Entering God's Rest — Hebrews 3-4

0:00 Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you and bless your holy name. That you are our rest. You are our peace. You are our joy. You are our life.

0:20 Lord Jesus, surely you are more busy and more concerned on your heart and mind than any of us have ever been. And yet there was never a time when you were not at perfect rest and peace. Lord, we pray as we look through this passage this morning that you would teach us how to enter into that rest. And we thank you that when we are in fellowship with you, it is perfect peace and rest stayed upon Jehovah. Perfect peace and rest.

0:56 Help us to get there, to learn how to get there, to return to that place, and to remain in that place we ask. In Jesus name, amen. I thought I would give a brief introduction. Then number two, a brief review of where we've been so far in Hebrews. And number three, then we're going to read and walk through the text.

1:26 Hebrews chapter four this morning. And it says in Nehemiah that Ezra, after they read the word for a quarter of the day, it says that Ezra and the other prophets, it says they translated it because there was different languages, and then they gave a sense of the meaning. That's all any man's duty is, any woman's duty is who would share the word of God, to read it, to read it. In the NAS translation, Paul told Timothy, he says, give your attention to the public reading of the scriptures. When John wrote the Revelation, he said there's a blessing to those who read it and hear it.

2:17 Somebody once said, you know, the word of god is like this lion's, all powerful. Just let it out of its cage and so, our duty and for any of us again who would stand behind this pulpit or any other position to teach god's word is just to read it and to give us hopefully a sense of meaning some somehow. I like what Chuck Smith, the brother who god used in a great way with Calvary Chapel said, simply teach the word of god. Simply. So, may god help me and and each of us to do that.

2:57 After we walk through the text, then I hope to give two exhortations that are there for us. One for unbelievers, one for believers. And then finally, the application, how? How do we fulfill those expectations? How do we enter into his rest?

3:15 How do we remain in his rest? Brief introduction, Westminster Catechism says something like this. It says that the chief end of man, why are we created? Why are we here? Why did god make a universe?

3:27 The chief end of creation of man, the chief end of why we're here is to glorify god and enjoy god forever. I like that. There is so much joy in the lord and when we get from behind this veil of this life and this sinful body and this sinful world and we are face to face, there is one all encompassing word that describes eternity in heaven. The three letter word. It could be one three letter word that describes this life down here and that would be sin, right?

4:09 But in heaven, it's J O Y. There's going to be nothing but perfect, eternal joy. That's who God is. The fruit of the spirit. Right?

4:24 He's God. Love, joy, peace. So, from creation, God makes a world in six days, sixth day, he made man to be in fellowship with him. To have rest with him. And on the seventh day, god rests.

4:44 On the Sabbath day, the day of rest, god rested. To what? Because he was exhausted? Of course not. God never is weary, the Bible says.

4:53 But he was going to enjoy all that he created. And before sin, there was that time period where it was paradise. Man was in perfect rest with god. God's rest. So, there is a rest.

5:33 It's either wrath or rest. But for us who are saved is to return to that rest because it's so easy to get out, as we're going to see a great New Testament story there, to return to that rest and keep returning as often as necessary and then to remain in that rest. God wants us to enjoy Him. Jesus said it like this, father, this is eternal life which starts at salvation, right? And then, culminates forever.

6:06 This is what it is to know you, to experience you, the only true god and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. So, from creation, god, his whole plan is to create a world of rest. Him. He is perfect peace. And there was that until sin entered.

6:33 And Satan comes and hijacks the world as it were. God allows him to do that for a period. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And then basically the whole rest of the scriptures are God's story, His story of how He is going to redeem man, bring them back to that rest. Him.

7:01 I don't know about you, but life is getting way more difficult every day. And those of us who are, I don't know, over 30 or 40, you start to get oldish, it gets more hardish every day ish. More difficult. On top of all the other struggles, you got your body is falling apart. Seriously.

7:29 And weakness and hurt and pain. And you see that around you. Our dear brothers, the Haydads and the Gonzales's enjoy, of course, because their loved one went to be with the Lord. But a horrible thing called death. So, there's, we're in dire straits.

7:50 The world is a hard place to live in. It always has been, but it seems like it's getting harder. And I hope that as we go through this passage of scripture that, and especially the applications, how do we remain in this rest? That God is really going to encourage us. So, the brief review of Hebrews where we've been thus far is this rest is in a person, his son, the lord Jesus.

8:17 He's the mediator to get back to god. The Bible says, right? And he is the one who brings the rest. He is the one who is the rest. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, the life.

8:30 I'm the way to life and then in Colossians, it says, Christ who is our life. He's our life. So, you're going to see that this means of rest this this goal of rest, this end of rest, being there and that's what salvation is. When you are first born again, you are at perfect rest. You are at perfect fellowship with god but then, it didn't take too long before you started accumulating dust on your feet called sin, right?

9:06 And so, lose that fellowship and and that rest with god. And so, as we come back, we return to that rest. But Hebrews talks in chapter one, just the first few verses there. So powerful. God, after he spoke long ago in the fathers, in the prophets, in many portions, and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in his son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world.

9:43 So, Christ is greater than the prophets. Christ is greater than creation. Why? Because he created it. Verse three, Christ is the radiance of god's glory the exact representation of his nature, his reality.

10:02 He upholds all things by the power of his word, the word of his power. When he had made purification of sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels. He's better than the angels. He's god the creator. He comes down and rescues us to redeem us, to bring us back to god so that we can be in his rest and enjoy god.

10:25 Glorify god and enjoy god forever. And it goes on in chapter one. If you look at verse eight, verse six, God commands... The father commands all the angels to worship Christ. He's God.

10:43 Verse eight, but of the son, he says, thy throne, o God. Look at that verse eight, but of the son, of Jesus, God the father says, thy throne, oh God. God calls Jesus God. Elohim, that's the word for God, calls Jesus Elohim. And his throne exists forever.

11:01 He's greater. Chapter two, he becomes the human being to redeem us. This Christ one, this mediator to get us back to God. He's not only the end, the result himself is peace, his rest, but he's the means to that. He's everything.

11:22 He's our all in all. And in verse 14, since then, the children share in flesh and blood, Christ himself, likewise, also partook of the same flesh and blood, so that through death, Christ might render powerless or destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and that he might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. He brings us back to rest. When we were sinners away from God, we didn't have the rest. We were terrified of death.

12:05 But god brings us back as Christ redeems us through his blood. The sin is gone, and we're no longer terrified of death meeting God. We're not looking forward to the death process. Anybody here? No.

12:22 No. I don't want to die of cancer or a car crash or getting my head sliced off. I don't want to do that. But I'm not terrified. I'm not afraid.

12:35 I'm gonna walk through those doors one day apart from the rapture. And chapter three is about God offers this rest to Israel. Come back to me. Come back to me. Come back to me.

12:48 And he gives them the promise, go into the promised land. I'm going to deliver you from Egypt. That's salvation. Right? It's all picture, all shadows of Christ and his salvation.

12:58 And they said, no. You need to understand how serious this was. It's literally calling God a liar. Same thing Adam and Eve did in the garden. And that's why there's the intense wrath of God.

13:13 It says in chapter three, His wrath, they'll not enter my rest. In my wrath, I said. What angers God? When we don't believe Him. We don't trust Him.

13:30 And so we're going to pick up chapter three verse 16, then we're just going to carry on. Whoever put these chapters together in the Bible, they made some big mistakes. Those are not inspired. You know this. You know that, right?

13:44 Chapters, the numbers, and the verse numbers, those aren't inspired. So, I can say that there's mistakes in that, not in God's Word. It was one letter. Brief, by the way, the writer says at the end of Hebrews. I write this brief exhortation.

13:59 I hate to see this long one. I wouldn't hate to see it. I'd love to see it but chapter three from verse seven to chapter four verse 10 is really the way it should be organized. It's all about the offer to Israel for rest and they disobeyed and then god's offer still through David and then god's offer through the writer of Hebrews and then god's offer today to enter his rest. And then, from chapter four verse 11 through all the way through chapter 10 just about, it's all about this glorious priest called Jesus.

14:38 It helps us to understand the order and how the book all fits together. It's one letter. It's one letter. So, we'll start in verse 16 of chapter three just for time's sake here. Verse 15.

14:55 Okay, verse 14. 14. Three fourteen. For we have become partakers of Christ, all the Old Testament is shadows of Christ. All of it.

15:15 The Bible says that. And it's all just shadows. But the reality is Christ. It was all pictures of Christ. All pictures of salvation.

15:26 Coming to Christ. Knowing Christ. And who and and who Christ is. For we have become partakers of Christ. Just like the Israelites, the picture was them them coming out of Egypt, out of slavery, and god was going to deliver them by faith if they would believe his promises and they didn't.

15:46 That's why they didn't enter in. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. Just a couple brief statements there. You'll see that often through the book of Hebrews and Revelation. Those are going to be saved who overcome until the end.

16:08 What does it mean to hold our assurance, to hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end? If you look at chapter four verse 10, For the one who has entered his rest has himself also rested from his works as god did from him, from his works. Verse nine, there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of god. There's this potential to stop believing but not for a true believer. Hold fast.

17:30 They had left Judaism. They saw that it wasn't legalism that got us saved and Christ had been being preached to them. And some had truly believed, firmly rested in Christ, trusted, rested from their works as god did from his but some were still on the edge. They weren't true believers yet. They believed maybe in their mind just like in Christendom today, so many.

18:01 Never having entered into that full rest yet but they know that it's true and they and and they come. They come to church meetings and they came to these meetings but they didn't enter in yet. So, the writer in Hebrews, god, through the writer in Hebrews is saying, hold this assurance true. Don't fall away. You'll see that phrase, fall away.

18:20 Can a true believer fall away from being born again? No. These are unbelievers being encouraged. Don't fall away. You're coming to this teaching of grace.

18:31 Don't fall away from the teaching of grace and don't fall back into the teaching of the law. That's exactly what Paul says. If you look with me at Galatians chapter five verse one, it was for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore, keep standing firm. There it is again.

18:48 Stand firm. Do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Don't fall back into the teaching that you have to earn god's favor through keeping the law. Behold, I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, which was written in the law, Christ will be of no benefit to you. If you receive Christ, you're going to have to keep the whole law.

19:10 I mean, I mean, if you receive circumcision, you're going to have to keep the whole law. I wrote in my Bible, Christ plus good works equal hell. Don't fall back into that teaching. Verse three. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, he's under obligation to keep the whole law.

19:27 You've been severed from Christ. You who are seeking to be justified by law. You have fallen from grace or you've fallen from the teaching of grace. This is not believers who, true believers who who lost their salvation. These are head knowledge believers, not born again people and you're falling away from this teaching of grace.

19:53 Keep coming. Hold from the assurance. You're coming. Keep coming and trusting. Until you get to that point where you are born again, when you fully rest in Jesus Christ and his finished work.

20:07 A true believer cannot fall away. It's the same thing. Whoever's going to teach in a couple weeks on Hebrews two. Hebrews chapter six. It's the same thing.

20:19 If we go there, Hebrews chapter six just briefly. Verse four, for in the case of those who have once been enlightened, have tasted of the heavenly gift, have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, that sounds like they're saved, right? You're going to find out that they're not saved. They're not truly saved. It doesn't mean that they are are possessors of the Holy Spirit here at all.

20:49 Verse five, and they've tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, then have fallen away. It's impossible to renew them again to repentance since they again crucified to themselves, the son of god and put him to open shame. Then, he gives the example. Look at verse seven. He says, for ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for who for whose sake it is also tilled.

21:19 Those are the ones who receive a blessing. So, the water is falling. The word of god is falling on unbelievers and believers. How do you know a true believer? It produces fruit just like rain falls on good soil.

21:30 It's going to produce good fruit. Verse eight, but if it yields thorns and thistles, it's worthless and close to being cursed and it ends up being burned. That's an unbeliever. The same rain is falling on there. Look at verse nine, the conclusion.

21:45 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you and things that accompany salvation. We're convinced that most of you guys are saved. He's talking to believers now. So, he's not saying that a believer can fall away. He's talking about someone who's not truly in the faith yet, falling away from the teaching of grace.

22:09 And going back into thinking that they can do something to make themselves right with god. Whether it's circumcision or today would be baptism or you could fill in the blanks with going to church and praying, going to a priest for your confessions, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. So, the writer here in Hebrews in chapter six says, no. We're convinced of better things that pertain to salvation. What I was talking about didn't pertain to those who had salvation.

22:55 This is true salvation entering his rest. If we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. Turn to first John chapter two. First John chapter two verse 19. This is very very important and I'm sure it's going to come up more as we go through Hebrews and I'm sure each one that teaches will teach it fully, but let me just give you some idea.

23:19 First John chapter two verse 19. Look at what the right, what John says here. They went out from us. But they were not really of us or if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But they went out.

23:39 Why? In order that it might be shown that they all are not of us. Not everybody who says this sinner's prayer thing or or or ask Jesus into their heart is really of us. How do we know who's of us? They remain with us.

23:56 Doesn't mean this local body then it did because there was only the local bodies and they didn't have cars to run to the next, you know, far away church but they're going to remain. Judas didn't remain. That's why Jesus called him a devil. Jesus called him the son of destruction. Jesus said it'd be better that he was never born.

24:14 Jesus said, I lost none except the son of destruction. He went to hell. He wasn't a true believer. Wow. So, a true believer cannot fall away from being truly saved.

24:27 So, keep believing. Keep believing. So, the exhortation is even to us as true believers. Keep believing. There's an anchor to our soul, this faith.

24:37 It's in heaven. Back to Hebrews chapter three. For we become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end. While it is said, today, if you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as when they provoked me. For who provoked him?

24:53 When they had heard, indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses. And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned whose bodies fell in the wilderness? Historians estimate, bible scholars estimate, well over a half a million bodies fell in the wilderness during those forty years. And let's find out why.

25:17 And to whom did he swear that they should not enter his rest but to those who were disobedient. And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. They didn't believe God's promise to trust Him to deliver them into His rest, His promised land. So, the next sentence, which again, unfortunately, is called chapter four, which shouldn't be. It just says the next sentence.

25:44 Therefore, let us fear. And again, he's talking to a mixed crowd. But these were not belligerently opposed to Christ. These are believers of some sort. Some were believers who were truly born again.

26:00 They believed unto salvation. Some were believing. They're in the process, hopefully. And so the writer is encouraging them. He says, not only encouraging them, but warning them.

26:10 Therefore, let us fearless while a promise remains of entering his rest. Anyone of you should seem to have come short of it. And again, that rest is salvation which the chapter three was a picture coming into Canaan for that rest of coming back to god to into his rest. For indeed, we have had good news preached to us. This is the writer in the day of Hebrews, right?

26:33 Back in approximately sixty AD or somewhere around there. We had good news preached to us just as they also that they is the Israelites back in chapter three. They had good news preached. Believe me, I'll bring you into the promised land. We've had good news preached the writer of Hebrews says, believe on Jesus, I'll bring you into this rest of god.

26:54 They but but the word they heard, the Israelites did not profit them because it was not united by faith in those who heard. Again, it's faith is how we enter into god's rest, into god's salvation. It's faith, faith, faith, true, resting from our works and putting our faith in Christ alone. For we who have believed enter that rest. How sure is the promise?

27:20 It's just as sure as the next sentence. Just as God said or promised, as I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. So, just as sure as God promised they would not enter his rest, if you believe the promise is you will enter his rest. If you believe on Christ, you will enter his rest. For he has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day, and God rested on the seventh day from all his works.

28:08 I mean, they were running around naked in the garden. And I don't mean to be funny or anything, but there was no, they were in perfect rest and peace. There was no shame, no guilt, no curse, no, it was paradise. And Christ has come to restore that after it was lost through Adam and Eve's sin. And Christ does restore that in our soul now, in our bodies later, when we get to glory, completed, right?

28:38 Our salvation. We're waiting for that day. Even all of creation is groaning for that day, for the sons of glory to be manifested, to become what they're supposed to become, and get rid of this thing once and for all forever called sin. Wow. What a glorious day.

28:55 Verse five, and again in this passage, they shall not enter my rest. So, god had the rest prepared from the beginning. Israel always decided, no. We don't want it. Since, therefore, it remains for some to enter it.

29:10 There's plenty of room today and until Christ comes and sets up his eternal kingdom. There's plenty of room. Enter in. That's what the writer is saying here. There remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience.

29:30 He again fixes a certain day, today. Now, this today was written by David in approximately, these are very rough approximates, but just to give you an idea, approximately 1,000 BC. The Israelites and Moses in the wilderness was approximately 450, 500. So, five hundred years later, four hundred years later, David says, today, there's still opening. There's still this rest that remains for some to enter into it.

30:02 Today, verse seven, saying through David, after so long a time, just as had been said before, today, if you hear his voice, chapter three, David was quoted there, do not harden your hearts. Enter in. Enter in. For Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken. God would have not spoken of another day after that.

30:23 Joshua was back again in approximately four fifty, four hundred BC. And if that was the final rest, then god would have never spoken again through David. That's what he's saying here. That there's still rest waiting for the children of god. Verse nine, there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of god.

30:44 For the one who has entered god's rest has himself also rested from his works as god did from his. How do you enter his rest? You rest from your works. You believe on Jesus Christ and his work, his person, his finished work once and for all on the cross of Calvary to redeem our souls, to bring us back to god, to bring us into his rest, to bring us peace with god. Therefore, being justified by faith in Jesus Christ, we have peace with god.

31:21 So, that's the means to get to this rest is to stop resting, stop trusting, rest, depart from your good works, right? But it's also the final result. Meaning, when we get to this rest, what is it? It's rest. It's the burden of the work is gone.

31:42 And I can relax. Is there work for a child of God to do? Oh, yes. Much. But it's going to be, you'll see, as automatic overflow.

31:52 As a believer, and I'm testimony to this, I can enter in back to trying to do God's work, please God in my own strength, and am... Is my soul at rest then? Oh, heavens, no. I m the most miserable in one sense. I might be smiling on the outside.

32:10 Oh, look at me. I m going downtown preaching for Jesus. Oh, look at him praying. Oh, look at him. But inside, there s turmoil.

32:17 There s no rest. And God says, Rest from your works to enter in and come to me and the work I have for you. As he says in Matthew, my yoke is easy. Right? There's work to do, but it's going to be easy.

32:44 Work hard to rest. Be diligent. Work. Yes. Do all in your might.

32:52 I know we're speaking to mostly believers here, but there are some that are not believers yet. Some that haven't fully entered into God's rest. Either way, but especially the believers, be diligent to enter that God's rest. And we're going to give you the how in just a moment. And here it comes.

33:10 Verse 11, let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God, for the word of God, for the word of God is sharper, is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there's no creature hidden from God's sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. First, there's a terrifying judgment here, warning here of judgment. The word of god is going to judge us one day.

33:53 According to what's written in the scriptures, we will be judged by god who sees everything and so there's fear there. If you're not in god's rest yet and you know who you are, you're not truly born again yet. You come and maybe you come just because your parents make you come. Maybe you're just here because you're just seeking and and you know you need to be in church. But there's a warning here.

34:19 You can't, by your deeds, your standard, enter in. But there's a severe warning here. The word of God is living and active. But it also applies to us believers. It's through the word that we enter into his rest.

34:33 That'll be our conclusion. And there's no creature that's hidden from his sight. Verse 14, that you could say would be the throne of judgment. That's why we should be diligent to enter God's rest. But then there's the throne of grace.

34:49 The rest of the chapter, the next three verses. Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens. Jesus Christ, when he ascended, he went back up into heaven. God's heaven, the third heaven. But to get to the third heaven, he passed through the first heaven.

35:12 That's all that's recorded in Acts chapter one. He went up into the clouds and disappeared. But I believe he kept going. Through the second heaven. There are three heavens in the scriptures.

35:25 One is the blue sky, the atmosphere. That's where Jesus ascended and that's as far as we could see him. We didn't. The the early disciples did and he went up into the clouds. Then, the second heaven is all the starry creation to the farthest star out there but then there's the third heaven.

35:41 God's throne. I believe that's a picture of the tabernacle. The high priest would come and enter through the outer court gate. The first, then he'd come into the building, the temple, or the tabernacle, whichever it was, and he would enter in through the first door into the holy place where the priests, not only the high priest would enter, but all the priests would enter. But only the high priest could enter into that third door behind the veil where God was, where he dwelt on the mercy seat.

36:20 And that's why the writer of Hebrews here, I'm sure he had this in mind, the next chapters as you go through this, we're going to see. Since then, we have such a have a high, since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the son of god. That's why we know he's the son of god because he not only passed through the heavens on his way up. John chapter three verse 13, Jesus is telling Nicodemus, no one's gone up into heaven except he who what? Came down from heaven.

36:52 So, in a sense, he he he passed through the heavens on his way down into the womb of Mary. I'm not sure all the how that happens somehow but he's the son of god. He's in glory in the third heaven with his father. Now, he's in a human being's womb, born of a virgin but the key here is he rose up. He ascended our high priest after the sacrifice.

37:14 He takes that blood sacrifice just like the high priest had to take it into the temple, into the holy of holies, and offer up that blood sacrifice. We're going to see that over and over for the next four or five chapters. The high priest enters into that holy place and offers up his blood, offers up the blood but now in this time, in this case, it's Jesus's own blood to satisfy the wrath of god. So, the wrath of god satisfied because there was an innocent lamb slaughtered and it's Jesus and he's our high priest making the offering to god and he himself is that offering. Since that's the kind of high priest we have, Jesus, the son of god, let us hold fast.

38:23 The sinless one becomes sin on the cross. Listen, so that when we truly enter his rest and believe on Jesus Christ, his finished work, we become, in God's sight, sinless. The righteousness of God in Christ. Let us therefore draw near with confidence or come boldly to the throne of what? Grace.

38:52 That we may receive mercy, may find grace to help in our time of need. Application. How do we enter or return if we're believers and then remain in God's rest? The answer is simply faith. The just shall live by faith.

39:12 For the unbeliever, it's believe God's promises in his word that Christ is your only hope of salvation. And then number two, come to God's throne of grace in prayer. To enter his rest, we come to God's promises in his word. We believe them. And then we turn to God, the throne of grace.

39:33 We come with all our needs, needing mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. And it's the same for the believer. It's the same for both. The word of god, Psalm one thirty eight verse two, he exalts his word above his name, brother. He exalts his word above his name.

39:53 How do we enter god's rest? We return like Mary and not Martha sitting at his feet listening to his word. His word exalted above, exalted above his name, the King James says. Wow. The other translations say, he exalts his word according to his name.

40:14 He exalts above all things his name and his word. Jesus says in Matthew, he says, my words will never pass away. Isaiah, the writer says, heaven and earth are gonna pass away. All flesh and all flesh and blood is like grass. That's gonna wither and fade away, but the word of God stands forever.

40:34 It's the same for unbelievers and believers alike. We enter and then remain in god's rest by believing. Listen carefully here, brother. This is the conclusion. By believing, not by doing.

40:48 We enter god's rest by his doing and what he has done through Jesus Christ on Calvary, not by our doing. We enter god's rest by what he has done and who he is, not by what we do and who we are. We enter by faith. We just believe. We believe God's promises in God's word.

41:13 I want us to close and look at just a couple verses here in second Peter. Second Peter, just a little bit after Hebrews, couple pages to the right. Chapter one How do we as believers enter god's rest? Verse three and four, chapter one of second Peter, seeing that god's divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. So, he gives us everything for life and godliness through knowing god correctly, true knowledge of him.

41:57 Verse four, for by these, by his own glory and excellence, he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises. It's by the promises. It's by believing. It's the commandments come after. Yes, there are plenty of commandments we have to keep, but it's gonna be automatic overflow as we're resting in god.

42:22 We believe his promises in order that by these promises, you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. How do we become more like Christ? Not by trying to be more loving, more kind, more patient. It's by gazing upon his promises, believing his promises that one, I'll give you a good one for example. You are dead and your life is hidden with Christ in god.

42:49 When Christ who is our life is revealed, you also will be revealed with him in glory. We're dead. Christ is alive in us. He's the one who's going to produce. He's the vine.

43:00 We're just the branch that displays the fruit. The vine produces the fruit. We plug in. We draw near through the word of god. We spend time in his word, sitting in his feet, listening to his word, looking at his promises, believing his promises.

43:15 God, you said if I believe on Christ, I'm saved. God, you said that I'm dead and Christ is alive in me. I believe it. I believe it. Second Corinthians three eighteen.

43:39 Paul says, we believers but all us believers with unveiled faces. We're not under the law anymore. We're not we're not blinded by trying to keep the law. We're not under the law but we all with unveiled faces. Second Corinthians three eighteen, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the lord.

43:59 So, we're going to look in this mirror at the glory of the lord. James tells us what this mirror is. It's the word of god. So, we're going to behold. We're going to gaze upon the glory, the beauty David says of the lord.

44:12 Beholding the glory of the lord. You know what it says is going to happen as we do just that? All we're going to do is behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. We are being transformed into that same image from glory to glory just as from the Lord the spirit. Automatically, god does us.

44:31 God is the one who said that we can be confident that he who began the good work in us will complete it. We sit at his feet. We gaze upon the glory of the lord Jesus in his word. Automatically, the holy spirit bit by bit, glory to glory, transforms us into that same image and one day, our bodies get redeemed so that then, we are completed in the image of god And last, the story in Luke chapter 10, and we'll close here. Luke chapter 10.

45:07 There, therefore, remains a rest for the people of God. Chapter 10 verse 38. Now, as they were traveling along, Jesus and his Padres, his small group of disciples, he entered a certain village and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who moreover was listening to the lord's words seated at his feet. So, we know that Jesus is speaking.

45:41 God of the universe is speaking. Mary is sitting down, resting, gazing at the glory of the lord, listening to his word, the mirror, Jesus Christ speaking, god speaking, and I can only picture and I and I know I'm not going too far here. Mary Mary had to be at perfect peace and rest. Stayed upon Jehovah. Thou will keep him in perfect peace who keeps his mind fixed on thee.

46:16 But Martha, on the other hand, was distracted With all her preparations, she came up to Jesus and said, Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me. Wow. Mary has gone out from the rest of the lord as it were. She didn't lose her salvation.

46:43 They're both saved at this point but one is resting. Now, there's a time for service. We see Mary and Martha both serving in the future. But more importantly, we're going to see in just a moment. Martha pours out her burden to the Lord.

46:59 What does Jesus respond? But the Lord answered and said, Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things. Man, my name is right there, Christian Christian. But only a few things are necessary. Really?

47:18 One. One. Sisters, brothers, god of the universe who wrote the bible, god of the universe who made the universe, god of the universe who made your soul, your body, who knows you. He's that high priest. He's gone through all your temptations.

47:35 He knows. He understands and he tells all of us this morning, there is only one thing necessary or needful. Mary has chosen the good part which shall not be taken from her. How do we enter his rest? We make a choice to sit at his feet and listen to his word.

47:58 And then we come to the throne of grace and respond in prayer to our great high priest. We're going to close with this one song. If you could have that up on the overhead now, guys. Before the throne of god above We just pray and then we'll sing. Father, we thank you for your rest.

48:39 Lord, we need your rest so desperately. Lord, so many times myself, and I'm sure many of us would say, we find ourselves like Martha. We're serving you. We're serving the lord. We are frazzled.

48:54 We're complaining about serving you. We're thinking you don't care. We're comparing ourselves with other Christians, putting down other Christians, gossiping, thinking that we earn your favor by what we do for you. And then we have the audacity to tell you what to do. Lord, forgive us.

49:22 Help us, Lord, to return and remain in your rest, to sit at your feet, listen to your word, and come to the most awesome place in the universe, the throne of grace, to be in your presence. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

52:27 One with himself, I cannot die. My soul is purchased by his blood my life is hid with Christ on high with Christ my savior and my god with Christ my savior and my god.

52:57 We love you lord Jesus. Thank you that you are our great high priest and we intercede right now and ask lord that you would please draw us back to our first love, you, that perfect rest. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.