RESTING IN CHRIST

TEXT: Hebrew 4:1-13  

Chap 1-2 = Our Savior | 3 = Our Skepticism | 4 = Our Serenity.

The word “Rest” is found 11 times in chapters 3-4. This passage is fitting because we live in such a Restless, Impatient and Anxious time. The peace and rest this world offers is a poor substitute for what God offers us.

God’s peace revealed. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

God wants you to have… A calm and confident heart. Our text speaks of 5 Rest – 1. Creation; 2. Canaan; 3. Calvary; 4. Coming; 5. Current.

1.   CREATION REST (v 4). God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

It was an awesome time in the history of the world! Genesis 2:2 On the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

The beginning of faith is faith in “the beginning.”

NOTE: Seven times in Genesis 1 God says that Every Thing Was GOOD!

This rest was lost in the fall (Genesis 3:17).

God will one day restore this rest. Romans 8:18-28 

2.   CANAAN REST (v 6).  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

This passage is connected to the previous chapter (Hebrews 3:7-11).

This rest was forfeited.

New Testament example: 1 Timothy 1:18-19 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy,… that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

3.   CALVARY REST (v 10).  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

God desires that we have rest!

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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.

4.   COMING REST (v 9). There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

This verse says there is a rest awaiting us.

2 Thessalonians 1:7 To you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.

Revelation 14:13 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord…that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

What one word is associated with the loss of all rest? Unbelief!

5.   CURRENT REST (v 1, 11). Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it….Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

What is God asking us to do? The case begins in v 1 – Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

How do we enter God’s rest?

Follow the right formula (v 2-3).  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. ³ For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Hearing + Believing = Resting

Respond at the right time (v 7-8). Choose now! Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. ⁸ For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

CONCLUSION: John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The Lord wants you to have – A calm heart. 

The Lord wants you to have – A confident heart.

 

Alcohol - Poison of Perdition

ALCOHOL

Poison of Perdition

* Preached by Pastor Kevin Burden at Carter Creek Baptist Church ~ Sunday PM, August 12^th, 2007

Proverbs 23:29-35 “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. 31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”

Introduction: We have a drug problem in the U.S. We could talk about: cocaine, marijuana, meth, or heroine. America’s ^#1 problem drug is not any of these illegal substances, but a legal drug called ALCOHOL.

Alcohol on College Campuses: A campus rape is reported every 21 hours, which translates into 6,000 rapes each year nation wide. Alcohol is implicated in 90% of all campus rapes. Sixty percent of all college women diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease were drunk at the time they were infected. More than 1,700 college students in the U.S. are killed each year as a result of alcohol-related injuries.

Alcohol & Teens: Alcohol is a leading cause of death among teenagers. It contributes substantially to teenage automobile accidents, traumatic injuries, suicide, date rape, and family and school problems. Every day more than 11,000 American youth between the age of 12 to 20 try alcohol for the first time. Alcohol is the most used and abused drug among America’s teenagers. According to a national survey, nearly one third of all high school students reported participating in hazardous drinking (5+ drinks in one setting). Young people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism.

1. Most death – Alcohol causes more deaths than any other drug. Over 55% of highway deaths are alcohol related. It causes heart, liver and kidney disease, and deadly addictions.

2. Most addiction – There are over 17 million alcoholics in America today. They, by far, outnumber the addicts of any other drug.

3. Most misery – Think of the death, disability, psychosis, addiction. It produces more misery than any other drug on earth.

While it is the most dangerous drug in the world, there is no warning label on the bottle! Each container should read –

^#1 Producer of death.

^#1 Producer of addiction.

^#1 Producer of misery (divorce, crime, poverty)

^#1. HOW ALCOHOL ATTRACTS.

Medicinally: Some abuse alcohol as a medicine.

1 Timothy 5:23 “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.”

Proverbs 31:6 “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,…”

Moderately: Some think it’s okay to drink in moderation.

Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

Mentally: Some drink to temporarily escape real life.

Proverbs 31:6-7 “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. 7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

Ministerially: Some think Jesus condoned drinking in John 2:1-12. HE DID NOT!!  Read John 2:10; the ruler of the feast said, “Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.”

Good KJV = better, fair, good, honest, meet, well, worthy.

Consider Habakkuk 2:15 “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!”

Had Jesus turned water into an intoxicating “adult beverage” He would have violated His fathers command; Led men into sin; and died in vain on the cross as a lying lunatic.

^#2. HOW ALCOHOL ATTACKS. When it comes to misery alcohol scores a perfect 10. Examine Proverbs 23:29-35.

Alcohol Destroys With Sorrow (v 29). “who hath sorrow?”

I cannot begin to tell you the sorrow and misery I’ve seen in people resulting from alcohol.

I’ve seen it ruin marriages and cause divorce.

I’ve seen it turn teens into rebels who ruin their lives.

I’ve seen it turn gentle men into wife-beaters and murders.

I’ve seen it cause children to be deprived of the necessities of life.

I’ve seen it send people to an early grave.

I’ve seen these things occur time and time again and I’ve developed a genuine hatred for the “adult beverage” of alcohol!

Alcohol Destroys With Contention (v 29) “who hath contentions?”

Alcohol is a recipe for fighting, divorce, violence, rape, murder?

Want to drive a wedge between husband & wife, parent & child, close friends? – Social drinking is a great place to start!

Alcohol Destroys With Foolishness (v 29). “who hath babblings”

The one who’s usually quiet and reserved is transformed into an idiot running around the room with a lampshade on their head!

Shakespeare said, “O that men would put an enemy in their mouths, to steal their brains away.”

A man once told a friend, “I drink vodka, so you can’t smell it on my breath.” His friend replied, “maybe you should switch to something they CAN smell; it’s better for them to know you’re drunk, than think you’re stupid.”

Alcohol Destroys With Injury (v 29). “who hath wounds without cause?”

Alcohol kills over 200,000 Americans every year. More than 400 Americans will die this week in alcohol-related car accidents… many of them innocent victims of drunk drivers.

Alcohol Destroys With Mental Anguish (v  29). “redness of eyes”

Many people drink to find happiness and in the end it’s the one thing they have the least of!

Alcohol Destroys With Health Failure (v 32). “At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.”

Why do people drink alcohol and then vomit? Because their stomach has more sense than their head! Their body rejects the poison. That’s why we call it “intoxication.” It’s a toxin!

Alcohol Destroys With Immorality (v 33). “Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.”

Alcohol breaks down godly inhibitions and moral restraint. Even the world knows it and jest, “candy is dandy but liquor is quicker!”

Alcohol Destroys With Instability (v 34). “Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.”

A drunk can’t walk straight, talk straight, or think straight…and yet TV commercials call him “the man of distinction.”

Alcohol Destroys With Insensibility (v 35). “They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not:”

His sensibilities are deadened.

Alcohol Destroys With Addiction (v 35). “when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”

Chinese proverb, “first the man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink, and then the drink takes the man.”

CONCLUSION: I want everyone here to understand that the Bible teaches total abstinence when it comes to alcohol.

Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

BUY A FIELD

BUYING A FIELD

Jeremiah 32:1-15 | 6 And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came unto me, sayinG, 7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.” 8 So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, “Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 9 And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.”

BACKGROUND: Jeremiah was a prophet from the reign of Josiah through that of Zedekiah – a span of almost 40 years. He was also a prophet during the time of Daniel.

Zedekiah was placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar. He had seriously divided loyalties between the king of Babylon and the people of Israel. God’s messenger, Jeremiah, was a thorn in Zedekiah’s flesh.

Jeremiah is in prison because Zedekiah didn’t like what Jeremiah preached. Jeremiah had prophesied that the present invasion of Israel would last 70 years and was the result of God’s judgment (he was right).

Zedekiah eventually took part in a rebellion against Babylon.  As a result he was taken to Nebuchadnezzar’s military headquarters at Riblah were his sons were killed and he was blinded as punishment for his rebellion (v 4-5).

“Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; ⁵ And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon,…”

Jerusalem was being blockaded by the Babylonian military, which already occupied the land and was advancing on the city.

In our text, God speaks to Jeremiah, who is in prison and tells him to buy a field.

Common sense says, “this is not the time to invest in real-estate”, yet Jeremiah does as instructed.  Why? Because Jeremiah knew…

If we are to accomplish the work God called us too . . .

1.     We must recognize opportunity using spiritual perception (v 6-8).

·      Perception is the condition of being aware, conscious, and alert to our surroundings. God told Jeremiah an opportunity was going to be presented to him, and he was to seize that opportunity. This property had been a part of his family inheritance. Before a Jewish person could sell a piece of property, which had been a part of their inheritance, they had to offer it to a kinsman first (Lev 25).

Jeremiah is offered a field – he can redeem or reject it.

Jesus said, “The field is the world” (Matthew 13:38)! Christ died to redeem that field!

·      The Field is before us and the Right of Redemption is ours. John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

·      We’ve been given the ministry of Reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God…

·      We must seize the opportunity! If we don’t, the right of redemption will pass to another. If we do not act it goes by default to the devil!

If we are to accomplish the work God called us too . . .

2.     We must learn to see what others can’t (v 1-2). The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar ² For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.

·      We need VISION! This property was nearly worthless. It was in the control of the enemy. It is no wonder that Hanameel didn’t want it. Jeremiah was an old man; he would not be around when the 70 years of captivity would be over. Though he is in prison, he saw what others could not see!

·      We need to see what others cannot see.  We are under siege by Babylon! Prophetically, Babylon will continue to grow and engulf the world. Many believers are saying let’s Sell out or let’s give in. But the Christ centered thinker sees opportunity to reconcile souls.

“Never doubt in darkness what God has given you in the light!”

If we are to accomplish the work God called us too . . .

3.     We must get all the information we can from God’s revelation (v 8). So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.

·      God speaks through His… Word, Spirit, Messengers, Providence

If we are to accomplish the work God called us too . . .

4.     We must be obedient to the information God has given (v 9-15). And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. ¹⁰ And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. ¹¹ So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open: ¹² And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. ¹³ And I charged Baruch before them, saying, ¹⁴ Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.

·      He did not hesitate! What God has revealed we must pursue!

·      God wants His seal placed upon “earthen vessels” (v 14).

·      We have been entrusted with the Gospel of Redemption. 2 Corinthians 4:5-7 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

If we are to accomplish the work God called us too . . .

5.     We must act with anticipation of God’s Promise (v 15). Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.

·      The Location of Anathoth is 3 miles outside of Jerusalem. It is the birth place of Jeremiah. It is in the middle of the enemy encampment.

CONCLUSION:

·      Fear often shows up in our lives when we’re at risk of losing something—our wealth, health, reputation, position, safety, family, friends.

·      It reveals our natural desire to protect the things in life that are important to us, rather than fully entrusting them to God’s care and control.

·      But fear cripples us emotionally and saps us spiritually. We become afraid to tell others about Christ, to extend our lives and resources for the benefit of others, or to venture into new territory.

Rev Kev | Cornerstone Baptist Church | For Sunday AM, August 12, 2011