Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Run to the Rest Pt.5

Hallelujah! Amen! Let's turn to Hebrews. We want to finish up today at a look at running into the rest of God. As we've been talking, there's just a spirit of anxiousness in our nation, in the world, today. Isn't it great to have the peace of the Lord? Everybody around us is fried, and running to and fro, and then there's a people who can just rest, praise God. Look for those people to hang out with. It will bring a refreshing to you in a dry and thirsty land, praise God, people who can encourage you in the goodness of God, and the faithfulness of God. It's just a great opportunity we have to lift up the hands of those who are around us, and encourage them in this hour. It's such a blessing for the interaction and the communion we have with one another; that's part of our rest, beloved. It's not just "Me and Jesus." It's the rest we have in one another in the ability to lift up hands and speak a word in season, and then watch the fruit of it. What strength that brings to be able to share in the joy with a brother or sister who's experienced that victory. You know, the rest, the peace that comes from being able to "comfort with the same comfort wherewith we've been comforted." That's the rest of God, just letting people know He's faithful: "He'll never leave you or forsake you. I know where you are. I know how you feel and I know you hurt. But let me just tell you something: God is faithful who called you, who will do it." Amen? What a great time and an encouragement.

Just a word of thanks also, while I'm thinking about it, for all who were working in the parking lot out here. A lot of work was done, and energy expended, in keeping the rest of it from caving in out there. If you wonder why it looks like a quilt, we're just trying to hold and abide a little bit longer until the work is done here on the building. When all of that is done, and the new auditorium is built, then we'll be finishing the parking lot. That's one of my pet peeves. It just kills me--I don't know about you, but it just kills me to put $100,000 on the ground and just run over it. But, that's about what it's going to cost to put a top layer on that, and that just drives me nuts. But we're waiting to see--and those of you that worked on it, thank you. I told some of the young boys--I was walking by the other day and a lot of our teenagers were out there and they were working. It was hot. Sweat just pouring off of them, and I stopped by and told them they were doing a great job--there's one good thing about this job; and they were all wondering what that was. I said that today's work is tomorrow's testimony of faithfulness, your being able to serve the body and serve the Lord. And I said, "Not only that, what's cool is that, in ten years, you'll be able to tell your sons that this thing was 40 feet wide, 100 feet deep and that you did it with a spoon." It's great how those testimonies go. So all of those that were working, I appreciate it, a great job that was done.

I really appreciate (we had some stuff at the house) how John Zarou came by and did some work, just fabulous work; the workmanship's phenomenal. He made everything around there look brand new. Just a great job! It was a blessing, as we were trying to pay him, he wanted to just minister to the Lord. The blessing wasn't that I didn't have to pay him; that's not what I'm talking about. That's part of the deal. So often, when you do have resources, people don't feel that you need anything given to you, and you don't. It's not about that. We always look for people who we don't have to give to. He gave to the Lord. He just said, "I'm so thankful for everything that's been put into my life." That's what blessed me, his thankfulness to the Lord and what the ministry has done to his life. Because of that, he wanted to sow in. It's a blessing to see that attitude in wanting to honor the Lord and the things that were done as unto the Lord. You could see that it was as unto the Lord. It was far beyond, and we are just thankful for his ministry to the Lord in that way. A lot of things are going on; a lot of work takes place always in the body. That's what the community is about. As we labor as unto the Lord, that's where the spirit of excellence is.

We talked about the Hebrew children last session. And we talked about the fact that, like Joshua and Caleb, there was another spirit in them, that they wouldn't defile themselves with the king's meat. Why? They wanted to honor their God. You see, their service was to the Lord. The reason they were making that stand was to honor God. When we serve here, it's to honor God. When we live our lives separate from the world, it's not just to be morally pure, it's to honor God. And that's where the zeal comes from, that's where the life comes from, when it's as unto the Lord. When it becomes obligatory, then it's a drag. It's legalism. We resent the boundaries instead of glory in them. So, I want to encourage you that that rest we've been talking about has to do with whom you're laboring for. The Scripture says we have to labor to enter into rest. That labor is a ceasing from our own works. Now, our own works are not just in our own strength. Our own works aren't for our own purposes, our own glory, and our own benefit, to fulfill our own agenda. There's nothing like just being emptied out for God, just doing it for the Lord: for the Lord, by the Lord. That, beloved, is where you'll know that divine energy that brings you to the rest.

Hebrews, chapter 4, let's pick up, verse 9: "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." Now, that's making reference back to: "[by] faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God" (Hebrews 11:3). And as God spoke what He said was--now much of what He said came into existence immediately, and some of what was declared is still coming to pass--this creation is still in the process. It came into being but it also came under judgment, and even today is reeling like a drunken man, waiting the day of its redemption. A lot of us forget that this world is going to be redeemed. You know, you have all your environmentalists who have their "mother earth". Well, they can worship "mother earth"; we worship Father God (amen?) the creator of heaven and earth. Don't worry about this little blue marble; God has a plan for it and it's going to be perfected. It's going to be redeemed and experience the full work of redemption. It will become the habitation of God's great creation. And there will be a new heaven and a new earth, praise God. Rest in that. Rest in that. Rest in the promises that where He's gone, He's gone for the purpose to prepare a place for us, that where He is there we will be also. "For in My Father's house are many [dwelling places]: if it were not so, I would have told you" (John 14:2). The preparation right now is taking place. So why would we be anxious? Everybody around us is anxious because their treasures are temporal and, frankly, they see what they're hoping in crumbling around them. This thing is shutting down. Now, I don't know how much of the scientific data is reliable. We hear all of the different stories about ozone, global warming, and all of these different things. Regardless of what's going to take place in the physical, everything is being orchestrated in the exact, perfect timing for God, for His kingdom. So don't worry about the oil reserves. Don't waste your money on one of those little alternative cars. Just buy something that sucks it all up because we'll never use it until God intends it to be gone. Amen. Environmentalists love that philosophy.

We realize that God's in charge. You see, they want to be in charge. They want to be the savior. It's not going to run out until God's through. It doesn't matter what man does. Man cannot destroy this planet. Man can't save it. So, here we are, having to rest in that. He says we need to cease from our labors as God did, and realize then that "the Word of God [verse 12] is [alive] and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, [divides] asunder [between] soul and spirit, ... is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." There's a rest to know that every time we go to the Word of God we're having our hearts revealed. God is showing us where we lack. He's putting His finger on the motives of everything we're doing so we can be sure we're walking in the spirit; that we're walking in a way that pleases God. The Word of God is the thing that constantly comes and gives us rest because we know that our minds are being renewed. There's a renewing constantly as we meditate upon the Word day and night. He says "then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success" (Joshua 1:8). What greater rest is there than in knowing, "Hey, I'm in the will of God. I have the mind of the Spirit. My motives are right." Where does that come from? The Word of God; it's alive; it's powerful. It constantly is encouraging us, "This is the way, walk in it. I'm for you, praise God. Every promise is sure to a thousand generations." Are you constantly feeding yourself with this truth of the Word of God, the truth that puts everything else, like all the propaganda of the scientists, in proper perspective? They can get you worried. One scientist will stand and have you absolutely convinced of global warming. The other will convince you that there's an ice age coming because of different situations that are taking place. And they're going to tell us that we're going to get an ozone hole and we're all going to fry and whatever else. It doesn't make any difference. You can wring your hands and worry about it. Or you can believe what the Word of God says.

Yes, it is reeling like a drunken man. It is waiting the day of its restoration, of its redemption, but to everything there is a season. There's a time, and we realize, as we rest, that God's ways are perfect. His promises are sure and we can "come boldly [verse 16 of this fourth chapter] unto the throne of grace, [and] obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of [our fear, time of] need [in the time of lack, anxiety.]" There's a bold access, there's a rest in the presence of God, and it's for the people of God. And it comes when we choose, there's the key word, choose to cease from our own labors. It's a choice, and it's a process that takes place. It's something that each one of us has to do. I've been really working lately on choosing to try to enjoy the moment. I'm one of those people who doesn't always enjoy the moment because I've always got some place I'm going. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Not everybody's that way, but I'm one of those people. I'm always looking for the next thing, and wanting to go on. I'm here and I'm partaking, but I've got something to do, places to go. And so I'm trying to just enjoy that and realize that sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. I'm not even talking about worry or fear; I'm talking about living in the future. We don't have any guarantee of that, do we? So let's enjoy our loved ones now. Let's enjoy the blessings we have today, and let tomorrow take care of itself. This is the goal, and it's humorous because I went down to take a drivers' test to try to get points removed from my driver's license. I've been issued two tickets in the last 45 days and both of them were stupid ones. But I didn't complain. Greer said, "Why don't you explain to them what was...". I said, "No, if I got what I deserved, they're already about 8,000 tickets behind." It's just the law of averages, and it's payday.

It's hilarious! I drove up to Deep Creek Lake to see Kim and Jeff, and because I had gotten a ticket earlier in the motor home, we were going down a hill and I didn't realize they had changed the law, that 80 was reckless driving. I thought it was 20 over; it used to always be 20 over. It shows how old you are, and I didn't know they'd made new laws. So, I always thought it was 20 over. And we were going down a hill in the motor home and passing some guy who was holding us up. I got around this guy and I was going down the hill and at the bottom of this big grade was a guy with radar and he got us at the bottom of the hill at 82 going to Tennessee. So, we got a reckless driving ticket. Because of that I thought, "I need to be careful."

So, we're going to Deep Creek Lake and I put it in cruise control. I'm not driving one mile an hour over. All the way up to Deep Creek Lake, all the way back. It's 11 o'clock at night, I'm about two miles from the divider there on route 15, where the road divides just outside of Leesburg, and they were doing work and didn't have a white line. It was dark, and people were coming over on my side of the road. I'd been driving not even one mile an hour over. I thought, " I'm going to get through here." So I sped up. I don't know what the speed limit was, but I was going about 10 miles an hour over, and in that two-mile stretch a guy gave me a ticket. Literally, I hadn't been a mile an hour over the speed limit all day. I just thought, "This is interesting."

So I went down to take this test to get points taken off of my record. I took the test, did great on it, but the question I missed was, "What does it mean to stop and smell the roses?" I had to laugh. I thought, "You haven't learned yet, have you, to just chill, observe what's around you, not be preoccupied with where you're going but remain in the immediate?" If we can do that, beloved, there's a rest. It creates a thankfulness. It creates a contentment. And it's something Father has for us in the Spirit, if we will embrace it. But we have to choose it because everything around us is promoting bigger, better. And whether we know it or not it can create a discontentment for our heavenly home. Nothing wrong with things, we've always shared that with you. It's just that we can't be choked with them. We can't let the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of things come in and choke that rest out of our lives.

When are things too much? When do you have too many things? When they're robbing your peace, when they're robbing contentment, when you're worried about loosing them, when you have to work three jobs to keep them. We need to learn to be content with what God has given us, and like Abraham say, "I'm not going to let any man say that he's blessed Abraham." Don't do it in your own strength; let God promote you. "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it" (Proverbs 10:22). That's where there's a rest. But if we have to have more to impress others, if we have to have more to satisfy this hole in our lives, this void, "he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver" (Ecclesiastes 5:10). There's not enough. Young people, listen; I'll say it again: there's not enough. It can't be done. Stuff won't satisfy. Now, I know 99 percent of you are going to find out for yourselves. You won't listen. But the answer is not in material things. It's not in houses and cars. It's not in spouses. It's not in fame. It's just not there. So, it's important that we find our rest in the eternal.

There is no rest in the temporal. This temporal realm drives us. This temporal realm is always passing away so we're having to look to recreate and re-supply. We need to learn to lay up in the heavens. Turn over to the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, listen to the wisdom, here, of the chapter on rest. We call it the "faith" chapter but it's really "rest," because that's what faith is. Rest is the ability to walk in faith, to call things that are not as though they were, to have absolute trust and assurance and reliance upon the faithfulness of God. That's what makes us rest; it's faith. And without faith it's impossible to please God. If you're anxious, if you're being driven right now, you're not pleasing God. Your life isn't pleasing to the Lord. Your heart's out of control. And the reason most of our hearts are out of control is because our minds are out of control, we need to renew our minds; we need to meditate upon the Word of God constantly, reaffirming the truths of the Word of God.

Psalm 1:2 says, "But his delight is in the [Word] of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." Is that where your delight is, in the law of the Lord, the Word of God? The novels won't do it. Hollywood's latest blockbuster won't do it. Becoming an Internet zombie won't do it. But as we delight in the law of God, the Word is alive and powerful, Hebrews 4 said. It's the thing that renews our minds; it's what refreshes us. It's not that extra day on the lake fishing; that won't do it. "I need just one more day." No, you'll never get rested there. You can get distracted, but it doesn't refresh you. Only the Word of God can refresh you. Oh, it's nice to get away and do something different and experience the distractions, but we're deceiving ourselves because there is no life in that. That's man's method. That's the natural arena. All you're going to do is get tired again. But there's water that you can drink of, Jesus said, that if you drink you'll never thirst again. And it's this Word we're talking about. It's the meditation, and as we'll rest in that Word it's precious.

Psalm 119 verse 148 says: "Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word." My eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word. "Meditate therein day and night...then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8). Do you make more preparation for the get-a-ways to the lake, to the beach, to the amusement park, than the fortifying of our spirit with the Word of God? It's so important that we realize that we're spiritual beings. The world tells us, "You got to have this to rest; you've got have this. You'll be able to be at piece of mind if you have a piece of the rock." I don't want a piece of the rock. I got the whole Rock, praise God! I've dug deep into that rock. I'm fortified in my life. But, you know, it takes the preventing of the night watches; it takes that laboring. It doesn't come easily, because we're constantly being distracted, and the admonition of the Lord is, "Be [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with [what?]" (Philippians 4:6). Are you thankful this morning? It brings rest just to be thankful. I don't need any more. I'm at rest. I'm not anxious. Thankfulness doesn't need more. And when you don't need it, God doesn't mind that you have it.

"Well, you know, I don't need it. I don't need it; that's why I know God wants me to have it!" Uh, slow down, big boy, you're not at rest. And you can't have enough. I just heard someone retell the story this last week as I was listening to the teachings on the radio. They retold the story that we shared with you a number of times on William Randolph Hearst and his acquisition of art and that piece that he had to have. He hired a man and he searched the world (you've heard the story). He finally found it; it was in one of Hearst's warehouses. He already owned it. I love that story. "I've got to have that! I've got to have that! Whatever it takes go find that! I've got to have that! I will not be content until I have that!" "You have it." "Oh."

You're content until you open the Sharper Image magazine and you say, "Wow! I didn't know they made those. That's cool! I've got to have one of those." Have you ever gone into one of those stores? They've got all kinds of stuff you don't need that you think you have to have once you go in there. Cool stuff, man! They've got little vibrators that do your toes and your back. Those are cool. Got to have those. That's what a wife is for. [Pastor's humor.] Save yourself some money. No, come to think of it buy that and you'll be all right. We see all these things we have to have, right? It's vital! "Let me have that, and one of those. That'll satisfy. I need that." We don't even know what we need really.

We were out fooling around yesterday riding motorcycles, a bunch of us, you know, Calvary's Angels. We were all out riding: myself, Danny, Jeff, Jim, Kevin, Tony, Jay, Jon, David, and Chucky. We were all out riding motorcycles and we went up to Leesburg. We go in this store, and the next thing you know they say, "We're going to look at a couple of things." So, we're standing in there, and I'm standing there, and we're waiting. The next thing you know, about 90 minutes has gone by while they're standing at the counter, and there's stuff stacked up to, like, here. It looked like Christmas in there. Everybody's buying stuff that they need; they're getting jackets and helmets and all this, because that's stuff you need. You know in you're life what you need, and you're aware of your surroundings. One of the people (I won't mention any names, Jimmy) as we were leaving came up and said, "You'll never guess what I did." I said, "What?" He said, "Well, I was buying all this stuff and we were getting such a good buys, I bought this chain lube for my..." he had just bought a brand new motorcycle, beautiful motorcycle. He'd bought his chain lube and we were riding down the road and he was fixed: new helmet and all this stuff, and chain lube. And we went by on our bike and he looked down at it and said, "Belt driven." He bought chain lube for his belt driven bike. He had to have it. Maybe we need to find out what we need--amen?--before we get it? I told him I wouldn't mention that, so I won't. No, I didn't tell him that. He knew he was in trouble. You can't do anything that stupid around here and not have somebody tell it.

What do you need, really? We think we need all this stuff and we don't need it. Our lives are faith-driven. You don't need what the world needs to drive your machine. We need the presence of God. We need the fellowship with the saints. These relationships are the most precious thing you have, beloved, and we take it for granted. We actually, in many ways--that one word. Turn back to Numbers, where we were the other day. That one word just keeps jumping out at me, and I want you to look at that, in Numbers 14 again, that talked about the children of Israel. We heard the word that came forth this morning referring to the wandering in the wilderness, and the lack of contentment, and the murmuring, and the fear. "How are we going to contend with the world? They're too mighty for us. They're too great for us. We're as grasshoppers in their sight." We took time last session to go to the book of Daniel and show: No! We're ten times wiser than they are. They can bring their greatest against us, but there's a fourth man in the furnace, praise God! Don't fear their kingdom. Don't fear their methods. And don't use their weaponry. Be content to eat at the table of God, and refuse the king's dainties, and be wiser than the world. "We don't have any chance against them. Look how high their walls are. Look how mighty their cities are." But there's a people among us that has a different spirit that says, "We are well able. Let's go up at once and possess the land. Praise God!"

What is it that keeps us from going in? What is it that keeps us from rushing the walled cities, from that peace, that rest, that contentment, those heavenly treasures? What is it that draws us to the seduction of the king's table? What causes us to defect? Chapter 14, verse 31: "But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in [to the land of promise] and they shall know the land [they will know peace, they will know the benefits] which ye have [say it with me] despised." Not trusting in God is not just an alternative course. It's unbelief. It's an evil heart, Hebrews 3 said. It is despising the goodness of God, the methods of God. It's an exalting of the world's wisdom and methods and strength, and a despising of the God who has already brought you out of Egypt, who has already broken sin's power over your heart. Do you think He's brought you this far to kill you? It's His good pleasure to give you the kingdom. But He's going to do it in His way, in His timing. In due time, as we're changed into new creatures and as our minds are renewed, He will exalt us. If you're at peace you can rest in that, and you can let "due time," God's timing, set your course, or you can be compulsive, driven, fearful, resting in your own strength, and die in the wilderness. God will find another generation, which will do it His way. His eyes are looking for people who will do it his way.

I shared with you on this that Rob was going through, and some of the different things His attorney said, and I said, "Don't fall for that. Don't use their weapons. Don't compromise the Word of God. Keep it pure. Now, don't turn it into a big doctrinal argument, the courts can't make any determinations on doctrine. But you don't look to vindicate yourself. Don't look to condemn anybody else. Look to glorify God. Just seek a way in the midst of all of this turmoil to honor God, to let it be seen that somebody's going to do it God's way. Somebody's going to obey the Word of God. Somebody believes that if you do it according to the Scriptures, God will be exalted. And even if the immediate circumstances don't appear to be a victory, faith calls things that are not as though they are."

Look at that eleventh chapter of Hebrews we were talking about. As you meditate on the Word, as you choose to forgo the night watch and you won't sleep, but you give yourself to meditating upon the Word day and night, your way being made prosperous. You're having good success. Your mind is being renewed. Everything around you says you need to do it from a natural perspective, but you (chapter 11, verse 25) choose " to suffer affliction with the people of God." You choose (verse 26) to esteem "the reproach of Christ greater riches." You (verse 27) choose to forsake the world because you see "him who is invisible." That's where the rest is, beloved, but it's a choice. "Choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Joshua 24:15).

Joshua and Caleb stood up and said, "Let us go up at once, and possess [the land]; for we are well able to overcome it" (Numbers 13:30). The people said, "No, we're not." And the people wanted to choose a new leader and God had to intervene and say, "Because you despised the promises, because of your evil heart of unbelief, I'm going to kill you out here. You said ten times I brought you out here to kill you. I'll kill you, but I'm going to find a people to take in." Do you want to be part of that remnant? Do you want to enter into that rest, into the supernatural provision? You've got to do it God's way. And there's nothing easy about it. There's forgoing sleep. There is a suffering of affliction, verse 25 said. You see, we want the promises but we don't want any affliction. We don't want the trying of our faith. We don't want to experience the fiery furnace. We don't want the bad breath of the lion's roar. But that's where the fourth man is. That's where the real rest is. We want that testimony, but we don't want the trial. I just love the story of Daniel and the lions. Can't you see him? The king is loosing sleep over this thing, and everybody is wondering. Daniel's down there fluffing up a lion to sleep on for the night. Daniel rested. Everybody else is uptight. Daniel's the dude down there with the lions, and he's the guy resting. Why? It's because he believed in the sovereignty of God. He believed in the provision of Him who promised, and to die in faith is better than to live in self-reliance. Daniel knew that. This man who had looked into the heavens, this man who looked into the mysteries, the greatest mysteries ever revealed, knew the simplicity of not defiling himself with the world's methods, but chose, as Moses did, to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a--say it--season.

When do you need the next fix? You take that next hit, the pleasure and the playing and the trinkets or whatever it is and, "Ooh, yeah, whew," for however long it lasts: a day, a week, a month, whatever. Now you're back in misery. It affords only momentary pleasure, any sin, any life of unbelief, the evil heart that can't say, "I have everything I need. I don't need anything else to be content. Godliness with contentment is the gain. It's what I'm striving for, to know the presence of God. The real treasures can't be taken from me. I'm rich; there's no sorrow, because nothing I have I got for myself. The Lord gives and the Lord takes; blessed be the name of the Lord. It may not be able to be said as casually as that, but God provides. You don't have to provide for yourself. God will meet your needs, like for Donna yesterday. God provided for her. She was walking through the store and God provided a brand new pair of boots for her. She saw them there on the floor. She put them on. She walked off. God provided, praise God. She stole Greer's boots! So I had to buy Greer a new pair. I found out later, she didn't steal them. Greer said, "Hey, if you take these, he'll get me another pair." Everybody made out but me.

What are you resting in, really? Do you have to have something to do? It's in us. It's in every one of us, beloved. And don't think, "Man, what's wrong with me that I'm always lusting?" Everybody has that. We're talking about choosing. We're talking about choosing against what's in your members, the natural propensity of lust to have to have more, that lust of the eye that is moved by what it sees. So, as we're learning to walk in the spirit and run toward that rest, it's a choice. Then you have to choose (we'll end with this for this morning) the new value system.

How many of you know what something's worth? You say, "Well, I guess it's established by the seller." No, it's not. The value of something is not established by the seller; it's established by the purchaser. We have these little guidelines that tell us, and you go to GIA when you're going to get your diamonds. We look and you say, "Oh, wow! There it is. Okay, it's D color." D color; that's the best you can get, D, flawless. So now I get a D flawless, and a D flawless looks a whole lot better than a chunk of coal. They're basically the same thing; just one's a little rougher shape than the other. Pressure and heat and time make diamonds out of coal, carbon, and everything in between. So what do you pay per carat for this? You get the Rapaport sheet and you find out what it's going for and what wholesalers are paying, then you know basically what you should be paying, and it's not what they're charging you at the mall. That's not what you should be paying. So you haggle back and forth, and here's Rapaport, and the guy says, "Yes, but that's wholesale price." And you say, "Yes, I know, and that's what you buy it for. So I want it for 30 percent under Rapaport." I want my stuff 30 percent under wholesale. The seller will always say, "Not so! Not so!" The point I'm making is: the value is set by you, the purchaser. The guy says, "It's worth this much." And you say, "Not to me. I set the value. It's not worth that to me. You might find somebody stupid enough to pay you that much for it, but I'm not." What is the value that you've set on the presence of God, the peace of God? What does it mean to you as opposed to the value system of your flesh, the world, what they say satisfies. Do you esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt?

Reproach doesn't always mean derogatory remarks or somebody trying to kill you. It's just being identified with Jesus by doing it His way, where people will look at you and say, "Weird, man!" Now, weird to them is just that we don't do it their way. What we value, they don't necessarily value. We're not freaks; we're in the world, but we're not of it. This is not where our treasures are, so they can't identify with us. To be identified with Jesus is greater than anything the world can give me, for it to be known that I'm a Christian that I believe in God, that He's my source and that I will not compromise my course, my life, my treasure, for temporal pleasures of this world system, period. "Yes, but look! Look how it shines! Look of the quality of this material; look at the workmanship of this home." And they're perplexed: "Why can't I get you to fix your eyes upon these things? What is it you see? Why do you keep looking through these things I'm trying to seduce you with?" "Because my eyes are on Him who is invisible, I see something far more valuable than what you're holding up. And you can't see it."

Are you renewed to that point this morning? You see, until you come to the rest, you'll never see the invisible; you'll never see the real eternal treasures. You'll always be distracted. But when you can cease from your own labors and just say, "Do you know what? I am not going to try to provide anything for myself. But I will, through the strength of God, involve myself only in what He instructs me in." I didn't say you sit back and do nothing. I said you don't in your own strength, in your own labors, your own agenda. We're going to work. We're going to go and fight an enemy. We are going to work. We're going to labor, but we're not going to be compelled. We're not going to be driven by lust. We're not going to be seeking our own treasures. We're not going to be seeking through the world's methods. We're just going to be walking in obedience through the provision of God, for the purpose of glorifying Him, enabling people to look and say, "That guy's different. He's not living for himself, but for the glory of God."

Father, we thank You this morning for Your Word. In an hour when so many are living just for themselves, living just for the moment, let us live for eternity by the moment. Let our treasures be those that are unseen by the world around us. Cause us to live a life that would cause others to ask, "What is it you see that I don't see? Why aren't you distracted? When so many peoples' lives are lived as a constant zigzag, how is it you stay on course?" as we follow Him who is invisible, steps ordered by the Lord, not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, but governed by a voice others cannot hear, a still small voice that says, "This is the way. Walk in it." That's our rest. That's our hope. Let it become real we ask, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord this morning. As Gary plays for us, we'll take just a moment and joy in that rest we have in the Lord. I know you heart--my heart just longs to see Him. There's not one thing here that distracts me from looking up for the redemption that's drawing nigh. Oh, I do a lot of stuff, but none of it means anything compared to the love of His appearing. Come quickly, Lord Jesus! There's not anything here that satisfies. It's all vanity. It's all going to burn. But there are treasures as we touch one another's lives, as we encourage one another, as we lift up hands. That's the stuff that remains. Those who are weary we just encourage through this moment, rather than let them die in the wilderness: "No, don't try to hoard that up. Listen, don't try to hoard that up, just trust God. He'll provide again tomorrow. The manna will be here. That stuff will turn rotten if you try to accumulate it. Don't worry about it. God's present every day. Trust me; walk with me here. I see something you don't see." What's the inheritance you're leaving you're children, vanity of vanities or riches that don't pass, don't fade away? A dad who can stand and say, "I'm just as frail as you are. Look through me and see Jesus," that's what we're after. "I'm learning, just like you, to walk in the spirit. Let's follow Him. As for me and my house, we're serving the Lord."

Let's sing it together and just worship Him this morning: "Lord You Are So Precious to Me." Oh, we bless You Lord! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We don't do it alone. You remember; Daniel went to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He said, "I need you guys to help me. I need your prayers. Believe God with me, that I'd know the wisdom." Whenever you're anxious, whenever you're unsure, seek the safety of your brothers and sisters. Be teachable. Listen. Be touched with the feeling of the infirmities and comfort with the same comfort, and the Lord will be glorified in our midst. And for that, Father, we just want to give You the praise in Jesus name. Amen.

Before you go, turn to somebody and say, "There is a rest for the people of God." Amen. Go in peace. God's love go with you.

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