Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nybert. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. I'm going to be speaking from
the third chapter of Hebrews, and I have entitled the message
for this morning, While It's Called Today. The writer said,
while it is said today, if you will hear his voice, harden not
your hearts. While it's said today, It will
not always be said today. The time is coming when today
will be no more. Now we have an example of this
in the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins. You remember the wise virgins
had oil in their lamps The foolish virgins did not have oil in their
lamps. And when the bridegroom came,
the foolish virgins' lamps went out and they had no oil. And they said to the wise virgins,
give us some of your oil. And they said, no, we'll run
out. By the time he comes, you go to them by himself and get
your own oil. And the scripture says, They
that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door
was shut. The time that they could enter
in was no longer. And when they came also the other
virgin saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said,
verily I say unto you, I know you not. Now today is the day
for faith. What do you mean by that somebody
might be thinking? The time to believe the gospel
is right now. Not tomorrow, right now. Today, while it said today, if
you will hear his voice. Notice that while refers to an
increment of time that may no longer be. While it's called
today, it will not always be called today. Now, men hide in
two false refuges, yesterday and tomorrow. That's where men
hide. I look to what happened to me
yesterday, what I experienced yesterday, what I believed yesterday. Now, if you would have eaten
yesterday's manna when the children of Israel were in the wilderness,
what would take place? You would breed worms and stink. What do you believe today? I'm
not concerned about yesterday. Who do you believe today? Are
you looking to Christ only today? Somebody says, well, I'll do
it tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. Boast not thyself of the
morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. While
it's called today, if you will hear his voice. Now is that what you desire?
Do you desire to hear the voice of God? Now I'm not talking about
hearing his audible voice. When someone says, God said this
to me, or they heard something audibly, they're just not telling
the truth. No one has heard God audibly. I remember one time a preacher.
wrote me and said, God told me to do this, and I need your help
and your money in order to do this. And I wrote the man back.
I said, God never said anything to you. You're lying, trying
to get money. No man has heard God's voice audibly in this day,
but he speaks. He speaks in creation. The heavens
declare the glory of God. This created universe tells us
God is. Somebody made all of this and
nobody made him. He speaks by his providence.
That's everything that happens in time. He's in control of whatever
it is, every experience I have, every trial I have. Every blessing
I have, whatever takes place in my day, in my night, whatever
it is, it tells me that I ought to seek the Lord. God speaks
in his providence and God speaks by his word. All scripture is
given by inspiration of God. And God speaks in the preaching
of the gospel. What's going on right now? It
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. Now, if all you hear is my voice, it will do you no
good. Today, today, if you will hear
his voice. While it said today, if you will
hear his voice, the writer says, harden not your hearts, as in
the day of provocation. Now, that day of provocation,
is what is referred to in Numbers 13 and 14. We'll get there in
just a moment. But let's consider this thing
of hardening your heart. Hearing his voice and hardening
your heart. So his voice is not heard. That frightens me. I don't want
to harden my heart. Now the scripture says God hardened
Pharaoh's heart. And all God needs to do to harden
my heart or your heart is to just leave us alone. Nothing else needs to be done.
If I'm left alone, my heart will harden. But the scripture also
says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart so that he refused
to let the people go after all he had seen. Now, this thing
of a hard heart, what I thought about more than anything else
when I tried to think, what is this thing to have a hard heart
to where you can't hear? And I thought of Numbers chapter
21, where the people became discouraged because of the way. It was hard. And they murmured against God
and against Moses. And they said, we don't have
anything to eat, and we don't have any water. Now that very
day manna had fallen from heaven and water had come from that
rock. Yet they say we have nothing to eat. We have no water and
our souls loathe this light bread. That is what they called the
manna that came down from heaven. Light bread. Not substantial
to satisfy us. Light bread. Now the bread hadn't
changed, they had changed. At one time it was manna from
heaven, the best thing they'd ever tasted. Now it was light,
contemptible bread that they no longer wanted to eat. They
were tired of it and they wanted something else. Why? Their hearts
had hardened. The bread hadn't changed. they
had changed to where they could not appreciate this heavenly
bread. Now the writer says, while it's
said today, it won't always be said today, while it's said today,
if you will hear his voice, his voice in the gospel, harden not
your hearts as in the provocation. Now what he's talking about is
something that took place in Numbers chapter 13 and chapter
14, where God ended up saying, how long will this people provoke
me? Now what happened? In the third
or fourth week after they had left Egypt, they were getting
ready to enter the promised land. God said, enter the promised
land. and they decided to make a committee. They sent 12 spies, and they
were there for 40 days, and they were going to see if what God
said was true. Now, something's wrong with that.
If God said it, it's true. You don't tempt God to see if
what he said was true, but they went into Canaan with these spies,
and they searched out the land for 40 days, and when they finally
came back, They came back with a cluster of grapes so large
that they had to put it on a staff and two men had to carry it in.
And they said, indeed, the land flows with milk and honey, just
like God said, but there are giants in the land. And we were
like grasshoppers before them. The land would eat us up. We could not take this land. Now, remember what they just
sang. They had just seen God destroy Israel, I mean Egypt,
to bring them out. They witnessed that. They witnessed
the 10 plagues. They witnessed the parting of
the Red Sea. They witnessed the people who
were left in Egypt beg them to leave and give them all their
material goods in order to do that. They had seen miracles. They had seen the bread come
down from heaven. They experienced that. They experienced
the water coming out of the rock. And yet they look at these people
and say, we can't do this. Whoever said you could? God can. We're resting in the ability
of God to bring us this land. But these people said, no, we
can't do this. And they said to Moses, they
said, why did you bring us up out of Egypt? That we and our
children would die here in the wilderness. We have no chance
to take this. Well, chance doesn't have anything
to do with it. If God gives it to you, you'll
have it. But they didn't believe that.
And Joshua and Caleb said, we can take this land if God delights
in us, if God's for us, it's no problem. And you know what
they wanted to do? They wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb for
this message they brought. And they said, let's make a captain
and go back to Egypt. That's when God said, how long
will this people provoke me? And then he said for the 40 days
that they were in Canaan searching out the land, they're wanting
to spend 40 years in the wilderness and all who are over 20 years
old. they're going to die in the wilderness.
Those people that left Egypt to go into Canaan, they're never
going to go into the promised land. They're going to stay wandering
here in the wilderness for 40 years till they're all dead.
Now the people under 20, when they left Egypt, they're going
to enter the land. Those people whom you said, our
children are gonna die, they're gonna enter the land. You're
not, only two will. Joshua and Caleb, the men who
believed God. They were the only people out
of millions who left Egypt, the people over 20 who entered into
the promised land, the people who believed God. God said, how
long will you provoke me? Verse 16 of Hebrews chapter three,
for some, when they had heard, did provoke. That's what I've
been talking about. They provoke God, they wouldn't
believe God. How be it not all that came out
of Egypt by Moses, but with whom was he grieved 40 years? Was
it not with them that sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom swear he that they
should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not. Now, this concept, of rest is
found throughout Hebrews chapter 3 and chapter 4. These people
God said they're not going to enter my rest are those who do
not believe. Those who did believe God are
the ones who entered into his rest. Now what is this thing
of rest? We're introduced to this concept
in the first chapter of Genesis after the creation of the world. We read, beginning in verse 31
of Genesis chapter 1, and God saw everything that he had made,
and behold, it was very good. This is before the fall. He created
the perfect creation, and the evening and the morning were
the sixth day. Thus, the heavens and the earth
were finished. What did the Lord cry from the
cross? It is finished. And all the host of them. And
on the seventh day, God ended his work, which he had made.
The work of creation that took place in those first six days
was over. Somebody says, is this talking
about six literal days? Well, I have no reason to believe
it's not. I don't understand all the implications of this,
but I believe God created the universe in six days. I believe that he created this
world with all the oil and the fossil fuel and everything already
ready. Don't understand that. The Bible's
not a science book. I'm not trying to be scientific.
I believe God created the universe in six days. And on the seventh
day, he rested. He wasn't tired. He rested because
he was finished. His work was very good. And then
we read in verse three, and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified
it because that in it, he had rested from all his work, which
God created and made. The rest of the Sabbath. Now, what is this thing of resting? Well, in Hebrews chapter four,
we read, and if you and I want to understand what faith is,
this will be very helpful. Verse nine of Hebrews chapter
four, and this word rest is said over and over again in these
third and fourth chapters of Hebrews. In Hebrews chapter four,
verse nine, it says, there remaineth therefore a rest. to the people
of God. And that word rest is literally
a Sabbath-keeping. A Sabbath-keeping. Now I remember
when I was a boy, my grandfather didn't want me playing ball on
Sundays. He didn't want us going swimming.
He thought that was breaking the Sabbath. And I remember thinking,
boy, that's difficult. I wanted to go out and play on
Sundays and I didn't have any understanding of this, but really
neither did he at that time. because this thing of keeping
the Sabbath is not about not cooking on Sundays. As far as
that goes, the Sabbath is on Saturday anyway. It never was
changed to Sunday. Somebody says, well, it's now
the Christian Sabbath. No, it's not. There's no such thing. The
Sabbath would still be on Saturday. But the point behind this thing
of not working is resting in Christ. Resting in His finished
work. You rest when the work is finished. There's nothing more for you
to do. And you believe that. You believe that what He did
is sufficient. You don't need anything else
to make you accepted before God. You rest in what He did. Now let's go on reading. There
remaineth therefore a rest a Sabbath-keeping 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. Have you ever ceased from your
own works and rested in the work of Christ, the finished work
of Christ, knowing that all that God requires of you, He looks
to His Son for, and there's nothing for you to do but rest. Now the hardest thing you and
I are ever called upon to do is nothing. To cease from your
own works and rest in what he did and know that is sufficient. When he said it is finished,
my salvation was finished. Hebrews 10 14 says, by one offering
he hath perfected forever. Them that are sanctified. Now what a glorious thing to
rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. We which have believed have entered
into a rest. And verse 18 says, to whom swear
he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that
believed not. So we see they could not enter
in because of unbelief. Now what is unbelief? Unbelief
is not believing what God said. When God says to rest, unbelief
sees no safety in what God says. I need some works. Do you think
I can just come into God's presence empty handed? Don't I need to
bring something to prove how good I am and sincere I am? I
can't simply rest in Christ. Unbelief hears the gospel and
says, I can't rest in that. I can't believe in that. I don't
believe that Christ alone is sufficient to save me. I think
my own works have to be added. I think my own doings have to
be added. I cannot rest in what he did. They could not enter in because
of unbelief. Now let me say some things in
closing about unbelief that I hope will be helpful. If I don't believe, if you don't
believe, it's because we chose not to believe. If I do not believe,
I can't say, well, I don't believe because God didn't elect me or
because Christ didn't die for me. No, if I do not believe,
it's because I do not want to believe. The Lord said, you will
not come to me that you might have life. He also said, come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. If you come to Christ, He will
give you rest. You will have perfect rest. You will know that you don't
have to do anything to earn God's favor or acceptance, but that
you have it in Christ Jesus and you will rest in His finished
work. You'll cease from your own works
just like God did from His. If you don't believe this, It's
because you see no safety in resting in what He has done. You would rather bring your own
works to God. Now let me say some things about
unbelief. So we see they could not enter
in because of unbelief. And here's the first thing I
want to say is all believers have unbelief. Remember what
that man said in Mark chapter nine, when the Lord said, if
you can believe, All things are possible to him that believeth.
He cried out, Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. All believers have unbelief. Now somebody says, that seems
contradictory. How can you be a believer and have unbelief?
Well, every believer has two natures. An unbeliever doesn't.
He only has one nature, the nature he's born with. The believer
has two natures, the nature he was born with and the nature
that he has from which he was born again. And that new nature
always believes. And that old nature never believes. And both of those natures come
out of one consciousness. It's not like I have two consciousnesses.
No, I have one consciousness and therefore I cry out continually,
Lord, I believe Help thou mine unbelief. The Lord does not work
through unbelief. Mark or Matthew chapter 13, verse
58. He did not many works there because
of their unbelief. The Lord does not work through
unbelief. If you can believe, all things
are possible to him that believeth. I think of when the Lord heard
the disciples ask him this question, why could not we cast them out
regarding the demons? He said, because of your unbelief.
That's why you couldn't cast him out, because of your unbelief. Even after the resurrection,
he upbraided his disciples for their unbelief and their hardness
of heart. Now I'm going to read a passage
of scripture from Romans chapter three that I've always found
to be such an encouragement. We read in verse three, for what
if some did not believe? What if some did not believe?
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Shall their unbelief nullify God's purpose? Shall their unbelief
keep God's will from being done? I love Paul's answer, God forbid. Yea, let God be true, and every
man a liar. You see, God's will will always
be done And the unbelief of men or devils cannot hinder that.
Man's unbelief will not stop God's purpose. Even a man's unbelief
will glorify the justice of God in sending that man to hell because
that man should have believed the gospel. Unbelief will never
stop God's purpose. It will never prevent anybody
from being saved whom God intends to save. Now listen to this scripture. It said of Abraham that he staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief. Now God said to Abraham
when he had no children, he was an old man, Sarah was an old
woman, you're going to have a great multitude and you and your seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Now, Abraham
could not, by what he saw, verify what God said because he didn't
have any descendants, but he believed God. He staggered not
at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith. giving glory to God, being fully
persuaded that what God had promised, he was able also to perform. Here's the New Testament commentary
on that. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1.12,
I know whom I have believed, not what, but whom. I know whom
I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able. I'm not persuaded in my own ability,
but I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've
committed to Him against that day. I've committed the salvation
of my soul to Him. If He didn't do it all, I won't
be saved. I am relying completely on him. Now that's faith. Unbelief says
I can't rely on him. I don't believe that what he
did is enough. I believe that my works must be added to make
what he did effective. That is unbelief and anyone who
dies in unbelief will not be in heaven. It is only those who
believe the gospel and rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. May you
and I be enabled to rest in what He did and really believe that
all God requires of me is found in what the Lord Jesus Christ
did. and I cease from my own works,
and I rest in His finished work. To receive a copy of the sermon
you have just heard, send a request to todd.neibert at gmail.com,
or you may write or call the church at the information provided
on the screen. Hmm.