Book of Hebrews - Ch. 4

Continues along the theme of rest and we'll be through here in just a few moments But it's an important chapter look at verse 19 of chapter 3 how he closed it

So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief

What caused that unbelief doubt? Verse 18 and to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest

But to them that believed not they doubted whether or not God could do what he said He said I'll take into Canaan and I'll take care of it

They doubted it and anytime you have a problem in your life. I have a problem in my mind in mind It's because we doubt

God We doubt God worry is doubt Worry is nothing more than doubting

God. God says he'll take care of us. You know, he will he's been doing it for years He's never kept he's never failed one promise

He's always kept his word and if he ever broke his word with you and me you could put it in the newspaper We'd be something then

God stopped keeping his promises with rocky prison boy. That'd be something I could write a book make a million Repeat Christianity, but God always keeps his word and they didn't enter into that rest

Now he moves in the chapter 4 and he's going to say that God through Jesus Christ offers you a better rest than Moses offered to Israel I particular section first of all

In chapter 4 verse 4 we mentioned just briefly in chapter 4 verse 4

He spoke in a certain place of the seventh day it is used in that particular passage for God's Sabbath rest

It goes back to Genesis chapter 2 verse 2 and God rested God rested and it's a picture of that Also, it's a picture in chapter 3 verse 11 that we saw of the

Canaan rest So I swore in my wrath in verse 11 of chapter 3. They shall not enter into my rest

Canaan It's the rest after wandering for 40 years 40 it an interesting that they wanted for 40 years, which is a year for each day that those spies were in the land, but I thought about that a year for each day.

They're in there I don't believe it brings its rewards that it brings its rewards and in the third one is in chapter 4 verse 3 and also verse 10

It talks about entering to rest and in verse 10 for he that is entered in to his rest and that is the believers present

Salvation rest and then of course in verse 11 We talked about the overcomers present rest of victory and then in chapter 4 verse 9, there is the future eternal rest

So there are five rest in that particular passage of Scripture or this section on rest part of chapter 3 and in all of chapter 4 and so God's Sabbath rest is a picture of our present salvation.

He rested and After he did his creation and we rest why in salvation because Christ finished his work on the cross

It is finished God finished his work and rested and Jesus finished his work and now we are able to rest within our salvation

We know that we are saved and so what he's going to do is in this particular chapter 4

He's going to give four exhortations for encouragements for Encouragers to go on about rest and it's interesting that he uses the word.

Let us four times. Let us It's just that's just like Paul. That's one reason I believe Paul wrote it

Paul was always saying we us and he never said you've been occasionally he did, you know one time

He said I've turned two young men over to Satan. So they'll learn not to blaspheme God He'd do something like that But usually he'd say we us and now he knew what it was like to walk the

Christian life Paul never preached a gospel that he had not tried and proven by himself Now notice what he says in chapter 4 the first eight verses the first eight verses.

Let us there it is Therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest

Any of you should come to should seem to come short of it So he promised the rest of the nation of Israel and they failed in him because of disobedience which he says stems from unbelief

Now God has promised arrest to us today and this life of rest is our spiritual

Canaan Now it is talked about in chapter 6 verse 1 and our very first session. I mentioned you that that is the key verse for Hebrews, it's the theme of Hebrews chapter 6 verse 1 therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ Let's go on to perfection go on to completion go on to maturity

And this is the key and this is what he's talking about in chapter 6 while we're there look at verse 11

We'll cover this again But I want you to notice this now because it fits in there in chapter 11 the full assurance of hope notice that phrase

The full assurance of hope in chapter 6 verse 11 and in chapter 6 verse 12 He talks about inheriting the promises the last three words inheriting the promises

So you have to keep in mind that these Hebrews were going through a time of testing you and I we're going through times of Testing and he just keeps hammering to them.

There was a rest for you. There's a rest of salvation. There's a rest today There's a rest coming in the future.

There's rest for you if you'll enter into it But God isn't gonna make you go into it. He didn't force those

Israelites into it He said I've got a rescue and I'm gonna make you get in and rest with me No, he gives you a mind and God never bypasses your thinking process

Now dear people you can't do anything you don't know You can't you can't use any promise that you don't know

You can't follow any command that you don't know and you can't have any reward that you don't know about That's why he keeps hammering the word.

He's been having the word. It's the book. It's the book It's the book and the Israelites did not do that and the

Israelites were tempted what? Yeah, you brought us out in the wilderness to die If we go back to Egypt at least would have some leeks and some garlics and some onions at least would have something better That's old man.

Uh, I Mean, you know, we might could get a little meat into it You ever thought something like that?

No, we we don't say those things But we think things that are quite similar sometime.

I Heard a man say one time I'd almost he said I wouldn't but sometimes, you know, I wish I hadn't even got saved

I have so many problems. I didn't have any problems before I got saved Well, I didn't need them because you see before you get say there is no war you just do whatever you want to do

But when you get say there's a war going on in here cuz I might do what I want to do But something says don't do that And so I got a war going on Part of me wants to go one way and part wants to go the other

That old nature wants to go this way and that old nature the new nature wants to go to God now There are people who tell me the old nature is eradicated.

I can't figure that out It doesn't fit scripture for me But I know that I can count it dead.

I Know that I can reckon it to be dead and I can reckon myself alive in Christ But there's a war going on and Paul said before I knew before God gave me the law of coveting

I didn't know coveting was sin. He's asked coveted anyway You just did what comes naturally and then all of a sudden God says thou shalt not covet

Also, there's a war going on something to me says why not? How come I can't? Everybody else does

Well, we're only human That's why I carry erasers on my pencil They all make mistakes and all these look we got a little blue lies white lies green lies black lies white lies fibs stories and tales

And the Bible says they lie And the Bible says in Revelation 21 8 and all liar shall have their part in the lake of fire which burns with fire and Brimstone, that's a scary one.

I Hadn't figured that one out yet. I did study on Revelation, but I don't hang around 21 8 much Now, I know you don't have any problem with these things in your life, but will you pray for me cuz

I do I do But it's exciting to work on them.

It's exciting to work on them. And so Excuse me back down here to chapter 4 Now this is what his argument is running like God look at chapter 4 verse 1 show you how he runs his argument

He's a master philosopher in chapter 4 verse 1 says God promised his people a rest

But in verse 6, he says they didn't enter into that rest seeing therefore it remains that some must enter into it and They to whom it was first preached in or not in because of unbelief there he gives it to him again

There were some who failed in or in and in verse 8. He says his promise still stands for if now

We're gonna see a problem For if and what's the name there? Joshua the

King James says Jesus doesn't you have the King James says Jesus now there isn't a real problem here

Jesus you and I know comes from the Greek Esus Which is identical to Yeshua Joshua in the

Old Testament, you and I know it's the same it's the same But if you put Jesus in here, somebody's gonna think about the

Lord Jesus Christ. That's what I mentioned You know, we have to be very careful. We mentioned his name to mention all of his name We know this is

Joshua for if Joshua had given them rest Then would he not afterward have spoken of another day if Joshua had led them into that kind of rest

They wouldn't talk about another rest coming up somewhere down the future So we know that this is not a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know that this is a reference to Joshua and so what he's saying here is that Joshua his promise still stands because Joshua did not give them that spiritual rest

Although he did lead them into a national rest. They did get rest within the land, but he couldn't give them spiritual rest

They were in spiritual turmoil. You remember God told them not to intermarry But they did anyway

God said kill all those tribes off. No, no, don't be too harsh You know people say well

Why would God let those bunch of Jews go in there and kill all that as unrighteous as they were? But you know what the scripture says you and I know the answer to that don't we the

Bible says that God says I'm not Telling you to wipe out those people because you're so righteous. I'm telling you to wipe them out because they're so evil

They were following false gods. They were in idolatry occultism and everything under the Sun and God said

I'll wipe them out and I'll straighten you out later and he worked on that. He worked on that And so this is what he's trying to get across to us here now

David also in Psalm 95 that we talked about him quoting David speaks about that rest years and years later

Centuries of time hundreds of years later. He still speaks David still talks about a rest that is future a rest

That is future and so there remains therefore a rest to the people of God verse 9

There remains therefore a rest to the people of God There is a rest that you and I can still have no matter what the

Israelites experience you and I have a rest of our own that we can have and he relates that rest in chapter 4 verse 4 and Also chapter 4 verse 9 as I said, that is the

Greek word sabbatismo And he it's a reference to God's rest after creation

God's rest after creation now God didn't get tired after he created the world It is not a rest of exhaustion.

Thank God. I can rest in the Lord. Oh I've had a hard time in church. I'm just resting in the Lord pastor

I just talk now. It's not it's a rest of satisfaction a job. Well done a job

Well done, isn't there when you do a job? Well that there's just a rest that comes that you did the best you could you know, it used to bother me

I've had over 1 ,300 revivals and Bible conferences in my ministry. I've been doing it a long time

I averaged 35 to 40 revivals a year for over 20 years. I've been around the world over five and a half times

I've spoke at least once and every free nation every free nation on this earth. I have stood at least one time to speak

And you know, I used to go around feeling guilty all the time because I'd always say to myself

Well, did I do the best that I could? Did I do what I ought to have done? Did I do what

I should have done and I never could say yeah Because I'd always find something I should have done or something that I did that I shouldn't have done

You know as I'd sit on the evaluated I'd say well boy if I'd done it this way it'd work better Or if I'd have found out that I could have done it worked out all these things and then

I ran across a little statement I don't have to ask myself Did I do what I ought to have done?

What I ask myself is did I do the best that I could do with what I knew to do? Where I was with what

I had to do with and I could say yes to that because it's always learning I wouldn't do it the same way today if I could go back because I've learned more

I know more about it now But do you do the best that you can where you are?

With what you've got to do with with what you know in the situation that God's placed you and if you could say yes to That then you live in faithful But now if you try to do it like the other guy does it you won't ever be listen.

You won't ever have peace You will never have peace and this is what he's talking about here.

There is a rest of satisfaction Not a rest of exhaustion. It's completion finish the task.

I did my job I did it and God led me to do it and that's it it's called the Sabbath of the soul a rest of the soul and Turn with me.

Just hold your place and let's look at where this comes out in Matthew 11 in Matthew chapter 11 you find this coming out this very thought and I think we can see it clearer in Matthew 11 28

Come unto me all ye that labor and a heavy laden and I will give you rest That is the rest of what?

salvation Now look the next verse Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find

Rest unto your soul the first one you get saved and then you do what I tell you do and you'll find rest within yourself

You'll get rest for salvation. You'll know you're saved. But also you'll have a rest of Satisfaction a rest of completion and that's what he's talking about in this the rest of victory in daily life

Which demands that you and I have surrendered our lives now very quickly Let's look the next one in verses 9 through 12.

Let us there it is again. Let us In chapter 4 verse 9 through 12.

He's going to talk about in verse 11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest. Let us therefore labor the word labor means give diligence

It doesn't mean talk. Let's give diligence Be very meticulous about it Exert the proper energy.

Let's give diligence to enter into that rest and it's the opposite of drifting don't drift be diligent

Be diligent don't be lackadaisical about it. Don't be careless about it This is what he's saying here.

Nobody ever matured in the Christian life by being careless or lax Mature Christianity you and I know takes time

It takes effort. It takes discipline. It takes suffering. It takes persecution.

It takes any number of things Tribulation worketh patience and patience bringeth hope

Yeah, peace and all those things come about but now Christianity doesn't want persecution

Christianity wants some super spiritual experience that will occur immediately that make them a tomb of Chris among two or Christian at once and if that is

True, then Paul was wrong And so is James and Peter and John the rest of them because none of them became spiritual

Giants overnight Paul went out into an Arabian desert alone with God for three years Moses spent 40 years in the desert with God but you and I want to come in church get baptized and poof something hit us on the head and there we are and we

Are a mature Christian and we have all the answers and we're like, you know a Baptist Pope. We got all the truth

That's what we act but you and I know that it isn't true. Doctrinally. It's not true It takes time now.

Listen to me carefully. Don't misunderstand what I'm trying to say different I'm not talking about necessarily time in years of age.

I Find people who are 60 and 70 years old who are spiritual midgets spiritual babies

Never have grown in the Lord Can't even quote you the books of the Bible in order not making mistakes not quote you little junior boys and girls boy

Ain't quote those books Genesis Exodus No, but do that rhyme me boy They're just clapping single and they go right through those books you get some dear deacon

Give me the books of the Bible brother Smith. Oh, I'm all that Luke see

Revelation all that's way back there in the back. Let's see Turn with the bait to the book of Haggai, huh?

Turn the book of Nahum see all those moths come flying out of the scriptures you turn Middle straight.

I'm not being critical. I'm just I'm just giving you a challenge If I said don't use Genesis 1 1 don't use

Romans 3. I don't use John 3 16 Don't use Romans 10 9 and 10 and 13. Don't use

Romans 3 23 6 23. Don't use John 5 24 Don't use Revelation 3 20. Don't use

Jesus. Well Could you stand where you are and quote one verse of Scripture and give me the book chapter and verse just one verse for every

Year, you've been in church Just one Could you quote me the books of the

Bible in order? Could you quote me the 12 tribes of Israel? Now I'm not being critical.

I'm just saying you and I say we love a book that we don't study We say we love a book and we've learned all we gonna learn about but dear people it takes time now listen,

I've met 17 and 18 year old kids who had as much spiritual knowledge about the Word of God as preachers as Preachers I can name you some that are that are old and young you see it depends on how much diligence you give to it

It depends on how much effort now Obviously older people are going to have through what God vindicates in their life by experience things that young people can't have

And so they're gonna have a spiritual maturity that young people are not going to have because of the experience of life

But isn't it interesting that God never has a church of old people God never has a church of children God never has a church of young marriage

He puts old and children young married all in there together Why old people saying let's don't move too fast here and young people say man, let's do anything even if it's wrong

Let's just do it and young couple sitting around saying which way we want to go that way this way, you know And so that God puts a balance and he puts older people to balance the younger

He puts young us to give that energy and fire and he puts the young couples in the middle kind of balance it out They don't move fast all the time.

They don't move slow all the time God knows what he's doing. All you and I could do is find out what he's doing and get in the middle of it

Well, I think God my church ain't like that man. If you was my pastor, I'd go nuts in this If I was your pastor, you might hang around long.

I understand Well, what shall we say to these things?

Don't be careless. Don't be lax be diligent put forth proper effort What's the secret of entering into this rest?

It's very simple. Very simple. Look at Hebrews 4 12 Let me point out something to you that I think that we miss Hebrews 4 12, isn't that a famous verse for the

Word of God is alive living powerful sharper than any two -edged sword now watch this carefully piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and with joints and marrow and as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of heart now back up even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit

Now watch this statement Most Christians I have no hesitance in saying that most

Christians live in the realm of their soul and think they're living in the realm of the spirit and don't know the difference the soul is the seat of the emotions and most

Christians Live in the realm of their emotions and think they're living in the realm of the spirit and that's why the

Word of God has to be absorbed so that it will separate those things are the Emotion and that which is truly spiritual

You can smile like a Cheshire cat and clap your hands and pat your feet and do all you want to do and have

Nothing to do with spiritual matters That is emotion now your emotions are part of your life.

Don't misunderstand me I don't believe Christianity be like a funeral service But what I am saying to you dear people is that that which is spiritual has nothing to do with your emotions.

It is spiritual Now It may cause your emotions to be elated

But whether you smile or don't smile doesn't mean you are spiritual or not spiritual It is some people's nature.

They just don't smile a lot. Have you heard this? Come on now everybody get happy Let's smile like smiling makes you happy Happiness is in the heart blessed is what he that is redeemed the ransom of the

Lord receives gladness and joy But smiling didn't make you happy. I get all the time

Every time we're gonna sing now, come on Y 'all look like you say let's smile and get happy what if you do it in five minutes near people you better me

But that's what we're talking about Why that's emotion and there's nothing wrong with emotions.

It just isn't spiritual and The Word of God has to separate that's why

I don't go down to that church because it's the same old thing Sunday after Sunday after Sunday, it's right 2 ,000 years old

What do you think they did the modern church today couldn't worship with Peter and Paul they worshipped out in the rocks and sang psalms

They sang scripture They just sang the Word of God They didn't have a piano an organ didn't have a guitar tambourine didn't have a trumpet or drum

Have you ever noticed this? I'm just telling you like it is. I mean don't criticize me. I didn't write it. I wrote it different You say well, well just pick out whichever script you don't like be okay

Let's bow our heads and pray we say and then all of a sudden the organ starts playing now I'm not criticizing the organ a piano.

I love music I mean, I don't have any musical talent, but God's let me meet some of the greatest musicians in the world

And they're personal friends Leontane Price Yasha Heifetz Jose Eterbia is a personal friend and yet Why when we gonna talk to God?

Do we have something in the background? I'm not being critical. I'm saying why do we do it? You know what people think instead of praying they listen to a song

Why because it is emotion it deals with emotion and you talk to God with or without you

That's spiritual And when we talk to God It's what he's talking about the Word of God soul and spirit when you and I pray for John Doe, you know what we do

We say dear Heavenly Father. Well, I'm praying for John Doe and then we start thinking about John Doe We're throwing words at God But we're thinking about that person when you and I talk to God we better think about God He knows where he is.

You don't worry about John Doe God take care of John Doe We are talking to a holy righteous creator and we can't just throw words at him

Let our mind dart all over the world and that's exactly what happens Sunday after Sunday after Sunday in every church across this land

That's why when we come in church we leave unchanged we don't worship the Lord we come in and go through a preaching service

We might want to worship. We just don't worship Well, I don't go down to that church man, they don't have no excitement down there

That's what you're really saying. Is it that deal with your emotions like you want it to? And I'm not opposed to excitement if it's spiritual, but if it's man -made and concocted by man

I resist it. I resist it. I want it to be of the Lord in my life and in your life and anyone else's life

And it might be listen, you can bang on the piano in Oregon. Everybody can jump up and scream it Don't bother me if it's of the Lord I just find that most places

I go it is It is and if I gotta sing 12 verses of one song to get you pumped up to get you to come down the aisle

I mean, you're not gonna have a meeting together But that's what's happening. That's what and that that's what he's talking about He was 12 look at it for 12 separates us under the soul and the spirit you do a study of your own

I'll not believe it But you go study this verse on your own get you every commentary you want to get get you have a Bible dictionary You want to get and get you every

Greek lexicon you want it and you break that down for yourself and let me know if You come up with a different conclusion because I don't want to be wrong about that particular verse

It exposes in our hearts that which is not spiritual not spiritual and Israel Rebelled and would not hear the voice of the

Lord. They just wouldn't do it. And then he goes all the way down to verse 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens

Jesus the Son of God Let us there it is. Let us hold fast our profession

Now that word profession is the same as confession and it means let us say the same thing

Confession, let me say the same thing. God says about it. Let me say the same thing. Jesus says about it

Let me say the same thing the Word of God has to say about it for we have not a high priest who cannot be

Touched with a feeling of our infirmities, but was at all points tempted tested proven like as we are yet without Seeing let us there it is again

Let us therefore come boldly onto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time

Of need now, you notice he doesn't say let's hold fast on our salvation He says let us hold fast on our profession our confession.

Let's say the same thing and that It's used in chapter 3 verse 1 It's used in chapter 10 verse 23 and chapter 11 verse 13

The same word is used in all those passages 3 1 10 23 and 11 13 the same word that's used in chapter 4 verse 14 translate

Profession confession the same identical word that is being translated there and we know that God's Word is a sword to us and so these

Israelites their unbelief had robbed them of the Blessings and Paul keeps talking about those

Giants of the faith all through chapter 11 He talks about Moses was faithful and then in chapter 11, you know, he goes through all those people

What was the main thing about him faith? What's that mean? They just believe God And who do you have right in the middle?

I'm we're gonna look at but you know soon you have them right in the middle of all those children of faith Rahab a harlot We have a harlot

She wouldn't be a member of my church She's right there in the middle of the faithful and do you know that she is in the lineage of the

Son of the Living God She is in the earthly lineage of Jesus That's interesting

Why their sins and iniquities? I'll remember no more She got a changed life why she faith

God she just believed the Lord She believed the Word of the Lord as it was given to her. She didn't have a big background, but she believed what she heard

She was a weaker sister, but she believed nonetheless She believed nonetheless and this is what he's trying to get across to her and when we get over to that passage

We're gonna find it says that they all confess the same things that they were strangers and pilgrims in this world

They all agreed if this church Ever comes to the point Where you agree together?

That you are strangers and pilgrims on this earth that Jesus is actually truly really Lord of Your life and the activities of this church and your one purpose and one goal is to positively grow in the

Lord and positively Influence your family and positively influence this community for the cause of Christ and nothing else is a primary importance

It's gonna make all the difference in the world. Now. I know we believe that I'm not saying, you know We believe it but practically make it become real and I can say the same thing in any church that I go to Because we're all you know

There's no perfect church if it was you and I'd run it we came into it, but there is no such thing Now, let's quickly close

We talk about faith where you're going to get faith Where does faith come from you and I know exactly where it comes from it comes from the

Word of Lord in Romans 10 17 So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the

Word of God. That's why we keep saying over and over That's why you keep hearing over and over study the

Word of God. Have you ever heard this? Well, I guess my faith just isn't as strong as it ought to be or I don't have much faith

You know why because hadn't been the Word of God Faith will only come through the study of the

Word of God. You cannot get faith through music You can't get faith to pray You can ask for faith from now to the day you die and you'll never get it without studying the

Word of God now prayer Can enter into that but dear people Faith cometh by hearing and hearing comes by the

Word of God There is no other way and that's why the church has a creeping paralysis in the body of Christ Because people are reading every other thing under the

Sun except the Bible they are reading and even in seminaries They study what the German theologians they study what everybody else says about the

Bible and they don't study the Bible themselves in the average Seminary in this country of which I am familiar and I've spoken in just hundreds of them across this country of varying denominations

Including our own in Southern Madness my dear people You can get a doctor of theology degree with 14 hours of Bible and 12 of those are survey courses

With only a two -hour in -depth study course you get it all in philosophy of religion and psychology of religion and all the other

If you want to do that way and most do Most do It can be done.

And yet the primary thing is Paul said Timothy preach the Word of God What else is that?

What else is that? Everything else is opinion. That's what causes us our problems.

We always given each other our opinion But if we can say thus sayeth the Lord Then you've given me something if I say to you the

Bible says this well listen You can go check that out if it doesn't say that to you don't worry about it You don't do anything cause

I say so but you go check it out and if the Bible says that then you and I both are Responsible for it and that's why any pastor worth his salt when he comes in says

I'm gonna be reading this morning Boy, he does love to see his people open the Bible and follow along why you're gonna be held accountable for that But if it doesn't say that to you don't act upon it until it does say that to you

Don't make it a part of your lifestyle because someone says so make it a part of your lifestyle because the Bible says so to You and then verses 15 to 16.

He says let's come to the throne of grace Why does he refer to the throne at this particular point?

Because his references to Exodus chapter 25 verses 17 to 22, you know

What was in there? That was the reference to the golden mercy seat the Ark of the Covenant was a wooden chest covered with gold and on top of that Ark God told

Moses to put a mercy seat and over that mercy seat world a scintillating flame and There's a word that my people use.

It's a Hebrew word. It's not in the Bible and it's called Shekinah the Shekinah glory the word

Shekinah literally in the Hebrew means the personal presence of the majesty of God and That flame that was over that mercy seat indicated the personal presence of God and God told the people of Israel I'll meet you at the mercy seat and The cheer of angels those things that were created by those people according to the very plan of God And that's where they came to make atonement for their sin

And so what the writer to the Hebrews is saying here is the Old Testament seat was not a

Throne of grace as we know it it was under the yoke of legal bondage But you and I even though we know we got problems

Even though we know we are self -centered Even though we know we don't get along like we ought to we can still come to the throne of grace

Boldly not because we deserve to come but because of what Jesus Christ has done for you and what he's done for me

We are unworthy, but we are not too unworthy We have been made worthy we don't come in our righteousness and so, you know as well as I do that what the scripture is indicating to us and what this writer is telling us is that God and his son made a covenant for you and The covenant has nothing really you know,

I didn't have anything to do with Jesus paid a price and he pleased and vindicated the outraged justice of the father and Jesus and God made a covenant between the two of them and that covenant says that any person

Who comes to the father through his son based upon what his son has done at Calvary will be freely accepted by the father

When you go to the father and you pray to God, why does God answer you and me? Why does

God hear us? Why does God deal with us? How did you get saved? Well, I got saved because I asked

God to know you didn't I got saved cause I prayed. No you didn't I Got saved because the

Holy Spirit spoke. No you didn't Ephesians 4 32 tells you exactly how you got saved.

Although it's a least new verse in salvation Be ye kind tenderhearted loving one another

Forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you

You and I prayed and lifted our hearts to the Lord God forgave you me because his son asked him to not because you asked him to you were just exercising faith in his payment and God says you did that and the son ever lives to make intercession for us and you are accepted in the beloved

No matter what problems you got No matter where you are in your Christian life Some of you are stronger than others in the

Christian life and those of you who are stronger should encourage the weaker Never look down Some of you had a greater opportunity.

I probably more than most have been most fortunate I've had some of the greatest biblical scholars in the world who have befriended in my life.

I haven't learned much from them But they befriended me. Dr. M RD Hahn. Dr. Merrill Unger. Dr. Dwight Pentecostal and other men who are great

Bible teachers Have just befriended me. I've had godly pastors every church I've ever been a member of was a pastor who preached the

Word of God who loved the Word of God who loved Evangelism who loved missions and I've never been a member of a church didn't have a pastor like that I've just been fortunate.

I have friends who haven't had that time of a background They struggled they and what they've learned they've learned basically on the old

They've just struggled and studying the Bible and praying kind of going on their own So to speak they haven't had a lot of people around encouraging them.

I have But my mother says the more, you know, the more you're responsible for The greater the light the greater the condemnation and we maybe who've had a few more experiences than some others

We ought to be encouraging Lifting them up instead of saying how come you don't know that boy?

How come you don't know that girl? How come you be like no? So, how can I help you? Let me encourage you.

Let me encourage you now. Let me close this thought when was the last time that you had just Your Sunday school class in your home

When's the last time you prayed for your Sunday school class ever remember by name When's the last time that you went somebody else say, you know,

I want to thank you for something, you know You've been a real great influence in my life. You've really been a challenge to me. You've really been inspiration

Oh, when was the last time you gone somebody and say, you know, I don't understand you. I Mean, you know,

I have a hard time getting along with you I like you but man you drive me up a wall sometimes some of the things you say

Why are you in church and you make all these things? I don't understand it, but I want you to know something I don't understand you and I don't agree with you, but I love you in the

Lord Or when's the last time you went somebody and said, you know I've been criticizing you

And I know that's wrong And what I believe I think I'm right, but I'm wrong to criticize you and I want you to know

I need your forgiveness Will you forgive me for being critical of you? You know, the tragedy is I meet people in every church.

I go to yours is no exception You're sick with roots of bitterness in their heart. Something happened 5 10 and 15 years ago.

They've never forgiven Someone about that and it just eats like cancer That is what

Paul's talking that's not what the writer Hebrews he said there's a list And you're together. You're a member of the household of God You're a member of a family of the

Lord dear people. This church ought to be a little heaven on earth You are members of the same family when you come to the

Lord's table We need table manners and we need to treat each other like brothers and sisters We ought to be very careful how we treat each other

We ought to be very tender and we ought to treat each other like we would expect. I want people to treat us

But isn't it true that the Bible says even though you know, you're right You still go to that person and ask for you to mean you always gonna be right

You don't make a difference. So we're supposed to go to them See the God hinges to see and he put you in listen boy

He just put you in that old shoot and you can't get out until you get down the end You say man, I'm stuck now. I got a thing and then what he does he'll yank out head open.

He'll worm you I know, you know what I'm talking about I've seen that done

He doesn't want to do that the problem is stay away from that which gives you worms You don't have to take the medicine

But no matter who you are God loves you No matter who you are. God loves you. And if you're a Christian, you're his child.

Let's pray father How can we say to you That we love you

In a way that would really express our heart Father I know that look at my life the feebleness the frailty the feeble effort that is expended

Father I just look at the waywardness at times Lord, I just look at the insensitivity at time.

I look at the concern for self sometimes Lord, I look at all these things that I know that deteriorate the spiritual life and I look at all these attitudes that I know

That are wrong And I sense Lord motives that sometimes are not what they ought to be

But Lord, I just thank you that you love us in spite of ourselves. And when we are faithless you are faithful Well, you cannot deny yourself

And Lord, I don't understand your patience and long -suffering is toward us But we are grateful for it and thank you for it

Father, I don't understand at all Your great grace that knows no end and your love that has no bounds your mercy that endureth forever and Father because we belong to Jesus Christ your son

We know that we are accepted by you and we just exercise that right and privilege you've given us

Not because we've earned it because you just gave it to us to come to the throne of grace boldly And you said that you'd be there as a help at the time of need

And we know that means you come in the nick of time. You're never too late It seems to us like Lord you wait too long

Sometimes you don't come Lord right whenever we think you ought to Sometimes the answer isn't there when

I feel I need it, but father you're always right on schedule According to your time. I Thank you for this precious church.

I thank you again for this dear pastor and people. I thank you for their coming I thank you for what they represent what they mean and the lives that some of them

I have been Christians longer than I am years old And father they fought faithfully for you

They've stood by the faith. They've stood by the word then father There are others who've just come in recently perhaps younger

Christians Maybe couples and maybe just young people maybe young adults who who are not quite as old in the faith

But yet they walk faithfully Father merge them together unite them and father unite our hearts together.

We might fear thy name And then father use us Together as one

Give us one purpose one goal one desire and that is to please you and serve you

Forgive all those sins we confess them Lord, I just pray that during these days that we have together that something that is said something that is seen something that is sin

Might be used in the dinner recesses of our heart that would cause us to love you more and not only love you more

But become activated concerned compassionate caring and then motivated energized as the dynamic of our life as the

Holy Spirit that would compel us and impel us to move out into the community and Began to take advantage of opportunities you give us to share our faith to present

Jesus Christ in a way that would be acceptable And that would be in the presence and power of the

Holy Spirit in the individual life to people who've hurt Whose hearts ache whose minds are agonized and whose spirits are in a turmoil because they don't know

Jesus Families that are searching for that which they know not so father

I pray that at the end of this week that you will have done that which you desire to do in our hearts because we are

Available to you now bless us father because we ask it and believe you for it and trust you for it