First text, Psalms 116, verse 7, Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. Return unto thy rest, O my soul. Genesis chapter 8. starting in verse one, Genesis eight. And God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the cattle that was with him in the ark.

And God made a wind to pass over the earth and the waters assuaged. The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters returned from off the earth continually. And after the end of 150 days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month on the seventh day of the month upon the mountains of Arat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. And the tenth month on the first day of the month were the tops of the mountains seen. And it came to pass at the end of 40 days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro until the waters were dried up from off the earth. And also he sent forth a dove from him to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground.

But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto Noah, unto him, into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. Then he put forth his hand and took her and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet another seven days. And again, he sent forth the dove out of the ark and the dove came in to him in the evening and lo in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

We'll stop there. The story in Genesis, what we're looking at here, there's two birds. There's a raven, which did not necessarily come back because they can live off carrion, it's called, or death, the dead animals. The dead animals floating, they can live off that.

The dove, it cannot. It won't. But we also notice the dove, which it says specifically in verse nine, found no rest for the soul of her foot. Found no rest for the soul of her foot. So she returned unto Noah and the ark. Now we have a double picture here of Christ, the ark and Noah. This dove is what I want to look at. I'm going to center in around, emphasize, and highlight my thoughts this morning. This dove.

So taking that as our cue, we see in this dove the grace of God upon the sinner. The grace of God upon the sinner. When the word of the Holy Spirit blows as it will, Upon the sinner's heart of stone, God melts it. He begins a work of grace and truth and mercy.

And this is like this dove. It can't eat off of death. It has to come back to who created it and then to who redeemed it. It has to come back. And I ask myself and I ask us all here, are there any plain dead dog sinners who are vile, corrupt? Is there anybody like that here today? May God begin to awaken us to the plight, to our plight outside of his saving grace. The raven, it's okay. It can go anywhere. It can live off the world. It can live off death. And that's what this world is.

But this dove, it says very specifically in verse nine, but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot. And she returned unto him into the ark. My prayer is that you would see God as your creator, but more so, you would see him as your redeemer who suffered and bled and died on Calvary's tree for your sins. The dove could find no rest.

And I ask, do we begin to see this world is not our rest? It's not our resting place, nor can we truly feed on spiritual food here. That's why we gather together. That's why the Lord's left his word. If we don't gather together every single day, but we, this, this, we ought to be reading the word because it speaks of Christ who is our rest.

Secondly, we must return unto the ark and Noah. The dove, it wasn't, it wasn't going to return anywhere. It had to return from whence it came. From whence it came. Through the preaching and teaching of Christ and His gospel, we understand that nothing short of Christ Jesus, Noah, or the ark, will give the weary soul true, everlasting rest. And actually, the word Noah means rest. And if you flip over real quick to Psalms 116, From what I've been told, from the commentaries I read, I couldn't necessarily find it, but verse 7, return unto thy rest, that word is actually return unto thy Noah, in the original. Return unto thy rest, O my soul.

This is the soul whom God has, through the preaching, the teaching, the word of truth, has made, it's an awakened soul. Because as we saw last week, we go our own way, and it's not the way of grace. When we're born, we're born in sin. We go our own way, not His way. But we understand that Christ and only Christ return unto thy rest, O my soul. We must return. And the word rest is the same word. But the dove found no rest for a sober foot. And also, this is the same word, and she returned. It's the same words in Psalm 116. They're the same words.

So we must return. Anything short of Christ will not do. Anything short of Christ will not do. It will not do to, not to, we don't return to worldly enjoyments. We return to work. Nor do we return to external duties, to the hearing, to the reading and praying, to doing, abstaining, fasting, ceremonies, tears, law, or anything initiated by us. We don't return to that.

It's not what it says. Return unto me. Return unto thy rest. And in our text in Genesis, but the dove found no rest. That's key. If you can find rest here, your rest is not in Christ. I'm not saying if you find enjoyment, I'm saying if you find rest. And that simply means repose, relax, it's peace, it has to do with peace.

We must come to Christ for rest, Christ for forgiveness, Christ for pardon, peace, and covering. Only in Christ do we find the burden of guilt removed, our sins, though many, will be cleaned, washed away, The condemnation of God's holy law is removed from upon us. God's anger and wrath has no more quarrel against us, only in Christ.

Look at the text again in Genesis chapter eight. I love how this is worded. Look at this. The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark. for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. And Noah put forth his hand and took her, the dove, the saved sinner, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. Now why? Are those who are called and quickened by sovereign grace, why are they going to be kept? Because He pulls us in. He will not lose one. All for whom Christ died, He will lose none. But it's just so beautiful how it's worded.

He put forth His hand and took her and pulled her in unto Him into the ark. This is Christ graciously receiving the sinner. And then again in our text in Psalms, return unto thy rest. He puts forth his hand in loving kindness, in tender forbearance, and through the declaration of his glorious gospel, the free grace of God, sinners, though we are, and unworthy of any of his mercies, he snatches us by Holy Spirit conviction and a clear view of our kinsman redeemer and pulls us unto himself. He pulls us unto himself, for he himself is salvation. We sing with the bands of love, we sing that song, he saved the wandering one.

Unto him, as I said, that word in Psalms is Return unto thy Noah. Return unto thy rest. Unto the ark. Christ is our blessed ark. So we have a double type of Emmanuel. Noah and the ark. Be of sin the double cure. Safe in the arms of Christ and safe in the work of Christ safe, rest, and at peace, and we are happy in our beloved.

I imagine that dove was probably wore out. And when we go, we got to go out, we got to make a living, we got to pay taxes, we got to render under Caesar those which are Caesar. So we go out and we get whipped. We got to come back. And the believer will. the believer will return unto his rest, unto his Noah. We'll do it. That's just, that's what the new man desires. Fitness for everything the sinner could want or need, we find in Christ. And he's an adequate, a sufficient Savior. We could ask for no more. We return specifically. And sometimes we don't know, it's like, I just don't know if I can do it. He's there. Underneath are the everlasting arms. He's there. He pulls us in. He pulls us in. Turn to the passage in Psalms, Psalms 116. This is almost, A plea, a plea within us, within the awakened, the enlightened heart.

Return unto thy rest, O my soul. There's none here that will do any good. There's none that really cares, like the prodigal. Return like the prodigal. He went into the world. He was going to make his living, and then he spent all his living. Nobody cared for him. Ah, just go out and take care of the swine. The lowest, meanest, dirtiest job nobody wants to do, you do it. So return, oh sinner, return unto thy Noah like the prodigal. What about Naomi? She left full, came back empty.

Sometimes the Lord will do that. Sometimes He's got to break us, the breaker. He's going to do that. Break the power of canceled sin. Yes, He will. But we're thankful that He does that. We return like a fearful Peter. I can't imagine. I relate so much to Peter. I can't imagine walking in the Savior being where I could see Him and He could see me. and then denying him that way. I can see that because I'm like Peter, but I can't imagine.

And when Christ looked at him, and yet he returned. There's no hope in any other. We must return unto our Redeemer. He holds his hand out. It's not an offer. He holds his hand out because he knows that which he's imparted will return to him and he grabs and he pulls us in. Like a guilty child, you know, gets caught with his hand in a cookie jar or doing something and they get that look. It's easy to get away, but not our savior, not our redeemer. Return unto thy rest, O my soul. That's the God we worship. That's the God we serve. He's holy, he's just, but he's also harmless and undefiled, separate from sinners. Return unto thy rest. You and I will if we're his children.

And the thing is, the sad thing is, we will not stop sinning. But when we sin, we beat ourselves up and we're like, well, I need to try to do better. No, no, no. Return to your rest. Again, again, and again. We will not stop sinning, but when we do, return.

That's the plea here from the soul and from the Lord God. Picture it in the ark, the only safe place there is, no safety. Not for the believer, for the raven, sure, but I don't wanna be that. Repent, return, and continue to come to him. He is eternal life.

Return to my creator, to our redeemer, Jesus the Christ. Look at Psalms 132. Psalms 132 Verses 13 and 14 just do by the grace of God ask the Lord to do this for you For the Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation This is my rest forever Here will I dwell for I have desired it Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11. I can't do this preacher. I know you can't but he can do it through you. Ask him. Ask him. Ask him.

Matthew 11 verse 28. Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. That's the promise. That's the promise. Hebrews chapter 4. Hebrews chapter 4 verses 9 and 10. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God, for he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Resting does not mean we cease from doing good works.

Scripture says the believers to be careful to maintain good works. We're just not to depend on them. That's what I told somebody. I read something from John Gill. Resting does not mean ceasing from doing good works, it just means from depending on them. We don't depend on them. We don't depend on them. Christ has accomplished all, all the work necessary, and we rest fully upon Him and Him alone. This verse here in Psalms 116 and verse 7, we should apply to it continually.

For sin often disrupts our rest. So if you're a saved sinner, return unto thy rest, O my soul. Just one verse. And if you're not a saved sinner, you're a sinner, he still says, return unto your rest. For life, liberty, and peace. Because like the raven, there is no rest, there is no peace, Return, save sinner, again and again and again. Come, poor sinner, to Him for life, liberty, and rest. And lastly, look at our verse in Psalms 116, verse 7. Return unto thy rest, O my soul. This should be our victory cry, should be our song, should be our lifelong stanza.

For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with me. Isn't that so true? As tough as it gets, as hard as this life gets, we can still look back and say, the Lord did deal bountifully with me. One, He didn't throw me in hell, which I deserve. He's been more gracious to me than I could ever have been. He knows me better than I know myself.

And He has chosen, that's why the believer says, choose my inheritance, choose my inheritance for me. If I got anything to do with it, it's going to be flipped upside down. I pray this would be our case, and I ask, can we say this? Can we say, return unto thy soul, return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. I pray that we can. Bruce, would you close this, please?