The rest we are trying to obtain vs our present state
- We are not in “the rest” right now Heb 4:11
- We are in the present state
- The present state is rough because, there is no rest to the weary Job 3:17
- Every day is a challenge
- We live in this world with our human body and our human form
- That’s why we take vacations, in the meantime, from time to time
- The body we are in is weary; it gets sick, tired, and old but we are going to be free from that because you are going to have an immortal body. 2 Cor 4:16 / 1 Cor 15:54
- Immortality is “The Promise” Heb 4:1, 10:36
- We are expecting to enter into that life and live forever
“The proof” that we are going to live forever is Jesus Christ Himself
- Jesus was risen from the grave and became immortal
- The disciples saw him, touched him, and handled him 1 John 1:1
- Jesus was not a myth, not a ghost, but flesh and bone Luke 24:39
- Jesus was truly risen from the grave and lives forevermore Acts 2:32-33
- “The promise” is that you will live forever
- There is another world (Heaven) and Jesus lives in that world now
Jesus is our great High Priest
- In this verse the writer directs this to the Jews because they would understand who a high priest was, and they had high priests Heb 4:14
- Paul is the writer here, and he knew something about the high priest, and that was that he was passed on into the heavens
- Jesus passed on into the heavens after the resurrection Acts 1:9-11
- Our great high priest is Jesus the Son of God Heb 4:14
- God and Jesus are not the same person Heb 4:14
- The Father received Him back from where He was and His work was finished John 17:4
- When will your work be finished? When you enter into that rest Heb 4:11
There remains a rest therefore to the people of God
- When things are running smoothly you don’t think about the rest Heb 4:9
- When you hit a rough spot then you say, “Oh, when will Jesus come!?”
- Jesus should be our reminder to hold fast to our profession Heb 4:14
- You must believe that so when you are tempted, going through trials and tribulations, and when you become weary with life you will remember Jesus ascended and He will also come back and change us and we to will enter into that rest
- This rest occurs when we enter into the immortal state
Jesus can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities
- Sympathy – an understanding between people, feeling compassion, sorrow, or pity for hardships of another (Dakes’ ref. e) Heb 4:15
- Empathy – the ability to understand and share feelings of another. Putting yourself in the shoes of another.
- In this verse “touched” means Jesus empathizes with us Heb 4:15
- Why can He empathize? At one time he was human like us.
Jesus was tempted the same way we are tempted
- He was tempted “in all points” like us yet without sin. Heb 4:15
- Living a holy life is not really a hard thing to do
- Saints do not live in sin Gal 2:20
- Satan makes people think you can’t breathe without sinning John 8:44
Temptation can come from three sources
- Satan – he doesn’t tempt you by speaking to you with his voice, he does that through your thoughts and mind Luke 4:1-14
- The world around you – Lot was vexed by what he saw and heard 2 Pet 2:8
- Your own self James 1:14
Jesus was tempted the same way we are through our thoughts
- Most of your temptation is what comes to your mind
- Research says our brain produces more than 70,000 thoughts per day
- You must be able to resist, rebuke, put out those in your mind James 4:7
- When these thoughts come to you, you need to know what the word of God says concerning that thought
- We live our lives based on the Word of God Luke 4:4
- We stress Jesus was mortal and tempted without sinning because if not when you don’t pass the test you will say, “Jesus was God and I am not God so give me a break.”
- Jesus didn’t’ hear a voice because he was tempted the same way just like us Luke 4:1-14
The dangers of not rebuking an evil thought
- Pretty soon you will do it James 1:14-15
- Keep it out of your mind because, it could lead to possession 2 Cor 10:3-5
- Some people think on evil thoughts of sex, lust, etc. all day long and you will be burnt out before you go to bed
How can I pray fervently to God?
- Close out all those outside thoughts when you pray 2 Cor 10:3-5
- This will allow you to pray in and with the Spirit Jude 1:20
- The Spirit will give you more things to say in prayer Rom 8:26
- Watch what comes to your mind before you pray Matt 26:41
- The Spirit knows how to roll those burdens away in prayer Rom 8:26
- There is a rest in prayer when you commit it to God’s hands and you trust Him to do it 2 Tim 1:12
- Don’t be weary in well doing Gal 6:9
How you get the victory over the devil in prayer
- Resist satan when he comes to you in a thought or feeling to omit a prayer James 4:7
- He wants you to miss a day of not mentioning that petition to God
- He says in your mind very subtly, “Don’t say that”
- You have got to say, “Satan, the Lord rebuke you, I’m going to say it.”
- The Holy Spirit will bring prayers to say back to your remembrance John 14:26
- The more you do that, the more ground you gain
- You have the victory and the Lord is on your side Psalm 118:6
Results in prayer come from not giving in
- We must fight the good fight of faith 1 Tim 6:12
- It’s valuable to know scripture like Jesus Luke 4:4
- The devil came to Jesus in the form of thoughts Luke 4:5
- Satan tried to tempt Jesus with a suicide spirit Luke 4:9-10
- After you get the victory, satan departs for a season Luke 4:13
- As you resist, you gain more power in God, more ground, and anointing Luke 4:14
- We would all be cuckoo if we obeyed all 70,000 thoughts in our minds
- A spirit-filled life is a controlled life
- Apply Philippians 4:8 to your TV watching and life
Use the Word of God to help you pray
- Start out saying verse 1 in prayer and after that, stop, and say it some more Psalm 23:1-6
- The enemy says, “Read on” but no, stop and pray
- The Spirit will give you more to say. Stop rushing when you pray; take your time.
- Another psalm to use in prayer is Psalm 51
- The devil will come subtly in prayer in a thought but put it away and you will get more power Luke 4:14
