I was thinking of what the writer
of Hebrews says when he said, let us labor to enter in to the
rest of Christ. And many men, religious men,
and it's written in the heart of men, this is just the way
that men are by nature, that we think that we can labor to
do something for the Lord, to the Lord, or whatever. But our only labor, the only
labor that we're called to is to trust Him, to wait upon Him. And the hardest
thing for a man to do is to wait on the Lord. You know, men want to move forward.
They want to do something big. I think back to David. when he
wanted to bring the Ark of God back to Jerusalem. And he didn't
spare any expense. Built a new ox cart, put two
of his finest men, picked them out, hand selected them. These
are my finest men. I want them to be driving this
ox cart when we bring the Ark back to Jerusalem. And you know, if you're familiar
with Scripture, you know what happened. God smoked us a dead
because He reached out His hand to steady the ark, because the
ark of God, the presence of God, He doesn't need any aid, and
it's not within the power of men to bring anything to the
Lord. He's brought salvation to us.
What a glorious thing. And his yoke is easy and his
burden is light. And only as he teaches a man
can he get a grasp of that. You know, the woman taken in
adultery, she learned that. She was justly condemned and
she knew it. She was taught. without excuse. And the Lord said, neither do
I condemn thee. She entered into his rest. What
a glorious thing. That woman at the well, She thought about her religion
and said, Lord, which one of these religions is really the
best? I mean, you Jews say that we
ought to worship in Jerusalem, but we, you know, Samaritans,
we believe that we should worship in this mountain where we are. But she entered into the rest
of the Lord because she said, come and see a man that told
me everything that I ever did because the Lord stripped away.
all the refuge she had. I mean she didn't have anything
left. What a glorious thing it is when
the Lord causes man to see that. Now as long as a man is striving
and carrying on and he's going to serve God and he's going to
do all these things, but when the Lord is pleased to teach
a man his weakness, then the man will be strong. Not until
Such happens because all men think by nature they can do something
for the Lord. They think they got it within
their power. Whether it's even just to call upon the Lord, they
think they can do that. Well, last week we were looking
in Psalm 78 and we looked at verse 41. Yea, they turned back
and tempted God and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remember
not his hand on the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
And you know, that's an interesting passage of scripture, interesting
language that's used there. They limited the Holy One of
Israel. And of course, some, in ignorance,
have tried to say, see there, that proves that men can stymie
God. They can do something that keeps
God from doing something. The Lord can't do anything unless
we let him do it, or whatever some foolishnesses they come
up with. But God's not limited in any
way. David said, our God's in the
heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. How foolish for men to think that there's any limitation
upon God that would arise out of anything they could think,
do, or say. And so that's not at all what
the scripture means when it says that they limited God. How did
they limit God? it means that they did not believe
god they thought he was limited that's how they believe the team
and that's how many limit god today is that they do not believe
he's an absolute stop they do not believe he's a god rules
in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth
they think that they're going to do some things that's going
to help god along the way you know people are this very day
from pulpits across the land encouraged people are being encouraged
to do something for god you need to go out here and do something
for god i mean god's in need of you to do something send your
money do your time and talents and all these things and bring
them to the lord the lord gave men everything
that they had and they can't bring anything to the lord that
he hadn't given to them and how foolish it would be for a man
to think that he could in any way aid the work of God. This is the work of God, that
ye believe on his name. That's the work of God. When
you see men believing in his name, then you've seen the work
of God, because he's the one that performs that in men. The
gift of faith, where does it come from? It doesn't come from
within, it comes from above. Nicodemus, except a man be born
again, cannot see the kingdom of God. And so it is. And so we've gone over this. I mean, the Lord, I'm gonna read
a little further here. It says, they remember not his
hand on the day when he delivered them from the enemy. Now that's,
he's speaking about the nation of Israel. and uh... you know
we've and and i've probably said this before i'm like a broken
record i say mostly about the same thing all the time anyway
but uh... the uh... they thought you see
that uh... that they were going to uh... enter into the promised land
uh... immediately they thought they
were going to do so without any troubles or problems and they
didn't know what the Lord had in mind for them but when troubles
came their way they murmured against it and they did not believe
him. Now we say and I've heard men
say and I've probably said it myself well you know if I'd have
been among them and Been through, walked through the Red Sea and
seen all these great levels, man, I'd have believed right
on. You ever heard anybody say that? Man, if I could have just
been there and seen those miracles, I'd just be serving the Lord
every day. I mean, I wouldn't have any doubts
or whatever. Well, you'd be a lot different
than those people that saw those things because they saw these
things and many of them turned aside. I mean, the Scripture
says that, you know, preachers think, by and large, that the
better that they are communicating and telling the truth, the bigger
the crowds are going to be. Well, the Lord Jesus, He didn't
know that, because He went the other way. when he started off,
the crowds flocked to hear him. They saw the miracles. They ate
the food and all this. But after a while, they grew
weary of the things that he said. And they said, you know, this
stuff, here we are interested in this. I mean, we want to see
some miracles. We want these things, but we're
not interested in hearing the truth. And many turned aside,
the Scripture says, and walked no more with him. Many of those
that started the way. Nothing is more common than folks
that start out in the Gospel. I remember when I was a kid,
they would have these things they called revivals. And they'd
have some big old high-powered preacher would come in, and he'd
make the shirttail, make your, he'd preach, you know, some scary
stuff and tell you all about the end of the world and all
these things that was going to happen and make your shirttail
run up and down your back like a wind of shade. And you'd be,
you know, people would be all stirred up. And they'd give this
invitation and just people would come down and they'd rededicate
their life and they'd get right with God and they would, you
know, get saved and all this stuff. And then about a month
later, it wasn't anything different than it ever was. You know, half
of them had gone back to whatever they were doing and they, you
know, so what happened? They were just being men. They
were like men are. Now only by the grace of God
will a man walk with the Lord. That's the only way it happens.
It doesn't happen because the preacher's a good preacher. How foolish of men to think that
God saves men because the preacher's good. No. God saves men because He wants
to save men, and He saves those whom He wills. He shows mercy
to those whom He wills show mercy. And it was not in the hand of
the Lord to show mercy to all of the nation of Israel. It was
in the Lord's hand to show mercy to Israel. He's always shown
mercy to Israel. all Israel shall be saved. But
they are not all Israel which are of Israel. You know, those
that appear to be Israel, or those that appear to be Christians
in the present time, that would have you believe that they are.
And I'm not, I don't know, I don't have the list. I don't know who
is and who isn't. But I'll tell you this, and that
is that any man that's ever Saved is saved by the grace of Almighty
God and not by anything that he undertook to do, believe,
say, think, or anything else. It's because the mercy of God
visited him and showed him the glories of Christ. And see, that's
the place. You know, that's what the woman
at the well saw, was it not? The glory of Christ. She said,
is not this man the son of God? Is this not Him? Those men on
the road to Emmaus, when the Lord met with them and they didn't
know Him, I've often thought, wondered how that was, but the
Lord hid Hisself from them somehow right in their very midst. And
when He left, they said, you know, that was the Lord. I mean,
did not our heart burn with Him? I mean, did we not see the glory
of God? How wondrous it is. And so, the
nation of Israel, they saw all these things. They saw how the
Lord, how He wrought His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the
field of Zoan, and turned their rivers into blood, their floods
that they could not drink. He sent diverse sorts of flies
among them, which devoured them, and frogs which destroyed them.
He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labor
unto the locust. He destroyed their vines with
hail, and their sycamore trees with frost. He gave up their
cattle also to the hail and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. He
cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation,
and trouble by sending evil angels among them. He made a way to
his anger. He spared not their soul from
death, but gave their life over to the pestilence, and smote
all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the
tabernacles of Ham, but made his own people to go forth like
sheep. and guided them in the wilderness
like a flock. And he led them on safely, so
that they feared not, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this
mountain, which his right hand had purchased." Now, the Lord
has purchased that kingdom, which is his. The kingdom of God, not
flesh and blood. But the kingdom of God is those
people in whom the Lord is pleased to dwell. This is the mountain.
This is that purchased possession which belongs to Him. Yet if
I set my king upon what? My holy hill of Zion. Now where
is the Lord Jesus Christ king? He's not king to the world in
their mind. Now we know that He is the king
over the earth. there's not a thing that transpires
it's not under his rulership but the men of this world they
don't own him as king he came before Pilate Pilate questioned
him and said are you a king? of course he was mocking him
basically saying here you are you know I can put you to death
anytime I want to are you a king? he said you say I'm king he said
for this end came I into the world and that is to bear witness
of the truth See, Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the
life. No man comes to the Father but by Him. And that's exactly
what he told Pilate. Pilate couldn't see it, nor did
he care, because he was a man pleaser. But all of that was in the hand
of the Lord. Bring to pass as he saw fit. But he led his own
people out. He brought them to the border
of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which is right-handed
purchased. He cast out the heathen before them and divided in inheritance
by line, made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. Yet
they tempted and provoked the Most High God and kept not his
testimonies. That is the saga of mankind,
is it not? Even the children of God, even
those whom the Lord has shown mercy to have been unthankful. And the greatest grief that's
brought upon the sons of God is when they survey their own
heart and see how little that they have valued the grace and
mercy and kindness of God. why should he not cast us off?
Now, you know, there's a lot of people that probably come
up with some good reasons. I never have been able to. What
is man that thou art mine, Philippians, and the son of man that thou
didst visit him? I mean, why hasn't the Lord just destroyed
us? I don't know. Except that it's in the mercy of God to show
mercy to those whom he loves. And what a glorious God we have
how wonderful he said my guilt is easy and my burden is light come unto me all ye that labor
and are heavy laden and only those only those that stand in
need are going to seek him and uh... you can't give a man make
a man have a need for christ i don't care what you do i don't
care what you tell him i don't care how many sad songs you sing
or tell him about grandma mom and all that stuff in heaven
until the lord gives a man need for christ you'll never come
but the lord came to save me and that's who we preach the
gospel say the gospel says unto the navy come on to me and he
won a no-wise cast a needy man, broken in a contrite heart, O
God, thou wilt not despise. Oh, that the Lord might give
us a mind and heart to call on Him.