Brother Gary Sunday Evening 2/1/15

Brother Gary Sunday Evening 2/1/15

Thank God, at the end of the Gospel Day that the gospel day was designed to be a day of rest.  The thought is that “His rest shall be glorious” as He gave to the prophet Isaiah.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

We need to be reminded because there is a real battle of accusation, oppression, and unbelief.  There is the terribleness of unbelief that comes to war upon our souls.  Accusation, oppression, and unbelief will do their very best to dislodge us from the rest that God has for us. 

Mat 11:12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

The enemy moves in like a roaring lion and as a great flood.  It takes a while to get our bearings, but the violent take it by force and the Spirit of the Lord lifts a standard against it.

The journey to worship: On the journey to Christ, it really doesn’t matter how far you have to go, it is that you get there.  There was a man that made a journey to Canna, because he wanted to get to Jesus.  It really doesn’t matter how far it is or what we need to do to get to rest, the result is glorious.

There remains a rest to the people of God:  that is more sure than the sun and the moon coming up.  It is forever settled in heaven that there is a rest to the people of GOD.

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

There is a real thought here that I want to bring:  whenever you are convicted to go forward, immediately another thing begins to work.  Immediately the next thought of the enemy is for you to be resisted.  The bible says, “Let us labor.”

We want to labor to enter into that rest.  We want to labor in prayer.  If you determine that you are going to pray more, then the next thing that you will face is being resisted in praying more.  If you are challenged to read more scripture and grasp the food that is there, the enemy will immediately resist you. 

Sometimes we are actually pursued by unbelief.  When we seek after God, we have in our heart, “I want to go deeper in the love of God, in faith, in prayer, and in the study of the Word of God.”

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

We are so blessed to have this marvelous tool available to us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  With modern technology there are glitches, times they are down, and times that we can’t even get them to work.  Brother Turnbow loved the song, “Royal telephone: Central’s never busy, always on the line, you can hear from heaven almost anytime.”

When you make the choice and feel the convicting power of God or you recognize in your personal life, “I am not resting like I should.”  The Word will come and it is powerful. 

If you have been concerned and upset, no one will fault find you, but go to the Word of God.  It is quick, it has light and power.  It is sharper than a two edged sword. 

We come from different families.  You may come from a heritage of worriers you may come from a long history of crepe hangers.  You and I have a source.  If you want rest, there is rest available.

Piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.  There are vexing spirits that will come to torment you.  That is not devil possession.  It will come with a thought, it wants you to get comfortable with the thought.  Then soon it is vexing you so that you have no rest.

The only thing to do is go to the Word of God.  It pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit.  There is not anything that God disapproves of that the Word and Spirit cannot sever from the soul and move to the depths of the sea so that you can have rest.

The joints and the morrow:  as an individual and especially for us that are aging.  Your joints get so that they are not so agile.  I don’t know why they ache, but your joints and bones ache.  Sometimes in our spiritual life, we have trouble in being mobile in the thought of adjusting to a change. 

It could be a change in our routine service.  You get accustomed to your teacher, feed and absorb the things of God.  God wants us to fit right in and absorb. 

I had it in my mind that I was going to teach on the journey to worship and God came back and said, “There is more that I want you to bring.”  Maybe the other lesson will be still taught at a later day and maybe it was just for me.  I want to bring what God wants.

The bone marrow:  I understand that there is even oxygen that comes into the literal body through the marrow.  Whenever anything is wrong in our spiritual life, you can count on the Word of God even if it is in getting to that which you cannot get to.  He can get into the deepest recesses of our soul and our spirit.

The Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and of the intents of the heart.  If you and I have any thought that will bring unrest to our soul or to the body of Christ, all He needs to do is bring His Word and say, “That thought, that action, that intent will not be unifying but shattering.”  We say, “God I don’t want that, I want rest in my soul and peace and rest in Jerusalem.”

Heb 4:13  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

God moved on Paul to write to the Hebrews: He has passed into heaven.

Thursday was a very tough day for me.  There was one thought that God gave me that helped sustain me.  “Jesus is interceding.”  The Holy Spirit intercedes for us.  When I think of Jesus, sitting at the right hand of the Father. 

When a soul gets saved there is much rejoicing in heaven.  I believe there is rejoicing over those that are saved, serving God, and doing His will.  There is a great high priest that is passed into heaven.  Let us hold fast our profession, and let us hold fast without wavering.

That which you have said, “I’m going to follow Jesus.”  Stay true to God, love the saints and God.  Maybe you are behind in your correspondence, you think, “I’m going to get caught up.”  Maybe you feel behind on your praise and bible study.  There is something wonderful here and that is that Jesus is interceding for us.

When you feel, “I have to get a handle on this.”  It might be better to get it into the lap of the Lord, “I’m going to rest.”

He is touched with our weaknesses:  what you received from the things that have caused you to be who you are emotionally and physically.  Your thought patterns and emotions:  Jesus is touched by them.

Jesus went through it without sin.  He understands how you want to get through it without sin.  We are instructed:  It is worth it all.

The thought that someday “I will see Jesus.”

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I have never seen Jesus or an angel. But they have helped me right to this very moment through my life.  We are instructed to come boldly to the throne of grace.  This throne in heaven is full of divine inspiration and all those things that we need.

“That we may obtain mercy.”  That we might find mercy, the best definition I could put together for mercy is divine active compassion. 

Sometimes it is my job to help people at the death of a loved one.  This was so strong when I was trying to help the Jack Lane family.  There was an audience gathered there that caused me to shake my head.  I noticed a distraught family.  I noticed there was one son that was angry.  Some of the children may not have been there. 

Before I went, God convicted me strongly that what people can do is to be appreciated.  But only God can comfort a heart. 

The scripture says, not just at the time of great loss, but at the time of a need, “Come boldly to the throne of grace that you may obtain grace and mercy.”  Divine active compassion.

When you and I are challenged and we find ourselves ready to wrestle whatever the challenge is, then it comes to us, “God wants me to rest this with Him.”  Rest 2015 with this decision or whatever it might be. 

The thought is, “Grace and mercy are provisions made by God for us.  May God help us to come boldly to the throne of His grace.” 

Matt 25:  The parable of the talents, 16 verses.

There were five given to the one, two given to another, and one received one.  In the process of time, the one that had given out the talents came back. 

This is the point that I want to press:  there was one that had received 5 and had diligently used what God had given him.  The one that had received 2 had faithfully used what God gave him, God gave him two more.  The one that received just one failed to use it and had the thought, “I knew that you were a tough task master and hid what you gave; I give it back to you.” 

The thought that spoke to me, those that used and received more Jesus said, “Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”  Jesus is altogether a different manager than our classes today:  It is, “We are going to cut staff and load more on the good workers.  Jesus gave more and then said, “Enter into the joy of the Lord.”

I studied that out and “enter into the delight of the Lord”.  Sometimes you have more homework than you can get done and then they decide to add just a little bit more.  Sometimes we feel that our plate is full and then someone adds a little more. 

God tells me and you, “Use what I’ve given you.  Then He checks and sees how we have been using what He gives us.  He says, “You’ve been using what I gave you, I’ll give you more and with this more, enter into the joy of the Lord.”

May God bless the laborers:  I want to be resting sweetly resting and use what you have given me.  Then when you come back and check, I want to be faithful. 

Then when He says, “Enter into the joy of the lord.”  It is full of delights.  There is nothing like using what God has given us to help someone else.

We don’t have the attitude, “Anything that God has done, I want to stow it away and then give it when there is a big crowd.”  When God pours something in we want to pour something out.