We had a lot of snow and bad weather this week. This has been one of the coldest winters that I've ever experienced in my 40 years in the Midwest. I am glad that I was finally able to get out after 13 inches of snow. It is good to be with you again to post the Weekend Sermon.
I was not able to post last week due to sickness and my car broke down again. Thankfully, I am once again on the mend and feeling better. I am thankful to the Lord for providing me with the resources to get my car fixed.
On Monday, I start a new job. For the first two days, I have to go downtown in the big city, and I am not looking forward to it. Please pray that I make it down there safely and that I don't get lost. I get lost easily.
Let us continue to pray for peace in Syria, and let us pray for the safety of the Winter Olympics. Also, let us pray this week for the people of Bangladesh that many of them might hear the Gospel and come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
When we last looked into the book of Hebrews, we saw that Jesus is superior to Moses. Moses was a faithful servant of the Lord. However, Jesus is Lord. He has greater glory than Moses because Jesus is divine. He is Moses' master which was clearly demonstrated in the Transfiguration of Jesus. Also, Jesus demonstrated His superiority to Moses in that while Moses received the Law, Jesus as the originator of the Law had the power to change the Law as He did in His teachings given in the Sermon on the Mount.
Today, we will continue to look at the superiority of Jesus. When Moses led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, the people came to the land of promise. Spies were sent into Canaan. Ten of the spies came back and said that the land could not be overcome. Only Joshua and Caleb came back with a good report. The people rebelled and decided to listen to the report of the majority. This angered the Lord who punished the people by making them wander in the desert for 40 years. Only Joshua and Caleb survived from that generation of rebellion to enter into the land of promise.
Joshua then had to go about subduing the inhabitants of Canaan. Even though the people of Israel had many victories, the land was not completely conquered. The people of the Lord were not completely able to enter into the rest that had been promised to them by God. Hebrews 4:8-9 says, "For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterword have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God."
None of the leaders of Israel were ever able to provide a true rest for the people of God. It was not within their power to do so. However, Jesus demonstrates His superiority by being the one who is able to supply rest for the people of God that others could not obtain.
What is this rest to which the writer of Hebrews is referring, and how does Jesus provide it? I believe that the concept of rest has at least three meanings. The first meaning has a fulfillment with the nation of Israel itself. Never in its history has the nation of Israel been safe and secure within its own borders. Enemies have always tried to extinguish it from existence. When Jesus returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He will rule and reign in righteousness. At that time, the nation of Israel will be given the glory, safety and rest that was promised by the Lord.
Rest also refers to the rest of redemption that is available to all of creation at the Second Coming. When Jesus comes again, the world will know perfect peace. All of the created order will be restored to the state that existed in the Garden of Eden. The animals will not fear man, and they will not prey upon one another. No person will harm another person. Anxiety, fear, depression, pain, suffering and sorrow will all be banished. That is truly rest.
Finally, rest refers to the spiritual rest of our souls. Jesus said in Matthew 11: 28-30, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
The only way to find rest from the burden of sin and guilt is to come to Jesus and receive His forgiveness and salvation. By His death and resurrection, Jesus provided atonement for sins. If we confess our sins and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we can be saved. We can be forgiven and find rest in the Lord Jesus. When we have the load of sins removed and take upon ourselves the yoke of the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we know what true rest really is. We find what freedom really means.
If you long for rest, true rest is only available in Jesus. He invites you to come to Him and receive the rest that He so graciously provides.
Next week, I plan to post a review on Wednesday and a sermon on Friday. May God bless you. Amen.
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