Classic Christianity – Book of Hebrews P36 (11-20-23)
We ARE Told to Make Every Effort to Enter Into The Sabbath Rest
~ This is a warning directly from the word of God. We are to make every effort (come let us reason together with God, the Holy Spirit who lives in us says), to enter the Sabbath-rest for the people of God. This is not a day of the week either as some are saying. It is a rest from our own works of the flesh. It is a rest from our own self-righteousness. It is to rest in Jesus and Him alone for what he has done for us, and gives us, and lives his life through us. And this is something that is so important that the word of God warns us, and reminds us that we are to enter the rest so that no one will perish by following the example of disobedience. The people of God, the Israelites of the old Testament, refused to believe God. Because God was angry, God made them to wonder in the desert for forty years, where that entire generation of unbelievers died off, except for two people (Joshua and Caleb survived) who had believed God. God calls this sin of unbelief, EVIL. So heed the warning and obey God today. Believe what he said at the cross, “It is Finished!” Otherwise you are acting in disobedience and it is EVIL to God.
~ The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation who had done evil in His sight was gone. Numbers 32:13
~ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11
—–
~ “You see, folks when Christ came to give us a true identity, he came to give us an identity that was not based upon what we are doing or what we’re not doing. But he came to give us an identity that is based upon what he did. And when Christ went to a cross, and there died for the forgiveness of all of our sins for all time, raised from the dead, so that he could give us his life. And Christ came to live in us. He gave us a brand new identity, and that is you are now a child of the living God not predicated upon what you do. So don’t ever let sins deceitfulness get you into believing because you are doing something, that’s who you are. Because you’ll never be that person again. You’re not who you are because of what you do. You’re who you are, because of what I did. And I God made you a child of the living God, and that’s who you will always be. And don’t let sin’s deceitfulness, even if you get trapped in something ever allow the deceitfulness of Satan to try to convince you that you don’t know whether you’re a homosexual practicing Christianity, or a Christian practicing homosexuality. That’s deceitfulness that will get into you if indeed this person was a Christian to begin with, and that’s between him and God, I did not know. But that’s how deceitful Satan can be.
Now, this book of Hebrews is talking about these kinds of things that we need to understand, and to be able to enter in to the Sabbath rest. Because folks, if we can’t rest in that fact, we will never rest. If you can’t rest in who you are in Christ, and who you will be forever in Christ, there will be no rest. Because there’s always that potential to get trapped in something, and then let Satan through his deceitfulness try to get your identity off with it isn’t it. And so the Sabbath rest that is talking about is is a rest where we realize what has been done for us in Christ Jesus, and are able to enter into that rest forever and to see who you are forever. Now folks, when we enter into that, we’re going to find out some things about God and about ourselves. First of all, God isn’t hung up on the stuff we’re hung up on. God is looking at the long pole. To us 1000 years is but a day. To the Lord it’s just no big deal.” ~ Bob George
Bible Study Booklets
Join Bob George in this chapter by chapter exposition of the book of Hebrews. Available for download the complete series on the Book of Hebrews. The Book of Hebrews is key to understanding the New Covenant.
Announcer 0:12
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George Bob’s clear, timeless teachings on the complete forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ will transform your life as you learn about God’s amazing grace. Let’s join Bob as he teaches us from God’s Word.
Bob George 0:30
We have been talking about, and coming to the point in the study in the book of Hebrews where the emphasis is on entering into this Sabbath rest. And folks, the Sabbath Rest is terminology that many times we haven’t heard. Unfortunately, the book of Hebrews is probably about the least taught book in the New Testament. And probably the reason is, because I quite frankly, think until you understand what the grace of God is all about, you really can’t understand the book of Hebrews, and it almost seems at many points, like a contradiction to some of the other teachings in the scripture. But when you come to understand the fullness of the grace of God, the book of Hebrews comes alive to you. And, and it’s a wonderful, it is a wonderful explanation of this, this rest that God has called us to. And so we’re picking up in chapter four, where he elaborates on that and, and just as a brief review, we’re talking in in chapter three, there, that Christ who is over all of the house of God, in other words, all over all Christians, he is the head of this body, that has been brought into effect when you and I become born again Christians. And it says that see to it in verse 12, chapter three, see to it that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. In other words, we can turn away from the living God, not that we desert Christ. It’s not that we in turning away that we walk away from our faith. It’s a thing that we walk away from a living God. In other words, we come to Christ with a living relationship with a living God, and that Christ is ALIVE, living in you and me. And it’s not a religion to be performed, it’s a life to be lived. And when it’s talking about, be careful, we don’t turn away from this Don’t be it’s Be careful that we don’t turn away from the life issue to turn away from the fact that it is Christ living in you, that is your only hope of glory. And some of the things we turn to is religious forms, we turn many times to trying to live by principles, we turn by trying to get back under the law, whether we try or not, and we’re going to live by the law, we can turn very easily to try to get back into that unbelievable bondage of trying to perform.
I was just talking to one of our brothers before the service today, and I’m talking about the fact that it in our daily routine of life that any of us who are in Christ would say, well, at the workplace where I am, I certainly want Christ to be reflected in my life. But I want to tell you, folks, you can just try as hard as you want to but all you got to do slip up one time with people and to say see there and he says he’s a Christian. And and I mean, you just can’t win that game. And so if you think that your your life is going to be what’s going to draw everybody to the Lord, you need to think about the Lord Himself who did live a perfect life, unlike you and me, and he couldn’t draw everybody to himself. And And here was a man, God himself in our Earth suit walking on the face of this earth living in perfect love. And and his own personal testimony, what happened to people, how they respond to him? Well, some called him a winebibber and a glutton. Other people called him demon possessed his own family came to try to capture him because he thought he was insane. And other people fell down at their feet and call him Lord and God. Now, what regardless when anyone called him didn’t make him who he was, he was God, whether they liked him or not. And so there’s the security that you and I have is in our identity, we’re not always going to reflect who is in us. But even if we did, it would not be what we think it’s going to be. We have that opinion, if I could just walk on this earth and live this perfect life well everybody just flocked to the feet of the Lord. And and I’m gonna reach everybody by my good testimony. Well, no, you’re not. No, the Holy Spirit of God is who’s going to draw people to Jesus, not you. And so if any of us think that we’re through our neat acts are going to go out and draw people the Lord, we’re not. Now we can go introduce people to him, and that’s certainly is not an excuse for us to go out and just act like a bunch of idiots. But the fact of the matter is, is that when we are walking in the newness of life, that is ours through Christ Jesus, we’re still walking in this flesh of ours. And that flesh of ours can’t behave, can’t it. And so we’re not going to live a perfect life. And again, if we did, it still wouldn’t accomplish what we think it’s going to. And so we can turn away from the living God by out trying to be preoccupied with me and how I am doing in the Christian life and how I’ve got to be a good testimony to everyone and, and with that mentality, as good as that sounds, and as noble as that sounds, the emphasis is on you, isn’t it, and what you’re doing instead of him and what he’s doing. And so those are just some of the subtleties that can come up in our lives that causes us to turn away from this living, rest this living God that lives within us.
Now, it goes ahead then to say, But encourage one another daily, as long as it’s called today so that none of you will be hardened by sins deceitfulness. Now folks sin is deceitful. It is it is not deceitful in the fact of someone saying of sin coming in and saying that’ll be fun, and it not being fun. Because sin is fun. But for a season. The deceitfulness of sin is it’ll always be fun. And the deceitfulness of sin is there’s no consequences to that. And the deceitfulness of sin is it this sin that I want so badly is worth destroying my life over. Or the deceitfulness of sin is nobody will find out. Or the deceitfulness of sin is oh, I will get caught. The deceitfulness of sin is well everybody else gets aids, but not me. That’s the deceitfulness of sin. See, we think deceitfulness of sin is that he cons us into thinking, it’s not fun. There isn’t any con job to that it is fun. And it feels good sometimes. And that’s the deceitfulness of it. And that’s the trap that we get into is because this flesh of ours wants to feel good at all times at any cost. And that’s why we will give in to that flesh, and all kinds of habits, that Satan has convinced us that will not become a habit. It’s always what will one time hurt? You know, after all, that strawberry shortcake will taste good. And you say, Well, yeah, it will. And then I want another one tomorrow. And then you want something else, the next thing why you know you’re walking around, can’t get through the door. And that’s the deceitfulness of that type of thing. That’s how easily those kinds of things. That’s the trap of it. Satan never tells us to get into the consequences of things. And so therefore, we’re always looking for the immediacy of the moment. Now, that’s the deceitfulness of sin. And He says, See to it, that we’re not hardened by that deceitfulness. Because folks, you can get so hardened by that, that you really don’t care anymore. And you can get to harden to the point where you say, I don’t care if what I want to do is going to ruin my family, I don’t care if what I want to do is going to ruin my kids, I don’t care if what it’s going to do is going to ruin my health. I want to do what I want to do. And I’m going to do what I want to do. Now that’s how hardened our hearts can get if we let it. And that’s a process that too does not come overnight. That is a process of being deceived, and being deceived again, and being deceived again.
I had a young man one time that worked around our office. And later on found out that he was engaging in homosexual activity. I remember talking to him one time, and it was long before I really understood who I am in Christ to the depth that I understand today. And so I didn’t catch the full implication of what this guy said. But he said to me, I don’t know whether I’m a Christian practicing homosexuality, or whether I’m a homosexual, practicing Christianity. I don’t know who I am anymore. Well, what happened to him? Well, he bought the deceitfulness he bought the lie, that this won’t hurt and bought the lie that that you’re not going to get trapped in this and the next thing you know the poor guy was trapped in all of that. And he got trapped in it to the point and then after you’re trapped in then then there’s always the voice. Well that’s what you are. And that’s what you always be and all that garbage that comes along. And before long, you don’t know who you are. A person go out and say, I don’t know whether I’m a Christian practicing adultery, or whether I’m an adulterous practicing Christianity. I don’t know whether I’m a Christian that is practicing alcoholism, or whether I’m an alcoholic practicing Christianity. I don’t know who I am anymore. Because we have that tendency to gauge who we are, by what kind of habit we’re into. That’s the deceitfulness of sin.
You see, folks when Christ came to give us a true identity, he came to give us an identity that was not based upon what we are doing or what we’re not doing. But he came to give us an identity that is based upon what he did. And when Christ went to a cross, and there died for the forgiveness of all of our sins for all time, raised from the dead, so that he could give us his life. And Christ came to live in us. He gave us a brand new identity, and that is you are now a child of the living God not predicated upon what you do. So don’t ever let sins deceitfulness get you into believing because you are doing something, that’s who you are. Because you’ll never be that person again. You’re not who you are because of what you do. You’re who you are, because of what I did. And I God made you a child of the living God, and that’s who you will always be. And don’t let sins deceitfulness, even if you get trapped in something ever allow the deceitfulness of Satan to try to convince you that you don’t know whether you’re a homosexual practicing Christianity, or a Christian practicing homosexuality. That’s deceitfulness that will get into you if indeed this person was a Christian to begin with, and that’s between him and God, I did not know. But that’s the how deceitful Satan can be.
Now, this book of Hebrews is talking about these kinds of things that we need to understand, and to be able to enter in to the Sabbath rest. Because folks, if we can’t rest in that fact, we will never rest. If you can’t rest in who you are in Christ, and who you will be forever in Christ, there will be no rest. Because there’s always that potential to get trapped in something, and then let Satan through his deceitfulness try to get your identity off with it isn’t it. And so the Sabbath rest that is talking about is is a rest where we realize what has been done for us in Christ Jesus, and are able to enter into that rest forever and to see who you are forever. Now folks, when we enter into that, we’re going to find out some things about God and about ourselves. First of all, God isn’t hung up on the stuff we’re hung up on. God is looking at the long pole. To us 1000 years is but a day. To the Lord it’s just no big deal.
Purchase Online at Shop.BobGeorge.net
Announcer 13:26
If you’re enjoying the book of Hebrews, check out our website BobGeorge.net. There you will find a whole collection of messages from the book of Hebrews as well as other DVDs CDs and Bible studies available for purchase. That’s Bob George dotnet let’s join Bob now as he continues the radio program.
Bob George 13:46
Now to us we want not only instant gratification, we want instant freedom from that gratification. Don’t we, if it’s wrong gratification. Isn’t that right? I mean, I want this place that I want gratified immediately. And then I say I want to stop this habit immediately. And that’s where we’re out looking for quick fixes. And that’s what the entire, it seems like, that the deceit that is going on in Christendom today especially in the media is quick fixes come down get hit in the head fall backwards and you’re fixed forever. And and all that kind of stuff going on. And you’ve been delivered. Folks know you haven’t. Only thing you’ve been delivered from is out of darkness into light. And to say I’ve been delivered from a sin forever. That is ludicrous. You can get back into it at any time. And anybody that has lived long enough we’ll find that to be true. Like a person said, I repented I quit smoking and then start again. Well, obviously you didn’t repent and then said see you did repent you weren’t sincere if I didn’t repent when you came to Christ either you little smoker. Just wrap you up with that stuff. Now we come up with all this stuff, instantaneous deliverance, everybody’s trying to get delivered and everybody’s getting delivered and delivered and you got everything in a deliverance ministry. Folks I want to tell you something about that deliverance ministry. What in the world have you delivered from, a habit? I’ll tell you something, Christ isn’t looking on your habits. Looking on your heart. We have to understand something folks in his Christian life, like I say, gotten hung up on this stuff. He says, Bob, yeah, you’re doing this and this and this and this. But I have promised to complete the work that I began in you, and in my timing. And I am not interested in stopping this habit. I’m interested in renewing your mind. And the renewing of your mind will stop that habit.
Now folks, it’s like this. I remember when I was in California. We lived there. And they had what they called dichondra lawns as a type of grass. And I went out there one time, and I noticed my lawn was just full of weeds. And I said, I’m gonna go cleanse that lawn. And I got out there and I pulled weeds and I pulled weeds and I pulled weeds trying to get all the weeds out is nice dichondra lawn. Have you ever noticed about pulling weeds? What happens when you get once a little rough? will touch the pole? What do you do? Do what? Yeah, just Yeah, break the head off. Now isn’t that smart? Don’t you know where it’s going to be back next week, another clump, right? But you break it off and say hey, cleansed the lawn. That’s what we’re doing. We’re tearing the weeds off of things because the root of all sin is unbelief. That’s what this book of Hebrews is about. That’s what this whole deal is about, unbelief is the root of all sin. We’re out here confessing the fruit and forgetting the root. All we’re doing is ripping the heads off of things. And what God is interested in is getting to the root. And there’s a way to get to the root that is totally contrary to our thinking. And that’s not getting to the root. It’s in growing grass. And so I’d get out there and here I’d get this lawn all cleansed, walk in say boy, all the weeds are gone. Now what you didn’t notice they’re a bunch of heads down. They’re just been ripped off. And next week up they are again. So you go out and you pull some more next week. There they are again. I want to ask you a question. You ever gonna get to the point just pulling weeds where you don’t have any weeds? Uh-uh. You know what God says if if a lawn man would come along and say, Bob, I want to tell you something. If you keep pulling weeds for the rest of your life, you’re going to be on that lawn pulling weeds forever. Why don’t you let me teach how to grow grass? Why don’t you let me teach you how to grow healthy grass. Because if I can teach you and you’ll put that into practice and grow healthy grass, what you’re going to find out ain’t gonna be instantaneous, like you’re looking for. But in due time, over a period of years, that grass is going to get so healthy, that it’ll choke out the weeds. And so and so if if all you’re gonna concentrate on is pulling weeds, you’re gonna be pulling them for the rest of your life. But if you will concentrate on growing grass, you’ll find it’s gonna choke out the weeds. Is that true or not? Is that true in growing grass? Yes. Is it true in spiritual life? Absolutely. The same way that’s what it’s talking about. Walk in the Spirit, walk by faith. Enter into this Sabbath rest and you’re gonna find something happening to you. You will not be fulfilling the desires of the flesh you’re gonna see the desires of the flesh continually getting less and less and less not because you’ve tried but because the grass has choked it out. It’s like a kid sitting in a playpen with his teddy bear hanging on to that thing for dear life can’t get it away from me try to take that teddy bear away from him cry screams and yells. And we say man’s basically born good. Haven’t been around a baby. You know that’s amazing kids learn to lie before they even talk. Ever notice that? Yea before they can talk. Do something, did you do that? Don’t even know how to say no, no. They can lie before they even talk. And we say all these well good No, just They’re all man’s born basically good. No, we’re not born to the sin nature come out of that womb that way. And so this little kid’s hanging out of that teddy bear and you say, Well, how do you get that teddy bear way? So you come down and try to analyze why he’s hanging on the teddy bears. Trying to find out maybe his potty trained a little too early or something don’t know for sure. And why is he hanging on to teddy bears? And maybe it was because we had a dysfunctional family or something else. And maybe he’s hanging on to teddy bears. And you didn’t come up with all those reasons why he’s hanging out to teddy bears, but he’s still hanging on to the teddy bear.
Like a friend of mine said she went through all kinds of counseling and everything else. And after about three to four years and about 50,000 bucks found out why she hated her husband, why she hared her mom why she hated her dad. But she still hated her husband. Her mom and her dad still hate them, but knew why now, but that was worth 50 grand. And so you see, you can discover some whys and wherefores, but what’s the solution to it, there’s, that’s the key. You can sit down and analyze why weeds are growing? Well, because there’s stuff in the soil and because of this and this and still have weeds, but I know why I got em, it didn’t help much when you’re having to pull weeds all the time, does it. So the key to that kid with hanging on to the teddy bear is to get him something living. So say get him a puppy. And you put the puppy in there that’s alive and well and can lick you and then and talk to you and their way and all those kinds of things. And pretty soon, the little kid is so preoccupied with a puppy, and he could care less about the teddy bear. Just come and take it out of there and don’t even know it’s gone. It’s the it’s the preoccupation with the puppy that loses the interest in the other thing you were holding on to. And in each case, those are misplaced dependencies. And we all have them, don’t we, all of us have misplaced dependence, we have things that we’re holding on to because we think it’s doing something for us. And then the world says you shouldn’t be holding on to that. And of course, we’re always great on telling everybody what we shouldn’t be doing. And you as a Christian shouldn’t be doing that. And so well, I tried, I probably shouldn’t be doing that. So I’ll try to gut it out and stop doing that. So then we do the most intelligent thing we know to do. God. Please take this habit away from me. How many have ever prayed that one? How many have ever prayed that? Please take that habit away from me. Does it go? Well, if you’re praying God, please take out habit away from me, and after all, we’re told anything we ask God to answer. He doesn’t take it away. What’s the only conclusion that you can have? Faith wasn’t big enough. That’s one conclusion need to get some faith and send in 20 bucks, and I’ll help you with that. And what else would you have to conclude? God didn’t hear you maybe? And then of course, why didn’t you hear you? Why, unconfessed sin. So so so now I got another sin I got to work on now I know why I got this habit because of this sin over here. So now it said now I got another prayer. Lord, take care of both of these. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Ask God take away those things, doesn’t it? That makes sense to ask God? Yeah, the sins are there doesn’t make sense to ask God to take away these these sins that I got and everything else, please get rid of these habits, doesn’t that makes sense? You know, God says, I love you too much to answer that prayer. I take that sin away from you that you’re asking me to take away from me, what am I doing? I’m cleaning up your flesh. I didn’t come to clean up your flesh, Bob, I came to kill it. I love you too much to take that habit away. I’m gonna teach you how to grow grass. That’s gonna take a little longer. And all your Christian friends are probably going to get impatient with you and be judging you and while you’re still hanging on to it. But I want you to trust me because I’m interested in the long pole. I’m not all hung up on these nitpicking things that you’re hung up on. I’m interested in the long pole. And I’m going to teach you how to grow grass if you’ll let me and as that grass grows, it’ll choke out the very things that you’re wanting to get rid of. Folks, when you and I are calling on the Holy Spirit of God to clean up our flesh, which we’ve done for years and years and years. We are at Asking God to do something that he will not do.
Now Satan will clean up your flesh, Satan will help you clean up your flesh. Because if I can get this habit stopped and Satan can help me do that, what does that build in me? Pride and self confidence. I got rid of this habit. Now when you get rid of that habit, are all of them gone then have you noticed that how when you get rid of one just don’t have any more bad habits? Man, it’s like trying to hold 10 corks underwater, at the same time isn’t it. You get rid of those over there and up, these are clumping up, you’re grabbing here and you’re grabbing here and you’re trying to hold them down. There’s no end to this thing. It’s a bottomless pit in it. And so Satan will help you to get rid of your bad habits so that you can grow some some pride and have some self confidence in what I can do. Look what I did. Then another one pops up. We’ll have another one pops up and I have gotten rid of one and another one has popped up. Why then what do you automatically think there? What are you going to do with that one? Well, well, I got that one. I’ll get this one. And then you get that one. He helps you with that one too. And then you got another one. What are you going to spend the rest of your life doing? Trying to do what? Get rid of what? All of your bad habits isn’t that right. Now when I asked you a question, how much concentration are you going to have on him when you’re trying to get rid of your bad habit? Why none. And what does it say in the scripture that a mind that is on the flesh does what? Sows to the flesh and a mind that’s on the Spirit does what? Sows to the Spirit. So where is your preoccupation with your mind on getting rid of all your habits are on the Spirit of God? Where should it be? Spirit of God.
Announcer 27:11
Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord find more information online at BobGeorge.net. There you will also find available CDs, DVDs and Bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.
