BEYOND THE SWORD IS PARADISE!
Mike Blume
February 2, 2003 am
Hebrews 4:1-13 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise
being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short
of it. (2) For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto
them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith
in them that heard it. (3) For we which have believed do enter
into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter
into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the
world. (4) For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day
on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
(5) And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
(6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and
they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
(7) Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after
so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not
your hearts. (8) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would
he not afterward have spoken of another day. (9) There remaineth
therefore a rest to the people of God. (10) For he that is entered
into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
(11) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man
fall after the same example of unbelief. (12) For the word of
God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13)
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all
things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
In this teaching concerning the entrance into the REST, Hebrews makes
a reference to the rest that was first introduced in the beginning.
- The Garden of Eden
and mankind.
- God created all
things by His word in Genesis 1.
- He created the
world, and the paradisical sanctuary where He placed man, providing Adam
with food and all necessities of life.
- Mark it down and
know that God did the work.
- By the time Adam
was created, everything was already provided for Adam.
- Adam did not have
to work for his food.
- The work was done.
- Adam simply had
to maintain it.
God's word created all.
- He said, "Let there
be..."
- And the Garden
was also created by God.
- And that Garden
would be the place of man's Rest.
God man mankind on the
sixth day, and after God finished all the work, He rested the seventh day.
Hebrews 4:3-4
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As
I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the
works were finished from the foundation of the world. (4) For
he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did
rest the seventh day from all his works.
Hebrews quoted Genesis 2:2.
So we see that, according to Hebrews, God had provided a Rest for humanity
form the very start.
- In speaking of our
need to enter a Rest, Hebrews resorts to Genesis 2:2.
- In other words,
man's rest was prepared from the very beginning of our creation.
- But man did not
enter into it!
If you read Hebrews 3
through 4, you will find that Israel's journey into Canaan was a sort of
Rest into which God wanted them to enter.
Hebrews 3:16-19
For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that
came out of Egypt by Moses. (17) But with whom was he grieved
forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell
in the wilderness? (18) And to whom sware he that they should
not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? (19)
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Notice how God became enraged at Israel's failure to enter into what
God gave them for a Rest.
- Listen to His words.
- Hebrews quotes
the Psalm.
Psalms 95:11
Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my
rest.
God was enraged that they disbelieved His word to enter.
- And their unbelief
caused Him to swear, in His wrath, that they should not enter.
Let us ask ourselves,
what is it that Israel disbelieved?
- They did not believe
God's Word!
Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but
the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them
that heard it.
They had the word about their "rest" so to speak.
- But they did not
mix that word with faith.
Hebrews 4:3
For we which have believed do enter into rest, ...
When we take this back to the Garden story, we find the same picture.
Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man,
saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17)
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of
it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
And then...
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any
beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman,
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
You could change that and say,
Genesis-paraphrased for Israel 3:1-7 Now the serpent
was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.
And he said unto the ten spies, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall enter into the
land that floweth with milk and honey? (2) And the ten spies said
unto the serpent, We may enter into the land of Canaan that floweth with
milk and honey. (3) But we must slay all the inhabitants
of the land, and not hearken to their doctrines and gods of wood and stone,
lest we die. (4) And the serpent said unto the ten spies, Ye
shall not enter this land: (5) For God doth know that in the day
ye enter therein, that the inhabitants of the land shall be as giants before
you. Wherefore hath the LORD brought you unto this land, to fall by
the sword, that your wives and your children should be a prey? Were
it not better for you to return into Egypt? (6) And when the
ten spies saw that the giants were there, and their cities were well-walled,
and that they were as grasshoppers before the nations, they partook of the
words of the serpent thereof, and did doubt, and gave also unto the children
of Israel with them; and they did doubt. (7) And the eyes of
all Israel were filled with guilt, and they knew that they had sinned; and
they sought to enter the land again without the Lord, and Moses said, Numbers
14:42 Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten
before your enemies. Numbers 14:44-45 But they presumed to go up unto
the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses,
departed not out of the camp. (45) Then the Amalekites came down,
and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited
them, even unto Hormah.... Only Joshua and Caleb outlived the doubters and
did enter the Promised Land. Joshua 5:6 For the children of Israel
walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of
war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the
voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the
land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land
that floweth with milk and honey.
Can you see how biblical stories and their lessons can be applied to
OUR SITUATIONS, and help us?
THE WORD OF GOD was for them to LIVE.
- To enter the rest
and live forever.
- They would DIE
should they disobey the word.
When Israel finally did
enter Canaan's rest, the older generation had died.
- Only two men did
not doubt God's word for them to enter into Canaan.
- Joshua and Caleb.
- The others doubted
when they heard the ten spies' evil report of all the reasons why they could
not enter the land.
- And since Joshua
and Caleb were in the same age group as the others who died in the wilderness,
their entrance into the land represents people who enter into salvation and
live forever.
- Of course, these
men did not live forever, but the idea of living past the lifespans of the
doubters shows that we will live while the world passes away, due to our
faith.
God wanted Adam to enter
into that Rest with Himself.
- According to Hebrews
4, the Rest that was referred to in the Beginning, when God rested the seventh
day, was not supposed to be enjoyed solely by God.
- We read about entering
into HIS REST.
- Watch how the Psalm
worded it.
Psalms 95:11
Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my
rest.
GOD rested the seventh day.
- And we were supposed
to enter that Rest with Him!
But problems arose over
the WORD OF GOD.
And just as a SWORD came into the scene in the Garden as blocking man
who had been cast out due to disobedience...
Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed
at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned
every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Hebrews 4 says:
Hebrews 4:11-12 Let us labour therefore to enter into
that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (12)
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart.
A sword is mentioned with the thought of ENTRANCE.
Hebrews speaks like this to help us understand what is required for us
to enter in the rest that God made since the beginning!
The sword of Genesis is still at the entrance of this rest!
But it's not a physical sword that you can see.
To enter into the Rest,
we have to get through the sword.
Beyond the sword is PARADISE!
- Mixing the
word with faith is letting the sword work in us.
- The sword goes
to work...
- The Word goes to
work...
- ...When we BELIEVE
IT!
- It cuts away unbelief
and frees you from all that keeps you out of the Garden.
- It frees you of
Adam and of your sins.
Whenever we go through
a depressing time, we can get hold of the WORD OF GOD and let that sword
cut away all the unbelief and negative things in our hearts that hamper us
down.
- And we will enter
a paradise right then and there!
- Beyond the sword
is paradise!
- In life we go through
many trials.
- But thank God we
have the sword.
- But let us ensure
we do not neglect the sword when we are stressed out, or depressed.
- Take it and labour
the labour of mixing the word with your faith, and enter into the rest.
- You have the provision
for leaving your troubles anytime and anywhere -- THE SWORD!
- God's Word!
- We need to learn
to resort to the Sword when we go through hardships!
- Beyond the sword
there is always Paradise.
- When you apply
the sword to your life, no matter what situation you require it, you will
gain victory by the sword cutting away things in your soul, and freeing
you from burdens and doubts and all else that is negative in our own lives....
attitudes, etc.
- And we enter into
a spiritual rest!
- We experience relief!
- THAT IS VICTORY!
Its like taking all the
"Let there be's...." and getting them to CHANGE OUR PERSONAL WORLDS!
- The work is finished.
- The words are there.
- Take them and believe
them.
John 19:30 When
Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he
bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
The WORD did a work through the cross for our salvation.
- Jesus was the WORD
MADE FLESH.
- And the work of
the cross is the FINISHED WORK we need to apply to our lives.
- There is a Rest.
Genesis 2:2
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and
he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
It was finished!
The cross is NEW CREATION.
- Watch the flow of
thought here:
1 Corinthians 15:22
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new.
Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
We get into Him by being baptized into His death.
Check out this sermon: http://mikeblume.com/7sayings.htm
And note that we can apply the seven things Jesus said in the new creation
work of the cross, while He was crucified, to our lives and see those words
make us new creatures.,
- His seven WORDS
spoken on the cross correspond to seven words God spoke in each day of the
Genesis 1 account.
- Until finally we
are in the image of God again.
- Please refer to
this sermon for further thoughts on that issue.
THE SEVEN SAYINGS FROM
THE CROSS -- http://mikeblume.com/7sayings.htm
Notice how 2 Cor 5:17 refers to creation.
- Old things.
- Creation from Genesis.
- That is the reason
that John's Gospel is speaking about Jesus using words from Genesis.. IN
THE BEGINNING...
A NEW GENESIS!
God finished the work, but we must BELIEVE it now.
Hebrews 4:2-3 For unto us was the gospel preached,
as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being
mixed with faith in them that heard it. (3) For we which have
believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if
they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the
foundation of the world.
THE GOSPEL!
- The Gospel is the
death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
- See 1 Cor 15:1-4.
- And its connected
with the FINISHED WORK and a REST.
- He took the actual
suffering.
- But we nonetheless
experience His death THROUGH FAITH.
- And we give up
the ghost and commend our spirits into the Father's hands.
He gave up His Ghost.
- That was the HOLY
GHOST.
- And we RECEIVE
THE HOLY GHOST!
- He gave it up so
we could receive it!
Isaiah 28:11-12
For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this
people. (12) To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may
cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not
hear.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Not only was there a sword at the entrance, but there were also "cherubims."
- A barrier with cherubims.
- You see the same
picture in the temple most holy place blocked by a VEIL with images of CHERUBIMS
sewn into it.
- And when Jesus
said it is finished...
Matthew 27:50-51
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the
ghost. (51) And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
This represents that when He said it is finished, THE BARRIER TO THE
REST WAS OPENED.
He did the work and He is the Word made flesh.
- The WORD did the
work.
- You have to MIX
THAT WORD WITH FAITH.
- What Word?
- Jesus died AS YOU
on the cross.
- Adam cannot get
back into the Garden.
- And when you were
born from Adam's family, that shut you out.
- So you are buried
with Jesus by baptism into His death.
- And the old Adam
is gone and you are a new creature IN CHRIST.
- Acts 2:38 obedience
changes you from one creature to another.
- His flesh is the
veil you must pass through (Heb 10:20).
- His WORD is the
SWORD you must pass through.
- That happens through
the Acts 2:38 experience.
It's finished.
- A rest is there
for us, reopened!
- God's work is finished,
and we must labour to enter into that rest.
- What is the labour
noted in Hebrews 4:9?
- It's not a labour
in which we save ourselves.
- It's mixing the
word with faith.
- Taking the word
of the work of the cross and mixing it with faith.
- Put yourself into
the equation.
His work on the cross
CREATES A NEW RACE OF CREATURES.
It's all depending upon your DEATH with Christ that gets everything removed
from your life that hinders you from entering into the Rest of the Garden.
Mix that WORD with YOUR FAITH, and see yourself involved in a NEW CREATION
RACE!
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