Good morning. What a delightful
time to be in the house of the Lord. We're a blessed folk here
way out on the edge of the world to have a place where we can
go and in our Bible class hear the gospel preached and our fellowship
speak of Christ and here during this hour we can think about
the things of Christ and preach Christ. The person who brought me the
gospel had this to say about preaching. Every message needs
to have some parts to it. Number one, ruined by the fall.
Number two, redeemed by Christ. And number three, regenerated
by the Holy Spirit. Last week we spent some time
on those folks who began to make excuse when the Post came around
and shared with them the good news that Cyrus, appointed of
God, named by God 200 years before he was born, Jeremiah wrote that
after 70 years the children of Benjamin and Judah would be able
to go home And then we found those there was a bunch that
remained those that remaineth We'd like to continue with those
this morning and title our message the rest The rest so if you turn
with me to the book of Ezra chapter 1 Ezra chapter 1 we're going
to look at that same verse that we looked at last Sunday, and
it is Ezra chapter 1 verse 4 and whosoever remaineth in any place
where he sojourneth, where he's been here, whether it's been
just for a short time, just freshly born, been here for 20 years,
40 years, 60 years, or all the 70 years, where he sojourneth,
let the men of his place help him with silver and with gold,
with goods and with beasts beside the freewill offering for the
house of God that is in Jerusalem. We'd like to look at this verse
four again. Whosoever remaineth. Who were these that remained? Last week we looked at they begin
everyone to make an excuse. No doubt those posts heard many
excuses given by these folks why they didn't need to go back
to Jerusalem. They were fine where they are.
They could just worship God in the hills and they could worship
God at their fireplace. They could worship God in their
business. They could worship God anywhere. And there was no
need for them to go home. And by the way, they were very
pleased with what God had given them. God had blessed them and
given them a business. God had blessed them, given them
property. God had blessed them, given them
a job. But that's as far as it went. God is so good. How many times have you heard
that? God is good. Well, let me ask, when's God
bad? Never a time. Who were these
that remained? Is not every person by nature
one that remaineth, one that desires to set up their resting
place on this side of the land of promise? There are some illustrations
in scripture about those who remaineth. Would you turn with
me as we listen to some of the complaints of Israel after they
were set free, that word free, set free from Egypt, after God
had purposed them to be in bondage for 400 years after the nine
plagues, after the Passover, after they were set free. They
had watched the entire Egyptian army drowned in the Red Sea behind
them. They'd gone through the Red Sea
dry shod. They didn't need muck boots on.
They went through there. The ground was dry after it had
been wet for all those hundreds and hundreds of years and yet
they went through on dry ground. They got onto the opposite side
of the Red Sea. They watched that entire Egyptian
army, all the chariots, all the soldiers, the pharaoh himself
drowned as God caused those waters to fall back on them. They get
out into the wilderness there that God is directing them. He
is a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He's
protecting them. He's going to take care of them.
He has called them his people. He has said they're going to
go back to the promised land. They'll go there and live. They'll
have a place that floweth with milk and honey. And as we move
farther ahead, we find that when they sent those spies in, the
produce that was there was boggling to the mind. It took two men
to carry a bunch of grapes. How, what a great place to go. Who are these that remained?
They were those by nature that remained and had no desire to
set up a resting place in Jerusalem or in the land of promise. Now,
going over here to the book of Numbers. Numbers chapter 11. The children of Israel had just
got out into the wilderness and this is what they say. They didn't
remember that every day they were up to their knees in mud.
Every day they were carrying tons of straw. Every day they
were carrying gallons of water. Every day they were carrying
lots of mud. or dirt to stomp into clay. Every day they were drying the
bricks. Every day they were hauling the bricks. Every day they were
in labor, labor, labor, labor. And yet, the first thing out
of their mouth is, we remember the fish, which we did eat in
Egypt freely. The cucumbers, and the lemons,
and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic. Remember this
But now our soul is dried away. There's nothing at all besides
this manna before our eyes From a spiritual standpoint. That's
like someone telling the preacher the Bible class teacher or members
of a body that preaches Christ is this all they're going to
preach and And we may say, what do you mean? Is this all they're
going to preach? Is all you're going to preach
is Christ? And the answer is, yes, that's all we're going to
preach. Well, that's not enough. What do you want? Well, I want
counsel. I want godly living. how to treat my wife, I want
how to treat my husband, I want how to raise the kids, I want
a place they can play basketball, I want a place where they can
go to a Christian school, and all these things that are brought
up. Well, Christ is not enough. When they have Christ, when a
person has Christ, they have the most wonderful counselor.
That's his name, Counselor. So as we look here, Numbers 11,
verse 5, we remember. We look back. One of the reasons
that they could say that is in their heart. They really never
left Egypt. That's why we find so many people
are tied up with legalism. They never left the law. They never saw grace. And so
these folks that remaineth, they're settled where they are. Another
example that we find is found in the book of Genesis. Genesis,
we read last week about Lot talking to his sons-in-law, and Lot talking
to his daughters, and they mocked him. They just made fun of him,
and they could say all sorts of things, and preachers have
said it for them, but they just had no interest in leaving Sodom,
and no interest in leaving Gomorrah. Now, after Lot and his two daughters
and his wife leave that plagued place. God has already spoken
through his messengers, we're going to destroy this place.
He and his wife and his daughters are the only ones that leave
and they're instructed, don't look back, but Genesis chapter
19 and verse 26, but his wife looked back from behind him and
she became a pillar of salt. She really never left Sodom. Oh, she had family there. She had concerns there. She had
her business there. She had her home there. She had
everything there. So she never really was leaving
for the right reason. She was lost as a goose. She
had no hope in God, no hope in Christ, and no doubt it broke
Lot's wife, but, excuse me, broke Lot's heart when that happened,
but he kept going. He wasn't going to take a pill
or a salt. Those who desire to return, returned. In the book of Acts chapter 26,
Acts chapter 26, as we think about these that remaineth, who
were these that remaineth? These were those that remembered
the fish, the cucumbers. They couldn't remember the bondage.
Those permitted to go back to Jerusalem under Cyrus, there
was liberty, there was peace, there was freedom. They could
go back. They could go back to Jerusalem,
go back to the land of promise. In the book of Acts, chapter
26, There in verse 28 after Paul
has spoke to King Agrippa a great deal and brought up the message
of Christ Preach Christ into him verse 23 says that Christ
should suffer that he should be the first that should rise
from the dead and show light unto the people and to the Gentiles
Paul was preaching Christ and in verse 28 This has been a very
misrepresented passage of scripture. Oh, he's on the very edge of
becoming a Christian. Let's read this. Then Agrippa
said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Now if
we look that up in its original form, we find Paul has preached
Christ and Agrippa was almost ready to embrace Christianity. He's almost ready to change from
a pagan religion to Christianity. Miles are between them, between
Christianity and Christ. He was satisfied to sit where
he was or become religious. He would become religious. He
would move there. Almost I'm ready to become religious
in this new religion. He's just about ready. He's been a Ford driver for all
his life. He's fought over that. He's argued
with his family over that. But he's almost convinced to
buy a Dodge Ram. He'll go against the grain of
all his family, he'll go against the grain of what he's used to,
but he's almost there. He's almost. You know, being
a Baptist never saved a soul. I don't know how many people
have told me, I'm a Baptist, or I'm a Methodist, or my father,
my mother, my grandparents never saved a soul. Being a creationist
never saved a soul. How many people put such great
stock in being a creationist that God created everything and
yet they are evolutionists when it comes to salvation. They believe
by their own power they can raise themselves out of the muck and
mire that the evolutionists teach. Evolution did not start a student
in a classroom, a science classroom, or by a scientist. It started
with religion. If we look at Cain, there after
the fall in the Garden of Eden, he did nothing more than preach
evolution. By my power I can rise to a different
level. Well, we know that's not true,
but when we are saved by the grace of God, we have no question
about who created the heavens and the earth. But we also have
no question who created our spiritual life. So, being a creationist
never saved a soul. I believe God created the heavens
and the earth, but when it came to my own life, my own soul,
I believe in free will. didn't save a soul. Being a believer
in Calvinism has never saved a soul. Being strict about where
I go to church. I believe in the five points.
I believe in Tulip. Well, really, if we don't come
to Christ, if we don't have Christ as the issue, Christ as our Savior,
we don't really believe in total depravity. We believe in depravity,
but in my case, as one man told me, In my case, I'm one of those
rare birds that never had to hear the gospel, never had to
hear that I was a sinner. That's just too rare a bird.
Being a pastor or a Bible class teacher, a missionary, nice person,
never saved a soul. Taking care of folks never saved
a soul. Trusting that only reveals that
we are satisfied remaining where we are with only a few modifications. We will do this. Bargain with
God. We'll do this if you'll do that.
God is not in the bargaining business. Never has been. Never
will be. There was no bargain in the in
the covenant of grace that was made before the foundation of
the world. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit didn't bargain
over it. They just decreed it. In the
book of Numbers, we have a wonderful thought here with regard to many
of the children of Israel. In fact, two and a half tribes.
Numbers chapter 32. Numbers chapter 32. Would you
turn there with me as we look at this? It is, there's 33 verses
here, and I'll probably not, well, I won't read all of them.
I'll let you take care of that. But this is an account of two
and one half tribes of Israel being satisfied to stay on this
side of Jordan. Numbers chapter 32 beginning
with verse 1. Now the children of Reuben and
the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle. And
when they saw the land of Jazar and the land of Gilead, that
behold the place was a place for cattle. The children of Gad
and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to
Eliezer the priest, and said unto the princes of the congregation,
saying, Ererath, and Dibon, and Jezar,
and Nimrath, and Heshbon, and Elilah, and Shebom, and Nebo,
and beyond. Even the country which the Lord
smote before the congregation of Israel is a land for cattle,
and thy servants have cattle. Wherefore, said they, if we have
found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants
for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. We're satisfied with this side
of Jordan. We have all this stuff. We have our religion. We're Jews.
We have our possessions. They've been given to us by God.
We've been blessed. And their eyes started looking
around and they saw this prairie, this well-watered plain, this
place for cattle. And guess what? Moses, have you
ever looked at our herds, how good they are, how wonderful
they are? We have cattle. So what did they
say? And bring us not over Jordan. And Moses said unto the children
of Gad and the children of Reuben, shall your brethren go to war
and shall you sit here? and wherefore discourage ye the
heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land
which the Lord hath given them." Notice the description that Moses
makes of the land of going over Jordan. This is what the Lord
hath given them and you are going to be satisfied with this side,
as they said, and bring us not over Jordan. This is what your fathers did
when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. They
went in and spied it out and came back and says, it's a beautiful
land, but we can't take it. The people are too big. There's
too much to do. We can't make it. And two, who
the Spirit of God dwelt in. What does that mean? God had
saved him by his grace. They understood that God's word
meant something, that they were not going to be left desolate. You know, people come to me and
say, boy, if I could just see the ark, if I could just see
the ark, I'd believe. Sorry, they won't. The scriptures
tell us that if they'll not believe Moses and the prophets, they'll
not believe the one raised from the dead, They'll not believe
Christ If they'll not believe Moses and the prophets that means
the Word of God revealed to them in this word about Christ So
they went in they discouraged the people that the look the
land that the Lord had given them and the Lord's anger was
kindled and so finally These two and a half tribes, as Reuben
Gad and half the tribe of Manassas finally mentioned in this passage
of scripture, it tells us down here, they'll go in and they'll
do the fighting, but they'll not stay. We'll go and pretend
to be like you are, but when it's over, we'll go back. We're
not going to stay in there. We have cattle, as you've noticed,
and they're good cattle, as you've noticed, but we will not go with
them. And so in verse 33, And Moses
gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and the children of Reuben,
and unto the half the tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph,
the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom
of Og, king of Bashan, and the land, with the cities thereof
in the coast, even the cities of the country round about. Now
it's interesting that when God gave the cities a refuge, he
gave three cities in that area. There were going to be some elect
there, even though they wanted to stay. They were stubborn folks.
They didn't want to go in. There was just too much in their
life that they couldn't give up. Why? Because they'd never
seen Christ. As the Lord spoken to them under
the children of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy, it's recorded,
he said, I did not give you a heart to believe. And he hadn't given
these folks a heart to believe. There might have been a few that
said, we should go in, but we'll stay with the rest of the folks.
So is this account found in Numbers chapter 32, is the account of
two and a half tribes being satisfied to stay on this side of Jordan.
We'll go over and fight. And it can be said by nature,
every person is a Reubenite. By nature, every person is a
Reubenite who desires to set up his resting place on this
side of the land of promise. We will pay our tithes. We will even write letters to
our congressmen about editing God out of school, but we are
happy just to stay where we are. Oh, when the time comes, I'll
provide some food for the hungry. When the time comes, I'll even
pay a motel room for the tired, or offerings for the poor, clothes
for the naked, or I'll even get involved in education for the
uneducated. But we are happy where we are. No more commitment. Place of no rest. There is no rest outside of Christ. It doesn't matter what name we
have over our door. It doesn't matter what we say
about our religion or ourself. We have no rest outside of Christ. And those two-and-a-half tribes
had no rest. There would be a few, just like
there is everywhere. There will be a few in every
generation that are the elect of God. And God will make sure
they hear the gospel, and God will make sure Come to the promised
land come to Christ in the book of Micah Micah chapter 2 Micah
chapter 2 would you turn there with me as we look at this passage
of scripture in Micah chapter 2 and verse 10 Micah chapter
2 and verse 10 this is a commentary on sitting down where there's
no rest and The command is arise. The command is depart. For here
is no rest. There in the Persian Empire,
those who remain, there is no rest. Can you imagine staying
under that? Oh, a little liberty is given,
but we're going to adhere to our old standards. We'll still
be religious. We'll still argue with these
Persians over religion. We'll still help out our folks.
They're going to pay gold and silver and animals for these
folks that are leaving, and that's enough. We've done our part.
We are religious. We've supported the poor children
in Africa. We send a few little offerings
there We've never investigated where the money goes, but we'll
do that on and on it goes I'll support this church, but I'm
not going to get involved I'd prefer to stay home most of the
time once in a while I'll go down there and hear the gospel,
but every time it upsets me, so I'll just stay here and here
in the book of Micah chapter 2 and verse 10 arise ye and depart
and For this is not your rest, because it is polluted." What
does that mean? Well, there's some bad in with
the good. There's some yeast in the good. There's some sin mixed in. There's some self-righteousness
mixed in this. We have a little self-righteousness.
I remember singing a hymn. It's in our green book here,
and in there it mentions if there is one thread, if we put one
of our own threads in the robe of righteousness, we don't have
the robe of righteousness. Christ will only give his righteousness,
none of ours. not by works of righteousness
which we have done. It doesn't matter how good it
was to natural man, how beneficial it was to other folks, it is
polluted. There is pollution. We would
not drink water that's polluted if we could help it. We'd not
eat meat that was polluted. Not long ago, a man came to me
and he killed a deer late at night. And he didn't get it dressed
out. He didn't get the hide off of
it. And he found it the next day. And he took the shoulders
off and the hindquarters off and skinned it out. And then
he come to me and he said, what do you think? Would that meat
be safe? And my comment to him is, do you have time to be sick? No. Well, there's the answer. I'm not going to take a test
of it. I'm not going to try it. Now, it may have been good, I
don't know, but I'm not going to eat it. Well, it's polluted. Water's polluted. We pay billions
of dollars a year to drink water that's not polluted. And yet,
when it comes to our eternal soul, will take pollution. We'll say Christ and, righteousness
and, blood and, whatever it takes. So Micah wrote, Arise ye and
depart for this is not your rest because it is polluted. It shall
destroy you Even with sore destruction Staying where you are my friends
staying in this station where you are will destroy you and
It will be a sore destruction Hear what the Lord said to those
goats on the left-hand side Depart from the workers of iniquity
for I never knew you I to those who moved out, those God tested,
excuse me, those who God sent the Spirit and stirred them and
caused them to go. He said to them on the right
hand, welcome to the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. Those who are stirred, those
who move, those who leave for Jerusalem are those Chosen and
redeemed with whom Christ is all precious in a rock of safety
Would you back up? Little bit here in the book of
Micah from the book of Micah to the book of Isaiah There's
an interesting verse of scripture here in the book of Isaiah chapter
4 Isaiah chapter 4 the prophet Isaiah and this passage has been
so mangled by commentators and preachers first time I heard
it read was by a man who knew nothing and he's telling me about
what's going to happen in the future and and he's looking at
this from a literal standpoint and he has the idea and it's interesting to a lost person
they'll believe anything and he was believing this but let's
look at this verse of scripture from a spiritual standpoint that
says in that day seven women shall take hold of one man that
word seven women means everybody By nature, seven, the complete
number, the absolute whole, the total, seven women shall take
hold of one man. Now notice what they say, saying,
we will eat our own bread. Seven women are addressing this. The entire human race is addressing
this to the Lord. They conclude their statement.
I want to jump ahead just a little bit there. Only let us be called
by thy name to take away our reproach. We need your name because we're not called very good names
if we don't have it. Well, what do they say? We will
eat our own bread. We do not want the bread of life,
and we'll wear our own apparel. We don't want the robe of righteousness,
but we do want your name. Now, everybody is a Christian
in America, except those who are moving in, it seems. Everybody, my parents, my grandparents,
my children, everybody. I was told when I was in religion
if I didn't have my kids saved by the age of six years old,
I was a poor pastor. That is just right out. understand nothing about the
gospel, and religion has trained us. We can have our own bread. We'll eat our own bread. We'll
have our own Jesus. We'll have our own righteousness,
but we need the name. So I'm going to be called Christian.
How many folks fall into that very place? There is no rest
there, as Micah brought out. And again, in the book of Romans,
chapter 11. Romans chapter 11. This is brought
up. God spoke of these folks that
stayed back. God spoke of these folks that
didn't want to go. God spoke of those folks of Reuben
Gadd and half the tribe of Manasseh. They don't take us over to Jordan.
We'll go fight. We'll pay our price. We'll pay
our tithes. We'll join churches, but we want to stay on this side
of Jordan. We have too much invested here. Romans chapter 11, and there
verses 6 and 7, and if by grace, then it is no more of works. They just don't mix. Otherwise grace is no more grace. Grace is God's unmerited favor.
Everybody in type, in picture, in shadow, that left when Cyrus
said you can go back, those 42,360 that went back could say we're
leaving by grace. We never did a thing that allows
us to deserve going back. We were just the same kind of
folks that came into captivity We're born of the same parents.
We have the same genes. We have the same nature that
Adam gave us. But those who left are leaving
by grace. Those who are staying are staying
in works. We'll help. We'll work. We'll share. We'll comfort. But we're not going. And if by
grace, it's not of works. But if it be of works, then it's
no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. What then? question. Israel hath not obtained that
which it seeketh for. Those folks that stayed, they
didn't get the promised land. They didn't get Jerusalem. They
didn't get the temple. They didn't get Christ. They
didn't get holiness. They didn't get sanctification.
They didn't get redemption. They got nothing except their
own reward while they stayed there. As Jesus said, they have
their reward. He said to Abraham, I am your
exceeding great reward, but those who remain have their reward. What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which it seeketh for. but the election hath obtained
it." What does that mean? God and His purpose before the
world began. Those He chose in Christ before
the world began. Those who were written down in
the Lamb's Book of Life before the world began. Those that Christ
had written on the palms of His hand before the world began. Those who had been given to the
Lord Jesus, all that the Father giveth me. those that the Holy
Spirit had purposed and planned and and Decree to go all those
he decreed to give to the gospel in time and that he would open
Them he would give them the new birth. He would indwell them
This is what we find God does for his people and those who
were stirred." Now there in verse 7 it says, "...but election hath
obtained it." It's not by our merit. It's not by our work.
It's because of God. He's the Alpha and He's the Omega.
He's the beginning and the end. He is the author and finisher
our faith. He's the one that gives it to
us, and we are given it after we've been raised from the spiritual
dead, born again. It goes on to say there, but
the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. That word blinded means callous,
became dull, hardened. These are the ones that God leaves
alone. These are Reuben, Gad, half the
tribe of Manasseh in picture. These are Lot's wife. These are those who stayed in
the Persian Empire. Even though they did religious
things and helped their religious friends and family, they are
the rest. Those who are stirred, those
who move, those who leave for Jerusalem are those that Christ
chose, redeemed, with whom Christ is all. He's precious, the rock
of safety. The rest were blinded. the non-elect,
those who were not chosen and reserved, to whom Christ was
a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, who stumbled at the
word. The word is the gospel. They
stumbled at the gospel. They stumbled at Christ. He's
not enough. I must be involved. In 1 Peter
2 and verse 8, And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense
even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient,
whereunto also they were appointed. These obtained no mercy, no grace,
no faith, no righteousness, and no eternal salvation. And whosoever
remaineth are identified as the rest were blinded. They couldn't
see Christ. They were blind. Yet, yet out
of all these that stay, God was pleased to stir up and put them
in a homeward track towards Jerusalem, as the Apostle Paul said that
he was pointed towards Christ. Out of all these, that said,
we'll stay here, we have cattle. Look back, because they'd never
left. Look for the fish, and the cucumbers, and the melons,
and the leeks, and the garlic that was in Egypt, never remembering
what it was, the trudgery that was there, the drudgery that
was there. These, out of all those, 42,360
returned. And we say hallelujah. That is
a complete number that returned, just like we find with regard
to those that Christ has. There's a number that no man
can number. He can number out of every kindred,
tribe, people, and tongue. And they will be privileged to
sing, worthy is the lamb that was slain. They're the ones that
will say, when did we do all these things for you? Those on
the left-hand side will say, we did all those things. We served
you. We tithed. We cast out devils. We preached in thy name. We did
all those things. And yet they had not Christ,
and therefore he shall say, Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity,
for I never knew you. Well, my friends, I pray that
God gives you the grace to head for Christ, to the mark, I press
towards the mark of the high calling in Christ. I pray for
those that remain. We no doubt have family and friends
that are just satisfied with where they are. And, as one man
asked me one time in a meeting, He told me about his daughter.
She at one time was, oh, she read the Bible and studied with
him, and they just had good fellowship, and she just went off in an off
direction. She headed off in another direction. She got involved in all sorts
of things, and no religion, no need for Christ, no need for
the Bible. She just went off. And he said,
has she committed the unpardonable sin? Has she sinned away her
day of grace? And the only thing I could say
is, is she dead? He says, no. And I says, well,
then she hasn't sinned away her day of grace. We pray that God
will work a work in all those that seem to. We're not going
to create a whole new doctrine for them and say they're just
backslidden. The only thing we can say is they never knew to
begin with. Well, God's blessing be upon
you, and we trust that you'll have a good week. Lord willing,
we'll meet with you on Wednesday night. Thank you.