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How can you make sure that at the end of your life it’s indeed a fulfilled purpose that
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you have completed your work and with everything accomplished you can enter into God’s eternal
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rest?
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Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.
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I’m David Pick and Colin, that really is the big question, isn’t it?
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How can we be sure we’ll enter God’s eternal rest?
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Well, there’s only one person in the history of the world who’s ever truly been able to
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say it’s finished – and that is Jesus Christ.
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You know, I think about my own life, you think about your experience how often at the end
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of the day can you say I’ve done everything?
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It doesn’t happen.
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It really doesn’t.
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And that’s one of the reasons why it’s hard for us to have rest.
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That’s one of the reasons why earlier in the series we were saying it really is important
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to reflect on what we have been able to accomplish by God’s grace rather than fretting about
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what has not yet been done.
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The human reality is that we have never fulfilled all things.
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Only one person has.
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And on the cross, Jesus Christ said it is finished, and he finished for us what we can
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never finish for ourselves.
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So we’re going to look at how we can enter into the completion of all that Christ has
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accomplished so that there is peace and joy and completion for us.
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Because he has finished, therefore we are in a position where we by his grace are able
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to be finishers also.
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So we see this in Matthew in chapter 11.
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So I hope you’ll join us there as we begin our message, Come, Take, Learn.
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Here’s Colin.
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Well we come today into the last of our three-part series on the subject of Enjoying God’s Gift
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of Rest.
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It’s a wonderful theme in the Bible and one that we desperately need to rediscover in
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the relentless pace of life in the northwest suburbs of this great city.
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I want to take a few minutes to review what we have learned over these last two weeks
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before we launch into our theme today.
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Remember that when the Bible is talking about rest it is not talking about sleeping.
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For this simple reason that the Bible tells us that God rest and we know that God neither
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slumbers nor sleeps.
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Secondly we’ve identified that when the Bible talks about rest it’s not talking about leisure.
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For this simple reason as we saw last week the Bible says the wicked can never rest.
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And obviously the wicked do enjoy leisure in different ways and so whatever the Bible
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is speaking about when it talks about the theme of rest, it’s not speaking primarily
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about sleeping or about leisure.
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We’ve discovered together that this rest that God enters into that the wicked can never
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enjoy, but that He does want His people to experience is all about a purpose fulfilled
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and a project completed.
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We’ve seen that pattern right from the very first page of the Bible that God completed
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His work of creation when He had finished all that He had planned to do.
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On the seventh day He entered into His rest.
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And we saw last week that the reason of course that the wicked can never enter into God’s
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rest is that they have set themselves against God.
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Their life purpose is one of resisting God.
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And therefore, by definition, their life purpose is one that can never be fulfilled.
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It can never be completed.
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There will, praise God, never be a time, either in the history of this world or in all eternity,
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when the wicked will be able to say, we have dethroned God.
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That purpose will never be completed, that project will never be accomplished.
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And therefore the hell of hell will be that for all eternity, the wicked will pursue a
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purpose that can never be fulfilled and live a project that can never be accomplished.
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That is why the Bible says there is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.
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Well, that’s where we got to last week.
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You do not want to end your life, I do not want to end my life feeling that it is an
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unfulfilled purpose, an incomplete project.
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I cannot imagine anybody who wants to spend eternity that way.
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And so the question we’re coming to today is very simply this.
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How can you make sure that at the end of your life it is indeed a fulfilled purpose, that
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you have completed your work, and with everything accomplished you can enter into God’s eternal
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rest?
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Picture with me a man in prison.
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He knows he’s about to face a sudden and a violent death by execution.
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He takes a few moments, moved by the Spirit of God, to write a letter to a young friend.
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The prisoner’s name is Paul, and the young friend’s name is Timothy.
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And he gets to the end of this letter that’s called Second Timothy, and that’s in the
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New Testament.
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This is what he writes.
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”The time for my departure has come.
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I have fought the good fight.
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I have finished the race.
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I have kept the faith.
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Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord Jesus will award
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not only to me, but all who long for his appearing.”
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See, here’s a man who’s going to die, but he’s got rest.
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And why has he got rest?
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Because he knows that the whole of his life is a purpose fulfilled and a project completed.
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I have finished the Course.
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I’ve kept the faith.
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I have rest, because all that God purposed to do in me is being brought to completion.
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Now when I come to the end of my life, I’d love to be able to speak like that, wouldn’t
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you?
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I’ve fulfilled my purpose.
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I completed my work.
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I’m ready to enter into God’s rest.
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Now how is that possible?
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It’s possible for one man, it’s possible for any man, for any woman.
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Now the Bible gives us a clear answer as how we may live such a life that may end in this
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way and may issue in us entering into God’s rest.
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And there is never a clearer statement offered than in the verses that we read from Matthew
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chapter 11 verses 28 and 29, some of the most wonderful words in the whole of the Bible
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and I hope that you’ll have the Bible open in front of you so that we can soak these
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words into the depths of our minds.
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Notice three words that Jesus uses as He speaks about this great invitation to enter and experience
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rest.
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He says, come.
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He says take.
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And He says learn.
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Come, to Me, all you who are weary and burdened.
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And I will give you rest.
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Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will
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find rest for your souls.
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Come.
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Come to Me Jesus says.
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I can give you rest, I can make your life a fulfilled purpose, a completed project.
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I can take you there.
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I can lead you into what your soul most desires.
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Now, this is obviously a highly personal promise from Jesus and a highly personal invitation
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to you.
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Remember, therefore, and this is most important, that it is Jesus who is speaking.
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I can give you this rest.
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Now, he knows what he is talking about because no one who has ever lived in human history
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was ever given a greater purpose or a harder project to complete than Jesus Christ.
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The Bible makes clear that he came into this world to seek and to save lost people.
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His purpose was to do everything necessary to reconcile sinners to God.
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His project, think about this, was to bear the consequences of human sin and absorb in
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himself all the wrath of God that came as a curse on the world as a result of human
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sinfulness.
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Imagine if you had been given that project.
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This was the purpose of Jesus Christ’s life.
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This was his project, his God-given assignment.
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And on the night before he died, we’re told in John’s Gospel that he said this,
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Father, I have brought you glory on earth by completing all the work that you gave me
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to do.
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A short time after that, he was arrested, he was tried, he was condemned, and he was
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crucified.
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And while he hung on the cross, for three hours, darkness covered the land, and in that
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darkness, the Bible explains, he bore the guilt of human sin, and he absorbed the wrath
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of God for human sin into his own body.
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It was diverted away from all who believe, and on to him in that darkness, where he died
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on the cross.
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Then when the three hours of darkness were over, the Bible tells us that Jesus cried
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out in a loud voice.
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It is finished!
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Finished!
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Finished!
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And then he said, Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.
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And that’s how He entered eternity.
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In his life, Jesus was given mission impossible.
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In his death, He declared mission accomplished.
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His purpose was fulfilled, His project was utterly complete, and He entered into rest.
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And He says, if you’ll come to Me, I can take you there too!
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Now the New Testament takes up this theme of rest with a wonderful picture as it relates
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to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Remember that after the death and the resurrection of Jesus, the Bible tells us that He ascended
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into the presence of the Father in Heaven and when He ascended into the presence of
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the Father in Heaven, the Bible tells us he did something very significant, he sat down,
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when I sit down, you’ll know the sermon’s over, not just yet.
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But you see the great significance of sitting down.
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He sat down at rest because the work was done.
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Now if you know a little bit about the Old Testament, you’ll see even more significance
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in this, because the priests in the Old Testament who used to offer sacrifices of animals that
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were a pointer to the way in which sin would have to be dealt with.
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They used to operate in a place called the tabernacle, it was a tent-like structure and
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there were different furnishings in there.
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There was a lamp, there was a basin, there was an altar, there was a table, but very
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significantly in the tabernacle there was no chair.
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No chair.
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And the reason for that was very simple.
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The priest’s work in the Old Testament was never done and because their work was never
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done, there was never anyplace for them to sit down.
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Day after day they had to offer more and more and more sacrifices.
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They could never get to the point where they said everything that is needed to be done
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for the forgiveness of sins and the reconciliation of men and women has been accomplished.
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There were more and more and more sacrifices, day after day it went on and there was no
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rest because the work was never done, but after Jesus offered his life as a sacrifice
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for sins Hebrews 1 and v 3 tells us He sat down and both the Old Testament and the New
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Testament speaking about Jesus, have this wonderful statement that the father says to
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Him sit at my right hand. Imagine the Lord Jesus entering into heaven and the father
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says to the son sit at my right hand until I make all your enemies a footstool for your
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feet. You see what the father is saying, son your work is finished, you can rest everything
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that is ever needed for a man or for a woman to be reconciled to God has been accomplished,
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nothing needs to be added to what you have done. Now sit at my right hand until I place
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all your enemies under your feet. By the way just a little aside that’s why I’ve never
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found little figures of Jesus on the cross to be very helpful because he’s not on the
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cross now. He’s been there, he’s done that, but he’s not on the Cross now. He’s on the
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throne. He’s not in agony now. He’s entered into his rest. And he says come to me and
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I will lead you into that too. In other words this risen, triumphant Lord Jesus Christ who
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has done everything necessary on the cross to bring you into a right relationship with
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God and to bring you into the completion of your life purpose and ultimately into everlasting
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rest. He says come to me, come to me the risen Lord. Come with your torn, frayed, broken,
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incomplete life. Come with all your loose ends. Come just as you are. But come to me
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and I will give you rest.
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You’re listening to Pastor Colin Smith on Open the Bible. And today’s message, Come,
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Talk, Learn. It’s part of our series called Give Yourself a Break, How to Enjoy God’s
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Gift of Rest. And if you’ve tuned in late or you have to leave early or you just want
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to listen to one of the series again, you can always do that by coming online to our
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website, openthebible.org.uk. And there you can listen to any of the messages which have
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already gone out on air. You can also find us now as a podcast, if that’s a better way
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for you to listen at your own convenience to Pastor Colin’s teaching, and those are
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available on all the regular podcasting sites, and through a link on our website. To find
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it on a podcast site, simply search for openthebible.org.uk. Back to the message now, we’re in Matthew
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chapter 11. Here’s Colin.
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Come just as you are, but come to me, and I will give you rest. Now notice that in this
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great invitation, he invites us to come but it doesn’t end there. See a lot of people
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who have come to believe in Jesus, don’t have a whole lot of rest. And one of the reasons
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for that is that some people who’ve come to believe in Jesus have only read half of this
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verse. And if you only read half of this verse you’ve only understood half of the gospel.
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Look at what Jesus says, come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give
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you rest. But we’ve no right to cut him off in the middle of the flow of his statement.
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Look what he says next. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me and you will find rest
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for your souls. In other words, if you are going to live a life that will issue
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in a fulfilled purpose, a completed project, you must not only come believing
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in Jesus, but you must, he says in himself, be ready to take his yoke upon
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you. Now, when Jesus talks about the yoke, he is using a very simple picture.
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When farmers were ploughing a field, they tied two animals together to pull
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the plow.
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There was a kind of harness that tied the two animals together and then there
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was a piece of wood that would be across the necks of the animals that was
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called the yoke.
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You can still see that in many Third World countries today.
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The point of the yoke was to make sure, of course, that the two animals were
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pulling in the same direction together, and that they were not pulling apart.
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Very painful thing to wear a yoke if you’re pulling in the opposite direction
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from the one you are yoked to.
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Now Jesus says, take my yoke upon you.
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In other words, if you want to experience this rest, if you want your life to be a
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completed project, a fulfilled purpose, you have to pull in the direction that
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I’m pulling.
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You have to move in the direction that I’m going.
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Don’t pull against me.
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Give up doing your own thing.
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Give up going your own way.
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Take my yoke upon you.
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Of course this is a marvelous picture isn’t it, of a life of obedience, being
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yoked to Jesus.
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Jesus says if you take my yoke upon you then you will find rest for your soul.
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Saying that you’re a believer and doing your own thing will never lead you into
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a life in which God’s purpose for you is completed or his project accomplished.
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Now if you question that, remember that the Bible itself gives us a very
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powerful story to illustrate the point.
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Remember back in the Old Testament that God’s people were slaves in Egypt.
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Now think about that word slaves.
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Slaves certainly have no rest, 7 days a week slaves.
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No Sabbath.
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No rest.
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But God brought them out of that and brought them to Sinai where God’s
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presence came down.
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God promised to give them a land where they would enjoy rest.
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He said go and take possession of this land the land of Canaan.
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That was God’s purpose.
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That was God’s project and they were in obedience to become those who brought
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about God’s purpose in the world.
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However when they got to the borders of Canaan, many of you know the story well
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they sent out spies and the spies came back with a gloomy report saying that
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while God had called them to do was going to be much more difficult and much
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more costly than had been previously thought.
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So instead of being obedient to God’s command they turned back into the
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desert.
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The Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 11 that God was angry with
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them because of that disobedience and said they will never enter my rest.
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So here we have people who come to Mt.
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Sinai, but they’re not ready to take the yoke of obedience to what God calls
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them to do.
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They want God’s blessing.
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But they’re not ready for the yoke of costly obedience.
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You’ve been listening to Open The Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and our
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message today, Come, Talk, Learn.
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Part of our series give yourself a break how to enjoy God’s gift of rest.
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We live in a very fast paced world today and it can be very hard to slow
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down and find the time to take a break.
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So what does God mean when he calls us to enjoy his gift of rest?
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Well, that’s what our series is all about.
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And if you’ve tuned in late or missed any of the messages in the series, don’t
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forget you can always come online to our website, open-the-bible.org.uk.
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And there you can find any of the previously broadcast messages.
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You can also find us as a podcast.
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Go to your favourite podcast site, search for Open The Bible UK and
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subscribe to receive regular updates.
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Also on our website and available as a podcast is Open The Bible Daily.
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That’s a series of short two-to-three minute daily reflections based on
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Pastor Colin’s teaching and read in the UK by Souma Kaleesh.
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You can find that as a podcast or on our website,
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OpenTheBible.Org.UK.
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Open the Bible depends on your generosity to keep Pastor Colin’s
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teaching on this station and online.
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As you set up a new monthly gift to the work of Open The Bible this month,
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we want to thank you by sending you a free copy of Chris Lungard’s book,
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The Enemy Within, straight tallk about the power and defeat of sin.
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Colin, who would you say this book is for?
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Well, first is for anyone who is a Christian.
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By definition, a Christian is a person in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.
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And also by definition, a Christian is a person who has
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engaged in a serious battle against sin.
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The Apostle Paul said we got to put to death the misdeeds of the body by the
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power of the Holy Spirit who lives within you.
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And here’s the thing. As you grow in the Christian life,
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you actually become more aware of the sins that you need to fight against in
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your life, not less aware of them.
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So there’s an increasing sense of battle that a Christian experiences.
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And this book by Chris Lungard,
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The Enemy Within is one of the most helpful books I have ever found on the
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subject of the battle of the Christian life. It is really encouraging.
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I’ve found it helpful,
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and I think that everyone who reads it will find it helpful too.
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Well, we want to send you a copy of this book, Chris Lungard,
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00:24:50,800 –> 00:24:54,300
The Enemy Within, straight talk about the power and defeat of sin,
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and it’s our thank you gift to you,
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if you’re able to set up a new donation to the work of Open the Bible this
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month in the amount of five pounds per month or more.
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Full details on our website, openingthebible.org.uk.
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For Open the Bible, and for Pastor Colin Smith,
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I’m David Pickham.
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And I hope you’ll be able to join us again next time on Open the Bible.
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A lot of Christians can’t seem to find rest.
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Find out why next time on Open the Bible.