Opening Scripture:
Heb 3:19 NLT “So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.”
- God puts faith in every one of us so we have the capacity to see the invisible, and do the impossible.
Rom 12:3b NKJV “as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
Rom 10:17 NKJV “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
1 Jn 5:14 NKJV “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
Mk 11:24-24 NLT “Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”
- When we enter into a state of faith, the Bible calls this a state of “rest”, meaning we can now rest in the assurance of God’s faithfulness.
Heb 4:1-3a NKJV “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them,[a] not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest,”
- To understand what God is saying to us today about “rest” and “faith”, it is important that we learn from the teaching of the Old Testament.
Many today no longer consider the OT relevant, but without it we cannot properly interpret the NT, because the NT is the fulfillment of the OT. The Bible is really just one book. The same HS wrote all of it. It all reflects the heart and mind of God.
2 Tim 3:16 Living Bible “The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.”
Rom 15:4 Message “Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us.”
1 Cor 10:8-11 NET “And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and twenty-three thousand died in a single day. 9 And let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. 10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.”
- Israel’s failure to enter their “promised land” is an object lesson for us on why we sometimes do not reach our “promised land.”
Numbers 14:20-24 NLT “Then the lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested.21But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the lord’s glory, 22not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. 23They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.”
Heb 3:19 NLT “So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.”
- The Israelites continually tempted the Lord by disobeying His word. Disobedience keeps us from entering God’s rest of faith, and disobedience is the result of unbelief.
Rev 2:7 NKJV “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
What is God saying to us? That is your test.
- Last week He told us through Minister Jackie to POP (Power of Praise). Did we enter into rest by activating God’s Word through faith and obedience, or did we disobey through unbelief?
- The previous week the Lord told us through my message that Jesus is our healer. Are we activating God’s Word through our faith?
- Several Sunday’s ago God spoke to us through Pastor Cathy about the apostolic anointing that God is raising up in our day, and that God wants to unite the church by His glory. Did we receive that and start contending for it, or have we already let it slip?
- A few Sunday’s before Pastor Cathy’s message God spoke to us through His servant Jehu Rodriguez when he told us DON’T LET GO, three things…prayer, Word of God, worship. Did we enter into rest by embracing God’s faith in this message, or did we disobey through unbelief?
Every week God is giving us a living brick to put in our foundation. Are we going back and listening to these messages from God when we miss? Or is our foundation missing important bricks?
Our nation is in trouble because it is ignoring God’s Word. Our founding fathers told us in the beginning of America that a representative democracy would not work without the God and the Bible. So now that we have pushed God and the Bible out of our government and nation, we have now have confusion and every evil work. Look at what God’s Word says and look at what is going on in our society:
Concerning abortion, the Bible says in Ex 20:13 “You shall not murder.”
Concerning homosexuality, the Bible says in Lev 18:22 ““Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.”
Concerning adultery, the Bible says in Dt 22:22 ““If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.”
Concerning sexual relations before marriage, otherwise known as fornication, the Bible says in Eph 5:3 “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints.” God still wants Christians to be virgins when they get married.
- God has given us the power to believe and obey. It is a choice we make. What will your choice be today, this week, and for the “rest” of your life?
Joshua 24:15 NKJV “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
