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Psalms
132:1-18 LORD,
remember David, and all his
afflictions: How he sware unto the LORD, and
vowed unto the mighty God of
Jacob; Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into
my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, Until I find out a place for the
LORD, an habitation for the mighty God
of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the
wood. We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool. Arise,
O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength. Let thy priests be
clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy. For thy servant
David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed. The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn
from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. If thy children
will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children
shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore. For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he
hath desired it for his
habitation. This is my rest for
ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her
provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests
with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy. There will I make the
horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed. His enemies
will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.
Father God, bless us and guide us in all
that we do each day. Shower us with your love and send your Holy Spirit to show
us the things in our lives we need to correct. We pray and ask for this in Jesus name, Amen!
Book of Hebrews 4:9-16 NKJV
Last
week’s lesson was about the unbelief of the Israelites and their disobedience,
which caused them to fall from the Grace of God and not enter into the Promise
Land. Their rest was in their own rational even though they saw firsthand how
God delivered them out of Egypt and provided for them during their journey. We
see this type of thinking and lifestyle today where people do not depend on
God.
The
rest of this chapter is about listening and hearing the call of God, so that
one can submit and rest in God while here on earth and also in Heaven for
eternity. We need to examine our life and determine who we are trusting in for
rest. When we examine our life we need to listen to the small voice inside and
do what that voice is telling us. It is a very difficult thing to do as a human
being to heed what that voice it telling us because it may be telling us what
we are practicing is wrong. Maybe the same thought about where your faith is
comes up several times, but you push it away each time because you don’t want
to admit you are wrong, or what would family and friends think? If you have the
same thought time after time you need to listen to what it is saying, this is
the Holy Spirit of God. Now don’t get me wrong some people may have the same
thought time and again, but it may be a bad thought and I don’t want you to act
upon it because of what I have said. You have to go to God’s Word and see where
that thought fits. Is it what Jesus would do or what He is telling us to do
according to the Bible? This is why it is so important to know what the Word of
God says so that we can discern from good and bad. It is a very difficult thing to humble one’s
self and deny what you have been taught and come to believe, but many times it
is necessary in order to be Born Again.
9 There
remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
There
remaineth therefore a rest;
This refers to the rest that Salvation provides to a child of God. It isn’t a
complete rest while we are here on earth, but it will be complete when we meet
Jesus. What a Born Again Christian has on earth is two of Salvations parts: One
knowing we are Justified by the blood of Jesus when we give our life to Him.
When we confess to Jesus we are sinners and ask Him into our life, our sins are
forgiven and God the Father sees them no more, we are Justified in God’s eyes.
The second is the process of being Sanctified, in other words when we are saved
the Holy Spirit takes up residence within our heart and starts showing us
things we do (sin) that are offensive and separates us from God so that we can
correct our lifestyle. The third part of Salvation is when we receive our
Glorified bodies at the Resurrection of Life.
To
the people of God; This
phrase proclaims that it is only the people of God which will have, and which
do have this rest. It is only the people that have accepted Jesus Christ as
their life source.
10 For he
that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
For
he that is entered into his rest; This
phrase is referring to anyone that has accepted Jesus and has become a child of
God, has entered into His (Jesus) rest. It also means the individual is resting
like God rested on the seventh day.
He
also hath ceased from his own works; By
entering into Jesus rest an individual no longer has to labor, or wrestle with
his soul because he has found peace that gives him comfort.
As
God did from his; This is referring to how God rested
on the seventh day following all of His work of creation.
11 Let us
labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief.
Rephrase
of this verse: So let
us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of
Israel did, we will fall.
Let
us labour therefore to enter into that rest; How do we labor to find this rest or let us labor in
what?
“Let us labour,” does not
mean that it can be earned by works. Not at all! The words “let us labour” are
the translation of the Greek “spoudazo,” which means “to hasten, make haste, to
exert one’s self, endeavor, give diligence.” It is used in the sense of “do
your best, take care, hurry on the doing of something.” It speaks of intensity
of purpose followed by intensity of effort toward the realization of that
purpose (Wuest).
From the word “labour” we
now know we have to seek the Lord with a fever (Hebrews 11:6 But without
faith it is impossible to
please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is, and that
He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.), but in what way? A person must come
to the realization that Christ will provide all things through the finished
works of the Cross. He must make a decision that faith in Jesus and what He did
on the Cross is where his faith must be, and only there, then deny himself and
all other beliefs. Luke
9:23-24 And he said to them all, If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same
shall save it. A
person must pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the light of the New
Testament so they can understand it. It is seeking the mystery of the NT and
understanding it to find rest in Jesus. This is what the labor is all about. We
have to put forth the effort in order to receive that free gift of Grace that
God has for us. Romans
5:17-19 NLT For the sin
of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is
God's wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it
will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus
Christ. 18
Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of
righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for
everyone. 19
Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other
person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
Lest
any man fall after the same example of unbelief; This phrase pertains to anyone that
places their faith in anything other than Jesus, and what He did for us on the
Cross. It is unbelief just like the unbelief of the Israelites that causes
mankind to fall or not be saved.
12 For the
word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two edged 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.
For
the word of God is quick; Quick has the meaning of God’s Word
being alive. The Bible is a living document and what we are to live by. It
isn’t just a book, it is a guide as to how we are to be living according to
God’s will, his rules, his commands so that one day we will rejoice in Heaven
with Him. The Word of God is not simply a collection of words from God, a
vehicle for communicating ideas; it is living, life-changing, and dynamic as
it, or should, work in us.
And
powerful; Powerful
meaning active or energizing, we must not only read or listen to the Word like
a story book, but we must also let it shape our lives.
And
sharper than any two edged sword; This
phrase emphasizes the ability of the Word of God to cut us to the bone just as
a razor sharp sword will dismember. The Word of God has the ability to probe to
the inner most part of a person’s soul and spirit.
Piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow; This doesn’t mean the separating of
soul from spirit or joints from marrow, but instead the Word of God pierces the
soul and the spirit to reveal what man shall be to abide in Christ. The Word of
God reveals to us the Holy Spirit and His Power, and proclaims the fact that He
Alone can “quicken our mortal bodies” (Romans
8:11), which refers to giving us power to yield this physical body
to that which is Righteous (Romans 6:12-13).
And
is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart; Discerner
meaning analyzing or sifting out good from bad. The Word of God discerns what is
within our heart, both good and evil. With the sting and accuracy of a
surgeon's knife, God's Word reveals who we are, and what we are not. The Word
penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual life. The demands of God's Word
require decisions by us as to how we will live, in light or darkness. God’s Word is
the standard of judgment, and not our knowledge of it.
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.
Neither
is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; There is no being who is not
completely known to God. All his thoughts, feelings, and plans are clearly
understood.
But
all things are naked and opened
unto the eyes of him;
God created us and knows everything of the past, present, and future about us.
There are no secrets we can keep from Him. Psalms 139:11-12 If I say,
"Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light
about me; 12
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are
both alike to You.
With
whom we have to do; With
whom meaning God or Jesus because it is Jesus we will stand before one day.
When we stand before Jesus we will not pass off hypocrisy for sincerity. He
will judge us according to truth, His Word, not according to appearances; and
his sentence, therefore, will be just. A man who is to be tried by one “who
knows all about him,” should be a pure and holy man.
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.
Seeing
then that we have a great high priest;
This is referring to Jesus and Him being our High Priest. There is no one
higher than Jesus, He is superior. Jesus mediates between God and us, He is humanity's
representative, and intercedes for us before God. Jesus represents us before
God and assures us of God’s forgiveness, yet many people don’t believe what the
Word of God states and still go to man for forgiveness of sins. The Pharisees
and Scribe understood this because they, being unbelievers of who Jesus was,
stated only God can forgive sin. Mark
2:6-7 And some of the scribes were
sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
7 "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who
can forgive sins but God alone?"
That
is passed into the heavens;
This is of course speaking of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Our High Priest that
died for us on the Cross and is now sitting at Gods right hand, He is our
advocate before God Almighty.
Jesus
the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession; Jesus is
who we have to hold fast to for all things. He is who we place our faith in for
entry into Heaven. It is our profession of faith that we are sinners by nature
and that we need Jesus in our heart to overcome sin. The shed blood of the
perfect sacrifice of Jesus is what we need to cover us to be righteous in God’s
eyes.
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.
Jesus is like us because He
experienced a full range of temptations throughout His life as a human being.
We can be comforted knowing that Jesus faced temptation and He can sympathize
with us. We can be encouraged knowing that Jesus faced temptation without
giving in to sin. He shows us that we do not have to sin when facing the
seductive lure of temptation. Jesus is the only perfect human being who has
ever lived.
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.
Prayer is our approach to
God, and we are to come "boldly." Some Christians approach God meekly
with heads hung low, afraid to ask him to meet their needs. Others pray
flippantly, giving little thought to what they say. Come with reverence because
he is your King. But also come with bold assurance because he is your Friend
and Counselor. (LASB)
When
the Bible commands us to pray to God through His Son Jesus, why do people make
up excuses not to do it? Lame excuses like God is too busy, I don’t want to
bother Him; I’m just a nobody; I’m too bad of a person; He’s not in charge of
car safety, He’s not in charge of selling real estate, Mary is a woman and has
more compassion, the list goes on and on. I wonder how it makes the one that
created them feel? Food for thought; if a conceived born child of yours always
went to the neighbors house for his needs, like first aid, deserts, kisses and
hugs, how to play sports, fish, hunt; how would you feel?
Colossians 1:16 For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All
things were created through Him and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Bill
Wiesbrock https://www.facebook.com/bill.wiesbrock?ref=tn_tnmn
The
Lighthouse Full Gospel Church
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you believe
it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord Jesus
I know I am a sinner. I confess my sins
to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a
sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness of all
of my sins. I believe that only you can
forgive sin. I commit my life to you and
ask you to come into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.” (John 3:16,17;
Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1
John 5:11-14; 1:6-10) (Sin: Rom.
1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-7)
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