Rest for Your Soul

Welcome to No Compromise Radio Ministry. Mike Abendroth here, 9 -20 -24, about two in the afternoon. Lots of things going on in evangelicalism. Crazy things, surprising things, but that's just, I guess, what happens.

It is amazing to me what people post on social media, but of course, if I look back in my life, it's amazing what I've posted on social media, and it just makes me think, ah, I think I want to just use social media to say, here's a new series out on American Gospel on Cancer's Not Your Shepherd, or here's my new book.

I'm trying to write a book on parenting. I think it's 65 done. I think my wife would say it's 45%. So you make the announcement on Twitter and Facebook, here's what's going on. Other than that, I don't know.

I don't know. I just read a little booklet called Grieving with Hope by Randy Alcorn. I thought that was good. I thought he did a really good job. And what else? My little grandson Eleazar's probably three months old now, getting bigger.

My granddaughter Clara, she is two months old now, and she was a month early, so she's kind of like a month old size-wise. She's finally getting some chub on her. And my grandson Amos is coming up on 23 months old.

And Luke, my son, put him on a surfboard in the shallow water and pushed him into the white water, and Amos didn't really like it. But it was in San Diego area where the water's warm. Speaking of which, I was in Narragansett a few days ago with my wife Kim.

And stay off, we went down to the beach, and the water in New Hampshire and York, kind of by York Beach and in Maine, is cold because, you know, toward Canada, Canadian waters. But for whatever reason, the water in Rhode Island, it's as warm as San Diego.

I mean, we were body surfing for an hour without a wetsuit. A lot of people surfing without a wetsuit. It was crazy. And then I learned a little history about Rogues Island, I mean Rhode Island, and the Quahogs, Dell's lemonade, pizza strips.

You don't buy those at pizza parlors, you buy those at bakeries. No cheese, just red sauce, strips. Eat them cold. I learned about New York. These are popular and from New England. I mean, from Rhode Island.

New York Project hot wieners. That's a big thing in Rhode Island. And maybe like crab balls or something like that. Dough, round, fried, some crab in there. That's it. That's all I know. My Rhode Island history.

And Wright's Chicken Farm, if you don't know about Wright's Chicken Farm, matter of fact, the two oldest kids got kidnapped. The owners of Wright's Chicken Farm, they weren't named Wright's, they were named something else because these people bought it from the Wrights, but they got kidnapped and returned.

There you go for Rhode Island history. And they didn't even mention Baptists. Mike Avendroth here, no compromise radio ministry, duplex gratia radio. Maybe no more real social media stuff, and maybe we switch the radio name.

Hey, Pat Avendroth's got such a good podcast, a Patcast. Pactum Padcast. He's got a Latin name. I'm taking Latin, so come on. Maybe that'll work. Maybe once a week, Latin name, that would work. I just need Pat's IQ, that's all.

Jesus and the Sabbath as Pointer to Ultimate Rest

Today on No Compromise Radio, I want to continue talking about rest, eternal rest, Sabbath rest. Why would Jesus do all these miracles on the Sabbath? We learned yesterday that he's doing it because he's pointing to the rest that he will eventually, at Calvary, earn and secure and gain for his people.

The Sabbath was a day for blessing for the Jewish people. It was a day for rest and recognition of they were finite and frail. It was a recognition that God knew, in his kindness, that they could use a little break and to trust God.

You don't have to work seven days and all that other stuff. It was a reflection of what God did. He made the world in six days, and then he rested. Not that he needed it, but we did, and he was showing us.

And therefore, the ultimate rest we have in Christ Jesus, as we trust in him, is we no longer have to work to try to get into heaven, because all the work's been done by him. He's the one who had a heavy burden and was heavy laden, and he's the one that went to the cross, and he's the one that secured our great redemption.

And we receive that by faith and faith alone. Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And therefore, we can have rest in this life, knowing we don't have to work for our salvation anymore, knowing we don't have to work to keep our salvation anymore, unlike a lot of these final justification people and federal vision people and other folks that say you have to have these many works or else, making them conditional instead of consequential.

Works: Conditional vs. Consequential

Let me repeat that. Making them conditional, not consequential. I mean, that is a big issue in evangelicalism. Where do you put works? I'm talking about human works. Where do we put Christ's work, front and center?

Then human works. How many good works do you have to have before you're saved? How many good works do you have to have in order to be saved? How many good works do you have to have after you're saved?

Those are good questions to ask. And I think the answer is found, obviously, in the Bible, but found in theologians like Edward Fisher, Thomas Boston, the Erskine brothers, the marrow of modern divinity.

Who else along those lines? Walter Marshall. That's where we need to go. Is trust in Jesus enough to save you? Is looking to the crucified Savior on a cross like the Israelites looked at the snake up on a pole, is that enough to save?

And I think you know the answer. Do we want good works? Do we say to ourselves, you know what? They're not important. Works out of gratitude, no big deal. Coast, be licentious, do whatever you want, lay back and let God.

Antinomian, we don't really care. That's not what you hear from the show, that's not what you hear from Romans, that's not what you hear from the marrow. We think that's important. But we guard and protect justification, and have a separate category called sanctification.

One inevitably follows the other, that's true. Sanctification will follow justification. It is true, but there are different categories. Now remember, the Pharisees, laws, burdens, no mercy on the Sabbath, can't take some grain and rub it a little bit and eat it as you're walking through the grain fields, Luke 6, Matthew 12.

Hyper-aggressive, in serf language, aggro. In serf language, kook, barney. In any other language, just nasty people. And by the way, I will say this. While the Pharisees were wrong, nasty, I mean, some saw the light, as it were, right?

Joseph of Arimathea, if memory serves. But just put yourself in the Pharisees' position for a second. There's not been one exile, there's been two. And with Babylonian exile in your mind, you're thinking to yourself, we got kicked out of the land because we disobeyed.

We were exiled because of lawlessness, and God kicked us out of the land. We didn't like that, that was not a high point in our history, we want to avoid that. Instead of saying, okay, we'll avoid that by doing what's right, by trusting the Lord with all our heart, we will trust the Lord with our heart, but we're going to import into that trust doing laws to keep in the land.

And in addition, sadly and damningly, let's add other rules to make sure we don't ever get there. It's right, this is what the typical person does. There are guideposts and guardrails in the New Testament which are perfectly legit, right, and just.

But like the Spirit of God can't use those to keep people pure and holy and doing the right thing, and to stop them from doing the wrong thing, then we add up other things by traditions of man and extra-legalistic rules.

And as I've said before, it suffocates, and finally people who are under legalism and legalistic preaching finally just become antinomian. I mean, and even those that teach it, you know, there are great illustrations in church history of people that are extra, you know, Bible-plus legalists, neonomists, new law people, neo-new-nom law, that they finally just, like, I just can't keep this up, so I just will do whatever, right?

The self-righteous exterior just finally goes, you know, like, okay, whatever, I can't even keep these rules, let alone the Bible rules. Jesus comes on the scene when these Pharisees are ruling everything, and it is stifling.

It's making people weary, it's giving them a burden, it's giving them a beatdown, and they are physically tired. I mean, you're more tired trying to keep all the Sabbath rules that they superimposed, you're supposed to be resting.

And basically, the Pharisees could say of the phrase that came to being later, centuries later, the beatings will continue until the morale improves. The Dictionary of Military and Naval Quotations, 1966, says there will be no liberty on board this ship until morale improves.

So there you go. That's when we first got that, 1966. Some people said, though, Captain Blythe of Mutant and the Bounty said that, and other people said, like, Voltaire said that in Candide. I read Candide 25 years ago, and what I remember is basically a slam on Providence.

There's no providence of God, it's a slam on that. When I also moved to New England, I thought, speaking of Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island, what a name. Pro-video. Providence. Pro-video. Before pro-video, to see, to see before.

So what's in a name doesn't always tell us the theological point. Is providence just to see before? Well, we know providence is more than just to see before, but certainly God does see before. But there's more to providence than to see before.

Pro-video. There you go, I learned that from R .C. Sproul. Huh? How about that? Where is R .C. Sproul these days? Obviously the Lord builds churches, but it sure would be nice to have R .C. around. These people, back in those days, and even people today, under legalistic preaching, pharisaical rules, works righteousness systems, they're weary, they're burdened, they're heavy-laden, and Jesus says, I just want you to come to me, and I'm going to give you rest.

The Burden of Legalism and Jesus' Invitation to Rest

You're exhausted, you're discouraged, you're in trouble, you're in difficulty, you've exerted yourself, you're wearied, you're strained to just do the right things, and you're like, huh. And by the way, that was us before we got saved, right, Christian?

Just, you think about what God was doing in our lives to show us our need of a Savior, to show us that we had sinned, to use the law to be a mirror, so we might run to the Lord Jesus and embrace His promises by faith that all who look to Him will certainly be saved.

Now, there's not just pharisaical legalism, to say, here are the extra rules added to the Bible, but there's also, I would say, like a self -justification. So, in other words, we've got from the outside people telling us to do these things, Jesus plus, faith plus, and then it's also internally driven, because we're fallen, and we have the law written on our heart, and we somehow think that if we can just do the right thing, we're going to be good.

And then we believe systems of thought that says, well, while you don't perfectly obey, God considers your attitude, He considers your thoughts, He considers your desire, that you know, your motivations, you wanted to do it, but you didn't, so He'll make up for those, and count them as good.

And we deceive ourselves in all ways, shapes, and forms. And so, for me, it was baptized as a Lutheran, and Confirmation, and catechisms, and Christian retreats to Colorado backpacking, and Christian missionary trips down to Galeana, Mexico with other teens, and then go to Los Angeles and just live like an utter pagan, but behind the scenes, thinking Jesus is the only way, thinking God is triune, thinking that Jesus is the eternal God.

Who became man. All these things, literal resurrection, judgment day, heaven, hell. And so I was thinking I was set, but of course, I wasn't. And so we can trick ourselves from the inside, that's my point.

And in both of these cases, people are just loaded with burdens, they're heavy laden, they're weighed down, Luke 11, Jesus said, Woe to you lawyers as well, for you weigh down men with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

Jesus' Promise of Rest to the Heavy-Laden

Spurgeon said, those who are heavy laden, levy-haden, you can tell I'm tired today. You can tell I'm tired today. Laden heavily because weary, vexed, disappointed, despairing. Laden with sin, guilt, dread, remorse, and fear of death.

Laden with care, anxiety, greed, ambition. Laden with sorrow, poverty, oppression, slander. Laden with doubt, temptation, conflict, inner faintness. And Jesus said, I've come to give you rest. And to show you that I'm powerful, and that I can give rest, I'm Lord of the Sabbath.

On the day of rest, when merciful things need to be done, things of necessity, things of kindness, I will do those very things, and I'm on my way to give you Hebrews 3, 4, ultimate rest, eternal rest, the ultimate spiritual rest.

Thomas Brooks, come, says Christ, and I will give you rest. I will not show you rest, nor barely tell you of rest, but I will give you rest. I'm faithfulness itself, and cannot lie. I will give you rest.

I, who have the greatest power to give it, the greatest will to give it, the greatest right to give it, come, Laden sinners, and I will give you rest. Rest is the most desirable good, the most suitable good, and to you, the greatest good.

Come, says Christ. Everybody who's listening to NOCO Radio, believe in me, and I will give you rest. I will give you peace with God and peace with conscience. I will turn you, your storm, into an everlasting calm.

I will give you such rest that the world can neither give to you nor take from you. Well, that's a wrap. That's NO Compromise Radio. What else am I going to say the next 10 minutes, the next 12 minutes?

What could I say? And how do you get that rest? Faith. Faith alone. It's a gift, see? I will give you rest. It is granted. It is not earned. It is given. It is not worked for. I will give you rest, united to Jesus Christ and his benefits by faith.

Free gift. Pilgrim's progress. John Bunyan writes, As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place. Where was a den? And I laid me down in that place to sleep. And as I slept, I dreamed a dream.

I dreamed, and behold, I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden on his back. I looked and saw him open the book and read therein.

And as he read, he wept and trembled. And not being able longer to contain, he broke out with a lamentable cry, saying, What shall I do? And we Christians have been there. And by grace, and by grace alone, we heard the words of Scripture, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that burden was gone. Can you imagine? Gone. All your sins forgiven. Past, present, and future. Gone. Later in Christians' progress, in Pilgrim's progress, by Bunyan, it says, Thus far did I come laden with sin, nor could aught ease the grief that I was in, till I came hither.

What a place is this! Must there be the beginning of my bliss? Must here the burden fall off my back? Must here the strings that bound it to me crack? Blessed cross, blessed sepulcher, blessed rather be the man that was there to put shame for me.

Jesus enters with us into everlasting rest. Better said, He takes us to everlasting rest. He can provide rest. Come ye thirsty, come and welcome. God's free bounty glorify. True belief and true repentance, every grace that brings you nigh.

Come ye weary, heavy laden, lost and ruined by the fall. If you tarry till you're better, you'll never come at all. Joseph Hart. And the refrain is, I will arise and go to Jesus. He will embrace me in His arms.

In the arms of my dear Savior, oh, there are ten thousand charms. Jesus did the week. You guys are thinking about the Sabbath week. Jesus does for the week. Jesus healed at the end of the week. This is when you need an editor, right?

And how long have you been on that medication? Well, what particular medication? The medication I have for leukemia or the medication for the leukemia medicine that I have to take to offset the side effects for that.

When I pack to go someplace, I have the Ziploc bags, the sandwich bags. Don't ever buy sandwich bags that just fold over, the cheap ones. I mean, who would ever buy those just to save a few cents? You want to get the Ziploc ones, right?

Even if they're cheap, they still have to Ziploc. I mean, we're not in the 60s, are we? I mean, please don't tell me, no-compromise radio listener, that one of you uses the old-style sandwich things that don't keep things fresh, they just keep things clean.

Anyway, if I'm gone for five nights, I have to get five little bags and fill them up with, you know, whatever I've got, with supplements and other vitamins and other things, probably, I don't know, 10 pills a day?

No, 15 pills a day I need to take. And I have to take some pills with a fatty meal. How's that? Try that on for size. And so I, like last night we were in Boston, and I had those pills in my pocket. You know, jeans, if you have a front pocket, then they got that little tiny pocket up top.

I forget, it's supposed to be for something, I don't remember. Matter of fact, I'm just going to look it up right now. What is the small pocket in jeans for? You ready? What's that little pocket for your jeans?

The art of manliness says that these jeans are a staple. Many people assume that the mini pocket is for carrying change. But technically, it's for people to carry their pills, especially for leukemia.

But if you actually tried using this pocket for change, you'd quickly realize that retrieving change is a big pain. It was not for that. Other folks have called it the mini pocket for the ticket pocket, due to the fact that tickets to a concert or movie fit perfectly inside.

But that's not it either. In fact, the mini pocket was originally called the watch pocket. It was designed to hold a cowboy's or workman's pocket watch. There you go. Now you know it's a watch pocket.

Huh. Could you put hot pockets in there? Jesus, healing on the last day of the week, shows He's the Lord of the Sabbath. He just doesn't say it. 6 -5 He does in Luke, but He demonstrates it. So He's the Lord over everything, and He's going to use the Sabbath as a pointer to the ultimate Sabbath, the Saturday Sabbath, the physical Sabbath that certainly gave spiritual nourishment.

Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath and the Ultimate Spiritual Rest

But the physical Sabbath, pointing to the ultimate rest, eternal rest, in the presence of God rest, face-to-face with God rest. And can He do it? The answer is found in the resurrection. Why does Jesus heal on the Sabbath all the time?

To show His Lordship over the Sabbath, to snuff out the teachings of the Pharisees, to set the people free, to give mercy, to heal in necessity, to teach certain spiritual truths, including that He is the ultimate Lord and that He will give the ultimate Sabbath rest for His people, all who trust in Him.

Well, what else can we say before we wrap up this show about Jesus and rest? You can hear me turn the Bible, and I'm turning it to Hebrews 3, verse 7. Therefore the Holy Spirit says, Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test, and saw my works for forty years.

Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, They always go astray in their heart. They have not known my ways. As I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to Christ, we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

As it is said, Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the day of rebellion. For those who have heard and not yet rebelled, was it not all who left Egypt, led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years?

Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, on the side of the cross, Hebrews is writing, let us fear, lest any of you seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

For we who have believed entered that rest, for he has said, As I swear in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. Although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way, and God rested on the seventh day from all his works.

And again in this passage he said, They shall not enter my rest. Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience.

And again he appoints a certain day today, saying through David so long afterward in the words already quoted, Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, God would have not spoken of another day later on.

So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Mike Abendroth, No Compromise Radio Ministry.