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[0:00] As the Lord may direct me and help me, I will speak from the fourth chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, the ninth verse.

[0:15] There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. The fourth chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, the ninth verse.

[0:32] There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. This chapter opens with an expression of fear with regard to this rest in the text, lest any of us should seem to come short of it.

[0:56] The chapter opens with this expression which recurs three times in the chapter. Let us. Let us therefore fear.

[1:11] And then again, let us labor to enter into that rest. And then again, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace.

[1:25] And these three expressions of the same words have a connection this way. First, let us fear.

[1:37] Well, it is to little purpose that we should fear if it all ends in fear. Fearing may be very, very, very necessary and a very good exercise of mind if it leads to something.

[1:57] But just merely to fear and to fear and to fear and to fear, if it gets no farther, well, what will that end in?

[2:10] Now, my friends, the fear should stimulate the labor. If fear stimulates labor and exercise of heart with regard to things, then it works well.

[2:28] Let us therefore fear in order that we may labor to enter into that rest. Well then, how can we labor to enter into that rest?

[2:42] This way, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

[2:55] That is, the labor means the labor of patient, continuous prayer. And there is another observation I would make upon this expression, let us.

[3:13] And that is, that I take it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle writes in that way to show that he would identify himself with the Hebrews to which the epistle was written in this matter.

[3:30] It is an expression of personal identification. He doesn't say, let you, but let us.

[3:40] He doesn't say, let me, but let us. And that is how I feel, my friends, as I venture upon this word this morning and to speak to you in the Lord's name upon it.

[3:55] Let us. Let us.

[4:26] Be cast away from it myself and never enter into the present and everlasting enjoyment and comfort and peace of it.

[4:37] And the same applies to you, my brethren, my friends. Equally solemn it would be if after you have heard these things preached to you and set forth in the Lord's name in their truth and nature and blessedness, you should seem to come short of it.

[4:59] And after hearing the gospel preached, live and die destitute of a personal interest in the saving power and everlasting blessing of it.

[5:14] That I should preach this rest to you. And you never, never enter into it. You see, it's let us.

[5:25] Both of us together. Let us, therefore, fear. And there is some reason for this fear. There is some reason for it.

[5:39] That confidence that some may conceive to themselves that they have, that so entirely eliminates any such fear as this, very apparently was not the confidence the apostle had when he wrote this epistle to the Hebrews.

[5:58] Was it? He said, let us, therefore, fear. For this fear, if it acts rightly in our hearts, prevents us from settling down short in regard of the things of God.

[6:17] And that is our continual danger, of settling down short. Be content with hearing, and the like, and approving, and perhaps so far receiving, the truth of the gospel, that it is true, and yet coming short.

[6:38] Not entering in. Well, having made these few opening observations, and just one more I would make, before I attempt to expound the text.

[6:55] And that is, the voice of God speaks to us in this chapter, twice in the context of this chapter, and it is a quotation from one of the Psalms we read.

[7:15] You have this, again he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, today, if he will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

[7:31] Today. What day does that mean? Well, it means every day when you hear the voice of God. And when you hear the voice of God?

[7:45] Whenever his sacred word is set forth in your hearing. Today. For the voice of God is to be heard speaking in his sacred word today.

[8:01] This very day. This very day. That is, if I am directed to speak truthfully, and scripturally, and faithfully, and according to the mind and will of God, then, today, you hear his voice.

[8:21] Oh, that he would speak in your hearts. For there is an outward, and there is an inward voice of God.

[8:34] The outward voice of God is in his word as it is read and spoken. The inward voice of God is in the heart as the Holy Spirit causes that word to enter with penetration and with power.

[8:52] Now, this refers, of course, to the outward hearing. No man will harden his heart if God speaks with gracious and effectual power within.

[9:06] That he may harden his heart against the word of God as he speaks without. And be it solemnly considered that God reads the heart and knows exactly what our reaction is to his holy word when his voice speaks in it.

[9:36] And however much it may be said, we cannot of ourselves give his word gracious power and application and effect in our hearts.

[9:51] Ever much we may say that, this is true, we may harden our hearts. We may harden our hearts. And that's our sin.

[10:04] And to disregard his voice is to harden your heart. pardon not your hearts. May the Lord then so speak to us in his word and in us through it that we may hear his voice to effect today.

[10:28] this then is the word. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God and the anxiety and the fear is lest having heard the word of God and his voice we do not enter into that rest.

[10:53] rest. Lest there should be a falling after the same example of unbelief. That is the sad example of the children of Israel who perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief and all those that were adult that came out of Egypt never entered into Canaan.

[11:21] Now my text speaks of a rest. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Now there are three kinds of rest mentioned in this chapter.

[11:42] There is first of all the Sabbath rest. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise and God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

[12:02] The Sabbath day is a day of rest and in the gospel sense of the word and in this dispensation provision it is a day of rest and worship and it is a day to be prized.

[12:23] We shall be thankful for the provision of the Lord's day which is the Sabbath day in the gospel for that it gives opportunity to lay aside the claims and demands of day by day life and labor so that we have relief in that way and also that it gives opportunity to gather together in the Lord's house and the Lord's name and engage our serbs in his worship and that we may hear his most holy word to instruct us and guide us and nourish us in our spiritual life heaven ward the Lord's day is a day to be prized and it is sad to all who feel it so that a day that in itself is so good in every way considered should be so much set aside and profaned and given up to any and every purpose other than that for which it was originally established and this very expression

[13:50] Sabbath means in the meaning of a word it means rest so that in that sense this is a very suitable word for the Lord's day as the day of rest has come round and we're gathered together in the Lord's house then how desirable it is that we should feel that spiritual that gospel rest of which the Sabbath day is as we sang this morning but an outward tithe and if we have not that spiritual rest the Sabbath earth is but an empty shade then there's another rest and that is the rest the children of Israel were brought into after their forty years wanderings in the wilderness and after they were brought out of their slavery in Egypt and the eighth verse refers to that only it needs an explanation for if

[15:04] Jesus had given them rest then would he not afterward have spoken of another day Jesus Jesus here as a margin rightly alternatively renders it is Joshua the names Joshua and Jesus in the Old Testament Hebrew are almost if not identical Jesus and Joshua are translated names of the same original Hebrew were and that it's translated Jesus I don't quite know why is rather unfortunate because it's misleading if Joshua had given them rest that is when Joshua brought them into the land of Canaan and established them there as their homeland if he had given them rest then there would not afterward have been spoken of another day and another rest for we read again he limited a certain day saying in

[16:25] David today after so long a time that is today after all that long time that they had been established in the land of Canaan David spoke of another rest now all this leads up to the point I must come to that further exposition rest there remaineth therefore a rest a rest that the Sabbath of itself does not give and a rest that the land of Canaan did not give there remaineth a rest to the people of God the rest then is unquestionably the gospel rest well perhaps that doesn't and I'm sure it doesn't entirely compass the meaning there is

[17:26] I feel a two fold part of this rest in my text that remaineth to the people of God there is what I have called and I feel rightly the gospel rest which they enter into for he that is entered into his rest has already entered into it let us therefore labour to enter into that rest to enter into it now in this time state there is the gospel rest as the people of God labour to enter into it and do enter into it now and then there is the heavenly rest that remaineth when this earthly rest is ended and they enter into a richer holier and more blessed experience of the same rest there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of

[18:30] God there is something very attractive in this expression rest I mean when one is weary and burdened and tried and the like there is something very sweet in the feeling of rest rest for one thing rest means cessation from that which is wearisome and burdensome to the mind it means as Jesus put it so very tenderly and kindly and lovingly and attractively come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest for rest means cessation and relief from that which is burdensome and wearisome to us like naturally speaking after the labours of the day the rest of the evening is very acceptable and rest also means satisfaction now where there's no satisfaction there's no rest our minds naturally can never rest in what doesn't really satisfy as long as there is a dissatisfaction there's unrest but when there's an entering into that which satisfies the desires the wants the needs the longings of the heart then you rest in that which is satisfying to the soul and then there's another feature of rest and that is that it is very refreshing as it is written and this is the rest whereby he maketh the weary to rest and this is the refreshing now we know that naturally speaking rest is refreshing we get worn down tired our strength weakens we become languid and rest is very refreshing and reviving renewing and renewing to our powers that is true naturally rest can do for us what no tonics can do no stimulants rest is a natural suitable comfortable and very sweet way of having our exhausted strength and spirits renewed and revived it is

[21:38] God's provision for our natural necessity is rest well now all this is more true in a spiritual sense than even it is in a natural the rest that remains for the people of God is a rest into which they enter and find relief and satisfaction and refreshment and reviving of their spirits spiritually but before I go into that I must take notice of this point that this rest remains to the people of God now don't at once begin to say well then that means it's very exclusive and that seems straight away to shut me out of it now don't draw such rash conclusions pray it is certainly exclusive to the people of

[22:50] God and it is true that none but the people of God ever enter into it it is equally true that none but the people of God ever labour to enter into it or ever have any such exercise of heart and mind as that they do enjoy it those that enter not into this rest have no use for it no desire for it no appreciation of it no more faith in it they exclude themselves so we see that they could not enter in why not did God shut them out no they could not enter in because of unbelief his unbelief shuts people out his unbelief will shut you out unless you labour to enter into this rest rest if any enter into it

[23:52] God brings them into it if any enter not into it it's because of unbelief now I know that these matters can be theologically argued over and over but that's the plain fact the plain truth of the word of God sets it before us this rest remains to the people of God now because this is such an important feature of the text probably I shall take up the time this morning expounding it and very very thankful I should be if I could help any of you with regard to this matter I mean as to whether you come within the reach of this expression the people of God for you know it is unquestionable that God has a people nothing can alter that nothing can overthrow that truth that God has a people that is a people who are in a special way his own people a people that as the apostle Peter says were not a people originally that is they were not the people of

[25:17] God but now are the people of God you were not so says Peter at one time you were outside of any union with or affection for the people of God but now the Lord has brought you into that union with them and given you that affection for them and the same faith and the same love and the same hope in your heart so that you are now the people of God for a change a deep and vital change is possible about this that might be someone or more this morning in this sanctuary who does not belong to the people of God doesn't say you never will doesn't say you never will the Lord may deal very graciously with you in this matter he may enlighten the understanding of your minds and communicate spiritual life and grace to your heart make you to be a new creature in Jesus

[26:33] Christ and bring you into the fold of his sheep the people of God God has always had a people even in the darkest periods of the world's history and Elijah thought that he lived in about the darkest period to him idolatry and sin was so prevalent in the nation as well as in the heathen nations around it seemed to him as though the people of God were died out of the earth yeah he said I only am left I'm the only one left of the people of God now and they seek my life to take it away oh Elijah how mistaken he was how God corrected him why said

[27:34] God to Elijah there are thousands in Israel who haven't bowed the knee to Baal seven thousand of them and no one can say now how many in this country or any other country the Lord has of a people that are especially his own all mind you the people of God must not be equated with any particular body or denomination or sect or party I have no doubt whatever that there are denominations that cleave to the word and truth of God and the Lord's appointed ways in a sense that others depart from them and I feel that has a body of people and I say this without any denominationalism particularly in my mind that I feel that as a body of people we do cleave to the truth and the ways and ordinances of God but I believe the

[28:52] Lord has a people here and there and elsewhere and how well he knows who they are and where they are no denominational boundaries however much it may be necessary especially in these days that those boundaries should be maintained because of the general slipping away from fundamental and evangelical principles however necessary it may be that these distinctions and boundaries should be maintained we don't for a moment suppose that the Lord has no people outside of them and I say this because I want to clear any misapprehension about this matter that we who feel that we must cleave conscientiously to the principles of truth that we believe and we cannot believe that yes and no mean the same thing and that black and white are the same colour and that that which contradicts the word of God is as true as that which adheres to it we cannot for a moment go that way but we wouldn't give the impression that we think no one belongs to the people of God who doesn't see just with us and just doesn't go just with us

[30:25] God forbid that we should have such a bigoted outlook in our minds but now I will show you who the people of God are now the people of God are those that God has appointed and sovereignly and graciously chosen to be his people in his own eternal purposes and counsels whom he has chosen in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world that they should be holy and without blame before him in love and as you have heard me say before there'd be no people of God if there was no election there'd be no people of God it is because God has chosen a people out of every generation in the purposes of his grace that he has a people in every generation personally

[31:38] I can see no reason if God had not made certain the salvation of his people I can see no reason why the people of God should not cease to exist in the world at all can you why even now there are a very very small minority and what is to prevent that minority dying out with this generation and the Lord having no people at all to fear him and love him and glorify him in the earth neither can I see for the life of me why this should present such a difficulty to those whose hearts are towards his ways and yet I must say in another way I can because at one time in my early exercises of mind I was in considerable difficulty about it now the

[32:43] Lord has brought me through that long since and brought me to a settled faith of mine in this profound doctrine and I'll tell you why I was in such difficulty about it because I reasoned instead of believing that's why I reasoned and reasoned about it that's why I was in such a difficulty and felt I couldn't believe it and couldn't receive it and sometimes even thought I never would but it was because I reasoned about it so I argued with myself but in due course the Lord I hope gave me a different spirit and when I was able to believe I ceased to reason and I ceased to fear any perplexity about it in my mind whatever and if any of you listening to me this morning are still in that perplexity of mind with regard to the doctrine of election it's because you reason instead of believe with a humble tender childlike trustful mind that's why and you'll never get out of your perplexities by reasoning about these things but once you're brought out of the perplexity and confusion of mind oh it seems so very clear you just simply cannot understand why you didn't see it so before and why you were in such difficulties in mind about the matter and besides instead of reasoning about this a better way is to labour to enter into this rest labour to enter in for is every possible encouragement for you to there's the invitation of

[34:48] Jesus Christ why not come to him he has said I will give you rest there's the promise of the gospel why not venture upon it as the Lord may help you although it doesn't come just within my text now I'm on this point I feel I must have a heart to heart word with you about this now if I were in a very hungry and thirsty condition and I saw a house well supplied and well furnished and over the portal of the door was something like this oh everyone that thirsteth let him come and drink come eat of my bread and drink of the wine that I have mingled I shall say well surely then that's an open door to me but if someone said ah but wait a minute there's another text inside the door elect according to the foreknowledge of God now you must be clear about that before you go in

[36:07] I shall say no that text is inside the door this text is outside come whosoever will and I'm hungry and I'm thirsty and I'm needy and there's the invitation and I will venture on it and go in and seek to partake of the food that I need so much and to drink of that living water why should I stand outside the door arguing about it now that's how I would have you feel with regard to this difficult matter why argue about it the gospel word is come whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely why argue about it but then you see this is equally true if it was not for that text on the inside of the door none would ever enter in none would when you enter in that's the time then to begin to make your calling and your election sure after you have been enabled to believe and to enter in to this rest there remaineth therefore a rest for the people of

[37:37] God the people of God are a people particularly and personally as well as universally as a people redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ it's redeeming love and redeeming blood that makes them to be the people of God this word comes into their hearts and into their experience you're not your own you're bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are the Lord's for the Lord's chosen people are as much involved in sin and ruin and the curse of it as anyone else because involved in that if the Lord will have his people he must redeem them from that condition and there is no redemption except by that price that great price the price his own heart blood there remaineth a rest for that people that the

[38:59] Lord has redeemed unto himself by his precious blood and as I close this morning I'll tell you where they will find it they will find it there at Calvary there where that precious blood was shed for them there where the Saviour died to make them his own there where he bore the curse and guilt and burden of their sin in his own precious body on the tree that's where they find their rest now I don't want to make much of my own personal experience in these matters but my own personal experience does enter this into this very largely it is my testimony that I found no rest to my soul until I was brought to Jesus

[40:02] Christ at Calvary I didn't and then I could understand when I entered into that rest I could understand this verse very beautifully sweet as rest to pilgrims weary light to nearly opened eyes pleasant streams in deserts dreary is the rest the cross supplies when my soul was brought to rest in that precious saviour that dear dying lamb of God that sacrifice that put away sin forever I found rest to my soul love I must say I used language then and I don't think it was improper but language is perhaps more strong than sometimes

[41:08] I feel I could use even now but I remember how I sang this hymn from my heart now I have found the ground wherein my anchor hope shall firm remain the wounds of Jesus for my sin before the world's foundation slain whose mercy shall unshaken stay when heaven and earth are fled away that was a sweet rest to me then it's sweet to me now and I believe it will be sweet to me to all eternity sweet is the rest his cross supplies now what I want to say this morning to you is this the Lord help you to labour to enter into that sweet that holy that blessed rest for there remaineth a rest to the people of

[42:13]  God Amen so to won't go J and stand for To change 있다는 thing where