on me go in is this God's will
just in the past no it's for today it's for today there's an accountability here
to a real author who really wrote to us the writer of Psalms and Hebrews is
telling us that this real God who really exists who is really speaking to us
specifically will hold us accountable for how we respond to his word he didn't
just say it he is saying it go into my rest the word of God is also alive
because this is gonna make you excited ready the sun is alive Jesus Christ
isn't dead he's alive he's alive consider again John 15 I'm not gonna
exit you the whole passage but think about it Jesus 5th John 15 one I am the
vine and my father is the husband men every branch in me that beareth not
fruity take it away and every breach branch that beareth fruit he purges it
that it may bring forth more fruit you know what purge if it means it's talking
about pruning I had a plant in Florida on noon in court the dead end we lived on
and and there was a plant that was in the front and I hated it one day I got fed
up with it enough to go start cutting on it and I cut it down all the way to the
stump almost and then I got to where I'm like then I thought I would just dig it
out and I couldn't dig it out Megan wouldn't help me so I set it aside for
another day and like two or three weeks later it was bigger than it was before I
thought I think I'll leave it no more cutting it sometimes God prunes us to
grow us that happens God is a great yeah verse 3 now you are cleaned through my
what is it through the now you're clean verse 3 you see it now you're clean
through the word which I spoke in you a bite in me Jesus says and I in you as
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it a bite in the vine no more
can ye accept you abide in me I am the bar I'm the vine you're the branches he
that abideth in me and I and him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me
you can do nothing Jesus claim is that abiding in him is connected with
hearing him obeying him and when you and that happens all kind of fruit is
produced produced can dead things produce life no life comes from life and
there's all kinds of life in these verses stay in me Jesus says I'm alive
because I live you shall live also as the father has sent me so send I you
this is God's plan we can't do ministry outside of Jesus we can't do ministry
outside of God we can't do it outside of his word the word of God is alive
because God's alive because Jesus is alive here's another good one ready you
can guess it the word of God is alive because the Holy Spirit is alive the
Holy Spirit is alive he's the author of the book scripture tells us that the
Holy Spirit is the ultimate author of the pages of scripture do you believe
that first Peter want sorry second Peter 120 says this knowing this first
that no prophecy of the scriptures of any private interpretation for the
prophecy came not an old time by the will of man but holy men of God's
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost we're told that that God wrote a
book he did it through the Holy Spirit we're told that at salvation the Holy
Spirit then comes to live or to reside in the life of the believer to not have
the Holy Spirit residing in us is to not be saved
Romans 8 says this so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God but you
are not in the flesh but in the was it say but in the spirit if so be that the
spirit of God dwell in you now if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is
none of his the word of God is a lot so if you're saved yeah I don't feel like
this I don't it doesn't matter what you feel if you're saved the Holy Spirit
lives inside of you if you're not saved you don't have the Holy Spirit live in
inside of you so how is the word of God alive God wrote a book and then he sent
his author of that book to live inside of you the word of God is alive because
its author lives in us if you think the word of God is dead like man I read the
Bible and it's dead it may be that the word of the Holy Spirit may not live
inside of you maybe you think it's dead because you don't have that relationship
with God he says that the Holy Spirit lives in us and can't leave us and
that's why Ephesians says in Ephesians 4 30 grieve not the Holy Spirit of God
whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption you know that means he's in
you he can't leave you and because he can't leave you you could grieve him by
not doing what he says any parents here ever get grieved by disobedient
children like about an hour ago I've been grieved by disobedient children I have
great kids most of the time but we do that to God when we disobey him he's
living inside of us and that's not rest when we grieve them so the next two
descriptions lay on the foundation of this first description the word of
God is alive because God is alive he is omniscient omnipotent omnipresent omnisapian
he's all-knowing a powerful always present and supremely wise his word is
revealing is his revealing of who he is his word he will promise to support and
fulfill his word is alive we can enter into God's transforming rest through his
word because the word is alive we can also enter into God's transforming rest
through his word because it is powerful it is powerful and that what it says for
the word of God is quick and powerful the Greek word for powerful you're gonna
like this it's the word inner jace sounds like the word where we get the idea
inner G right energetic it means active operative effectual powerful it comes
from other two other words which means with work or with activity the word of
God is active it works it makes a difference it transforms as I was trying
how do I prove this how do I what do I write to talk about the word of God
bring powerful and I just found a bunch of scripture are you ready I'm gonna read
it don't get bored get excited don't get bored get excited here we go first
Corinthians 118 for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish full of
this but unto us which are saved it's the power of God Isaiah 5510 for as the
rain coming down and the snow from heaven and return it's not thither but
water earth and make it bring forth and bud then it may give seed to the
sower and bread to the eater so shall my word be that go with forth out of my
mouth it shall not return unto me void but it shall accomplish that which I
please and it shall prosper in the thing where to I sent sent it John 17
sanctify them through thy truth thy word is truth can God's word cleanse us
it can cleanse us while other books inform and some few reform this one
book transforms AT Peterson other books were given for our information the
Bible was given for our transformation Howard Hendrick said this the Bible was
not written to satisfy your curiosity but to make you conform to Christ's
image not to make you a smarter sinner but to make you like the Savior not to
fill your head with a collection of biblical facts but to transform your
life when someone stands at this pulpit or any of our Sunday school classes or
anywhere you go teaching the word of God that is not American Idol for preaching
do I want to do a good job yes I do but I'm not trying to inform you only there's
some things you got to know there's some things you got to know but the point is
not knowing the point is doing the point is being transformed so that you'll be
something else so that you'll do something else do you get it so if your
only thought is man I was bored or man that was good our preachers good or
man Corey did a great job if that's your only thought you're thinking about it
wrong my stepping on some toes the thought ought to be God how do I obey
what I just heard God where I'm where is there a gap between what I'm doing and
what I just heard and if you think you've been completely obedient to it take
heed lest you fall the Bible says Jeremiah 23 29 is not my word like as a
fire sayeth the Lord and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces Chuck
Colson said the Bible banned burned beloved more widely read more frequently
attacked than any other book in history generations of intellectuals have
attempted to discredit it dictators of every age have outlawed it and
executed those who read it yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it more
powerful than their weapons fragments of its smuggled into solitary prison cells
have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints the word of God is
powerful both in its durability and its ability to change the lies of those who
read it believe its precepts and obey its truths the Bible is powerful number
three the Bible is transforming because it's discerning now this is this point
is crazy good in the scripture he says here the word of God is quick and
powerful and then he goes on and makes a alludes to a metaphor and sharper than
any two-edged sword piercing even to dividing a center of soul and spirit
joints the marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intense of the heart
there's a third description it's a description of the Bible as discerning
this two-edged sword is not the only place where the Bible is referred to as a
sword Ephesians 6 17 we studied this just a few months ago take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God what does a
sword do when it's implemented when they actually use the sword I'm not trying
to be graphic but this is a chance for young teenage boys to really like this
part of the sermon when you stab something with the sword what does it do
it cuts it pierces exactly what it says it divides it divides there's
something to learning and discerning that divides what do I mean tonight's the
Super Bowl so I will use football as my illustration each individual player on
the team was developed like I was about to tell you let's take the quarterback
for for instance the best quarterbacks are going to learn about grip in
football how to actually hold the football before you throw it they're
gonna learn about throwing motion they're gonna learn about reading the
defense they're gonna learn about leading the receiver when you throw it
towards them they're going to learn about ball faking and scrambling they're
gonna learn about handing off they're gonna learn about play-calling all of
these elements individually and more make up the totality of all that they
have to learn and being a good quarterback does that make sense you
don't just go learn to be a good quarterback that's descriptive of a
whole bunch of skills that you got to learn now now we're living out life as
God designed it he has a plan and a purpose for us you and I live physical
and emotional and relational and intellectual and spiritual lives these
things are interconnected right we live from our hearts from what we believe our
behavior displays our beliefs for our behavior to change our beliefs must be
changed and our beliefs come from our hearts and so our hearts have to be
changed do you get it are you walking with me on this now read the verse the
word of God helps divide out what's inside of us that's what it's saying it's
sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even into the dividing of thunder of soul
and spirit joints and marrow and as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart soul and spirit these are parts of the of there are parts of
scripture where the soul where the word for soul and spirit are used
interchangeably there are also parts of scripture where a distinction is made I
personally believe that we're made up of three parts body soul and spirit
trichotomous that's what I believe that's what the Bible teaches but
there definitely are parts where they use soul and spirit interchangeably some
have said that the reasoning part of us is the soul and the spiritual part of us
is our spirit only the Bible can discern between these two and help us behave
accordingly here he talks about joints and marrow one commentator said the word
of God can get right down into this flesh of ours and make a distinction
there's a connection between our spiritual lives and our souls and our
bodies have you ever noticed that the way that you believe the way that you're
walking with the Lord can be affected by our physical bodies has anybody ever
noticed that David said this in Psalm 32 verse 1 blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blesses a man unto whom the Lord
impudence not iniquity and whose spirit there is no guile when I kept silence
meaning when I was unrepentant and hid my sin when I kept silence my bones
waxed old through my roaring all the day long for day and night thy hand was
heavy upon me my moisture is turned into the drought of summer was that a man who
was affected physically by his sin have you ever seen somebody who wore their
sin on their body you've seen that he says here the Bible is a discerner and
and of the thoughts and intents of the heart the word here for discerner is the
word criticos what does that sound like sounds like Greek thank you that was
very good criticos critical decisive discriminative discerning they are
dictionary says this word is relating to judging fit for judging skilled in
judging of what is the word a discerner or critic the thoughts and intents of the
heart there are so many people who are critical of the Bible but the Bible is
critical of us what do I mean it discerns or it critiques this is why some
people don't like it they don't want to be exposed but think about it again
again back to the sports world why do elite players have coaches why why do
the best at their sport have people critiquing their game Michael Jordan was
once asked what he thought his best skill was he didn't say it was his
ability to dunk or is or is shooting or a scoring ability his answer was this I
was coachable I was a sponge and aggressive to learn that's what he said
was his best skill what is a coach if not a critic doesn't the coach help the
player discern what he is doing wrong and instruct him in doing right the Bible
refers to itself as a mirror someone who here's the word and doesn't do it is like
the one who beholds himself in a glass and walks away and doesn't remember what
he is but he who is but he who is is someone who discerns that perfect law
of liberty he's the one that stays in it remains in it and becomes a doer of the
word when you look at the mirror and it's I'm glad some of you were here today
and I have looked in a mirror before you got here because you saw how you were
and you changed because of it amen who's here glad that I did that who hears
questioning whether I did that right the word of God kind of shows me where I
messed up it shows me where there's a gap think about that quarterback who
tells us coach I don't like what you're telling me about my throwing motion or
my ability to read differences we talked about coachability a player kind of all
kinds of talent but if he can't take instruction he'll never be as good as he
can be the word of God here says it critiques it discerns second that was
second Timothy 3 tells us all scriptures given by inspiration of God and it's
profitable for doctrine reproof correction instruction and righteousness
you know what that means doctrine believe this know this reproof nope stop
doing that that's wrong don't believe that it's wrong
correction see what you did there stop doing that stop acting that way
instruction and righteousness hey do this instead act like this is that what
the Bible is literally what second Timothy says that's what the Bible is
good for notice the realm of discernment and critiquing the word of God look at
this as it's a discerner of what the thoughts and intense of what the heart
everything we are and everything we do flows out of our hearts Jesus said it
this way in Luke 6 a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bring it
forth that which is good and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart
bring it forth that which is evil for out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks our behavior is just the application of all that has been soaked
up and believed by our hearts it is out of that overflow that we live when we
come to the word of God being willing to be discerned being willing to be
exposed by it and learn from it we are leading into an understanding of our
selves in our world that will help us to live rightly the truth is that we enter
into the exposure into that exposure seeing it ourselves but that is exactly
how God is able to see us anyway if we don't go and look we don't understand
ourselves when we go and look we see ourselves we're coming into a submission
to seeing ourselves the way God sees us and that's exactly what he says in verse
13 look at it neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his
sight whose sight God's but all things are naked and open under the eyes of him
with whom we have to do you know what that means God knows you inside and out
he knows everything about you he knows more about you than you do the Bible is
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart because sometimes I behave
and I don't know what motivated me to do what I did you ever blown up at
somebody you're like why did I get so mad anybody ever had that happen you ever
sinned and you're like why do I keep doing this God knows and God wrote a book
and he says this book is alive and that it's active and that it will divide and
help you understand why you do what you do talk about powerful talk about
powerful and here's what's true he knows it anyway God knows our hearts he knows
our thoughts he knows why we do the things we do it's because of that that
he sent his son here's what's cool about that God knows all that and he still
loves you and he still loves me and if your thought is well God knows me of
course to know me is to love me you don't get it you need to go read the Bible a
little bit more he knew that unless our hearts were changed unless they were
regenerated our behavior would never be changed transformation would never be
possible so what did he do he sent Jesus to die for us he sent Jesus to save us
and when we trust in Christ as our Savior he makes us new he helps us to
enter into his rest by transforming us from the inside out he sanctifies us by
exposing us to ourselves we get to see as he sees let me tell you this when you
see as God sees you'll do as God says if you don't see how he sees you won't do
what he says how do we know how God sees he wrote a book and he sent his spirit
to live inside of you to help you understand it his spirit comes in and
dwells us and as we read his word and submit to it we begin to understand who
we are he convicts us he convinces us we repent we are coached we are critiqued
we are discerned and then we have the opportunity for change so let me sum up
the whole sermon and really the last couple weeks God loves you he loves you
so much because he loves you he wants to transform you he doesn't need to change
everything but there's a lot that he needs to change when you put your faith
and trust in him there's a salvation rest that's available to you your destiny
is changed your destiny is changed but God doesn't want to just change your
destiny one day he wants to change you now and he does that by wanting to have
fellowship with you intimacy with you to give you not just peace with him but
that his peace would get into you that's what we call rest how to but to do
that you have to believe and how do you believe you believe faith comes through
the word of God and the transforming process happens when we start to think
like God thinks how do we think like God thinks there's a book that's alive it's
powerful and it will help you discern what God wants for you and where you are
yourself so you begin to see the way he sees the way he sees is you completely
exposed naked he knows he knows every sinful thought you ever did everything
you struggle with and his plan is to help you get out of that bondage and into
his rest and so we do our part and God does his part we believe we have faith
we stay we remain and God transforms what keeps people from the positional
relationship with God what keeps people from being saved on belief a lack of
faith we are saved by God's grace through faith we put our trust in him and he
saves us what keeps believers from experiencing the full transformative
fellowship that's available to us as God's rest on belief a lack of faith
that's why God's word tells us so often to abide to remain to stay to hear and
obey there's this old him that I thought of as I was writing and I love him's and
one of the things I love about him one of the things I loved about this him was
this him that we sing we haven't something in a while I think we're
singing it here in the next couple weeks this him that we sing somebody
obviously was studying the same book I was and it's a lot better poetry than I
could ever be I want you to think about this him in light of all that I've said
the last three weeks here's what it says when we walk with the Lord in the light
of his word what a glory he sheds on our way while we do his goodwill he
abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey trust and obey for
there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey not a shadow
can rise not a doubt in the skies but his smile quickly drives it away not a
doubt or a fear not a sight or a tear can abide while we trust and obey but our
toil he sorry not a burden we bear not a sorrow we share but our toil he does
richly we pay not a grief or a loss not a frown or a cross but is blessed if we
trust and obey love this but we can we never can prove the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay for the favor he shows and the joy he bestows
and for them who will trust and obey now listen to this last one then in
fellowship sweet we will sit at his feet or we'll walk by his side in the way
does that sound like rest what he says we will do here it is where he sends we
will go never fear only trust and obey trust and obey sing it with me trust and
obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey
there remain if therefore a rest for the people of God would you buy your heads
and close your eyes with me