R sbc
Sunday Morning
Series: Christ the Sum & Substance
Subject: “ THE REST THAT CHRIST GIVE”
Text: Hebrews 4:8-10
Corresponding Text: Matt 11- 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Intro: It is clear that most people believe that verse eight is Joshua and not Jesus Christ. The context shows no rest and a future rest, and a present rest. I wish to deal with the present rest we have in Christ.
Sinners seek rest in many things, but all to no avail. They want rest in their spirits but go to the wrong thing or wrong person to obtain it. In Matthew the word “rest” means a calm from any outward work that leads to an expectance. The words rest in our text has two meanings. The first being that of a Sabbath rest, like God when he rested after he finished his work. The other has to do with a calm rest like the stilling of the wind after has blow a storm up and then ceases. Like that of Jesus on the water with his disciples:
Mark 4-39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
One of the things that hinders the people from rest, is their own stubborn hearts and wills. You cannot have rest as the text speaks of till you have been made to realize your need of it. If you are calm about your sins, about your own achievements in life to produce it, your on religious activity to obtain it...then you are still in your sins, in the gall of bitterness.
In verse nine, the rest spoken of there is the Sabbath rest that the LORD provides. That is another subject. But the rest of which I speak of this morning is a rest that comes with regeneration and conversion.
I... THE PEOPLE OF THE REST I SPEAK OF: VS 10
We will confine it to what the Bible says about it.
(1.) It is sinners:
The Lord Jesus Christ as we all know came to call sinners to be saved, and did not come to call righteous people...that is those who were righteous in there on eyes. The Lord was preaching one day...
Lu 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Again he says:
Lu 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
(2.) They are called ungodly
Ro 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Ro 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
The great question must answer this morning is , am I laboring under the load of sin, do I want the rest that Jesus Christ and him alone can give. If your answer is yes, then you can have him right now..
II... “ THE KIND OF REST HE GIVES TO THE WONDERING SINNER WHOM HE SAVES”...
Words cannot describe the peace and rest that Jesus Christ can give a sinner whom he is calling this morning. It is so marvelous that pen cannot describe it, tongue cannot foretell the greatest of it. Songs cannot convey it in the most beautiful expression of notes and words.. Yet we are always seeking ways to convince the lost of the greatness of this.
(1.) It is promised rest: Matt 11- 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest
The Lord is not asking you to come, he is commanded you to come. The word “come” means “come here now” all of us knew the voice of our mothers when it was to late to plead your case...she would simply and authoritivly say come here now. You came. Same thing with Christ.
Joh 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. There is no need coerce, to plead, to beg, to try tricker, because if the LORD says come you will come.
(2.) It is a peculiar rest: 2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Peculiar in that it is in our hearts no matter what goes on. The emperors of Rome could not understand the expressions on the faces of the people who were thrown alive in the lions dungeon and while they pulled there limbs apart, the people of rest were praising the lord for his grace...
III... “THE PERSON TO WHOM REST HAS COME INTO THEIR SOULS”
There is no question this morning that those whom Christ has commanded to come, and they have come there is in them something that the world does not have. What is it?
(1.) It is a spiritual awareness of divine things:
2 Cor 2-14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
(2.) It is spiritual awareness of what they have come from:
Luke 5-31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
We have come from a state of darkness to a state of spiritual light: Mt 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Joh 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
(3.) It is a spiritual hunger that we had not known before we came to Christ;
Mt 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. The table is set, the food and drink is ready, many have come and set down at this great table of a spiritual feast...and many have walked away.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Ps 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
(4.) It causes us to have a burden for others to see and taste and drink and eat of this great spiritual feast of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
John 1-40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
When is the last time we went and found someone we know that is without Christ and brought them, ask them, encouraged them to come to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ... Oh that we would get a burden in this church for lost sinners....
CONCLUDE WITH THESE REMARKS:
There is no doubt that the only rest we can find that is secure that will last forever is through the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Do you know him this morning? Do you want to know him? Then come to him right now and right where you stand!