Rest! Unthinkable, you retort! This
is for you, who are weary and burdened, especially my American Christian
brothers and sisters who are going through the worse recession since the
nineteen thirties. This is for all of you who are searching to reduce stress
and anxieties caused by your present economic misfortune.
Have
you lost your job (or about to)? Your home (or about to). Have you maxed out on
your credit cards with high interest rates? Have you moved to an unfamiliar
location? Is the family mood deteriorating? Are there fingers pointing? Moreover,
when you find yourself alone in your room, on your knees, do you cry out to God
in despair? Are you searching for answers, but thus far, find none? Does guilt
invades your mind? Do you doubt your salvation? Are you searching desperately
in your soul by asking 'What have I done wrong before my God?' Why can't I
receive the blessing that He promises? Subsequently, you lay down on your bed
but you cannot sleep. Your mind keeps going on and on. Eventually, you fall
asleep only to wake up next morning all stressed, tire, and restless. If that
describes you, please, let me help you, as I wanted help when I was in despair
even to the point of hopelessness. I have been there, and now I am at 'rest'
and continuously learning to stay that way.
Yes,
even as a Christian I had gloomy thoughts. Presently, I am unemployed. I
invested in establishing a vineyard, which yielded very little. We are deep in
debt, and my wife works from home base for a company that has file bankruptcy
protection. Her job is far from being secure. We moved to her hometown, far
away from our children and grandchildren. Our vineyard is for sale hoping that
it would be enough to pay out our debt. As you can see, life is not very rosy.
A
huge part of my life I lived out in fear and in anxiety. I kept reading Psalm
37 repeatedly; 'Rest in The Lord'. I wanted to believe; I believed; yet, I kept
on worrying. I could not find 'rest' in my heart, my mind and my soul, and
especially my stomach. In Matthew 6, Jesus instructs us not to worry. Nonetheless,
I kept on worrying. "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' (Matt
8:26). Six times in the New Testament Jesus, mention 'little faith'. That only
added guilt. 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest' (Matt 11:28). I have listened to countless sermons, bible
studies, read countless commentaries, and none have satisfied my need for
'rest'. I concluded that I was helpless. One day, I came across in Ray
Stedman's archives the disclosure of the hidden secret of life. This is what I
want to share with you.
Could the following statement from Ray Stedman describe your
character and perspective toward life? Ray Stedman in 'The Seventh Day'
commented,
'Are you adequate? Do you find yourself
able to cope with the situations in life into which you are thrust day after
day, moment by moment? Are you confident? Are you capable? Are you panic-proof?
Are you filled with fruitfulness, fragrance, and abundance? God's rest is
designed to produce that. God said it would. He makes it available for
that purpose and it is the only thing that will do it; there is no substitute.
I'm afraid most of us fit the
self-description of someone who said he was a mouse studying to be a rat. By
our best efforts we can rise to a high level of mediocrity -- inadequate,
unable. Why? Simply because we are depending on our effort. We are either
extroverts, confident that we can do things and therefore frequently falling
flat on our face; or we are introverts, so afraid to try anything that we don't
even dare show our face. It is all because we are looking to ourselves as our
resource; our background, our training, our gifts, our talents, our education,
etc. It either results in feeling that we have what it takes and can be
confident, able, and powerful; or, as we look at ourselves we say, we don't
have what it takes and therefore we can't take it and we won't even try. So, we
become either over-confident and under-equipped, or under-confident and
overworked, trying constantly to make up by activity what we lack in
results."
If
this describes you today, then this is for you. This is for all of you who are
weary and burdened. This is for all of you who are not at 'rest'.
Ray Stedman continues,
God knew that this would be our
problem. He understands us. Nothing is hidden from him; he knows exactly the
way we operate. Therefore he has designed an adequate provision for our
weakness, teaching us how to operate on an entirely different basis, to no
longer look to oneself but to look to the one who dwells within; to expect him
to do something through you, using your mind, your will, your emotions, your
feelings, but it is he who does the work. But unless you begin to count on his
working, you will never experience it.
Right here comes the seventh factor, the one serious
problem which remains. Christians say again and again, Why is this so difficult
to do? Why do I have so much trouble? Why is it that Hebrews 4:11 goes on to
say, "Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the
same sort of disobedience." Why must we work at this?'
I
am not Jewish, however I lived as a Jew for over ten years, obeying The Sabbath
Rest, all the festival holidays. I did not find 'rest'. I lived, as a Christian
free from the Law, still did not find 'rest'. However, I did find the 'Law
under Christ' (1 Corinthians 9:21), in which after close examination, I
did obtain 'rest'. This 'rest' was part of Gods plan since the seventh day rest
after the creation. It was prearranged for Adam benefit and for all following
generations.
Robert
W. Smith from a book titled, 'Dying
To Live' wrote,
'É.we must now seek to understand the mainline
principle God has given us as the major, positive operating feature of life:
how to rest while working. This one principle is the key to an effective and
fulfilled life and is applicable for both preventive and corrective
maintenance. It is another way of describing our walk of faith.'
Wow,
'to rest while working' and 'applicable for both prevention and corrective
maintenance'. Can you believe this? It means that it is not too late. It is not
too late for those who believe that they have reached the end of their rope. With
Jesus, it is never too late.
Can
you associate what the Law under Christ has to do with 'Rest'? What does it
have to do with keeping the Sabbath?
Robert
W. Smith continued on saying,
'I have several lengthy books in my library
concerning the sabbath which completely miss the
point, and there are sabbatarian sects that do
likewise. Many have argued for lifetimes about which day to keep, thereby
obscuring the real issue and missing the point of God's truth. The sabbath was a key issue with the Jews in our Lord's day,
but neither then nor now does there seem to be much light generated as to its
real significance. It seems that we tend either to overwork the subject in a
legalistic nit-picking way or else to slide right by without trying to discover
the real import of the sabbath.'
Do
you know what kind of 'Rest' that God intended you to experience? Quoting from
Ray Stedman,
'Humans were made to operate out of rest, not out of
tension, not out of anxiety, out of pressure, not in a rat race where we are
always hounded and harassed and driven and hassled. These are exactly the
opposite of what God intended when he made man. We were to operate in activity
which proceeds out of rest.'
'It is given to us, among many other places in
Scripture, in Hebrews Chapter 4, where the apostle reminds us that sabbath means "rest," and that this is a
reference to the secret of life.'
Does
this means that, there is more than receiving everlasting life for those who
believe that Jesus is the Son of God, more than guarantied salvation? Does it
mean that 'rest' is available now while we are waiting for Jesus return and,
therefore we are able to live in the same condition that Adam benefited from
before his disobedience?
We
have been redeemed -- free from captivity by payment
of Jesus death. We have a new start at life, to a different life. Unfortunately,
some of us (like myself) are still at the starting line, and others (like
myself) are moving through life distracted by the cares of this world and the
deceitfulness of the riches that choke the word, and become unfruitful (Matt
13:22).
Are we not encouraged to run with
endurance the race that is set before us (Heb 12:1)? Jesus did not only restore
our fellowship with God the Father but He also restored the 'intended rest' Not
only do we not work for our salvation but Jesus invites us to 'rest' by
allowing Him to do all the works in us. For what purpose? It is so that we may
produce an abundance of good fruits (Matt 13:13, Jn
15:6, 16, Gal 5:22). It's that simple.
Ray
Stedman continued on explaining,
'What is that rest? Again Hebrews 4 tells us. In
Verse 10 it says, "He who has entered into rest has ceased from his
own labors, as God did from his..." (Hebrews 4:10 KJV). That is, on the
seventh day of creation, God ceased from all work. He who enters into rest has
stopped his own work and is resting on the work of another. So if you learn the
principle of operating out of dependence upon God at work in you, and if you
don't try to do it all yourself -- don't feel as if everything depends upon
you, don't stew and fret and aren't anxious and troubled because you have got
to get it done -- but
instead learn to rest on what God is ready to do in you
and through you and around you, and
expect him to do it, then you are observing the sabbath as God intended it to be observed.
'Rest is available', but you must learn to rest.
Here is an analogy: You receive a bicycle (new life) as a gift; you have to
learn to ride it. You receive a DVD player as a gift; there also, you have to
learn to operate it. However, how many of you (like me) still do not know how
to set the time on the DVD player? Do you leave it blank or blinking? At on
time, it was so annoying for me, that I put a piece of black electric tape on
the display.
Jesus
instructs us to learn from HimÉ. Take my yoke upon you
and learn from
me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29
Ray
Stedman explains,
'Rest is at the heart of everything that God does.
All these feasts are a form of the sabbath and
consist of one sabbath or of several. All this is to
indicate that this is the greatest secret of humanity. The indispensable but
largely unlearned secret of our humanity is to learn how to operate out of rest'.
He
continued on,
'Some seem able to learn it, and from time to time
we see someone virtually come alive and their Christian life is simply
transformed by learning to operate on this principle. They lose their egotism,
as extroverts; or they lose their introverted feeling of self-consciousness. They begin to do things and to
enjoy them, experiencing the blessing and excitement of Christian living.
Others say, "I see all this, and I want to do it too. I know what is said
about how to rest, but I try it and it doesn't work. Why? Why do we fail?'
I
was of this latter group. I never could understand as a Christian why I was so
miserable and insecure.
When
did humanity lose that condition of 'rest'? It was lost when Adam disobeyed. His
mind became distorted when he chose to be self-directed. He is the originator
of the spirit of the age, which I prefer to call the spirit of Adam better
known as the spirit of 'self-directed'. It was then that Adam entered a state
of restlessness.
Ray
Stedman in 'Was Adam for real' part of 'Understanding
Man', describe it this way;
That is
the curse that fell upon man when he ate of the fruit in the garden of Eden. In
a psychedelic way his mind was twisted and he thought of himself as God, and
related all things to himself. But when man does this he introduces an
eccentric element into life, into creation. The problem with our unbalanced
world today is that we have an earth filled with several billion eccentrics!
That is why everything is always going off in wrong directions.
The
way Adam viewed life after his disobedience would be completely different. Look
at the drastic changes that occurred in his personality and perception toward
life.
'Cursed
is the ground for your sake' (Gen 3:17). Take note, the ground
was created good and perfect, it did not changed immediately, but Adam
perspective did. Now, he has to work for his food. He looked at the ground with
malcontent; he is the one who actually curse the ground. What about us, do we
not hate our jobs? Do we look at our job with resentment? No matter how hard we
try to be nice at our job 'since we are Christian', it is a continuous battle
in our mind to put our best foot forward. It is so awkward to produce good
fruits. Yet, Paul was content in any condition he found himself (Phil 4:11), Because
he learned to 'rest'.
'In
toil you shall eat of it' In Adam's mind, nothing will be
easy for him anymore. Life is now full of obstacles. Adam easily get
discourage and frustrate. Do we not get discouraged easily at what we do? Are
we not complaining about everything and anything?
'Both
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you' In Adam's
mind everything is against him. When things go wrong, he blames anybody and
everything. Do we not feel the same way, and sometime it seem that everything
and everybody is against us. Especially as Christian it seem that the whole
world is against us. We blame the condition of the world for making our lives
miserable. Are we not supposed to be a light in this world? (Matt 5:15)
'In
the sweat of your face you shall eat bread'. In
Adam's mind, all the long days of his remaining life, his main concern will be
to provide food for his well-being. He does not have the freedom to enjoy life
anymore as when God did all the work for him. Is this you today; restless,
worrying continuously about what you are going to eat tomorrow? Are you
worrying about paying your bills? Does it feel that there are insufficient
hours in a day to do all the things that needs to be done? Are you not living
in constant disappointment that your needs are not being meet?
In
addition, Adam lived in a state of regret. Remorse was high. Imagine, he was
the top CEO reduces to work for a living. He was bitter for 'missing out' on an
opportunity, regret of what it could have been ifÉ.' Resentment was high and he
passes it on to his family. This strong sentiment was pass on from generation
to generation. There is a strong desire to return to the original condition of
having someone else to provide for our need and to take care of us, as God did
toward Adam. Do you have some regret of missing out in an opportunity in your
pass? Does it not make you feel like a loser? Now you know where those feeling
originated.
Ray
Stedman in the Expository Studies in
Romans, Chapter 'Living Day by Day', describes the spirit of the age, as I
prefer to define as 'The spirit of Adam,'
v It is for
the advancement of self, such as 'What do I get out of this? What's in for me?'
v The goal
of all life is personal happiness. "The reason I work and live is to have
my needs met, my desires fulfilled." ''I'm thinking of leaving this church
and going to another one, because this one doesn't meet my needs.
v The spirit
of the age includes also the methods of the world: rivalry and competition,
getting ahead of the other guy, grabbing what's mine before someone else gets
it, hanging onto everything I've got no matter what it costs in terms of hurt
or pain to someone else.
What
a miserable restless dysfunctional life. Are we not (or at one time) all like
Adam? For some of us, are we not looking forward for a vacation or better, for
our retirement, so that we could live off our pension cheque, free from
working, to be at 'rest'? Still, many never find 'rest'. From the poor to the
rich, we desire 'rest'. We desire someone to take care of us, to make us happy.
Husbands
look toward their wife to make them happy; wives look toward their husband to
make them happy. We are never satisfied as if we are 'missing out' on
something. That something has been misrepresented by 'the empty love tank' in
each one of us. Now you know why sermons about God's love hardly made any
impact on most of us. Love is not enough; we need someone to make us happy. Love
we have, but 'rest' we do not. 'Rest' is what we are looking for. Only God can
provide. We depend on God to make us happy, to give us 'rest'. Psychologists
call this being dysfunctional, co-dependant. The unbelievers call that leaning
on crutches.
Do
you understand why we love it so much when someone those something nice for us
and ask nothing in return. The joy is great, and we are uplifted. We feel
special. That is what God offer. He invites us to let Jesus do the work. That
is His joy. There is nothing wrong with that. It is much easier to give when
Jesus provide the 'rest'.
Nevertheless,
for some of us, are so wrap up with the spirit of Adam, that the first thing
that may come into the mind when someone gives something is 'what does he/she
wants in return'. Some even feel embarrass to say thank you or even appreciate
the gift.
Now,
let us look at Adam living condition before his disobedience so that we may
have a greater understanding of the 'Intended Rest' that God have in mind for
us. God in a perfect ecological environment created Adam so that he could
function in a state of 'rest'. 'Rest' was institute on the seventh day and was
outgoing; not as a one day weekly observant but perpetual.
Ray
Stedman gives details,
'The most outstandingly noteworthy thing that this
passage (Genesis 2:1-3 RSV) indicates, which differs completely from the other
days of creation is the absence of any reference to an evening or a morning. The
record of all the other days of creation closed with the words, "and there
was evening and there was morning, (a first, second, etc.,) day." But
there is no reference to evening or morning in this passage. This helps to
confirm what we have already seen in these "days" of creation: that
these "days" do not primarily emphasize time, but development. The
evening and morning were indicative of a developing process, beginning in a
rather incomplete state and moving toward light. But on this seventh day there
is no evening and morning. In fact, twice in this brief passage we find the
word, "finished," occurring. "Thus the heavens the earth were
finished" (Genesis 2:1a RSV) and "God finished his work"
(Genesis 2:2b RSV). Obviously there is no need for development, no place for
it. The work of God is complete on the seventh day, and therefore no evening or
morning is mentionedÉ.
The text says, "So ... God rested from all his
work which he had done in creation," (Genesis 2:3 RSV). This is the last
account of any creative activity. Man was made and then God rested, and there
has been no creation since. Man is the last effort of God in creation, on the
physical level. Therefore
this sabbath, this rest upon which God entered, is
still continuing today.
Let us understand the environmental condition that
God places Adam. The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden
to work it and take care of it (Gen 2:15). Now the LORD God had planted
a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the
LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were
pleasing to the eye and good for food (:8-9). God prepared the setting, the
ecological environment. Adam did not have to prepare the land, 'there was no
man to work the ground, (:5)
Now,
look at the works that Adam performed in that state of 'rest'. Now the LORD
God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds
of the air. He
brought them to the man to see what he would name
them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So
the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the
beasts of the field (:19). God brought them to Adam. Adam
did not have to look for them, go on a safari, climb mountains, and chase after
them. No, the Lord brought them to him. Adam job was to give name with no
specific criteria from the Lord, 'He brought them to the man to see what he
would name them'. I do not call this hard work, especially when there is no
mention of a dead line. God was performing the works, and Adam was resting on
God works. Free from stress and anxiety. All his need was taking care off.
Would
you like to be in that state of 'rest'? Subconsciously, we all aspire to
'rest'. Would it not be worthwhile to learn from Jesus? Take my yoke upon
you and learn from
me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. Learn
at letting Jesus perform the works for you.
It took 65 years for Enoch
to learn to walk (at 'rest') with God. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch
walked with God 300 years, and begot sons and daughters. So all the days
of Enoch were 365 years (Gen 5:22-23). I just turn 56, and I'm just
started to learn to 'rest' in Jesus. As the saying goes, 'Better late and
forever'. It is impossible to walk with God without being at 'rest'. Some learn
quickly to 'rest' in God, as was the example of Daniel, and his three friends. They
were teenagers when taken captive and taken away to Babylon to become part of a
three years training to learn the language and the literature of the Chaldeans
(Dan 1:8-16). It was not the special dietary food, which made them smarter and
brighter to govern successfully. It was 'resting' on God to do the works (Dan
1:17). Daniel governed in a state of 'rest'.
'Rest' is available now as
it was with Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Daniel, and many more. 'Rest' always
was available; furthermore, because we have been separate from the fellowship
with God for such a long period, we needed a helper to teach us to attain that
'rest'. How do you acquire 'rest'? It is simple. This might be a surprise, but
that too is Jesus' work. You need to be attentive to the following.
Once you have accepted
Jesus as your personal saviour and redeemer, it is His responsibility to bring
you to a green pasture (rest). Jesus is our good Shepherd. He looks for a
good pasture for His sheep. He found good pasture with plenty of grass (1
Chronicles 4:39). 'The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want (Ps23:
1)'. "I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep (Jn 10:11)'. Not only did He lay
down His physical life for us, He also gives all His time and attention to
teach and provide us 'rest'.
By grace you are saved and
have guarantied everlasting life, but you are not at rest. Jesus will be
looking for you. Actually, He is at work right now in your life to bring you
into His 'rest'. 'I have other sheep that are not of this sheep
pen' (at 'rest'). If you are not at rest now, you are not of His
pen. ' I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there
shall be one flock and one Shepherd Jn 10:16)'. His
sheep are members of His church. Some are already of His pen, they are the ones
at 'rest'. He is going after those members (other sheep) who are not at 'rest'.
The 'other sheep' are not 'the unsaved' as some has been taught. All His sheep
are inside and outside of His pen. They are part of the same body (the good
ground, and among thorns, the farm property, Matt 13:7,8). In Luke 15:4-7,
shows how much more Jesus rejoice after one of His stray sheep is found and
return to rest with the other sheep.
Some Christians are in a
peaceful and restful setting and others are not. That is the reason why some
members of your congregation seems to function stress free in their life and
others do not. It is not necessarily sins that keep us from receiving His
'rest' daily, but a matter of not learning the principle of coming at
'rest' in the Lord. Sins confessed, are sins forgiven. That is the first
fundamental part of learning to 'rest'. 'Rest' is, learned. That is moreover
Jesus responsibility to teach you. Are you a good student? Do you pay attention
to Jesus life lesson? Are you conscious of Jesus presence and at work in
you? Eventually, He will get your attention. Invite Jesus to live in your heart
daily, and be conscious of His presence.
Ray Stedman explains it very clearly what is Jesus
intention.
'It is his job to give the orders,
it is his job to make you know what he wants you to do. He may make some
dramatic changes, or he may not. He may leave you right where you are, doing
what you are doing now, or he may tell you to stop it all, at great cost
perhaps, outwardly, and leave it and go some place else to do something else.
But one thing is certain, one thing he surely will do, no matter if he sends
you some place else or leaves you right where you are -- one thing he will
certainly do: He will remove you from the spotlight, out of the center of
things, he will enrol you in school. And do you know what the curriculum will
be? "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart," (Matthew 11:29b
KJV). He will begin to teach you humility -- how not to be the center of
attention, how to be content with letting someone else get all the credit. He
will enrol you in the school that cancels out ego satisfaction. That is the
principle by which the world lives, in its delusion. It is the thing that is
destroying human life; the desire to be a god, your own god; to run your life
to suit yourself. This can never be for those who are called to be Jesus
Christ's -- "you are not your own, you are bought with a price"
(1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a).
The reason why you cannot enter
into the joy and glory and excitement of the rest which God has provided in
ceasing from your own activities and resting upon his, is because, in some way
or another, you are protecting some area of the ego, the self-life, saying,
"This is mine; keep your hands off." As long as you do that you
cannot have rest'.
"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and
die, it abides alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit." (John
12:24 KJV)
'Rest is the secret of human
fruitfulness. As you consent to this, a wonderful thing will begin to happen.
You will find rest. Jesus said you would. "Take my yoke upon you, and
learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest."
(Matthew 11:29 KJV). Rest, with all it implies in terms of fruitfulness and
dominion; reigning, ruling, producing that which is worthwhile and satisfying
in life. That is the secret of life. This is why Jesus said, "If any man
will save his life, he shall lose it. But if he shall lose his life for my
sake, he shall find it," (Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24). He will
find rest, he will fulfill the sabbath for that is
what the sabbath is. It is God's divine provision for
us'.
Do you understand why some
of you are having such a miserable Christian life (just like me)? Are you not
resisting? Are you not stubborn, and not wanting to learn? For some, salvation
suffices, and keep on complaining about everything and nothing. The evidence is
all here; I thank Jesus for opening my mind. I was a miserable and bitter
Christian bearing no good fruit. I married three times, making life miserable
to my wife. I thank the Lord for bringing into my life this present wife who
had the commitment to make a difference in my life. She told me straight at my
face, that for a Christian, I was a miserable grumpy old man. (That is a slap
on the face) I let the cares of this world get to me (among thorns).
Remember the story of the
Prodigal Son. Jack Kelley from gracetrufaith.com explain its meaning; Whenever
a 'prodigal son' takes off on his or her own, God works quietly to undermine
the feelings of self-sufficiency, and the attraction of independence, nudging
the wayward child back onto the path. This is the way a shepherd keeps the
flock, and our Shepherd has pledged never to lose any of us.
I conclude with Robert
Smith's assertion,
'Our Lord invites all who are tired of going it alone
under a heavy load to join up with him. Do you see now what the sabbath is all about? "So then, there remains a sabbath rest [Greek, sabbatismos,
the only occurrence in the New Testament] for the people of God" (Heb.
4:9). We find our rest by faith in our living Lord! He finds his rest in the
obedient and loving response of our hearts as we keep on trusting him! Life is
intended to be our enjoying him and his enjoying us!'
Recessions
come and go. Jesus 'rest' is permanent and sure. You do not have to wait for
His return to benefit from His 'intended rest'. The 'Law under Christ' as Paul
expressed 'I am under Christ's law', (1 Corinthians 9:21) gave me not
only freedom, but also 'rest'.
Invite
Jesus to live in you. Increase awareness, of Him working in you. Learning to
'rest' is like learning to ride a bicycle, you fall off, but you get right back
on. Looking for excitement, you take more risk, greater stunts, and then, when
you fall, in pain you laugh.
Do
not become discouraged. Look, how long it toke Enoch, it toke him 65 years. Jesus
is committed to see you succeed. Learning to 'rest' is like a visit to the
dentist. He instructs you to relax while he does the work. Mine you; some of
you required a lot of denture work (wicked) while others need just a cleaning. Nevertheless,
Jesus wants you to relax while He does the works. Jesus wants you to be
fruitful. He wants you to sing and laugh at clouds that are so dark up above,
just sing, sing in the rainÉ. You know the song therefore sing. ♫What
a♪ glorious♪ feeling♪, I'm♪ happy ♪again♪. Thank
you Lord. Amen. This is how we make a different in this world.
Reach
for these books, and expository in which I quoted within this essay. They are
available free. This is where they are available:
Ray Stedman:
The
Seventh Day http://www.raystedman.org/genesis/0310.html
God's
Calendar http://www.raystedman.org/leviticus/0520.html
Sabbath
Rest http://www.raystedman.org/leadership/roper/dcroper/models/0016.html
Understanding
man http://www.raystedman.org/genesis/genesis1.html#chapt01
Robert W. Smith:
Entering
God's Rest http://www.raystedman.org/leadership/smith/dyingtolive/ch13.html
Jack Kelley:
Union
and Fellowship http://gracethrufaith.com/selah/falling-away-a-study-of-hebrews-6/#more-6445
Part of a study on the Book of Hebrews
But
the glory of the gospel is that when men are redeemed through faith in Jesus
Christ they resume a balanced life, and everything relates once again to God.
God now becomes the center of things. Though we may struggle to learn this,
eventually all the thrust and purpose of the gospel are here, to put God back
into the center of his world and relate everything in our life and in the lives
of others to him and not to us. It does not make any difference how things
affect us. The important thing is, what do they do to God? --Ray
Stedman, Understanding man
Permissions: It is
FREE to be use in any shapes or forms for the purpose to reach all Christians
worldwide who are weary and burdened without discrimination. All right reserve
to Jesus our Lord and King.
Posted 4/12/09