Thank you. Let's commence our service this
afternoon by singing together hymn number 636. The tune is
Reuben 725. The Sabbath was a day of rest,
the day the Lord Jehovah blessed, a lively type of Christ. The
laboring poor may venture here, the guilty banish all their fear
and lean on Jesus' rest. Hymn 636. The day of rest, the day of rest,
the day the Lord, in earth, and heaven, and heaven shall come. Like the eternal Christ The day
may fall, may day too be The guilty man is who liveth in,
and he not Jesus blest. ? When Thou saidst, Thou shalt
not see me, ? ? Not on my face will Thou see me. ? ? Thou shalt not behold me,
? As he left it, distressed with
fear, He left floating to rise again. ? Make thine solace at our rest
? ? Jesus, give silence earthly rest ? Tides of the Isle of Worms, The
fear to him will lead. ? This day is finished, Lord ?
? It is finished, then ? ? It's finished, then ? ? For you and
for the world ? I thank thee, Christ, in this. The precious rest in place in
thee, But can the weary pilgrim Steep
his rest in treacherous fear? His Spirit's faith from you will
come, And reign for us all every hour. No death, no danger there. How can I ever rest in fear? And there I'll never stray from
your way Nor out of the stranger's throne ? To Jesus' face my broken heart
? ? Your help, O Lord, made me from this heart ? Let us read together from the
Holy Word of God in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews in chapters 3
and 4. Hebrews chapters 3 and 4. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of
our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that
appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house,
For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch
as he who hath built the house hath more honor than the house.
For every house is built by some man, but he that built all things
is God. And Moses verily was faithful
in all his house, as a servant for a testimony of those things
which were to be spoken after. But Christ has a son over his
own house, whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence
and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore, as the
Holy Ghost saith today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not
your hearts, as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the
wilderness. when your fathers tempted me,
proved me, and saw my works 40 years. Wherefore, I was grieved
with that generation, and said they do all they are in their
heart, and they have not known my ways. So I swear in my wrath,
they shall not enter into my rest. Take heed, brethren. lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. But exhort
one another daily, while it is called today, lest any of you
be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers
of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto
the end. While it is said today, if you
would hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard,
did provoke, howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with
them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness, to whom
he swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but
to them that believe not. So we see they could not enter
in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest a
promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should
seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached
as well as unto them, But the word preached did not profit
them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we
which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, as I have
sworn in my wrath, if they shall not enter into my rest, although
the works 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 works. And in
this place again, if they shall enter into my rest, seeing therefore
it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it
was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. Again
he limiteth a certain day, saying, In David today, after so long
a time, As it is said, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden
not your hearts. For if Jesus, that is Joshua,
had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken
of another day? 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 work, as God did from
his. Let us labour therefore to enter
into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief. For the word of God is quick
and powerful and sharper than an intuited sword, piercing even
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart. Neither is there any creature
that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and
open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do, seeing then
that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God, that let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched, with
the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. May the Lord bless the reading
of his own precious word and grant unto us a spirit of real
prayer Almighty, most merciful and eternal
God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the Almighty, we would humbly
bow before thy glorious majesty and we would seek to confess
our sins, our wanderings, our backsliders, our ill manners
in this wilderness journey. We seek to be washed in that
precious blood of the Lamb to cleanse us from all our sin.
And Lord, though sin lives in us, may we not live in sin. Oh, we pray to be delivered from
its power. For Lord, we have read of hearts
being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Gracious God, we pray
to be delivered from that state. that we may be given a heart
of flesh. Even as promised in thy word,
I will take away the heart of stone and give a heart of flesh. Oh, do grant that to each one
of us, we pray thee, that we may know that quickening and
powerful work of the Holy Ghost in our hearts, that we may be
truly quickened and made alive to the things of God and our
need as a poor sinner before a holy God. Blessed Spirit of
truth, we do pray that thou wouldst work in us to will and to do
that which is thy good pleasure, that thou wouldst deliver us
from our own will, that thou wouldst deliver us from our own
sinful, deceitful hearts, that thou wouldst bring us in real
repentance and godly sorrow for sin, unto the Lord we do humbly
beseech thee or we pray to be led and guided and directed by
thy spirit this afternoon and that we pray that the word of
truth may be opened to our heart and to our understanding and
that we do pray that thou was open that fountain that is open
for sin and uncleanness that the that sacred waters of the
Gospel may flow forth, that river that makes glad the city of God,
those living waters that come from beneath the mercy sea, or
that those living waters may flow here this afternoon, and
that the peace of God that passeth all understanding may keep our
hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord, O most gracious
God, do hear us and do have mercy upon us, and do graciously bless
us for thy great name's sake. We pray, most gracious Lord,
for a humble and a teachable spirit, that we might hear what
God the Lord will speak, that thou wouldst open our ears and
our hearts and our eyes that we may behold wondrous things
in thy word, and that thy word may be a living word in our hearts,
the word of thy grace. Oh, even the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, oh, that we may enter into that grace. Open thou
the crystal fountain, let the healing waters flow. Oh, Lord,
we do beseech thee. And we do pray that thou wouldst
bless us as a church and as a congregation. We do thank thee for all thy
tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses that have passed before us in
the way. We do thank thee, O Lord, that
this little cause of truth has been maintained over 200 years. Maintain us still. Build us up. Wilt thou not revive us again?
Pour forth thy Spirit, most gracious God. We do humbly beseech of
thee. And may we see the fruits of
the Spirit in our lives. May we live to him that died. May we be surrendered to the
crucified one. Oh, do hear us, Lord, and grant
this afternoon that we may behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world. Gracious Lord, incline thine
ear, we do humbly beseech of thee. Grant thy rich blessing
upon us. Remember our beloved brethren,
the deacons, and give grace, wisdom, and help. Remember each
one of our brethren and sisters in church fellowship, and graciously
unite us yet more and more Increase our faith, increase our love.
O Lord, we do beseech Thee, help us to bear one another's burdens,
thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. O do be gracious unto
us. We consider those beautiful words
of Thy grace. Be ye kind, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.
Gracious God, that we do pray for that same spirit, that we
think of the words of our Lord Jesus, by this shall they know
that ye are my disciples because ye have love one to another.
May we show our love, O Lord, to each other, we do humbly pray
thee. And thy word declares unto us
that they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and
a book of remembrance was written. Gracious God, do grant us that
sacred and spiritual intercourse, one with another, that we may
declare what the Lord has done for our souls, that we might
know that union and communion in Christ. Lord, we do pray that
thou, in thy precious mercy, would remember the little ones,
the children. We thank thee for them and pray
that thou would bless them Bless them with that rich grace that
is in Christ Jesus. Bless them with the fear of the
Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Oh, do hear us, Lord,
raise up a generation that shall call Thee the Redeemer, blessed,
that shall follow on to know the Lord. Oh, do remember the
dear young friends and the various temptations peculiar to youth. Do remember them for good. put
the fear of the Lord into their hearts, graciously guide them
by thy counsel. O Lord, we do pray thee, grant
that it may be with them as it was with thy servant Nehemiah.
So did not I, but because of the fear of the Lord. We pray
that thou would bring them to living faith in Jesus Christ,
true believers in him, true followers of him and of those who through
faith and patience inherit the promises. Lord, there is nothing
too hard for thee. Indeed, thou art able to do abundantly
more than we can even ask or think. But we pray, most gracious
God, that thou wouldst remember the prodigals Lord, we humbly
pray that thou wouldst stretch out thy almighty arm, that thou
wouldst cause them to return. Lord God, is there anything too
hard for thee? And Lord, we know there is nothing
too hard for thee, and that we do pray that thou wouldst remember
those prodigals and that we may have that rejoicing at the return
of the prodigals. and that we may continually watch
unto prayer. The husband may have long patience
for the precious fruits of the earth, that we pray for that
long patience for the fruits of the spirit, the work of the
Holy Ghost to be seen among us, that we pray that the sacred
and precious glory of the gospel of Christ may shine into this
village and the surrounding villages and hamlets Precious souls may
be gathered unto Christ, the strongholds of Satan pulled down,
the kingdom of our Lord Jesus set up in the hearts of sinners.
Gracious God, do incline thine ear, we do humbly beseech thee,
and O do remember us for good. And we do pray, most gracious
Lord, that thou, in thy precious mercy, remember all in the midst
of the journey of life, in all their concerns, in all their
burdens, in all their temptations, in all their trials, in all their
perplexities. Remember them for good. Send
deliverance. We do humbly pray thee for thy
great namesake. And O Lord God, we do pray that
thou wilt remember parents and give them grace and wisdom to
raise the family altar, to read and pray in the family, for all
things are sanctified by the word of God and prayer. We pray,
most gracious Lord, that we may be true witnesses of thee, that
men may see that we have been with Jesus, Oh, do hear us, Lord,
we humbly pray thee, and we do pray that thou, in thy precious
mercy, would remember those of us that are in the evening time
of life's journey, and we pray thy blessing and thy favour,
and thy divine guidance, and the preparation for our end,
which must soon come. Lord, we pray that thou wouldst
Indeed, make us more spiritually minded and set our affections
on things above, not on things of the earth. Grant that we may
be separated from it in that gracious way. We do humbly beseech
of thee. And we pray for those in the
path of affliction, sorrow and sadness and bereavement. My own
dear brother at Matfield in hospital, we pray for thy healing hand.
And we pray for all in that path of affliction, that there was
be gracious unto them, that there was be Jehovah Rophi, not only
in body, but in soul. I am the Lord that healeth thee. Oh, do grant that it may be so.
We thank thee, oh Lord, that we're able to gather freely around
the word of God. We thank thee, most gracious
Lord, but for the word of God, for the gospel of thy grace,
for the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee
for every mercy of thy kind providence, that thy mercies to us are new
every morning and great is thy faithfulness. We thank thee,
most gracious God, for that everlasting righteousness brought in, in
that holy and pure life of our Lord Jesus Christ, who went about
doing good, who honored Thee in all that He did, who fulfilled
and magnified that righteous law on our behalf, Jehovah Sidkenu,
the Lord, our righteousness. We thank Thee for the glory of
His name and the fullness of His grace. We thank Thee that
He is full of grace and truth. We thank Thee that in Him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We thank Thee for Calvary,
for that perfect, that spotless, that holy sacrifice of Calvary. And in that holy sacrifice, sin
has been put away, and divine justice has been satisfied, and
God and sinners are reconciled. Oh, we do thank Thee, most gracious
Lord, for all Thy tender mercies in our Lord Jesus Christ. He
died for our sins. He rose again for our justification. We thank Thee for the empty tomb,
and for the risen Saviour, and for that Saviour who has bodily
entered into heaven and sitteth at Thy right hand. Gracious God,
do hear us, we humbly pray Thee, and do be with us, we beseech
Thee, and do come and touch one's lips with a live coal from off
the heavenly altar. Come and speak to our hearts.
We ask all for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn
number 358 to the tune Hull 714. God thus commanded Jacob's seed,
when from Egyptian bondage freed, he led them by the way, remember
with a mighty hand, I brought thee forth from Pharaoh's land,
then keep my Sabbath day. Hymn 358. To the dead take a seat, When
from Egypt God did flee. He led them by the hand, Reckoned
them with a fighting hand, I would give all from Heaven's
hand, Then give my shadow and blade. ? His six days of faith and love
? ? Gave proof through the night that our faith was strong ? ?
Land of Israel, Israel's King ? This day, today, love will be
all mine, The sun be blessed and sanctified, And all the day of praise ? Till all the sea-world now remains
? ? And the star that is there ? ? Rests for days ? ? And birds
of slavish flight ? When children's yoke hath been
broken, The child of God hath entered in, And sweet regretful
cry, Dearest, I thank thee of riches,
Of age and labour, life, or cares, And business, games, or youth,
? Shines softly in truth from his
breast ? ? That guides his way of Jesus Christ ? ? And presents
heaven through ? This and this, O King, is the
way to the right thing, keep the Sabbath way. ? Which Thou hast helped me make
? ? And keepeth'st thou the shores o'er which ? ? The soft streams
of the Star-Spangled Plains ? Greatly feeling to need the Lord's
gracious help, I would direct your attention to the fourth
chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews and reading from our
text, verse nine. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 9. There remaineth therefore a rest
to the people of God. There remaineth therefore a rest
to the people of God. How beautifully The Apostle,
by the Spirit, opens the truth of the Sabbath. In that hymn we just sung, Joseph
Hart was quite a linguist and he was very familiar with Greek
and Hebrew. And this term rest here in our
text, it means a Sabbatism, a rest. The rest of faith. Faith rests. Faith lays hold. The spirit of
faith in the believer. And he says here in verse 11,
let us labour therefore to enter into that rest. The rest of faith. It's in Christ. The rest of faith
is Christ. and the rest that remaineth is
eternal glory. Of course the apostle here in
chapter 3 and in chapter 4 he uses the illustration of the
children of Israel in the wilderness and then what they were waiting
for and what they'd been promised was the promised land. The land
of Canaan, the land that floweth with milk and with honey. And
in that sense he He speaks of it here, this rest that they
were to enter into. But he also very solemnly warns
us of the spirit and power of unbelief. It's the opposite to
faith, unbelief. And he again uses the children
of Israel as an illustration that those that believe not,
those that murmured in the wilderness, and they fell in the wilderness. It's a deeply solemn thought,
you know, friends, that of all the children of Israel that came
out of the land of Egypt, 20 years old and over, 20 years
old in Israel, you became an adult. And so every one that
was 20 years old and over there was only two that entered into
the promised land. Joshua and Caleb. They were the
only two. All the others perished in the
wilderness. And the Apostle, he uses this
to us for a warning. You see, he quotes to us from
Psalm 95. And he quotes it quite extensively,
doesn't he? but exhort, in verse 13 of chapter
3, but exhort one another daily while it is called today, lest
any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Look
at what hardens us, my beloved friends. Sin hardens us. When we walk in sin, when we
habitually sin, it hardens our hearts. It's very clear here
from the Word of God what hardens our hearts. And he uses this
illustration from David. He says himself here, in verse
7, Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith today, If you will hear
his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation in the
day of temptation in the wilderness. Oh, my beloved friends, what
a solemn thing to be so hardened. What he's saying is, this is
what happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness.
They were so hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. And
you and I can be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. And the Holy Ghost uses this
word. And again in verse 15, while
it is said today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your
hearts, as in the provocation. You see they provoked the Lord
unto anger. Says in verse 17, but with whom
was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had
sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? You know, it's a great mercy,
my beloved friends, if this world has become a wilderness to you.
And what the Apostle is doing is saying, just as the children
of Israel wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, so the Lord's
people in these Gospel days, they wander in this wilderness
world, it becomes a wilderness to them. And that they have to
live in this world. And you think of the words of
Christ, I pray not that thou should take them out of the world,
but thou should keep them in it. And you know my beloved friends,
what is a besetting sin to you may not be a besetting sin to
me. We should be very careful in judging other people. Equally
the other way round, you see, we each have besetting sins.
Here in the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Apostle says, doesn't he,
about besetting sins. Let us lay aside every weight
and the sin that does so easily beset us. It does. And, you know friends, how we
need these exhortations, how we need these directions that
are given to us in the Word of God, these warning, these admonitions
and using the children of Israel in their wilderness journey as
an illustration to us. He goes on, he continues with
exactly the same theme in this chapter 4, but in the end of
chapter 3 he says, so we see that they could not enter in
because of unbelief, because of unbelief. Oh, unbelief. I remember years
ago reading, I can't remember who it was. I think it was somebody
like William Gadsby or John Warburton. And he said unbelief would tear
God from his throne. It would. It would. The spirit of unbelief. And listen
to what he calls it. An evil heart. of unbelief. It's an evil thing. Oh that the
Lord would deliver us from it and grant those clear believing
views of Jesus Christ. That heart made soft and tender
in the fear of the Lord. And so the word of God becomes
a living word. And our heart becomes receptive
to it. Just like it was with the Corinthians
when the apostle says, ye are our epistle. written not with
pen and ink but by the finger of the living God on the fleshy
tables of your heart. Yahavar Epistle. Oh that the
word of God may be engraven there in our hearts. He makes a distinction
between law and grace. He says not in tables of stone. No. That indeed, the law was
engraven by God, by the finger of God on the tablets of stone.
And he uses that as an illustration. He said, not on tablets of stone,
but by the finger of the living God upon the fleshy tables of
the heart. What has God written in your
heart, my beloved friends? What word from God is written
in your very soul? Breathe there by the Holy Ghost.
It's a very sweet thing, my beloved friends, to have something written
in the heart by the Holy Ghost. As he continues in this chapter
4, he gives us an exhortation, let us therefore fear. Why? Because of this evil heart
of unbelief, let us therefore fear. Lester promised being left
us of entering into his rest. He's talking now about the rest
of faith in Jesus Christ. Any of you should seem to come
short of it. For under us, was the gospel
preached as well as unto them, that's the children of Israel
in the wilderness. But the word preached did not
profit them. Oh my beloved friends, has the
word preached profited you? Has it profited me? It's a great mercy, you know,
when the preached word profits you. But why, why didn't it profit
them? Not being mixed with faith. in
them that hurt him. That precious gift of faith.
That is what was missing here in the epistle to the Hebrews.
The apostle, he says that without faith it is impossible to please
God. For he that cometh unto God must
believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
seek him. let us labour, let us therefore
fear, lest the promise being left us of entering into his
rest that is in Christ, any of you should seem to come short
of it. You see, we need that spirit
of faith. For we which have believed, that's
the spirit of faith of course, to enter into rest. As he said,
as I have sworn in my rock if they shall enter into my rest,
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
You see, this rest, and again he speaks of it in verse five,
in this place again, if they shall enter into my rest. Christ is the rest of the Lord's
people. Resting by faith in him. We want
to come later to perhaps just a touch on that, but heaven is
the rest of the Lord's people and in one sense here in the
text it's referring to heaven to eternal glory and just as
the children of Israel and the hymn writer takes up that very
point doesn't he when they wandered through the wilderness and then
the hymn writer he says eternal glory and the Lord's people wander
in this wilderness but there is a rest that remains So there's
the rest of faith here on earth and then there is that eternal
rest in heaven and this rest here spoken of is exactly the
same word that is used in Genesis chapter 2 and God did rest from
all his labors and he sanctified the seventh day as a day of rest
and the apostle takes it up And he says here in verse 6, seeing
therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they
to whom it was first preached, that's of course Israel, entered
not in because of unbelief. Again, he limited the certain
day, saying to die. You know, the day in which we
live, the Gospel day, why it's been since 2,000 years ago. And we're still in that gospel
day. When the gospel is being preached, when sinners are being
invited to Christ, to look to Christ, to believe in Christ,
to follow Christ, to serve Christ. You see, today, after so long
a time, as it is said, today, if you would hear His voice,
harden not your hearts. And then it says in verse 8,
for if Jesus, that's Joshua, He's now talking about Joshua
taking the children of Israel over the river Jordan and into
the promised land to possess the land of Canaan, the land
that floweth with milk and with honey. You might say, why do you use
the word Jesus? Because the New Testament is
written in Greek. Joshua and Jesus are exactly
the same name. One is in Greek and the other
is in Hebrew. It's Joshua in the Hebrew. Joshua
was a beautiful type of our Lord Jesus Christ when he led the
children of Israel into the Promised Land to possess the Promised
Land. Joshua was a lovely type of Christ in leading the children
of Israel. If Jesus had given them rest,
then he would not afterward have spoken of another day. There
remaineth therefore a rest. a Sabbath, that's what the rest
means, to the people of God. You see, in verse 10 he says,
for he that is entered into rest, he also hath ceased from his
own works. So this here initially, my friends,
is the rest of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Resting in the
finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Resting in what Jesus
has done. What has Jesus done? Jesus has
fulfilled the Holy Righteous Law of God perfectly, absolutely
perfectly. He fulfilled all the Ten Commandments
absolutely perfectly in thought, word and deed. As He condenses it Himself,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with
all thy mind, And thy neighbor as thyself, that's the law, that's
what it demands. That's exactly what Christ did.
Fulfilled that holy law. He loved the Lord his God with
all his heart, with all his mind. And he loved his neighbor as
himself. Oh, look at the life of compassion
and love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You know, as Christian
believers, we profess to be following Christ. Do we follow Christ? Do we seek to love the Lord our
God with all our heart, with all our mind? And our neighbor
as ourselves? It's what Christ did. We profess
to follow Him, we profess to serve Him. Do we live as He lived? You may say to me, but you're
setting the standard very high. In the first epistle of John
in chapter 2, we read in verses 5 and 6. But
whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected,
hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth
in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked, as
Christ walked. I find the perceptive part of
God's Word exceedingly searching and separating. How close does
our life is it to Christ? To how Christ lived and to what
Christ did. He's our example. He's set before
us in the Word of God as our example. You see, this rest,
this rest of faith, What has Jesus done? He's fulfilled the
law. That is the rest of faith for
the believer. In the fulfilling of the law,
Christ brought in everlasting righteousness, called in Holy
Scripture the robe of his righteousness, and this is where faith rests.
It rests in Christ. It rests in what he has done,
in what he has accomplished. Not in that pure sense of the
word, you know, we rest in Christ, we rest in his person. There's a beauty in his person,
there's a loveliness in his person, in the person of our Lord Jesus
Christ. And when we see his sacred obedience,
the believer rests by faith in the obedience of Christ. Not
by works of righteousness that I have done, but according to
his abundant mercy, the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. It's
abundant mercy. He's fulfilled the law, the law
that you have broken, that I have broken, that every man, woman
and child has broken. Christ has fulfilled it, honoured
it and magnified it. He will magnify the law and make
it honourable. That's what he's done and that's
the rest of faith. You know, and then having lived
that pure, that holy, that spotless life, bringing in everlasting
righteousness, he then offered that pure, that holy, that sacred
humanity. He offered his humanity on the
altar of his divinity, a perfect and a complete sacrifice. Christ
offered himself a complete sacrifice. We read in the Hebrews here,
for by one offering, he has perfected forever all them that are sanctified. That perfect offering of Christ.
You know, what happened when Christ was offered? What happened
in the Garden of Gethsemane? As the Apostle says in one of
the epistles, he took our sins and he nailed them to the cross.
It was in the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ took our sins. It
was in the Garden of Gethsemane where the Father laid upon him
the iniquity of us all. This is the rest of faith. It
rests in that imputed imputation of our sin to him so that our
sin is taken away so that the word of God declares this is
the rest of faith resting on that perfect obedience of Christ
resting on that perfect sacrifice of Christ resting on that precious
blood of Christ the blood of Jesus Christ God's son that cleanseth
us from all sin There remaineth therefore a rest to the people
of God. It's here, it's in Christ. You
won't find it anywhere else. You'll only find it in Jesus
Christ. In his glorious person. He hath
given him a name which is above every name, that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, of things
in earth, of things under the earth. Everything will bow down
to him. to our Lord Jesus Christ, the
King of kings and the Lord of lords, there remaineth therefore
a rest to the people of God. Oh, my beloved friends, have
you found that rest? Have you found that rest? Have
you found peace in Jesus Christ, salvation in Jesus Christ, hope
in Jesus Christ, in what he has done, in what he has accomplished,
in what he has fulfilled? What he did for his people. This
is the rest of faith. That precious blood. What a resting
place is the blood of Christ. To the living family of God.
It cleanses from all sin. You think of that lovely word
in Micah. About casting all their sins
into the depths of the sea. What? To be remembered no more.
Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Why?
Because Jesus suffered and bled and died for our sins. And that
is what faith rests on. What He has done, what He has
accomplished, what He has fulfilled. And then He died for our sins.
What a resting place is that beautiful word Come, see the
place where the Lord lay. He is not here. He is risen. Because he's risen, that is the
evidence that your sins and your iniquities are all put away. It's like the scapegoat. It was taken into the land of
forgetfulness, the land not inhabited, to be seen no more. on it was
resting all the sins of Israel. What a beautiful type of Christ. That sin would be seen no more. And when Christ rose from the
grave, there's the evidence, the beautiful evidence. He rose
again for our justification to say that we are holy. Or as we've
often quote Mr. Wood, just as if I had not sinned. It's the most profound sacred
truth, but this is what faith rests in, and what Christ has
done in that perfect holy sacrifice. I think there's so many places
here in Hebrews, but my mind just goes to the 10th chapter
of the Hebrews, and in verse 10, by the witch will, we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all. You know, there was only ever
the need of this one sacrifice. All the other sacrifices typified
this one sacrifice. As he says in verse 11, and every
priest standeth daily minister in offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices which can never take away sins but this man who the
holy God-man, the man Christ Jesus, but this man, after he
had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the
right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies remade
his footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified." Perfect in Christ. Doesn't the Apostle
say, ye are complete in him? Sometimes that word is translated
perfect instead of complete. It means you are perfect in him.
He will present you holy, unblameable and unreprovable in his sight.
Why? Because he suffered and bled
and died for your sins and rose again for your justification. There remaineth therefore a rest. to the people of God, for he
that is entered into his rest, he also ceases from his own works. When we enter into Christ, when
we have believing views of Christ, then we cease from our own works. We're brought to realize that
our own works are nothing. It's only one work that counts,
it's the work of Christ. And For he that is entered into
his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did
from his. That is in the seven days of
creation, six days of creation and the seventh day he rested
from his labours. Let us, here's the exhortation,
let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man
fall after the same example of unbelief. There's that lovely and very
beautiful word in Matthew chapter 11, the words of our Lord Jesus
Christ, come unto me for all ye that labour and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me for I am meek and lowly in heart And ye shall find rest
for your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
See, what lovely words of grace, aren't they? To poor, wretched,
helpless, hopeless, hell-deserving sinners. They feel the burden
of their sin, they feel the weight of their sin, the weight of their
iniquity. It's a weight that would almost
crush them, and he says, come unto me. Come unto me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I, O this glorious holy God-man,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke, that means to be
united to Christ. A yoke unites two oxen together
so they can pull the plough. And the gospel of the grace of
God unites a poor sinner to Christ. so that you're not on your own,
you're with Christ in union with the Lamb, from condemnation free,
the saints from everlasting war and shall forever be. Friends,
do you long for this union? Do you long for this communion
with our Lord Jesus Christ, that I may know him? That I may know
him in the power? You long to feel the power of
the gospel? You long to feel the power of
the blood? You long to be clothed upon with
that glorious everlasting robe of the righteousness of Christ
to cover your nakedness. My beloved friends, the gospel
is a full gospel, a complete gospel. Not only are their sins and iniquities
washed away, I love that word, we read of the King's daughter,
that's of course the Christian believer, the Church of God,
the King's daughter is all glorious within. Why is she all glorious
within? Because she's washed in the blood
of Christ. She's washed in the blood of
Christ and that blood takes out all the stain of sin and iniquity. Her clothing is of wrought gold.
because she's clothed in that glorious everlasting robe of
the righteousness of Christ. Oh friends, this is the rest
that remaineth for the people of God. There remaineth therefore
a rest to the people of God. Then of course there's heaven. There's eternal glory. There is a rest. when we enter
through death into everlasting life, a rest that remains, heaven,
a door of hope, that's an eternal hope in the finished work of
Christ, so that heaven is before us. It's lovely how the John
had that vision of Christ and in the seventh chapter of the
revelation and we read in one of the elders in verse 13 answered
saying unto me what are these that are arrayed in white robes
and whence came they and I said unto him sir thou knowest and
he said unto me these are they which came out of great tribulation
and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and
serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth on
the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them nor
any heat, for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne
shall feed them. and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes therefore there is a rest that remaineth when he shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes you know we read in the
fifth chapter of the revelation again John has a revelation of
our Lord Jesus Christ And it says in verse 6 of chapter 5,
And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the
four beasts, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as
it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are
the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth. You
see, and in verse 9, And they sung a new song, saying, Thou
art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof,
for thou wast slain. and has redeemed us to God by
thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation
has made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign
on the earth. You see, my beloved friends,
in verse 12, saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that
was slain to receive power and riches and honor and strength
and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature was in heaven
and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea. And
all that heard them saying, heard I saying, blessing and honor
and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb forever and ever. You see, my beloved friends,
we're just given little glimpses of that glory which is to come
for the church. little glimpses into heaven.
You know, what must it be like to be there? And as the Apostle
says in the Epistle to the Thessalonians, so shall we ever be with the
Lord. That eternal rest, that eternal
glory, that will never change and never fade, but will be forever
and ever and ever there remaineth therefore a rest to the people
of God. May the Lord add his blessing. Let us now sing together hymn
number 1061 to the tune Rest, 211. Lord, I believe a rest remains
to all thy people known, a rest where pure enjoyment reigns,
and thou are loved alone. Hymn 1061. ? Bless when you enjoy the grace
of Christ. ? ? When you enjoy the grace
of God. ? I know how best I could Believe
and enter in This Savior, help and punishment Yes, they will help thou to perish
good, and then to cease from sin. May you be discomfited from thy
house in some pity. To me the rest all faith impart,
To me the rest all faith impart, Come, O Israel, come away into
my soul this day. ? No longer from thy creatures
stay ? ? No longer from thy creatures stay ? Now, may the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, the sacred fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with us each, both now
and forevermore. Amen.