Let's go back to Hebrews 4. Now, I've spent a good deal of time
in this fourth chapter of Hebrews. I've written a commentary, a
Bible-class commentary on the book of Hebrews, and then we
went over it again, and I rewrote the lesson sheet for chapter
4, and then this week I've been in chapter 4 for quite a bit
of time. And I don't know of a chapter
in God's Word, I don't know of a chapter in God's Word that's
richer in warnings and richer in promises and richer in instruction
and richer in encouragement. Now, it's difficult to leave
out a single verse. Now, you here this morning who
have a good hope of saving interest in Christ, this is going to strengthen
you. And I believe you who are here
this morning who do not have a good hope, I believe it will
instruct you if you'll listen. Listen carefully. Don't be your own preacher. This
is one of the downfalls of this generation. Everybody's got their
own doctrine, their own religious tradition, their own beliefs,
and they're not going to listen to anybody. Well, they'll listen
to you if you measure up to what they think you ought to say.
But under God, I warn you, I warn you, I warn myself and you and
everybody else, we better not bring our traditions and our
doctrines to this book. We better not bring them and
try to prove them by this book. We better come with an open heart
and an open hand and hear God because it's too serious to miss
Christ and eternal life defending a foolish religious position.
That's too serious. I don't care whether you're a
missionary Baptist or a free world Baptist or a primitive
Baptist or a Catholic or what you are, that's unfortunate that
you are any of those things. It'd be a blessing if you was
a believer. That'd be a blessing if you could absolutely forget
your heritage and background and what you've been taught and
come to the Word of God with an open heart to hear Him speak
through His Word. Don't miss eternal life defending
a position, trying to match wits with a preacher. It's too serious
now, and I've made those opening comments about looking into this. I looked into it for myself.
I looked into it for you. And I'm not deceived in it, if
you let the words flow. Listen to verse 1. Listen to
verse 1. "...let us therefore fear." Us,
that's you and me. He's writing to the church, he's
writing to folks who profess to know God. "...lest a promise
being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem
to come short of it." What's he talking about? Well, most
of the Israelites who left Egypt, There were 2 or 3 million of
them left Egypt after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.
Most of them didn't even enter the rest, God promised, Canaan. Most, in fact, not any of them
that were over 20 years of age when they left Egypt. You know
what Scripture says? Not only two, Joshua and Caleb. But those
two men, Joshua and Caleb, believed God. They believed God, and because
they believed God, they entered into his rest, typical rest,
Canaan. But the rest of them perished
in the wilderness. The Scripture says their carcasses were buried
in the wilderness. And what he's doing here is warning
us, let us therefore fear. Let's look at this example and
wake up. Let's look at this example and
come to our senses. They were religious. They had
the tabernacle. They had the Sabbath day. They
had all the sacrifices, they had the prophets, they had all
these things, but they did not enter his rest because of unbelief. Now let us, therefore, fear,
lest a promise being left to us. God promised Israel Canaan. They never inhabited it. They
never had it. Lest a promise being left to
us. He promised some people Canaan, and these folks didn't partake
of it. because of unbelief. Now, you and I better wake up,
because verse 2 says, for unto us was the gospel preached. What's
the word gospel? Good news, glad tidings. The gospel was preached to us.
What gospel was preached to us? Now listen to me. I've tried
faithfully to preach for 30 some odd years here the gospel. And
I asked a preacher not long ago, how do we know that our gospel
is the gospel? Paul says it's just one gospel.
Well, this gospel that I preach is the gospel that glorifies
God. It gives God all the glory. I'm saying salvation's of the
Lord. Salvation's alpha to omega, beginning to end, is of the Lord.
It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
Salvation is of the Lord. The salvation of the righteous
is of God. It's the gospel that glorifies
God. This gospel that I'm preaching is the gospel that fulfills every
Old Testament type, shadow, picture, and promise. Christ the Lord.
I take the sacrifice of Abel and do something with it. I just
don't brag about Abel and say, Abel did what was right and Cain
did what was wrong. Abel brought them blood, which
represents Christ. I don't just stand up there and
brag on Noah, Noah being warned of God of things not seen as
yet, moved with fear and built an art. That art is Christ. Noah
was saved because it was in the art. You're saved if you're in
Christ. That's a picture. As Moses lifted up the serpent,
the serpent was made of brass. It was made in the likeness of
the serpent that had bitten the people. It was lifted up. That's
Christ who became in the likeness of flesh and was lifted up on
a cross as the punishment for our sins. We look to Him and
believe. That piece of brass is nothing but a piece of brass.
It won't save. It's a type. I've shown you the
tabernacle and all the types and the veil and the entering
in of the high priest, the blood on the mercy seat which covers
the ark of the covenant which holds the broken law. I've shown
you the incense. It's not just burning incense.
That incense is Christ's prayers. The gospel's been preached to
you. The gospel, it exalts Christ alone, the gospel of substitution,
satisfaction, righteousness, redemption, eternal life. The
gospel has been preached to you. That's what Paul said, verse
2. Unto us the gospel was preached. We're not playing games. We preach
the gospel without fear or favor. The gospel of substitution, satisfaction,
the gospel of revelation, the gospel of pure grace, the gospel
of God's sovereign mercy. That's what I preached to you.
But it was preached to them too, as well as unto them. But the
word preached did not profit them." Oh, what a sad, sad note. You say, how was the gospel preached
unto them? The same gospel preached to you. There's just one gospel, and
that's the gospel of Christ, substitution, the blood. It was
preached to them through types. They knew about Abel just like
you know about Abel. They know that Abel came before
God because Abel was a sinner, because God was holy. Abel came
to worship God, built an altar. He put a lamb on that altar.
He slew the lamb. He shed its blood. He offered
a sacrifice of blood to God. And God had respect to his offering,
to the blood which typifies the coming Redeemer. To Cain, he
had not respect to his offering, because he brought his works,
he brought the fruit of his hand, he brought the labor of his own
efforts. And God said, no! And he showed them that all the
way through the scriptures, every picture, every promise. The righteous
branch shall come, the Redeemer shall come, the Messiah shall
come, the God's Lamb shall come. Isaiah said, he was wounded for
our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. By His stripes
we are healed." Who's he talking about, the eunuch said? Himself
or some other man. He's talking about Jesus Christ.
The gospel was preached to them. The gospel of satisfaction, substitution,
atonement, cleansing, redemption was preached to them. But it
did not profit them. And the same gospel has been
preached to you, and many of you, it has not profited you.
You're still worshiping the brazen serpents. You're still worshiping
the types. You're still worshiping the days.
You're still worshiping the means. And you're not worshiping and
believing the Redeemer as well as unto them. It did not profit
them, verse 2, not being mixed with faith in them that heard
it. Faith! For we which have believed, people
who do believe, they enter into a rest. Do you see that? Now,
that's right now, we which have believed do enter into rest. That's a spiritual rest. That's
a present rest. That's an enjoyment of the Lord's
mercies. That's an enjoyment of the Lord's
blessing. And only believers enter into
this rest and enjoy this rest, for God said, I've sworn in my
wrath, the unbelievers shall not enter into my rest. Although
the works are finished from the foundation of the world, although
God does have an elect. That's what he's saying. Yes,
God has an elect. That's not your business. That's
his business. God does have a purpose. God does have a plan. God does
have a people. God has predestinated some to
be like Christ. But he said those who believe
will enter the rest and those who don't believe will not enter
the rest. Although the works are finished.
You see what he's saying there? Paul's saying, I'm not questioning
God's eternal providence and eternal purpose and eternal plan.
I know the works in the mind of God are finished. But when
this thing comes down to who enters and who doesn't enter,
it's those who believe, do now presently enjoy the rest of God,
and those who do not believe will never enjoy it, elect or
non-elect. That's exactly what he's saying.
It won't alter God's program. It won't alter God's purpose.
But it will alter your future, whether you believe or don't
believe, whether you do believe or don't believe. Now, here he
speaks of several rest. Now, here's what he's saying.
He's saying the gospel has been preached to you and to me. It
was preached to them. It profited them nothing. Why? They didn't believe. Joshua believed. Caleb believed. But the rest
of them didn't believe. Therefore, God said, I swear
in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. And even so, this gospel
is preached to us, and there remaineth a rest right now, a
present rest, a spiritual rest, that God's people by faith enter. Now then, he gives several pictures
of rest. Verse 4, he spake in a certain
place of the seventh day. on this wise, and God did rest
the seventh day from his work." In other words, there's a Sabbath
day. That's not the rest we're talking about. That's not the
rest. Almighty God created this world,
he made certain things, six days, he rested on the seventh. He
gave to the Jews in their Levitical law a Sabbath day and so forth
of rest. But that's not the rest we're
talking about. And you can go through your work
six days a week, plow your fields and work hard, or go to your
labor in the store or factory or whatever, and then play church
on Sunday, and go to church, and not let your kids shoot any
basketball, or go to see Grandma, or walk just rigidly, keep the
Sabbath day, go to church Sunday morning, not let the ladies cook
anything at noon, and rest Sunday afternoon, come back to church
that night when the sun goes down, you're free. That's not
the rest. Any rest you have to be free
from ain't rest. Any rest when you're glad it's
over is not rest. Any rest that your children say,
boy, I'm glad that's over, that's not rest. This rest is an enjoyable
rest. This rest is something that's
not just one day a week all the time. So it's not the Sabbath
day, all right? In verse 5, and in this place again, if they
shall enter into my rest, he's talking here about the land of
Canaan. That's a typical rest. It's not
the land of Canaan. It's not entering the land of
Canaan. Seeing therefore, verse 6, it remaineth that some must
enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered
not in because of unbelief." Again, he limited a certain day,
saying in David, today, after so long a time as it is said
today, if you'll hear his voice, harden not your heart. Verse
8, if Joshua had given them rest, he wouldn't have spoken afterwards
of another day. The kingdom of Israel in Canaan,
when they finally did enter in, was not that rest. You see what
Paul is saying? He's saying, my friends, there
is a rest, R-E-S-T. Our Lord Jesus spoke of it, he
said, come to me and I'll give you rest. Come to me and I'll
give you rest. There's a rest. Let us fear lest
the promise being left us of entering into his rest we should
come short of. For those back yonder heard the
gospel, and did not enter into his rest, because they did not
believe. And the rest we're talking about
is not a ritualistic, traditional Sabbath day of religious rest
outwardly. And it's not Canaan land we're
talking about, and it's not what we call a Jewish kingdom. Watch this rest, verse 9. There
remaineth therefore a rest, a keeping of a Sabbath to the people of
God. Now here it is, verse 10, speaks of Christ. And we're not
talking about heaven. This is not the rest we're talking
about. A lot of people talk about heaven and say, one day I'll
enter my rest. You won't enter that rest unless
you've entered this rest. For that rest is but a perfection
of this rest. That rest is but the culmination
of this rest. That rest is but the eternal
revelation of this rest. What is this rest, this R-E-S-T,
into which those who believe enter and find therein peace
and joy? What is it? All right, here's
how it's accomplished. He that has entered into his
rest, that's Christ, he also has ceased from his own works
as God did from his. Our Lord Jesus Christ had a rest
to accomplish by fulfilling a perfect righteousness and by fulfilling
a perfect sacrifice. Turn to Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10. Listen to Hebrews 10, beginning
with verse 11. Hebrews 10, 11. And every priest
standeth daily, ministering, offering oft times the same sacrifices
which can never take away sin. That's the Old Testament typology,
picture, tabernacle. But this man, Jesus Christ, After
he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down on
the right hand of God. He sat down, finished his work.
He finished his work. That's what Hebrews 4 is saying.
When he entered into his rest, he ceased from his works as God
did from his. God Almighty, the Heavenly Father,
made the world. Six days. Seventh day, he rested. His work was finished. His works
of providence are never finished. God worketh right now. We are
his workmanship in Christ Jesus. And he continually works, fulfilling
his eternal will, his eternal purposes. But the work was done
in creation and he rested. And when our Lord Jesus Christ
left heaven's glory, he came down here with a work to accomplish.
And that work was as a man to meet the law and fulfill it,
to impute to us a perfect holiness, a perfect righteousness, a perfect
standing before the law. And he went to the cross and
there redeemed us from our sins. He went to the presence of God
and there he offered his blood on the mercy seat of glory and
he sat down, resting, having finished his work. You see? All right, look at the next verse
in Hebrews 4. Let us, therefore, labor to enter into that rest
with Christ, be seated with Christ, everything fulfilled in Christ,
everything complete in Christ, everything satisfied in Christ.
Let us, therefore, labor to enter that rest. Now let me show you
some Scripture, Romans 5, Romans 5.1, Romans 5.1. Now listen to
it, Romans 5.1. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The peace is purchased. The peace is completed. The peace
with God, the war is over. Romans 8, verse 1. Romans 8,
verse 1. There is, therefore, right now,
no condemnation to them who are in Christ. There is right now
no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Look at Romans 8, verse
33. "...Who shall anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who maketh intercession for us." Now, who can separate
us from the love of Christ? For tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword,
as it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long,
we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Yea, nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us, for
I am persuaded that neither death nor life." nor angels, nor principality,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall it be able to separate
us from the love of God." Where is the love of God? It's in Christ
Jesus, our Lord. Where is this rest? It's in Christ
Jesus. Where is this peace? It's in
Christ Jesus. Where is this no condemnation?
In Christ Jesus. Where is this no charge? In Christ
Jesus. Can I make it any clearer? There
is a rest now. A present rest, a spiritual rest,
a rest of conscience, a rest of heart, a rest of soul. Not a rest of body. My body's
tired. I'm tired. The days are long
and there's not enough hours in the days. There's much to
be done. There's more tomorrow to be done. My body's, but my
soul's at rest. My heart's at rest. My spirit's
at rest. There's nothing to be done for
my acceptance with God. It's done. There's nothing to
be done to secure my sanctification. It's done. There's nothing to
be done to provide for me a righteousness. It's done. Christ has finished
his work and sat down. Now, enter that rest. How? Stand by faith. Isn't that what
he said? This same rest was promised Israel. The same gospel was preached
to them. And Moses found it. Joshua found
it. Caleb found it. Isaiah found
it. Have you found it? Have you found
that rest? That's what he's saying. And
it's not a Sabbath day. Get your rituals. Get your folks
all trimmed to doing the same thing on Saturday, on Sunday. That's no rest in that foolishness.
Every day is God's day. Christ is my Sabbath. I don't
mean to go wild on Sunday. Sunday's not Sabbath any day.
Sabbath's on Saturday. Sunday is the first day of the
week. Never has been anything but the first day of the week,
never will be. You say, when was it changed? Well, there was
change, it's just the day the people of God meet together because
that's the day he arose from the grave. That's the day our
Lord came forth victorious. That's the day the early church
met on the first day of the week, on the Lord's day. But every
day is his day. No reason why we can't meet on
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. But this rest and peace is a
peace of heart and soul and spirit that we enter by faith. It's
not a Sabbath day, it's not a typical Canaan-land type of thing, it's
not a Jewish kingdom, it's not entering the rest of the Missionary
Baptist Church. It's the rest of Christ. And
he came down here, and it says in verse 9, he entered his rest. He entered his rest. He ceased
from his works just like God did the Father did from his.
Our substitute, our Savior finished his work, and having completed
them, he sat down and entered into rest, waiting until his
enemies become his footstool. Now he says, you labor, you strive,
you give diligence, therefore to enter into that rest. lest
any man fall after the same manner of unbelief, like those foolish,
disobedient Israelites who would not believe. Who would not believe? They didn't perish because they
built a golden camp. They perished because they didn't
believe God. They didn't perish because they grumbled about the
light bread. They perished because they wouldn't
believe God. They came there to that land, and God said, And
they parted a committee and sent them down there to look it over.
And the committee came back and said, they're too big for us.
Well, God, they knew it was too big for them. Pharaoh was too
big for them. The Red Sea was too big for them.
So they turned around and went back, and they didn't believe
God. And that's what I'm saying. What's to aid us in our faith?
There are four things given to us here now in the next four
verses, five verses. Verse 12 says, "...for the Word
of God." That's talking about this Word right here. You know,
you've got in your hand a dangerous thing right now. You've got a
sharp sword in your hand. You're holding in your hand,
it's no common thing. This Word, the Scripture says,
is quick, that is, it's divine. It's alive. It's the Word of
God. It's divine. It's quick. It's
alive. And it's powerful. It's powerful. It's effectual. It'll accomplish
you. He said it'll accomplish that
word until I sent it. My word will not return void.
This word slays and this word makes alive. This word kills
and this word restores. This word wounds and this word
heals. This is a word of God. It's divine. It's alive. It's powerful. It's
sovereign. It's sharper. It's sharper than
any two-edged sword. It reaches the most secret, hidden
parts of soul, spirit, mind, and heart. Listen to it. A dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, a discerner. This
word reveals what you think of God. You read it. You say, I don't agree with that.
Oh, what a sharp sword, its reach clear down into your thoughts
and the intents of your heart. It discerns your motives. This
Word exposes us. You know that? It does. That's
the reason most preachers won't preach it, because it will expose
them for the frauds that they are. This Word, it's a Word of
God, it's divine, it's alive, it's powerful. Notice verse 13.
Talks about the Word of God, first of all. This entering into
his rest is accomplished by hearing the Word. Israel heard the Word
of the Lord. He spake to our fathers by the
prophets, after in these last days spoken to us by his son.
They wouldn't hear the prophets, and we won't hear the son. They
wouldn't hear the Word of God. They did not believe the Word.
The prophets said, thus saith the Lord, and they didn't believe
it. If we enter the rest, we're going to hear his word and believe
it. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Of his own will beget he us with the word of truth. We are born
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible the word of
God. Notice the second thing. If we enter this rest, we're
going to hear the word. If you've got a preacher that
does not preach the Bible, you'd better get rid of him or go somewhere
else, because this word is the way you enter rest, the word
of God. Secondly, here's the second thing,
neither is any creature that's not manifest in his sight. Don't
try to fool God. We're not playing games. God
looks on the heart. And I might press around here
and profess to be what I'm not, claim to be what I'm not, claim
to have what I don't have, but he says all things are naked
to him. We can dress up for folks, you
know, dress up in our Sunday go-to-meeting clothes and put
on our Sunday go-to-meeting face, but God looks on the heart. And
there's no Sunday go-to-meeting covering at all. God, everything's
naked and open. Our thoughts and intents and
motives and desires and attitudes, all open to Him with whom we
have to do. Well, I may think about, consider
Jesus one of these days, It ain't no might about it. All things
are naked and open to him with whom we have to do. God's turned
this world over to Christ. Our Lord bought this world on
Calvary. It's his world. He said, I have
all authority over all flesh, that I'll give eternal life to
those many as you've given me. Yes, sir, it's not a question
of maybe dealing with Christ. It's a question of when we're
going to deal with him. And I'll tell you, everybody's
going to deal with him in grace or judgment. Because with Him,
we have to do. And the thing about it is, everything's
naked and open to Him. You know, we can go to our mothers
and fathers with our problems, and even we don't understand
our problems. And we try to present them to
them so they can help us solve them, and they don't understand
them because we don't understand them, but He understands them.
He knows everything. Everything's naked. Everything's
open. All things. So it pays, let me tell you,
to hear the Word, and it pays to come clean with God. I'm not
telling you to come clean with each other. That's foolishness.
But come clean with God. I'm not telling you to confess
your sins to one another, but confess them to God. I'm not
telling you to share your secrets. You share them with God, though.
He knows you higher. He's the one with whom we have
to do. Have to do. All right, watch this now. Be
serious about this. Be sincere about it. And verse
14 says, we have a high priest. We have a great high priest.
He's the high priest of God's appointment. He's after the order
of Melchizedek. He's a high priest forever. And
what's this? He's passed into the heavens.
My friend, there was a time when the children of Israel came to
a priest in linen garment with holiness to the Lord on his head.
And he had this censer with the incense, and he had all these
typical things. And the people of Israel came
to him, and he went to God. He was the priest of divine appointment,
and his ministry was the sanctuary of old. It was the tabernacle
which God had decreed. But our Lord Jesus Christ has
put away and fulfilled all those things. No longer do we go to
a man and confess our sins or ask him to go to God. They didn't
go to just any man. They went, Charlie, to the priest,
the high priest, the priest not that volunteered and went to
the seminary and studied to be a priest. They went to the priest
God ordained, the sons of Levi, Aaron. You see what I'm saying? Look at Hebrews 5, verse 1. This
was before Christ, our great high priest came. It says in
Hebrews 5, verse 1, Every high priest taken from among men is
ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both
gifts and sacrifices for sins. And he can have compassion on
the ignorant and on them that are out of the way, for that
he himself is also compassed with infirmity. That priest is
a sinner. And by reason hereof, he ought,
as for the people, so for himself to offer for sin. And no man
takes this honor upon himself. This is not something you study
for or go to school and train for. But he is called of God,
as was Aaron. So Christ didn't glorify himself
to be made a priest. God chose him. And so back here
in verse 14, we have a great high priest that's passed into
the heavens. His place of ministry is important. Let me show you this. Turn to
Hebrews 9. Now, these fellows down here
that call themselves priests and popes and all this sort of
thing, now listen to me. They still minister down here
in a natural world with the play pretties of religion, things
that have all been fulfilled. And they can't get to God. They
can't take you to God. Because the one who is our great
high priest doesn't minister down here in a big old building
among carnal elements. But it says in Hebrews 9 and
11, Christ being come, a high priest of good things to come,
by a great and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is
to say, not this building, and neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood he entered once into the holy
place. having obtained eternal redemption
for us, one sacrifice, one offering, one atonement." All right, look
at verse 25, 24. "'For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are pictures of the truth,
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God
for us.'" You see the difference? We have a high priest. He's passed
into the heaven. into the heavens, not down here.
I can't do anything about your sins. I'm just a preacher that
sends them on. That priest can't do anything
about your sins. He's a liar. He's an imposter,
because we have a great high priest that's fulfilled this
earthly priesthood. And now every believer is a priest.
Every believer. Read on. He's passed into the
heavens. He's Jesus, man, Joshua. He's the Son of God, divine,
holy, very God of very God. We got something to hold to.
We got a profession to hold to. We got a foundation to build
on. We got something to expect. For we don't have a high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
He knows we're flesh. He remembers that we're dust.
He knoweth our frame because he was dust. He was flesh one
time. He was in all points tempted
as we are. Yes, he was. He was a man. Here's
the key. Yet without sin. Now watch this. Our Lord Jesus Christ was without
sin in his birth. Our Lord Jesus Christ was without
sin in his life, without sin before the law. But one day he
became sin. He took my sins upon him. That's right, just like here
I am and there's my sin. They're heavy, they're black
between me and God. No way for me to have communion
with God or God to have communion with you. Your sins are separated,
you and your God. Our Lord came here without sin.
He had no sin. He knew no sin. God laid my sins
on Him. And God's wrath and judgment
and condemnation fell on Him that would have taken me to hell. And our Lord paid for my sins.
And now, again, He's without sin. But so am I. Where are my sins? God said he
cast them behind his back. God said he put them in the depths
of the sea. God said he separated them as
far as the east is from the west. God said he remembered them no
more. Christ, my priest, my substitute, my mediator, is yet without sin,
and therefore I'm without sin. All right, read the next verse.
All right, are you with me? If this ain't the gospel, there
is no gospel. And if this doesn't help you, you can't be helped.
And if this won't bring you to faith in God, you might as well
just kick up your heels and get ready to perish. Let us therefore,
seeing all these things are true, come boldly, freely unto the
throne. Yes, it never ceased to be a
throne. Wherever God sits, it's a throne because God's a King.
But bless your heart, it's a throne of grace. It's not a throne of
judgment, it's not a throne of condemnation, it's not a throne
of censorship, it's not a throne to pick you to pieces, it's a
throne of mercy and grace! And why don't you come? Well,
do I have the right? Seeing we have a high priest.
No, you don't have the right, but he does. And you can come
in him. Now you better not come, don't
bring your tithes and your Sunday school attendance record and
your sermons you preached and your filthy rags of self-righteousness. Just come holding the hand of
that great high priest because he's got a suitable sacrifice
and a sufficient sin offering and a perfect righteousness and
a holy sanctification and you can go right into glory on his
coattail. That's what he said. He taught
Israel that too if they didn't believe it. And a lot of folks
here are not going to believe it, but bless your heart, there's
one or two going to. And there's no other way. That's
what it says. If I didn't interpret that like
it's written, then you do it for me, will you? But that's
what it says. And I believe God. I believe
it's going to be exactly what he says. Now, you hand that to
a preacher sometime and tell him to interpret it for you.
That's what it says. It says this gospel is preached
to you, it's preached to them too. And they didn't believe
it. You better watch out lest you don't believe it. Because
there is a rest right now for the people of God. And it's not
a Sabbath day, and it's not a Canaan typical rest, and it's not a
kingdom. It's in a person who finished his work and entered
his rest. Now you enter that rest too.
How are you going to enter it? The Word of God will speak to
an open heart. And that open heart will see
we have a high priest that's entered into the heavens. He's
passed into the heavens. He's no ordinary high priest.
He's Jesus, the Son of God. He didn't take the blood of bulls
and goats. He took his own blood. He didn't enter a tabernacle.
He entered the Holy of Holies, the presence of God, and put
his blood on the mercy seat. And he was tempted in all points
and yet without sin. He's my high priest. If he has
no sin, I have none. He's my Redeemer. If he has no
sin, I have none. So I'm going to come boldly.
Not belligerently, but boldly. Not presumptuously, but boldly.
And I'm going to come before the throne of grace and I'm going
to say, Father, I'm coming in Christ. I'm resting in Christ. I'm trusting in Christ. I believe
it will well be open for me to enter. Because he's going to
honor his son. That's the gospel. And you don't
settle it down here. It's a spiritual rest. You don't
settle it shaking my hands and making a lot of noise. You settle
it quietly, confidently, spiritually, sincerely before the throne of
God. I believe. I believe. I believe your word. I believe
your son. I believe your promise. I believe your grace. I lay claim
to it on Christ. Now, you'll enter a rest, I tell
you. No, there'll be no rest with
this flesh. I'm not saying I'm going to rest
in the flesh. I'm not saying there'll be any rest with this
world. It's a contentious, striving, hateful world that hates God.
But I'm saying, brother, there'll be a rest as far as he's concerned,
a spiritual rest. There's peace with God in Christ,
and we lay claim to him. May God give us that grace to
rest in Christ, to believe God's word. My only hope, my only plea
is when Christ died, he died for me. You got any other plea
or any other hope? That's all I have. But that's
sufficient. Our Father, honor your word today. Oh, honor the word. This word
that's divine and alive and powerful and sovereign, go clear and clean
to the soul and spirit and intent of our hearts. Give us a sincerity,
genuineness before thy throne. And oh, how glad we are and how
thankful we are that we have a high priest, great high priest,
passed into the heavens. Even our prayers right now are
heard because of him. We're tolerated because of him.
This whole world in its rebellion is tolerated because of him.
When his sheep are brought home, it'll be destroyed with fire
and wrath. And because of Christ, we come
boldly before your throne, expecting and receiving, confidently walking
in that rest and that peace through Christ and in Christ that we
have as our present possession. Thank you. Thank you for your
mercy. For Christ's sake, amen.