The Rest Versus Babylon — Robert B. Thompson

Come unto you now is with praise and thanksgiving for your goodness Lord. We do praise you Lord. We do praise you and give thanks to you Lord. We praise you and give thanks to you Lord for your goodness for your goodness Lord.

And Lord we do remember Lillian we pray you'll be with her in an outstanding way Lord. Let your peace and presence be with her Lord in a wonderful way with the rest of the family Lord for those among us who are having severe problems Lord We join our prayers with those and pray you will hear and answer prayer.

Bring peace Lord and solution to problems help us Lord. We need your help. We can't do it without you Lord. We just need your help. And as we continue tonight Lord, we ask that you will guide us. We know that every day is precious.

We have this time to get ready for the things that are coming help us to use the time. Well and wisely in Jesus name. Amen. I think we're going to start again with for Hebrews 4. I Had to go through this kind of hurriedly.

The Rest of God and the Danger of Babylon

We were winding up Sunday night. But it's much on my mind. I've been writing on it. It's really Key. If there's a key to the Christian life one of them is prayer and the other one is this thing called The rest of God and I want to make it very clear to you what it is and very practical.

Because the opposite of it you won't understand this now unless I have time to get into it. The opposite of it is Babylon the great. And you know how what God thinks of that? I just finished one today called Babylon Babylon and it ties it together.

You know, I haven't never preached on Babylon here, but it's shaping up quickly but the key has to do with something very basic in human nature and That is our desire to act according to our self-will.

Particularly to achieve our goals by gathering together with other people rather than. No, rather than gathering together with God that sounds easy and simple, but it's actually that is probably disregarded.

More than any other principle of spiritual living is when God When God wants to do something He picks one person. And he works with that person. Year in and year out. Until that person is ready to do what God want you can think of Moses or think of Elijah think of Paul.

I mean this thing that God gave Paul to make the transition from Moses to Christ and tell us about Christ in you Messiah in you the body of Christ. That wasn't given to any of the other Apostles. But When we get down to Zechariah 4 which is equivalent to Revelation 11 the two witnesses.

Individual Hearing from God Rather Than Collective Self-Will

It's not by might nor by power, but by my spirit. This is violated all the time in Christianity. We hear now if we get this plan together if we can get this many Christians together to pray if we can.

Get that many Christians together to do this and to do the next thing. God doesn't work that way. That's not to say there isn't a time to gather together with others to accomplish something but the key is That the individual is hearing from God.

See because God doesn't speak to groups. He speaks to people. I Don't think you'll find many exceptions to that. To him who overcomes if any man will do his will. If any man no man can come unto me not no group can come unto me no man, but we have a tendency to try to do things with combined effort and that's what Revelations talking about when it says there's no more see.

There's no more massive people you get people together. They'll did they become Babylon in a hurry. Yes. Oh God will use groups. I'm not to say that God doesn't use them. What I'm talking about is kind of subtle may the God give me the wisdom to portray to you what I'm saying is very Vital it's that God doesn't want you taking your cues from other people.

He wants you to know him. God deals with individuals he makes witnesses. That the disciples didn't do a thing by the eleven gathering together he scattered them all over the place. God works with one person and he deals with him and he wants that person to deal with him not with other people.

Now I'm not talking impractically. I know that we work together and Those that work with Hewlett-Packard work in teams. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about our basic orientation to life. Cannot come through other people it must come through God alone and that is so difficult for us because we are.

You know, we're kind of like lemmings and who he we run in herds. But God deals with individuals and very often the rest of God's people are against that individual. That's why Jesus said which of the prophets have your father's not killed because he the prophet.

Singular standing with God the rest of Israel is always missing God because of the spirit of Babylon that's in them. So getting together to build something. So it's a new thought to us maybe and it's a very Deep thought it's a very critical thought and so just pray that I'll have the ability to make it clear.

Hebrews 4 and the Promise of Entering God's Rest

It has to do with the rest of God. That has to do with the rest of God. Since the promise of entering his rest still stands Hebrews 4 once. Let us be careful that none of you be found to have come short enough.

See, this is very significant because these people we know from Hebrews 6 were very advanced in knowledge beyond what we are today in Pentecost. They're beyond what we are. They knew about the powers of the world to come they knew about eternal judgment.

They knew the doctrine of the resurrection. They knew these things were not there yet. And the writer of Hebrews regards us as kindergarten stuff. He's let us leave the principles mean the elementary things.

We're not even there and So here's these people with all the experience they had. Known about the Apostles you can read in the second chapter of Hebrews the mighty works and everything and he said fear.

You're not there. You're not there. There's something beyond all this and this is where God wants to take us today and The our model is the Lord Jesus Christ say I do nothing of myself. Right and yet that's not passivity.

It's not complacency. It's a very dynamic state. Which was maintained by the Lord by doing what praying all night? It doesn't know well if it happens that happens. You have to be interacting vigorously with God to be in his rest.

You have to labor constantly because of the daily assault on your mind to tear you down from your simple pure peace and faith in God with the quote necessities of life and It doesn't take but a day or two before you're out of God's peace.

And be set round about with sin doubts fears. Unbelief and everything else you have to really press in you've got a lot of enemies. One of the types of the rest of God is Canaan. Your arrest is filled with enemies and you have to follow the Lord very carefully.

Just as Israel did and when he says slay the inhabitants of the land. You don't make peace with them you slay them you move with God and do what he says whether you understand it or not. Because where God is bringing you is the place where you can say I do nothing of myself.

It's God is one crucified with Christ as Christ was living in me. That's the rest of God. You see how intensely personal that is. There's nothing to do with a group not we are crucified with Christ. I am crucified with Christ.

Remember how Elijah stood one man. Elisha stood one man. Moses stood one man. Paul stood one man even against Peter. That's the way God works. He wants to know you. You and me. And then when he gets us right when he gets two people Who are really relating to Jesus Christ?

They automatically are one. You can't do it the other way. You can't get two people together, and then they know God. Each one knows God goes through the whole thing and when that is completed. They're automatically one.

That's the way God does. Well, we also have had the gospel preached to us just as they did. But it did the Jews no good to hear about God's Word because they didn't mix it with faith they tried to make that operate by by being faithful to extremes over small points of the law and then of course they elaborated that.

In many many volumes of do this and don't do that but without faith. Now we who believe enter that rest now that rest. There's not rest plural. It's rest singular. It's the rest of Genesis the first chapter.

That's the rest and the only rest you don't enter your rest you enter God's rest the seventh day rest because at that time in Genesis 1 your life was completed and your job is not to create your own heaven and earth.

It's to pray and find out each day what God planned for you from the beginning. That's a very radical revolutionary challenging and demanding thought. You can only cope with it with prayer reading the word gathering with the Saints giving serving.

Coveting the gifts of the Spirit. If you don't you'll never find what God had had planned for you. There's a there's a land there planned for you there's enemies in it and You had there's a mark set for you.

And if you don't give your if you don't do everything God said. Turn aside from your own life take up your cross follow Jesus present your body a living sacrifice. If you don't do these things you will go through life and never enter God's rest.

Any question about that and Church a church can't go into God's rest together. Only one person can enter God's rest. All right now. Yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world that's the key to the rest.

God's work was finished all the way through to the New Jerusalem and in the that creation God Created a specific good for you to do and to be. Say and that's all finished and your job is not to create your own heaven and earth.

It's to find the rest of God and Enter it you enter it. It's like you enter the land city at a time. Enter that land. Okay. Yes. Yes. Yeah, and it's referring back to in Psalms where God spoke to the Jews and they got up to the border of the land and Then they wept and cried and said we can't go in and God was mad and he said you'll not enter.

That's when he on oath. He said they shall not enter. He was very angry and they went back till they all died in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb who had believed God and what God is saying? It's there.

But if you have unbelief and disobedience, you're not going to make it. That's all Simple as that and Israel is our illustration. Okay, did that clear that one up mark? Is that it? Was there still leave a question?

Sabbath Rest and Ceasing from Our Own Works

While those are always legitimate and then he changes the Allegory to the seventh day because that is what the Sabbath day typifies is. You're ceasing from your own works and Delighting yourself in the Lord.

That's the key to the Sabbath of course the Jews missed that and they got into the minutiae that we've discussed about not chewing a breath mint because on The Sabbath day and I mean these other things we ought to know better than that.

Are taking all little herbs and everything and cutting them into ten parts and giving one-tenth of it and everything that's what Jesus said you tie mint and anise and come in and omit judgment and mercy and faith, which he said you should do the other but You leave it out where the action is with judgment mercy and faith.

You're straining out gnats and Swallowing camels, you know, that's quite a picture. Here's a person You know He's got a strainer like this and he's they're going with his pouring his milk from one thing to another mean very careful.

There's no gnats in it and then he swallows a camel. The Lord had quite a sense of humor. Actually, a lot of things are like that the Lord was chuckling but you miss it in the King James because it's so stately and so the Sabbath day tells us that God wants to cease from our own works of Creating our own heaven and earth.

So you cease from your own works and You enter that which God has already Designed for you and sees you envision doing. You enter that vision of God by faith and patience and obeying them the Apostles.

Any question about that? Yes. Rest. Here's our resident Greek scholar. Yeah, I've never seen it translated anything except rest and I think as in most of the cases you can get truth by seeing the source of the word and how it's used in the scripture and it's referring to Genesis 1 and we know that God created heaven and earth man and everything and Then there was and on the seventh day there was no evening and morning because it signifies eternity.

God says I'm through and then his word Began to work see my word shall not return unto me boy. His word is Forming everything you and me our environment his word is doing and God is resting. I sent my word.

It's done. I'm resting. You know. That could be helpful, but remember it doesn't say that on the seventh day God planned. See on the seventh day God ceased from his works and That's what God is asking us to do is to cease from our works.

Then we enter the plan. Yes. And the Greek is ceasing from your works. Tony says he's got his Greek Bible right there. Exactly just think during this last week how many challenges that you've had. To either solve it yourself or give it to the Lord and when we try to solve it ourself we get angry with people frustrated unbelieving tired.

Sometimes sick. Perplexed because we're God is waiting for us to Look to him. What needless pain we pair and bear because we don't take everything to God in prayer. We take some but then something happens that we're it raises up our Irish so to speak and by gum.

We're not putting up with that and we don't stop and say well Lord. Maybe this is your what? Yes. Many of the things that we want God wants. But our problem is instead of letting him do it. We try to do it and the thing is Ishmael.

It's a mess. It is very simple to express. Very profound at the root of what the world is all about the opposite is Babylon. Confusion. Confusion. See let us get together. Let us make a city. Let us build a tower so our name so we don't get scattered in other words.

Let's get this thing on the road. You'll hear that all the time you hear it in ecumenism. All the time now the Lutherans have decided that they and the Catholics believe the same thing about salvation.

See the idea is if we could just get the Lutheran the Catholic Church together what we could do. What you can do is nothing. All you need is one Catholic that knows God. I'll do more than the whole lash up.

Because God doesn't operate that way that's Babylon all right, and then he says Yes, the sixth verse. Scroll down which is so we can get some more verses exposed here. It's on computer 2 and video 1 we found that out.

Joshua, Canaan, and the Fight to Enter Rest

Then he compares the rest of God to a third analogy. Which is Joshua bringing Israel into the land which tells us what about the rest you have to fight your way because it's occupied. With enemies you're the devil does not want you as an individual to know God.

He much preferred that you band together with people because when you band together with people Satan can get in with self-will and preeminence and everything and The people are trying to please each other and the first thing you know Satan's kingdom is safe.

The danger to Satan's kingdom comes when you get down on your knees and interact with Jesus. That's the only thing he's afraid of. He's not afraid of what you're going to do with 3 ,000 other people. That meet in a prayer meeting.

He's not concerned about that. He's concerned about you and Jesus. All that Satan fears is the father the son and the Holy Spirit. He does not fear man. So the thing that causes him to tremble is when you get down.

Saying father not my will, but yours be done. I love you Lord. I delight to do righteousness. Guide me this day. Satan gets Palsied with this thing and he'll do all kinds of things to get you out of that.

Everything he can think of to ruin your peace and to get you going in your own steam. Get your creek up. Just get you going, you know, that's what he wants to do because then this kingdom is safe. But when you stop and say Lord, I there's nothing I know.

I don't know anything. I can't do anything. I just love you, and I'm trusting you why you're More of a threat to hell than 10 million Christians getting together on a day of prayer. It's the truth. Because God just doesn't work that way that's let us make a name that we won't be scattered.

That's why God confounded their tongue. He said I don't want them doing that. They'll be able to accomplish anything they want. We say well, what's wrong with that? What's wrong with that is they do it without God?

That's not his plan. God's plan is that he'll have fellowship with individual people. Yes question Sandy.

Then the name of the church would be the pastor. The name of the church is for the church, you know the one the person that God Dealing with or you know what I'm saying based on what you're saying. Yeah, looking at looking at the church.

Looking at the church how it works it when the church works. And not in terms of the rest of God, but in terms of the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit. Say I'm not preaching to you out of the rest of God.

I'm preaching you out of whatever gift that God has given me or whatever insight God has given me. But if I use my own gift correctly, I will enter the rest if you use what is said correctly. You will enter the rest.

See that. See we're not there to act out of the rest yet. That will come. Acting out of the rest will come. In the next world that's that's the manifestation of the sons of God. See, that's how Jesus.

Jesus did not act out of gifts and ministries. Jesus acted out of the fullness of God. We act out of fragmented Ministries of what you have a part and I have a part and so that binds the body together.

But in the world to come we will have that's what first Corinthians 13 says when that which is perfect is Come then these other things will be done away. Well that which is perfect is John 14 23 the coming of the Father and the Son.

To dwell in us that's taking place now, but it won't be activated during the church age that's for that's for the time when the Lord returns and. The effect of that activation will be the release of the world from the curse.

See that's called the scripture the revealing of the sons of God. The sons of God will not be revealed during the church age. It's God is worth one. In fact, I think it's dr. Phillips Translation that translates Romans 8 there about verses 19 20 around in there the creation stands on tiptoe.

To see the unveiling of the sons of God the idea is of a sculptor who never lets anybody see his work. But when he's through he puts a veil on it the next day takes the veil off works on it. And it puts a veil on so nobody can see it till he's finished.

So that's that's the way Phillips That sees that verse is very useful because the world does not see what God is doing in you and in me say. Well, they may see it in certain moral ways, but they don't see the glory or anything like it because if you Overcome and bring people the righteousness and that day you'll be like a star, you know not like anything people all they see here is the hour covering of the tabernacle the porpoise skin the rough stuff and.

But where we minister is not out of Christ in us. We don't minister out that mistake is made frequently. When you get into the latter rain and so on then they get over into error because the Spirit speaks in a timeless vision and so.

No. We don't minister out of Christ in us today. We don't pray to the Christ that is in us. We don't do that. We pray to the Christ at the right hand of the Father and he moves through us and gifts and ministries.

But in the next age, it will not be by gifts and ministries. It will be as Jesus ministers as the Spirit without measure. That's a wonderful thing to look forward to but we won't participate in that unless we allow the Lord to form Christ in us.

Now and Christ is formed in us now through the travail of the ministry. Paul says my little children whom I travail until Christ is formed in you and. So Christ is formed in us through the travail of the ministry.

But then when the Lord comes and we return with him. It will not we will not be serving then. With tongues and prophecy and all as it says in 1st Corinthians 13 when that which is perfect. Which is the fullness of God?

Comes then these fragmentary things will be done away and what will be left is God's love in us. Going out to the people of the world. And that's described in Isaiah the 60th chapter. Okay but the all-important goal is this rest here now.

So we saw first it's compared to the first is spoken of in what way? The works of finishing the foundation of the world then it's spoken of in what way. The eternal Shabbat the eternal Sabbath of God.

Now, it's talking about what? It's comparing it to entering Canaan. So that's why you just can't flop and you're in the rest of God. Any more than Israel could have flopped and gotten their farms in Canaan.

They had to follow the Spirit a City at a time to enter that which God already had given them and God already has given us everything but the enemy occupies it and The only way you get in there is by following the Holy Spirit if you through the Spirit to put to death the deeds of The body you shall live you can't do it other than through the Spirit.

You can't do it by ganging up on God with a bunch of Christians or ganging up on the devil. It only comes through your personal Interaction with Jesus, that's the only and isn't that the best way? Because people get off and they let you down and disappoint you but Jesus never does.

So it's the most peaceful way. It's the scriptural way and it is the way Abiding in Christ is the greatest word in the Bible and the hardest thing to do. Some will enter that rest now. That's the way God works when that generation didn't work.

He let him die in the wilderness and he got another generation. If our generation won't enter the rest God will bring up the kids if they don't enter it God will bring up another he'll do that until he gets a generation that will quit playing Babylon and Just do what God wants.

Coming Out of Babylon in the Heart

What a world this would be Lloyd if for the last 2 ,000 years the Christian had only done what God wanted. But but because they have the spirit of Babylon in them Catholics and Protestants alike right down to the smallest home prayer group meeting.

You know people say come out of Babylon meaning come out of your big church. That isn't how you come out of Babylon. You have to come out of Babylon in your heart you can come out of the Mega church go to a home group with five people and you still got Babylon because it's in your heart.

You can't come out of a building to come out of Babylon you come out of Babylon by Ceasing from your own works and entering the rest of God. That's the only thing then get out of Babylon. It's a hard thing to do because we trust in the flesh but the word in Zechariah 4 which applies to Revelation 11 is not by might nor by power but by my spirit.

There's talking about the capstone coming down on the temple in Zechariah 4 and the two lampstands and The two olive trees, that's why it ties in with Revelation 11 and what God is saying there there will be delay no longer.

I'm ready now to finish my church, but I'm going to do it by my spirit. But what we see all over the countryside is people are trying to do it with. They get a revival with millions of people. They think something is happening.

That's an American value. Nothing is happening until some poor dude or doodad, whatever you call ladies decides to stop trying to do build their own heaven on earth and come before Jesus and Listen to him and wait until you know what you're doing.

The church hasn't known what is doing for 2 ,000 years and that's why it tortures and murders heretics. I mean Jesus wouldn't do that and then I you know, I Emily has a Catholic background the Virgin Mary wouldn't do that.

She would have never tortured and murdered heretics let alone Christ. So they're on their own then with their babylonian spirit trying to do it by an organization of people. It's like the Holy Spirit said in Acts 7 you can never get the message you always err in your heart.

We're still doing it today, I mean we haven't changed we're back in a row Genesis 11 at the Tower of Babel. We're still there. In fact that was the problem with Cain and Abel. Abel was doing it unto God and Cain was doing it in strife.

That's why he was filled with envy and murdered his brother. And what you always do when you're doing your own religious thing the first thing, you know, you're slandering your neighbor. That's why they crucified Christ.

Even Pilate saw that they were Moved in envy because they were trying to do it themselves. So simple and yet so hard for us. Okay, God again set a certain day calling it today. God calls every day today.

There is no tomorrow. There's no yesterday. You have to do it now. What was it the Lord told me All there is is now. The Lord told me that one time trying to keep me from having a heart attack but I went ahead and had one anyway, but All there is is now now.

But we live in the future and we live in the past and that's 80 of our problem. For Joshua had given them rest speaking of Israel and Canaan. God would not spoken about another day. There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God at which is simply quitting your own thing and Listening to Jesus and that's all it is.

It ain't no more. But it's so hard to do. For anyone who enters God's rest ceases from his own works. What are our own works everything we're trying to do? Well, should I stop and do nothing? No, it isn't that simple.

You keep on doing what you're doing. But in the meanwhile, you keep praying and presenting yourself before God until you're hearing from the Lord. Get into the stream of God's will and you have to stay there by praying like 60.

That's why Jesus prayed all night. He kept fleeing from they were trying to make him a king. Oh, if you were a king, we'd have free food. You've got all this power. You can summon the angels. We could defeat the Roman Empire.

We could really glorify God. We can make everybody on earth study Torah. We could do the whole thing. That was what was in their mind to make him a king. Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom so we can make everybody study Torah?

Why else would you have a kingdom to make everybody study Torah? They didn't know the Lord or the same thing today. We had our way we'd gather together. But a hundred million Christians and take over the United States and restore the law of Moses.

It's people trying to do that. You'd be that they want a stone Witches and everything else. All right. Anyone who enters God's rest does what? He rests from his own work. So that's how you know the definition of the word.

Usually you can define any word without a lexicon if you just look at how it's being used. All right. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest. It's paradoxical. As they let us therefore flop and do nothing.

Let us therefore get passive and complacent and do nothing. You have to work like crazy to enter the rest because Satan is Bombarding you all the time just the time that you really get peace with the Lord.

He gets out his pots and pans and begins to bang on him. Look down. Look at this. Look what that one's doing. Look what Clinton's doing now. Look what Clinton's doing now. Do you see make sure you know what Clinton's doing now and discuss it for about an hour with your wife and tell her how?

Rotten Clinton is he loves this. He loves this. If he can't get you to sin he'll get you to fret about somebody else's sin, which is sin fretting this sin psalm 37 fret not yourself. All he wants you to do is fret fret fret fret about the right wing fret about the left wing fret about everything.

Well, you will if you immerse yourself in the TV in the paper. You have to get where the action is on your knees with God and then you'll hear the 11 o 'clock news as it's really is. Get on your knees with God and listen and it'll take you on a romance and you walk on the waters at midnight.

It's with God is where it is. People can't do anything. They're nothing and less than nothing the flesh Prophets nothing and all we are is dust if you want to know the truth and God can make that dust anything he wants to.

He can make anything on it. He can make one dust to glory and another dust to dishonor. You say well who has resisted his will shut your mouth and quit being sassy. Just worship the Potter. Just worship the Potter.

Enter into his rest. He planned your life from the beginning of the world and then he rested just enter that rest. It's all he's asking you to do. Nothing else, but surely there must be more than that.

No, there isn't any more than that. That's all there is but you'll find it all that you can manage. All you can manage. Because we have our agendas. We can't believe it's that simple. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest.

So because the opposite is disobedience. In other words, well Lord, can't I just do this a little bit for my own? Someone said not too long ago. The weakest prayer you can pray is I will be done. Can you imagine that?

Can you imagine that? It's enough to make you go crazy to hear what the things that people say and these are people that ought to know better. Oh, don't pray over anybody and say that I will be done. Don't do that because it shows a lack of faith, you know, here's old Stan.

He's got more problems than Carter has liver pills. Okay. Now, so why do I pray over him father? Thy will be done or father. Don't do your will. Which one do you pray but we know what God's will is do you.

I Doubt it. If you do you're much further ahead than I am. I Get up in the morning and I say Lord if you're looking at me to do something forget it. You're out of business. Because I don't know whether I'm a foot or horseback.

Then the Lord has to tell me the day is going to be okay. Otherwise, I'd be afraid to get out of bed. I'd crawl under the electric blanket and that'd be the last you'd see of me. So God said it's gonna be okay.

The day's gonna be micromanaged. Okay, Lord is you say so I'm your man and then I get up. I wouldn't dare to get out from under the electric blanket if if the Lord didn't give me some kind of assurance.

Well, I'm not kidding you. I do not trust myself. You know, you'll learn after a while not when you're young like you're 40 or 50. But after a while you gradually get the idea. You don't really know what you're doing.

Or what is best or what will be joyous or what will fulfill you? But you see we can't believe it. We just can't believe it. So we said well don't pray God's will be done. What is well, if I pray God's will be done.

What in the world that means I don't have faith. Well, that means Jesus didn't have faith doesn't it? Cuz that's what he prayed not my will but yours be done. It's the strongest prayer there is. Who does it?

Gethsemane, Obedience, and Trusting God's Will

Well, my son broke his back and he was dying in the hospital. I went down the parking lot at Kaiser and he was going. I mean he was going. I mean I went down there. I didn't say Oh God, I'm gonna take take you to Texas to get him be prayed for I said Lord if you see that's your will to take him and you know, that's your wisdom then have at it.

But boy, that was a hard prayer. Oh God I'm telling you I Went back up there in the room where he was. He was in tremendous pain. They had misdiagnosed him for one. He rolled his car and broke his back.

He's got two steel rods in his back to this day and When I looked at him. Well, I went up there and what happened was our family doctor Had driven down from Escondido To Kaiser to check out my son and he looked at him and my son.