The Work of God According to Jesus

I'd like to speak to you this morning, as we continue our series from the

Gospel of John, on the work of God according to Jesus.

The work of God according to Jesus. Let me ask a few questions here in the introduction.

Have you ever asked yourself what you are doing with your own life?

Have you ever asked that? What are you doing with your own life? Do you ever wonder why you live the way you're living?

Whatever course that you're on. Do you think about what you're trying to accomplish in this life?

What is your purpose? As one preacher put it, you must know where you came from, why you're here and where you're going.

Do you know what you have to gain for whatever pursuit you're pursuing?

And have you not heard that he who gains the whole world and loses his own soul has no profit?

As Jesus says in Matthew 16, 26. Some very sobering questions there.

And we must answer these questions. Darcy Sproul gives us the right perspective from the

Word of God concerning these questions. I found this quote from his commentary on John.

As he spoke and wrote actually, he was speaking and preaching from the

Gospel of John and they literally wrote it in commentary. Thank God for that, for his works where he's with the

Lord now and he's worshiping and so many of his works is left behind for us to enjoy and benefit from to point us to Jesus Christ.

But he says this about those questions I just mentioned. Quote, he says,

I've often had the opportunity to speak with people who are dissatisfied about the direction of their lives.

When I speak with such a person and we discuss his or her job, I usually ask, is that your vocation?

Is that your vocation? Is that what you want to do in life?

Many times the person says, well, no, I'm just trying to put food on the table.

How empty life can seem when our labor is done simply so that we can put food on the table.

And he goes on to say this, don't get me wrong, sometimes it is necessary to do that because we have the responsibility to feed our families and if we can't get work anywhere else, we need to take on work that may not be a part of our vocations to make sure we get food on the table.

He goes on to say this, but that is frustrating because that food that perishes, we set the table one night and eat dinner, but the next day we have to set the table again and we have to get more food because every helping that we enjoy perishes.

And Jesus says, don't spend your life pursuing that sort of one thing.

Don't spend your life pursuing that which has no ultimate significance.

I like that from R .C. So in a nutshell, what actually is being said in that point is given to us in John chapter 6 and that's actually what it's all about.

Especially in verse 27 when Jesus our Lord says, do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life which the

Son of Man will give you because God the

Father has set His seal on Him. So what does that mean?

What does that really mean? Well, open your Bibles with me please to John chapter 6 and we'll see what it means.

I'd like to begin with verse 22. We've already looked at a lot of these verses and I'm going to, God willing, we're going to go press into this direction.

I'm going to try my best to, by God's help, we'll cover, I'd just like to cover just a recap somewhat of verse 22, a few verses in the introduction and then take it to verse 33 and we're going to look at these closing verses here, specifically verse 28 to 33.

So, beginning with verse 22 of chapter 6 in John's Gospel, hear the word of the living

God. The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there and that Jesus had not entered it with His disciples, but that they had gone away alone.

Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the

Lord had given thanks. Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

When they found Him on the other side on the lake, they asked Him, Rabbi, when did you get here?

Jesus answered, very truly I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw the signs.

I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

Do not work for the food that spoils, but for the food that endures the eternal life, which the

Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the

Father has placed His seal of approval. Then they asked

Him, what must we do to do the works of God, the works

God requires? Jesus answered, the work of God is this, to believe in the one

He has sent. So they asked Him, what sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?

What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness as it is written.

He gave them bread from heaven to eat. And Jesus said to them, very truly

I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my

Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Amen. May God bless the reading of this word from our ears to our hearts this morning.

Please bow with me in a moment of prayer as we seek our Lord to bless us within this hour of worship as we hear

His word. Oh, Father in heaven, our prayer is,

Lord, in your goodness and mercy in which we are not deserving of, we pray,

Lord, open our eyes that we may see the wonderful things from your law. And most of all, as it's already been said, to behold, to gaze, to look, to behold the

Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, the

Lord, Savior, Messiah, your beloved Son, and who takes away the sin of the world.

And Father, as David prayed, may these words about my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight.

Oh, Lord, my rock, my redeemer. We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen. In John chapter 6, verse 22 to 24, let's give you a quick overview on this particular section.

The crowd wondered where Jesus could have gone and they knew that the disciples had departed without Him and that He had gone up to the mountain.

But they didn't know that Jesus went to the mountaintop to pray. That was

His purpose, was to pray. And during that period of time, as we looked at, during the dark wee hours of the night,

I should say, up until the morning time, Jesus sent His disciples away on the other side and, as you well know, they encountered a fierce storm.

Jesus comes walking to them on the water at the fourth watch of the night. It was a test.

It was a test. And that's the way it is with us many times.

He sends us right into the storm, doesn't He? And it's usually not into the darkest, the fourth watch of the night,

Jesus comes walking on the water right on time. And that's exactly what He did with His disciples.

And He does this to test them because He loves them. He desires to strengthen their faith.

And that's what trials do. They strengthen our faith in Christ.

That we would not depend on anything else in this world, but only God alone. And afterwards, a small fleet of boats arrived from Tiberias.

They began their search at Capernaum. Tiberias was a large city on the western shore of the

Sea of Galilee. It's interesting also to note that John the

Apostle places a discourse here of the teaching before or after each of the miracles he writes about.

Have you noticed that? There is a teaching, places a discourse of teaching before or after each of the miracles that the

Apostle writes about. I find that interesting. And this particular discourse here that we're reading is found here in John 6 verse 22.

It flows all the way to verse 71 to the very end of the chapter.

So after the feeding of the multitudes, I say the multitudes because there's more than 5 ,000 there.

There was 5 ,000 men as we've seen. There are also probably more than 5 ,000 women and does not include the children.

So it's the multitudes and you could probably estimate most of the entire city was there which would estimate, we don't know exactly how many, but around 20 ,000 people.

Significant amount of people, isn't it? And Jesus is at the end of his

Galilean ministry. And having fed the multitudes, he and his disciples are along the shores of the

Sea of Galilee near Jesus' hometown. Those who have been fed and healed have found their way to the other side of the lake marveling at Jesus, that Jesus is there too.

Knowing that he had not set out in the boat with the disciples the evening before.

So they're really astonished and marveling that he's there. Keep in mind also at this point that I think this is very important always as we go through these discourses and we see this, that the point and the main point of the

Apostle John as he writes the gospel is the purpose of proving that Jesus Christ is the

Son, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God and that we might believe that we might believe and in believing that we might have life through his name.

John 20 verse 31 That is really the primary purpose of the

Apostle as he writes this. Now, that's the Apostle's purpose in writing this awesome testimony, this book about the works and person of Jesus Christ which is wholly inspired by the

Spirit of the Living God. Both of the feeding of the multitudes in John 6, 16 to verse 21 we see that God is the provider.

He's a provider and he does this graciously, doesn't he? He cares for the people.

He provides food and also not only food, he provides safety for the people.

He cares. He's compassionate. He's good. And he's kind.

Jesus proclaims in the synagogue these things too in Capernaum as you see in verse 59 these things he said in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum.

And the main theme that he teaches is, and we're going to see this all the way through the end of the chapter that he is the bread of life.

Now, that's the underscored theme of this entire chapter that Jesus is the bread of life.

Verse 35 Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life.

And notice what he says. He who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

So you never shall hunger again. You shall never thirst again. And those who come to him will never hunger.

And those who believe in him shall never thirst. It's twofold.

Jesus exclusively states his self -existence and his nature while at the same time declaring that he is the sufficient food himself for their souls for all eternity.

Amen? Praise God. He's all we need.

I'll take that soul food anytime. That's the best.

Jesus is the best. Now from verse 25 to verse 33

Jesus our Lord introduces great truth that here that he is the bread of life.

It's going to take a little time I think for us to go through this but God willing, I really believe that all the way through this chapter

I believe it will be a wonderful study for us at Redeeming Grace Church as the Lord wills to approach the

Christmas season as we embark on the study of the deity of Christ as the incarnate bread the bread from heaven as we approach within this season as we focus on the

Lord Jesus Christ that he is the incarnate son of he is, he is I like what

Robert G. Lee said I quoted it yesterday while we were moving Sister Linda helping her out

I love this wonderful quote from Robert G. Lee not Robert E.

Lee now but Robert G. Lee he was actually the pastor of the church in Tennessee before Adrian Rogers pastored and he said this the son of God became the son of man so that the sons of men might become the sons of God and that's exactly why

Jesus came to bring us into the kingdom and he does it by his works, right?

It's not by our works and that's why he tells them the work of God is this that you believe in the one he has sent to believe so we must have the believing down, right?

It's only by the spirit of God that can help us and through the word of God that never contradicts each other now again from verse 25 to verse 29 the theme of the

Passover and Exodus imagery the manna from heaven the grumbling, the complaining it continues, doesn't it?

it continues and how patient our Savior is he's patient toward us, isn't he?

when we grumble and complain but it also shows that this is very displeasing to the

Lord because the Lord punished those that grumbled and complained in the wilderness in 40 years it should be a great lesson for us to remember this that we should always give thanks in everything in everything it doesn't say necessarily for everything, does it?

but in everything, in it no matter what our circumstances are we are to give thanks and notice

Jesus gave thanks as he broke the bread and yet here are these people they're grumbling and complaining and still said show us a sign even after he multiplied the fish and the loaves from a little boy's lunch and they still continue not to be satisfied they were discontent how often do we fall in that category?

well the discussion actually moves forward by questions the questions and the statements from the crowd and they continue so why are there so many questions to our

Lord and Savior right after Jesus showed right before their eyes and fed them by a supernatural act they continued they had hardness of heart they had unbelief

Jesus knew they sought him he knew their desires he knew their motives he knew that they sought him because of the feeding of the loaves and the fish the miracle after all he being

God in flesh he knows the motives of every man's heart, doesn't he? scripture actually says this in John chapter 2 verse 24 and 25 let me quote it again because I quote it quite often but I think it's very significant but Jesus would not entrust himself to them for he knew all people he did not need any testimony about mankind for he knew what was in each man he knows what's in man what is in man depraved stony hard wicked heart of unbelief a heart that's bent to do our own thing to do our own will therefore

John chapter 6 verse 25 to verse 29 Jesus warned them not to be so concerned about working for the physical food even though that is needful as R .C.

Sproul so wonderfully put but that they fail to receive eternal life the crowd could pick up on the word work they did pick up on that isn't it interesting that that word labor, that word work stood out to them the one work

God requires is to believe in the one who he has sent

Jesus Christ to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ I like what

Warren Worsby says here in his commentary as Jesus pointed out he says this

Jesus pointed out that there are two kinds of food food for the body which is necessary but but not the most important is food for the inner man the spirit which is essential what the people needed was not food but life and life is a gift from God food only sustains life but Jesus gives eternal life

I had to squeeze that in I said that is something to chew on there praise

God as God is the giver of life but the food that is for our body only sustains us but the food that is in Jesus, in him for our inner man gives eternal life that's why when we have the communion and the time to remember our

Lord Jesus Christ and his sufferings and his death we focus on his broken body the bread from heaven true food to remember him also the words of Isaiah come to mind why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy

Isaiah 55 too we need to remember that well we'll look briefly at this section here verse 26 to verse 33 we basically see the confusion of unbelief the confusion of unbelief and we're going to look at unbelief, the confusion of unbelief and we'll look at the purpose of belief verse 26

Jesus answers their question indirectly what is the question that he's answering notice verse 25 when they found him on the other side of the lake they asked him,

Rabbi, when did you get here? very truly I tell you, you're looking for me not because you saw the signs

I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill in other words they were following Jesus for the wrong reasons they were seeking

Jesus for the wrong reasons how many people within the churches are actually doing this today and also as David would say

Lord try my heart and see if there would be any wicked way in me am I truly following the Lord for the right reason?

he says I performed those miracles but because you ate the loaves and had filled do not work for the food that perishes, spoils but for the food that endures to eternal life which the

Son of Man will give you he's a giving God, isn't he? for on him

God the Father has placed his seal of approval on Jesus Christ and Jesus answers their question indirectly basically the crowd followed

Jesus out of the wrong motive for the wrong reason wrong purpose and they were motivated by a superficial desire for food rather than an understanding of the true spiritual significance of the majestic glorious person that's in Jesus Christ they did not see him for who he really was and for his mission so in question they began to grumble they began to complain arguing, sum up the confusion of unbelief each time the gospel of John describes this unbelief the discontentment builds against Christ's offered words of truth that's given here in the text and Jesus rebukes them he rebukes them lovingly but graciously because he knows that they're following him for the wrong motives and he rebukes them so actually this particular section from verse 26 to verse 33 is a rebuke as they're looking for a bread to fill their stomachs and not the bread to satisfy which is in Christ to satisfy their souls and what does that tell us?

they're focused on the material they're focused on what is passing away their focus is not heavenward their focus is not on the eternal may

God spare us again there's reasons for the material and the purpose but all the material and the purpose and the general here is to point us to the revelation of God to see him the people began questioning him sincerely they were misguided, they were blind and they're,

I would like to say, religious unbelief because they were very religious they really thought they had it together but they didn't so this crowd follows

Jesus for the wrong reason wanting to make him a bread king and have their basic needs met in other words, they were following Christ for their own personal needs that was their motive now, we all have needs, right?

and do you think our Lord cares about those needs? well, absolutely, you saw this in the miracle he provided the miracle and he provided the multiplying of the fish and the loaves he shows that he cares but they began to follow him just for that for the wrong reasons, for the wrong motives and may we check our own hearts in this that,

Lord, I'm following you because I love you for who you are you are majestic you are glorious you are my savior you died for me you was buried for me you rose again for me you're coming back for me and oh, how he loves you so but you don't have to worry about these other things as Jesus said in Matthew in the great sermon on the mountain which we're studying in Sunday school

Jesus says in Matthew 6 .33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you such as, what?

food and clothing the essential things he can take care of us we don't have to worry about that delight yourself in the

Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart and because our heart changes our affections change become holy and wrapped up in loving him he will take care of his own he's the good shepherd he's the great shepherd he's the chief shepherd and he never abandons his own sheep praise his name so, they seek at him for the wrong reason only for their stomachs which is their

God verse 27 do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures to eternal life which the

Son of Man will give you that's a promise for on him

God the Father has placed his seal of approval praise his name since they have failed to see

Jesus as Lord and Messiah he directs the crowd's eyes and hearts heavenward to seek the bread from heaven to properly identify

Christ as the one on whom God the Father has set his seal the one who has been commissioned as scripture says with all authority think of that not some authority but all authority who has forgiven us our sins you and I can rest in that and know that he's granted eternal life in him in Christ has reconciled us back to himself back to the

Father folks, this is the work of God Jesus has did this to the poor, blind, religious people here that were seeking

Jesus for wrong reasons and they kept thinking what must

I do to work the works of God that reminds me of that jailer that Paul spoke to when he was about really to commit suicide and Paul says, stops him and I believe he cried out, what must

I do? what must I do to be saved?

Paul says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ he didn't go into this long theological discussion no sir he says, you believe on the

Lord Jesus Christ notice man is always trying in himself but never trusting

God he's always trying but never trusting he seems to be doing something and we were there once, right?

for such as us we were there and seems to be there's something

I must do to inherit eternal life like the rich young ruler that comes to Christ sounds so sanctimonious, sounds great what must

I do? I must have some part he likes to feel that there's something he could do to merit his salvation if he can somehow contribute to the saving of his own soul then he can find a ground for boasting that's the reason why there's pride the pride within us that must be nailed to the cross and mortified and put to death there's something within man that says

I must have something to do to inherit this eternal life and God says,

I've done it all all you to do, Jesus says is believe on the one whom

God the Father sent that's all you believe and believing is

God's way God's way is the best way there's no other way reminds me of what

John 14 6 in response to Thomas asking Jesus Lord, we do not know where you're going how can we know the way?

how can we know the way? don't you love how Jesus said this?

that revelation the son of God, the son of man himself says without bat of an eye,

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the

Father except through me and of him alone what does it say in Ephesians chapter 2?

you're real familiar with it aren't you glad, look at verse 4 but God who is rich in mercy he loved us with his great love made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions notice what he says it is by grace you have been saved grace unmerited favor cannot earn it cannot work for it by God's grace alone it is the gift of God listen to this, it goes on to say that it is the gift of God and has raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness that's another way of goodness that's another word for goodness expressed in his kindness his compassion to us in Christ Jesus then he says for it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves it is the gift of God and what does he say?

not of works not of works so that no one can boast aren't you glad when we all get to heaven folks and bow before the feet of Jesus and kiss his feet we can say

Jesus paid it all and all to him I owe for all eternity no one will boast

Paul says if I boast it's in the Lord if I boast it's in Christ if I magnify him it's through the cross and no one can boast for we are

God's handiwork we are God's workmanship for what purpose? created in Christ Jesus for good works unto good works to do good works so good works is not excluded it comes, it's the result that's the obedience that follows which

God prepared in advance for us to do actually that is the confession part me and brother

Keith was talking about this earlier there's the believing part from the heart then the confession but because of the confession it shows what has happened in the heart because Jesus said out of the heart man speaks right we know what's coming out of that heart you hear people speak it's coming from there most of the time it's a cesspool isn't it but from God for God's people it's praises and glory to him and then we confess

Christ but if there's no confession of Christ to the people and that confession is not a one time confession right?

and an altar call no, this confession is forever oh I say forever, yes, but it's here on this earth after we've been born again the heart's transformed and the confession comes forth and why

I say that, because if you notice in the scriptures people spoke boldly the word of God after they were saved so if the child of God's not a missionary speaking boldly the word of God and the works of God like the

Samaritan woman and the man that was healed from being possessed of demons they spoke the word of God, they got out there saying something's wrong so both is required, but it starts in the heart first doesn't it because the heart needs to be transformed notice the poor lost souls out there today that don't know

Jesus Christ what are they talking about? they talk about everything but Jesus and folks that's where you and I come in the salt of the earth, the light of the world to say

I want to tell you about the greatest person that ever lived, that loves you more than you love yourself and that is

Jesus Christ let me tell you about my redeemer, amen we must tell the world

Jesus tells these people here to believe John 6 29 and they only continue to question question, question, unbelief unbelief, unbelief they ask him, they repeat to repeat the miracle could you imagine the audacity of that?

he just gave them a miracle from heaven and if they knew who they like Jesus told the woman at the well, if you knew who was speaking to you you would think otherwise oh and Jesus told her, the woman at the well, that Samaritan woman if you knew the gift of God and who it was speaking to you oh everything would turn around and it did turn around for her, amen praise his name they wanted another miracle from heaven eaten by God's people like what happened in the wilderness years ago, they read about it of course and even here they are falling in the same footsteps

I say same footsteps because their heart was just like they were that generation was they had a hard heart of unbelief so they said

Jesus prove it to us sad but Jesus would not be used he knew what was in their heart so we see this and the conversation goes like this so they ask him what sign notice

Paul said this about Jews, they seek a sign always seeking signs and not by faith

Jesus said I give you one sign the sign of Jonah and that's an interesting sign

Jesus says as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster so the son of man would be in the heart of the earth in other words he's going to be buried he's going down just like Jonah did, he went down and then

Jesus would come up and as the sea monster, the whale brought up Jonah and spewed him out

Jesus came up out of the grave victorious but there's a picture for us they didn't see

Jonah, Jonah's a great lesson only three chapters in that wonderful little book but there's a lot of lessons there and Jonah being the reluctant prejudiced prophet as he was, they thought he had a monopoly as the

Jewish people thought on God, they said I'm not going to take this message to the people of Nineveh he knew

God was a good God, he knew God was merciful, he basically was saying God you're just, they deserve these wicked heathens, they need to be punished

God spare us from an attitude such as Jonah God spare us let us show mercy and grace to the undeserving to the heathens that don't know that blind, they're blind folks right

God give us patience Lord give us patience Jonah didn't have any patience for him, he said

Lord just like the, makes me think also the disciples of Jesus of the heathens, they're caught down fire

Lord Jesus says you don't know what spirit you're of you don't know what spirit you're of we leave justice to God right

God will judge rightly, it's what Abraham says, shall not the judge of all the earth do right could hold on to that amen see all this injustice of the land

God's going to do right for right now we need to show mercy because I'm telling you the great day of the

Lord's coming and then justice will be served the hammer will fall right now it's grace, mercy compassion this is

Jesus Jesus is here showing this and they ask what sign what sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you we'll believe you if you give us a sign

Jesus said wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign what will you do they said, what will you do our ancestors ate the manna and the wilderness as it is written and as they said it is written they're basically misquoting basically oh

Moses Moses that's who they idolized gave them the bread from heaven to eat,

Jesus comes right behind and corrects them and says truly truly I tell you it is not

Moses who had given you this bread from heaven but it is my

Father who gives you the true bread from heaven don't you love that the true bread who's the true bread the

Lord Jesus Christ Jesus himself for the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world hallelujah to believe in Christ Spurgeon said this about believing in Christ I love this

I love Spurgeon don't you amen he said faith is most pleasing to God because it is the comprehensive summary of all true work there lies within a heart of faith every possible form of holiness as a forest may lie asleep within the bounds of faith little though it is every virtue lies hidden it may be he says microscopic in form but it is certainly there and only needs to be developed if I had before me a list of all the graces of the

Spirit of God and I were to take them up one by one and examine them for faith

I would find some measure of all these good works of the

Spirit of God hidden away in the simple acts of believing in the

Lord Jesus Christ I know what some of us have asked is that all that we have to do to be saved are we simply and only to believe in Christ that is and trust ourselves to him yes that is all and it is so small of an act that even the most uneducated heart can perform it yet within it there are inconceivable mysteries of goodness what is more all the graces come out of the faith in due time for faith sums up the whole of the

Christian life end quote amen it's by faith alone faith alone the just shall live by faith by faith go to that you don't have to turn there now but go to Hebrews 11 the hall of fame of faith by faith by faith by faith by faith through faith by faith by faith by faith by faith folks say that read that chapter every day if you feel yourself down and discouraged and saying it's something

I gotta do to inherit to earn God's smile just remember Jesus he's done it all and if you're in Jesus and believing in Jesus you got all you need folks by faith well let me give you an application

I think about psalm 95 go to psalm 95 this would be for personal application

I have two and I believe one from psalm 95 the first portion of psalm 95 psalm 95 is an exhortation for us to come before the

Lord it's an invitation he says this come let us sing for the joy to the

Lord to shout aloud to the rock of our salvation let us don't you love that let us let us sing

Hebrews picks up that thing let us let us corporately together let us come before him with thanksgiving and that stole him with music and song and praise verse 3 for the

Lord is the great God and the king above all gods and in his hand are the depths of the earth and the mountains peaks belong to him the sea is his for he has made it and his hands form the dry land come there's the invitation come come remember what

Jesus said come unto me he said let us again bow down in worship let us kneel before the

Lord our maker for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and the flock under his care and here's a transition right here folks here it is today today the apostle

Paul used this today do not harden your hearts today believe in him today not tomorrow today today if only you will hear his voice hear his voice there's power in his voice folks in his voice he made the universe in his voice he can take a whole pile of bones in the valley and raise up as a great and mighty army he speaks it folks out of nothing came something the power of God's word and hear his voice what does he say do not harden your hearts as you did in Meribah as you did in the day of Massa in the wilderness where your ancestors tested me they tried me though they had seen what

I did they seen it and for 40 years I was angry with that generation and I said they are a people who go their hearts go astray and they have not known my ways so I declared on an oath and my anger they shall not enter my rest that's how serious it is a hard heart of unbelief and J .C.

Rowell said this and every time we choose to sin against God in our hearts it a fresh act of sin hardens our heart even more it's like one pile of concrete upon brick and concrete upon brick and it hardens that's why we must be broken and humbled before God 40 years

God was angry with that generation because of a hard heart of unbelief this is a warning to us but it's a loving warning it's not to do us damage or bad it's to help us to come to Christ and say this is what the

Lord requires of us to walk humbly before our

God to love justice mercy to love mercy you see the psalms tone shifts as the psalmist urges

Israelites not to resist God's leadership here the warning is urgent today that's when we talk to people but we need to look at ourselves here today we do not need to harden our hearts today this is always relevant

God's word is always relevant now think about Meribah I think

I pronounced that right and Massa these are spots in the desert where the

Israelites challenged God they challenged the most high little man challenging

God did you know what the name Meribah means? it means quarreling they quarreled

God save us from quarreling Massa means testing they tested

God in other words the Israelites bickered with God when they doubted his ability to provide the water in the desert in Exodus chapter 17 in Numbers chapter 20 on another occasion they refused to enter

Canaan because they felt outmatched by the Canaanites in Numbers 13 and 14 but this generation had escaped

Egypt and why is this such a severe warning? because they saw the mighty acts of God they saw

God give the miracles one after one after one and eventually freed them after the death of the firstborn and the only protection was as you well know the blood on the doorpost and God would set them free by his merciful mighty hand and using

Moses as his vehicle as his channel to lead the people of Israel this generation had seen

God's nature bending power and they had witnessed the power of God they saw the covenant love of God but as their fears grew louder they were fearful and their fears were stronger than the voice of God supposedly in their own hearts because of unbelief because of unbelief they hardened their hearts against God and as punishment as you well know

God borrowed them from the promised land and sentenced them to 40 restless years in the desert going round and around and around and around as brother

Keith said that's the first NASCAR track. Let's not do that, right?

May God spare us from going in circles let's make tracks going forward to the celestial city and going to the land of Canaan and to heaven and know that we will enter in God's wrist.

Straying from God always begins in our inner thoughts and desires, amen? I know this is hard for us but we need to examine our hearts.

This psalm urges us to approach God with a soft broken heart of reverence.

Stay and always sensitive and obedient to his word. For the author of Hebrews uses these stories and this psalm to teach the persecuted

Christians not to turn back from following Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of our faith.

One more exhortation Romans 10 we must believe with our heart in the

Lord Jesus Christ. I know this is a familiar verse but it is so important. Romans 10 look at verse 5

Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law we studied this this morning the person who does these things will live by them but the righteousness that is by faith says do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven that is to bring

Christ down or who will descend into the deep that is to bring Christ up from the dead but what does it say?

Isn't this a beautiful the word is near you it's near you it is in your mouth and in your heart that is the message concerning faith that we proclaim and then he says this if you declare confess with your mouth the

Lord Jesus is Lord the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved for it is with the heart he says the heart that you believe into salvation that you are justified and it is with the mouth notice how they go together that you profess faith and are saved as the scripture says don't you love how

Paul the apostle he says we go to the scripture the scripture says anyone whosoever shall believe in him will never be put to shame for there is no difference between Jew and Gentile the same

Lord is Lord of all and richly blessed is all who call on him for whosoever shall call on the name of the

Lord shall be saved and that word saved there means shall be delivered deliverance is only in Jesus only in Christ in Christ alone so the message of the gospel summarized in Romans 10 9 and 10 explained in verse 10

Christians will profess their faith which the church and to the world on the negative side salvation is the same as being put to shame on the last day hence

Isaiah 28 16 Paul quoted it in Romans 9 33 is the support for the argument that belief or faith or trust is all the same word that leads to salvation trust in him trust in the

Lord with all your heart lean not on your own understanding but acknowledge him in all your ways right we are to trust you know

I like how Moody said it what does it mean to believe he says I'll put it very simple as a child can understand it it means to lean on Jesus with all my weight to cast all my care upon him for he cares for me amen

I love that lean that's where we get the word the wonderful old song leaning on the everlasting arms

I love that don't you leaning on the everlasting loving arms of Jesus so you can fall right into the arms of Jesus and he'll take you by his side like a little sheep little lamb right up to him you just lean on him

I don't care what you're going through today you lean hard on him it's what the psalmist says

I'm leaning hard on God I lean hard on him if the difficult if the difficulties become more difficult if the darkness becomes more dark hey

Jesus is there he's in the fourth watch of the night he's there you can lean on him and you can trust in him and he has you who else do we have folks this world's going to let you down your best friend will let you down your pastor will let you down sometimes your wife may let you down I don't know but listen to this

Jesus will never let you down how about you have you believed on the

Lord Jesus Christ have you placed all your trust in him all in the person and works of Jesus Christ and him alone and by the way when we get to the end of the journey that's all that's really going to matter because as you trust in him you're placing your trust in him and him alone his life his works his death his burial his resurrection becomes yours by faith and like God said when

I see the blood I'll pass over you that's all that's going to matter the only thing that's going to get us through the portals of heaven is being washed in the blood of the lamb and that's by faith and believing believe in him believe in the

Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved praise his name let's pray our father and our great

God Lord you're so good and kind to us Lord we're so undeserving thank you so much for Jesus Lord not one of us here would be here today we thank you and we praise you for the precious blood that washes whiter than snow that could take the most dirty filthy hard heart and transform it to a soft heart broken and mended in your hand molded by your hand clean and washed because father we were dirty creatures we have polluted this world you have made and all that you made was very good and Lord here we come along and we polluted but oh

God you've had mercy on us and Jesus as we kneel at the foot of the cross we thank you for that blood that blood that washes whiter than snow as William Cooper said there's a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners can plunge beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains if we have not done that Lord may we do so oh

Lord thank you for your mercy thank you for your grace thank you for your everlasting goodness and thank you most of all for the greatest gift that is insurmountable as Paul said thanks be unto

God for that unspeakable gift the Lord Jesus Christ thank you thank you we praise you we give you glory and honor for it's in Jesus name