Thank you once again for
coming to "Faith Chapel."
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I'm Gordon Arruda,
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head elder of the Roseville
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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in Sacramento, California.
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I'm so glad you decided
to come and study with us.
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Today's topic is a topic
that is so important that
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it has revolutionized my walk
and my Christian experience.
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It has been the
source of healing
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of deep hurts and
wounds and has lifted my spirit
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and my soul to truly
rejoice in my Lord Jesus Christ
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as my Lord and Savior.
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And I hope this message, too,
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will be the beginning of a
deeper walk with your Lord,
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and I pray that the Holy Spirit
will be active here and now
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as we dig into the word of God.
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The topic for today is
"the call to rest and abide."
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I'd like to pray
before we do this
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because I always need the
Holy Spirit on this subject.
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Let's bow our heads.
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Heavenly Father,
Your word is always true.
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We thank you for the living word
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who opens our hearts that
we may receive it in power.
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And so I ask You
once again, Jesus,
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to come down in the
power of Your spirit
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and bless the listeners.
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Bless our reading
and bless our study.
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Only in You can the
Kingdom of God advance
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and so our trust is in thee.
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In Your name we pray, amen.
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I'd like to begin the study
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by going to the
Gospel of Matthew.
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Matthew, the 11th Chapter.
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Reading there
in verse 27 and 28.
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Jesus says, "All
things have been delivered
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to Me by My Father,
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and no one knows the
Son except the Father.
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Nor does anyone know
the Father except the Son,
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and the one to whom the
Son wills to reveal Him.
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Come to Me, all you who
labor and are heavy laden,
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and I will give you rest."
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Notice who the
invitation is for.
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Those who labor
and are heavy laden.
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I don't think Jesus
was talking to people
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and concerned about those
who were working overtime.
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Those who involved in
very heavy physical labor.
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The labor and the heavy burdens
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He's talking about
here is the concern
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with their
spiritual and religious life.
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We know that the
system of Judaism
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at that time was
heavily engulfed in rituals
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and the
traditions of their elders.
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Scripture was
becoming more and more obscure
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as the traditions of men
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became more and more abundant.
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Christ offers the
solution of alleviating
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the burden of trying to
work under human tradition
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or even manmade religions
by inviting us to come to Him,
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so that we can experience rest.
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Rest obliviously,
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is the antithesis
of legalistic religion.
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Legalistic religion always
entails upon the worshipper
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to work harder and
more precise at being good.
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It tells us that God
will only approve of you
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if you rise up to
a measure of holiness
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that is acceptable to Him.
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And even though those words
may not be explicitly stated,
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the culture and the
environment definitely
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leads people to those
conclusions deep in their heart.
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We become image conscious.
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Do we look good, are
we behaving properly,
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are we showing
people a good front?
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Legalistic
religion is truly a prison.
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There is no joy in it.
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There is no
spontaneous excitement
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or zeal for God
and His character
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or for His cause.
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And yet, so many
labor under its prison,
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under its indictments.
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Jesus' antithesis to
this kind of religion
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is entering into rest.
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And so He gives the invitation,
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"Come unto Me, ye who labor
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and are heavy laden
and I will give you rest."
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What is
interesting is that many people
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do not connect the
verse where He offers rest
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to those who come
with the previous verse
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that talks about
what He is willing to do.
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And that is to give us a
true knowledge of the Father.
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"For I will reveal the
Father to who ever I choose."
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Rest is the way we
behold the truth of God.
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Rest is the way we gaze
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and believe in the goodness
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and how profound
His love is for us
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and allows the soul to enjoy
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and to be
refreshed by the fact that
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God has come to live within you
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and has chosen to
be your righteousness
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and holiness and goodness.
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This gives
assurance and strength
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and refreshes the
soul as nothing else can.
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Rest allows us to wait upon God.
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It teaches us to be
still to the still small voice.
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It teaches us to
be silent inwardly,
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so that the power
of scripture maybe
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permeated deep within us
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so the Holy Spirit can
work that power within.
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Rest also allows us to
give up the works of the flesh.
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To let go of all self-satisfying
religion as it were.
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To give up the
preconceptions of what we think
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God wants and expects from us
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and allow us to be
nurtured by the gospel,
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so that we know everything
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that we needed to
be is already provided
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for us in Jesus Christ.
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This is what rest gives us.
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And this is why rest
refreshes a worshiper.
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Without rest,
practicing religion
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becomes a spiritual burnout.
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We get tired of
doing the God thing.
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We get churched out.
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We get whatever,
but when we continuously
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make a practiced effort
to enter into God's rest,
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we learn what it
means to be refreshed
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by the Holy Spirit.
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For the soul to come alive again
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and to remember the reason
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why we were
called into holiness.
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This is a beautiful way,
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the only way to
truly practice our faith
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and our Christianity.
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Those who do
not enter into rest,
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never learn or
experience the joys of
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fellowship with Jesus Christ.
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I'd like to turn
again to the Book of Hebrews
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that tells us
something very profound about
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what rest does.
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Hebrews 4:10.
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"For he who has
entered His rest has himself
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also ceased from his
works as God did from His."
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Now the resting of works
is very much misunderstood.
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Resting in Christ
does not mean participating
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in a do-nothing religion.
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It does not encourage laziness
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and it doesn't
encourage slothfulness
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or not taking upon
oneself responsibility.
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That's not it at all.
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Rest is the
response of the gospel
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that the Holy
Spirit leads us into
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as we continually
believe in Jesus Christ.
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Rest is the
antithesis of legalism
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and all other manmade religion.
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It actually distinguishes
between the true worshippers
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and those who
worship God in the flesh.
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The flesh nature is
always trying to provoke us
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to try to be good for God,
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to try to
produce a righteousness
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that we can be comfortable with.
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To even set up our own standards
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and even to
believe in a false God,
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that truly is not
the true living God.
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And so when the
scripture here in Hebrews
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tells us that
those who have entered
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into rest have also
rested from their works,
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the works that
they're talking about
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is the works of legalism.
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The works that
try to promote self
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and only inflame pride
and self righteousness.
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As we enter into rest in
a real way as faith clings
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to the revelation of Christ,
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as we believe that
Jesus is who He is for us,
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the soul then is led away
from the works of the flesh,
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away from the
activity of our carnal mind,
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separating ourselves
from anything to do with--
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what does not have
anything to do with God,
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and reposing the
soul into stillness
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and quietness before God,
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allowing the Holy
Spirit to refresh us
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with the
presence of Jesus Christ.
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And oh, how
refreshing that presence is.
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We will not see a
finger being pointed at us
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or harsh voice telling
us where we have failed
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and what we need to come up on.
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We will hear the
gentleness of Jesus Christ.
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We will see Him
bow down before us,
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offering Himself
to us and asking us,
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"What do you need me to do?"
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This is the
thing that has broken
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my heart time and again.
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When I have been involved
in a struggle with a sin
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or a personal issue in my life,
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and my natural reaction is
to martial my spiritual forces
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and force myself
to try to get past it.
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I can have a lot of
love-- knowledge in scripture,
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so I try to repeat
scripture to get over
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with the struggle
I'm going through.
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All that is the effort
of the flesh in dealing
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with things that can only
be handled by Christ Himself.
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And when I
learned to let go of that
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and to draw my soul
through the promptings
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of the Holy Spirit
into the arms of Christ
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and learn to be still
and submissive before Him,
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He never fails to enlighten
me with the glory of His heart,
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with the truth of His humility,
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and the offering of
Himself once again to me.
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This is what captures
my soul and wins my heart.
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This is the way
of true holiness.
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This is the way that
one finds true surrender
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in the presence of God.
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The inward
surrender that will bear fruit
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in the outward life.
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Let's turn again to John.
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The Gospel of John, Chapter 15.
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John 15:4, 5.
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A scripture that
we have all read,
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at least most of
us from time to time,
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but a scripture that
has profound consequences
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when we truly
understand what it's saying.
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Jesus says, "Abide
in Me, and I in you.
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As the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself,
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unless it abides in
the vine, neither can you,
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unless you abide in Me.
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I am the vine,
you are the branches.
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He who abides in
Me, and I in him,
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bears much fruit,
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for without Me
you can do nothing."
00:11:52.72\00:11:56.61
Abiding in Christ and resting
in Christ are synonymous.
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In scripture, it
means the same thing.
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It is the natural out
working of genuine faith
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and it is the time in
which we learn once again
00:12:11.21\00:12:14.52
the importance of our
connection to Jesus Christ.
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As we learn to
abide in Jesus Christ
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by entering into rest,
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He becomes the means by
which we are strengthened.
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We let go of the flesh's effort
to try to nourish ourselves,
00:12:26.69\00:12:31.69
by stuffing
ourselves with truths
00:12:31.72\00:12:33.38
and gospel
maxims of Bible verses
00:12:33.41\00:12:36.31
and trying to
hypnotically recount them like,
00:12:36.34\00:12:40.04
repetitious-- vain repetition.
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Scripture was not
meant to be repeated,
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repeated,
repeated like a mantra,
00:12:46.14\00:12:47.90
as though the words themselves
00:12:47.93\00:12:49.30
were going to have a magical
influence or power over us.
00:12:49.33\00:12:52.75
The word of God
was meant to go deep
00:12:52.78\00:12:55.68
in our hearts and
reveal the truth of our hearts
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and also to
reveal the truth of God.
00:12:58.52\00:13:01.19
Once that happens,
00:13:01.22\00:13:03.21
the heart is
ready to let go of self
00:13:03.24\00:13:05.76
and to embrace the truth
as it is in Jesus Christ.
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This happens as we
find our rest in Him.
00:13:09.53\00:13:12.84
By connecting
ourselves to Christ,
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we then feed from
Jesus Christ and Him alone.
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The very activity
of looking to Him alone
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and in
stillness, opening the heart
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and letting Him
just nurture the soul
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with the essence of
His presence is enough
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to strengthen the
heart for any obstacle
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that we face in life.
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It also is a
powerful bulwark against
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the inroads of
sin trying to permeate
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our minds at all times.
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It is there that the believer
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and the worshipper is
secure in the love of God.
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When we rest
and abide in Christ,
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we connect ourselves to Him
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and we confess
our total need of Him.
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The soul many
times needs to be taught
00:13:53.65\00:13:56.56
by the Holy Spirit that apart
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from Jesus as
it says in John 15,
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we can do nothing.
00:14:01.87\00:14:04.52
And so consequently,
many times God will let us
00:14:04.55\00:14:06.93
go on in our own
works and in our own way,
00:14:06.96\00:14:10.18
thinking we're doing a
wonderful thing for God
00:14:10.21\00:14:12.43
and we're really
walking the Christian life.
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And then we will
see that it has no power
00:14:15.29\00:14:18.75
to resist temptation,
00:14:18.78\00:14:20.68
it has no power to be
loving unconditionally
00:14:20.71\00:14:24.11
and then we begin to see,
00:14:24.14\00:14:26.18
without Christ
we can do nothing.
00:14:26.21\00:14:29.29
Self cannot promote
the attributes of Christ.
00:14:29.32\00:14:32.88
Self cannot muster enough energy
00:14:32.91\00:14:34.99
or power to truly duplicate
00:14:35.02\00:14:37.44
where his heart is coming from,
00:14:37.47\00:14:39.41
that can only be
done by the inward working
00:14:39.44\00:14:41.50
of the Holy Spirit.
00:14:41.53\00:14:43.07
Resting and abiding
in Christ is the way
00:14:43.10\00:14:45.48
we give
permission of the Holy Spirit
00:14:45.51\00:14:47.82
to do the work promised
to us under the new covenant.
00:14:47.85\00:14:51.33
"I will write
the law in your heart
00:14:51.36\00:14:53.48
and I will give you a new spirit
00:14:53.51\00:14:55.39
and I will cause
you to walk in the ways
00:14:55.42\00:14:58.06
in which you need to go."
00:14:58.09\00:14:59.95
Well, brothers and
sisters, rest is the way
00:14:59.98\00:15:03.17
the true
worshiper truly is vitalized
00:15:03.20\00:15:05.59
and receives the attributes
00:15:05.62\00:15:07.28
and the
nurturing of Jesus Christ.
00:15:07.31\00:15:09.59
There is no other way.
00:15:09.62\00:15:11.35
And so Christ obviously always
invites us to come--to come,
00:15:11.38\00:15:17.65
not to be told what
to do, not to be scolded,
00:15:17.68\00:15:21.60
not to be given new
things that we must do
00:15:21.63\00:15:24.44
in order to improve ourselves,
00:15:24.47\00:15:26.79
but in order to
find our rest in Him.
00:15:26.82\00:15:29.61
There is where true
sanctification takes place.
00:15:29.64\00:15:34.14
I'd like to turn
further along this thought
00:15:34.17\00:15:36.97
and go to the
Gospel of John, stay there.
00:15:37.00\00:15:40.11
Gospel of John, Chapter 6.
00:15:40.14\00:15:44.09
Reading from verse 56,
00:15:44.12\00:15:47.08
the Lord says
something very profound here.
00:15:47.11\00:15:51.03
He says, "He who eats My flesh
00:15:51.06\00:15:53.62
and drinks My
blood abides in Me,
00:15:53.65\00:15:57.53
and I in him."
00:15:57.56\00:15:59.51
Here, Jesus is
describing the activity of what
00:16:01.81\00:16:04.67
it means to abide in Christ.
00:16:04.70\00:16:06.99
It is literally feeding
of the blood and the body
00:16:07.02\00:16:11.31
or the flesh of our Lord.
00:16:11.34\00:16:13.70
Of course, this is
not a literal eating,
00:16:13.73\00:16:16.33
this is spiritual in nature,
00:16:16.36\00:16:18.78
but what does the
flesh of Christ tell us
00:16:18.81\00:16:21.33
and what does the blood tell us?
00:16:21.36\00:16:23.95
Is not the flesh
of Christ the place
00:16:23.98\00:16:26.70
where our sin was crucified?
00:16:26.73\00:16:28.80
Because it says
that He condemned sin
00:16:28.83\00:16:31.41
in the flesh when He gave
Himself up for crucifixion?
00:16:31.44\00:16:35.49
As we eat the flesh of Christ,
00:16:35.52\00:16:37.90
we eat of a flesh
that has conquered sin.
00:16:37.93\00:16:41.00
We eat of a flesh that
has overcome the humanity
00:16:41.03\00:16:44.83
and all the
fallowness of our humanity.
00:16:44.86\00:16:47.59
He is the only
one that has done it.
00:16:47.62\00:16:49.75
And as we partake
of the flesh of Christ,
00:16:49.78\00:16:52.15
we are partaking of
the essence of who He is.
00:16:52.18\00:16:55.53
This is what nurtures us.
00:16:55.56\00:16:57.45
This is what
guides us and leads us
00:16:57.48\00:16:59.93
into a deeper
dependence upon Him.
00:16:59.96\00:17:02.52
This is what leads ultimately
to a life of blessedness.
00:17:02.55\00:17:05.80
And drinking the blood,
00:17:05.83\00:17:07.53
again we only do
this as we abide in Christ
00:17:07.56\00:17:10.25
as we are connected.
00:17:10.28\00:17:12.32
We can't abide or
feed off of Christ
00:17:12.35\00:17:14.53
when we're off trying to be
a good Christian on our own.
00:17:14.56\00:17:17.95
We need the
time to set our souls
00:17:17.98\00:17:20.74
and stand it in
Christ Jesus in Him alone.
00:17:20.77\00:17:25.14
And in this
place of rest, we feed,
00:17:25.17\00:17:28.31
we nourish and are nurtured.
00:17:28.34\00:17:30.88
The blood of Christ
speaks of a sacrifice
00:17:30.91\00:17:33.36
that has answered for our sins.
00:17:33.39\00:17:35.53
As Hebrews says, it
cleanses our consciousness
00:17:35.56\00:17:37.90
from condemnation and guilt.
00:17:37.93\00:17:39.82
It releases the soul
then without condemnation
00:17:39.85\00:17:43.23
to flurry to the throne
of God in great expectation
00:17:43.26\00:17:46.33
that our loving
Father is waiting for us
00:17:46.36\00:17:48.59
with open arms to
bless us, to strengthen us
00:17:48.62\00:17:52.47
and to impart to
us more of Himself.
00:17:52.50\00:17:55.70
Oh, I love to
rest in Jesus Christ.
00:17:55.73\00:17:58.29
And the Holy Spirit
does this one other thing
00:17:58.32\00:18:00.72
that I need to mention here,
00:18:00.75\00:18:02.68
it actually-- He
actually increases
00:18:02.71\00:18:05.22
our desire to rest
and abide in Christ
00:18:05.25\00:18:08.56
and to abandon self.
00:18:08.59\00:18:10.54
This is a miracle
that only God can do,
00:18:10.57\00:18:13.54
but it happens when we take
00:18:13.57\00:18:15.49
the invitation of
come and find rest in Him.
00:18:15.52\00:18:20.67
Abiding in
Christ is the connection
00:18:20.70\00:18:23.21
that is the
out-working of everything
00:18:23.24\00:18:25.30
that is truly Christian.
00:18:25.33\00:18:27.34
It becomes the foundation
of our walk with Christ
00:18:27.37\00:18:30.83
and it becomes the way
00:18:30.86\00:18:32.24
in which we will
always want to serve Him
00:18:32.27\00:18:36.37
and to be surrendered to Him.
00:18:36.40\00:18:38.63
There is no other way
to practice this faith.
00:18:38.66\00:18:41.68
The faith of Jesus
Christ is the faith that rest
00:18:41.71\00:18:44.80
and abides in Him.
00:18:44.83\00:18:46.92
This is where true
sanctification comes from.
00:18:46.95\00:18:50.17
This leads us to our
scripture in Ezekiel.
00:18:50.20\00:18:54.43
Ezekiel Chapter 20.
00:18:54.46\00:18:59.27
Let's read it and really
see what Ezekiel's saying here.
00:18:59.30\00:19:03.43
"Moreover, I also
gave them My Sabbaths,
00:19:03.46\00:19:07.73
to be a sign
between them and Me,
00:19:07.76\00:19:10.70
that they might know
00:19:10.73\00:19:12.68
that I am the Lord
who sanctifies them."
00:19:12.71\00:19:15.92
It's not enough
that God sanctifies us.
00:19:18.80\00:19:22.29
He wants to make it
very clear to our minds
00:19:22.32\00:19:25.92
that He is the one that does it
00:19:25.95\00:19:28.53
and that He is the
only one that can do it.
00:19:28.56\00:19:32.45
It's interesting that He
relates the Sabbath observance,
00:19:32.48\00:19:36.83
the Seventh-day Sabbath
00:19:36.86\00:19:38.82
to the activity
of sanctification.
00:19:38.85\00:19:43.04
Isn't it also
interesting that the way
00:19:43.07\00:19:45.06
we keep the
Sabbath or celebrate it
00:19:45.09\00:19:47.98
is by resting
on the seventh day?
00:19:48.01\00:19:51.26
This is why
sanctification is connected
00:19:51.29\00:19:54.47
so intimately with the process
00:19:54.50\00:19:57.45
over the activity of resting.
00:19:57.48\00:20:00.49
The Sabbath is the
day that God provided
00:20:00.52\00:20:04.29
to find rest by
letting go of the external,
00:20:04.32\00:20:08.02
temporal responsibilities
that we have to do
00:20:08.05\00:20:11.26
the other six days of the week,
00:20:11.29\00:20:13.67
and allocating some
time to recognize once again
00:20:13.70\00:20:17.27
that God and Him alone
00:20:17.30\00:20:18.67
is our creator and our redeemer.
00:20:18.70\00:20:21.36
The way we come to know this
00:20:21.39\00:20:23.35
and this is the
traditions of the Jews,
00:20:23.38\00:20:25.13
especially of the Old Testament
00:20:25.16\00:20:27.16
was to let go of our works,
00:20:27.19\00:20:30.02
our temporal works in
the world and to rest,
00:20:30.05\00:20:33.84
so that we can
remember who God is.
00:20:33.87\00:20:37.38
Here God's saying
that He gives the Sabbaths
00:20:37.41\00:20:40.16
so that they can know
that He is the Lord God
00:20:40.19\00:20:42.80
that sanctifies us.
00:20:42.83\00:20:44.93
So Sabbath
becomes more than just
00:20:44.96\00:20:46.75
a memorial to
creation, His creatorship.
00:20:46.78\00:20:50.20
It's also the memorial
to His active redemption.
00:20:50.23\00:20:54.25
It's also the
reminder that only Christ,
00:20:54.28\00:20:57.97
and Him alone can
sanctify the heart.
00:20:58.00\00:21:01.81
In Revelation,
it talks about those
00:21:01.84\00:21:03.94
who do not respond to
the three angels' message.
00:21:03.97\00:21:07.08
It talks about the consequences
00:21:07.11\00:21:08.77
of rejecting the
everlasting gospel
00:21:08.80\00:21:10.69
that is going out
to the whole world.
00:21:10.72\00:21:12.99
It says that they
will find no rest.
00:21:13.02\00:21:16.72
No rest.
00:21:16.75\00:21:18.69
The only way and
reason why they never found
00:21:18.72\00:21:20.98
any rest is because
they never came to Jesus.
00:21:21.01\00:21:25.74
Coming to Jesus is
where we are offered the rest.
00:21:25.77\00:21:30.00
Coming to Jesus is
where we experience
00:21:30.03\00:21:32.67
the true essence of
what the Sabbath is all about
00:21:32.70\00:21:36.43
and that is bringing
us to a total dependence
00:21:36.46\00:21:39.84
on God Himself.
00:21:39.87\00:21:41.82
It is in this relationship
of knowing our dependence
00:21:41.85\00:21:45.13
and resting on His
power that we experience
00:21:45.16\00:21:48.59
the transformation
that He has promised
00:21:48.62\00:21:51.25
under the new covenant.
00:21:51.28\00:21:52.91
And so the Sabbath
becomes the sign and seal
00:21:52.94\00:21:56.39
of God's true
work of restoration.
00:21:56.42\00:21:59.80
It becomes the
sign and seal of people
00:21:59.83\00:22:02.66
who are true worshippers of Him
00:22:02.69\00:22:05.24
because in finding
their rest from God,
00:22:05.27\00:22:07.64
they are
functioning and operating only
00:22:07.67\00:22:10.14
under the power
of the Holy Spirit.
00:22:10.17\00:22:13.04
Those who do not enter into rest
00:22:13.07\00:22:15.48
and experience
the Sabbath experience
00:22:15.51\00:22:18.74
never learn that lesson.
00:22:18.77\00:22:20.91
They always are
trying to do for themselves
00:22:20.94\00:22:24.04
what they think
God wants them to do
00:22:24.07\00:22:25.97
or requires them to do.
00:22:26.00\00:22:27.98
And never give a
thought of the first work
00:22:28.01\00:22:30.29
of a believer, and
that is to enter into rest.
00:22:30.32\00:22:34.17
The Seventh-day
Sabbath is to commemorate
00:22:34.20\00:22:37.97
and to celebrate the rest
00:22:38.00\00:22:40.52
that we enjoy inwardly
00:22:40.55\00:22:42.35
throughout the whole
week with Jesus Christ.
00:22:42.38\00:22:45.92
It is not either-or.
00:22:45.95\00:22:48.30
It's not the situation where,
00:22:48.33\00:22:49.79
"Well, gee, I rest
in Christ every day,
00:22:49.82\00:22:51.99
so I don't have to
keep the seventh day."
00:22:52.02\00:22:54.08
No, God gave us a
day and a whole day
00:22:54.11\00:22:58.24
to do nothing but celebrate
the rest that He offers.
00:22:58.27\00:23:01.89
And what better
way than to let go
00:23:01.92\00:23:04.05
of the external
pressures of the world,
00:23:04.08\00:23:06.96
its responsibilities
and its cares and burdens
00:23:06.99\00:23:09.99
and to devote
that day to remember
00:23:10.02\00:23:13.47
the God of your salvation.
00:23:13.50\00:23:15.82
It is a time for celebration.
00:23:15.85\00:23:18.22
It is a time for remembering.
It is a time for refreshing.
00:23:18.25\00:23:22.89
It is a time for
fellowship with others
00:23:22.92\00:23:25.37
who likewise are
experiencing the fruits
00:23:25.40\00:23:28.00
of being abiding and
being attached to Jesus Christ.
00:23:28.03\00:23:32.15
No longer do we
need to think the Sabbath
00:23:32.18\00:23:34.61
as something
legalistic, a requirement,
00:23:34.64\00:23:37.50
but rather it becomes
our witness to the world
00:23:37.53\00:23:41.00
that Christ and Him
alone is not only the Creator
00:23:41.03\00:23:43.98
who created all things
00:23:44.01\00:23:45.58
and therefore
worthy of all worship,
00:23:45.61\00:23:47.93
but He alone is the
one that can uplift,
00:23:47.96\00:23:51.18
transform and
restore the human race back
00:23:51.21\00:23:54.64
before its following condition.
00:23:54.67\00:23:56.94
That is the
witness of the Sabbath
00:23:56.97\00:23:59.12
and the experience
of the Sabbath is that
00:23:59.15\00:24:01.75
every day
abiding in Jesus Christ,
00:24:01.78\00:24:04.72
Him and Him alone is the one
00:24:04.75\00:24:07.03
that can accomplish this
00:24:07.06\00:24:08.47
and in rest is the
way we experience this.
00:24:08.50\00:24:12.10
As we move on in our
resting and abiding experience,
00:24:13.43\00:24:17.25
self and what self wants
becomes less and less important.
00:24:17.28\00:24:22.15
Jesus Christ starts to
develop and grow within us.
00:24:22.18\00:24:26.50
Pretty soon,
everything we do in our life
00:24:26.53\00:24:29.66
has something to do with Him.
00:24:29.69\00:24:32.10
Pretty soon, nothing
becomes insignificant,
00:24:32.13\00:24:35.85
no little work of charity,
00:24:35.88\00:24:38.00
no just pausing and
giving attention to somebody
00:24:38.03\00:24:42.04
with a concern
or with a problem,
00:24:42.07\00:24:44.99
nothing becomes insignificant.
00:24:45.02\00:24:47.28
All of life becomes meaningful.
00:24:47.31\00:24:49.76
Everything you do
has meaning and purpose.
00:24:49.79\00:24:54.17
How does this happen?
00:24:54.20\00:24:55.78
When the soul finds
its rest in Jesus Christ.
00:24:55.81\00:24:59.76
I cannot begin to
explain to you the blessings
00:24:59.79\00:25:03.41
to be had and to be experienced
00:25:03.44\00:25:06.40
from doing this simple thing.
00:25:06.43\00:25:08.81
In our prayer life
as we come before God,
00:25:08.84\00:25:12.41
our mind is full of activities,
our mind is full of thoughts,
00:25:12.44\00:25:16.60
full of all kind of distractions
00:25:16.63\00:25:19.74
and yet as we start to
get more and more centered
00:25:19.77\00:25:23.40
and focused on the
attributes of Christ,
00:25:23.43\00:25:26.68
faith in Him begins
to draw us into a place
00:25:26.71\00:25:30.23
deep within us that
is a place of silence.
00:25:30.26\00:25:34.36
In that silence there is peace
00:25:34.39\00:25:37.16
and there is
nobody but you and Jesus.
00:25:37.19\00:25:40.27
The world is locked
out for ever to be--
00:25:40.30\00:25:45.08
should not intervene in
the intercourse going on
00:25:45.11\00:25:47.82
between you and the Lord.
00:25:47.85\00:25:49.58
And as our soul stands
silent, receptive to God,
00:25:49.61\00:25:54.70
Christ brings us into
that rest, that deep rest.
00:25:54.73\00:25:57.87
Oh, brothers and
sisters, there we are refreshed,
00:25:57.90\00:26:00.78
there we learn the
beauty of Jesus Christ,
00:26:00.81\00:26:03.97
there we learn the power
00:26:04.00\00:26:05.46
of the word of God's scripture.
00:26:05.49\00:26:07.65
Christ often speaks to
us from the word of God.
00:26:07.68\00:26:11.31
And now because we are receiving
00:26:11.34\00:26:13.83
from Him that word
is put into our heart
00:26:13.86\00:26:16.63
by the power of the Holy Spirit
00:26:16.66\00:26:18.60
and is made to germinate
and bear fruit in our lives.
00:26:18.63\00:26:21.63
This is how the
Holy Spirit implants
00:26:22.70\00:26:24.91
the scripture
deep within our minds
00:26:24.94\00:26:26.67
and even in our sub-conscience.
00:26:26.70\00:26:29.20
Well, and this
happens when the word of God
00:26:29.23\00:26:31.77
is put unto the
ministry of the Holy Spirit.
00:26:31.80\00:26:34.28
I'm talking
about the written word.
00:26:34.31\00:26:36.47
As we abide in Christ
and let the scripture speak
00:26:36.50\00:26:39.32
to our hearts,
00:26:39.35\00:26:40.74
the Holy Spirit
puts it deep within there
00:26:40.77\00:26:43.17
and there it
germinates for fruit.
00:26:43.20\00:26:46.42
This is even when
I'm sleeping, many times,
00:26:46.45\00:26:49.56
I see scripture
floating in my head,
00:26:49.59\00:26:52.02
ministering to me
even when I'm asleep.
00:26:52.05\00:26:55.33
This is what is the
possibility of those
00:26:55.36\00:26:58.25
who find their rest
and abide in Jesus Christ.
00:26:58.28\00:27:01.63
This is the kind of relationship
00:27:01.66\00:27:03.09
that God wants to
have with all of us.
00:27:03.12\00:27:05.60
This indeed is the
relationship He invites us too,
00:27:05.63\00:27:09.14
to come unto Him so that
we could find our rest in Him.
00:27:09.17\00:27:14.48
I also want to say
00:27:14.51\00:27:15.88
that this life has
been the difference--
00:27:15.91\00:27:19.98
has made my
life still different.
00:27:20.01\00:27:21.56
Everything has changed.
00:27:21.59\00:27:23.31
It has given
meaning for everything I do.
00:27:23.34\00:27:26.46
It has made
nothing insignificant
00:27:26.49\00:27:28.93
of anything in my life.
00:27:28.96\00:27:30.68
Jesus is every part of it
00:27:30.71\00:27:32.79
and He is there
in every moment of it
00:27:32.82\00:27:35.09
and I praise Him for that.
00:27:35.12\00:27:36.81
And I pray that He
will be that for you
00:27:36.84\00:27:39.85
and that you will respond
to His invitation to come
00:27:39.88\00:27:42.97
and find your rest in Him.
00:27:43.00\00:27:45.55
Praise His name
and praise His word.
00:27:45.58\00:27:49.12
Thank you so much.
May the message bless you.
00:27:49.15\00:27:53.85