1192 - Resting in God's Provision (2)
(JP Text Group - Organized by Yun Dan Feng Qing)
Next sharing: Resting in God's Provision Part Two
Hebrews 3:11-13
So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. Brothers, take care lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you for your grace. Your children have come here to seek Jesus; you are our everything, and we rest in your provision. We place our burdens, worries, and all that troubles us before you. As we receive your word, you will supply us. You are the God who provides food in due season; you know the needs of each of us. We completely surrender this time to the Holy Spirit to personally lead us, so we can understand and become a help in our lives. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.
Last time we said that resting is not sleeping or doing nothing. Resting means doing things with God's power, doing them without worry. God has already prepared for you. Verse 11 says: I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest. This was God's word to the people of Israel at that time. The book of Hebrews is addressed to the Jews, to the Hebrews. Why couldn't they enter God's rest?
Here, rest refers to the land of Canaan.
At first, the Israelites were working hard in Egypt. God's promise to them was, I will surely bring you out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey. God's promise was very clear, and Moses explained it to them very clearly. But why didn't the Israelites enter into rest?
In the last verse of today's text, it mentions that they could not enter rest because of unbelief. It was because they did not believe. The land of Canaan truly existed, but the Israelites did not believe they could enter. The land of Canaan is God's abundant inheritance for Israel. Those Israelites were saved; when were they saved? They applied the blood of the lamb on the doorposts. When they were inside the house, they were saved. Their next generation entered the land of Canaan to inherit the inheritance.
Those who have believed in Jesus are people of the kingdom of heaven. Why do you live for the Lord in this world? Why spread the gospel and save souls? Because in the future in heaven, God will reserve for you an abundant inheritance. God also left an abundant inheritance for the Israelites, but they did not believe. When they reached the Jordan River, they knew that the land was flowing with milk and honey. God did not deceive them, but they said they could not enter because the enemies there were tall, and the walls were strong. In their eyes, they were like grasshoppers, and they looked at us as if we were grasshoppers.
They did not believe in God's power and did not believe that God had prepared food for them to eat, so they could not receive this blessing. When you accept Jesus, all the blessings of the kingdom of heaven are yours. Why do some people not receive them? Because of unbelief; if you do not believe, you cannot receive.
A brother talked to me this morning and showed me his disability certificate. He had severe burns on his face, epilepsy, and several other diseases, almost all terminal. The most painful for him was the epilepsy, which seemed incurable to people, but God healed him, and he is completely well now. God's healing is still present today. If people do not believe, they cannot receive. All the blessings of the kingdom of heaven truly exist; believing is for you, and you just need to receive them.
The Israelites saw it but still did not believe it was given to them by God, so God became angry and said they shall not enter my rest. God also gives us a reminder here, saying, brothers, take care lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. It tells us to be cautious; lest we harbor an evil, unbelieving heart. What does an evil heart mean? First: a heart filled with toil, filled with worries, oppressed, and disturbed. Second: bad, undesirable, and terrible behavior.
Evil, by nature, is bad. We must first understand that the first meaning is that a person has lost the heart of rest. If a person has a heart of rest, they will not be filled with toil, will not be worried, will not be oppressed, and will not be disturbed. Those later things will not happen. Although we have believed in the Lord, we often lose rest and fall into an evil conscience. For example, among those who come to the meeting today, some may be thinking about other things. If so, in the original text, it is called an evil, unbelieving heart. If a person has come, they should not think about other things. You are here to rest; God will handle your matters.
Once, when Samuel was offering sacrifices, the enemy invaded, but Samuel continued to offer sacrifices, enjoying God's rest. God personally sent messengers to fight for them. You come here to sit and receive God's rest; do not be inattentive or worry about something. This is a heart filled with toil, which the Bible calls an evil heart. Because of worry, even though people sit here, their thoughts keep running, worrying about other things: How are the children at home? Did my husband eat? I came; can my employees work well? Or if it snows later, how will I go back? In short, while a person is here, their heart is thinking about evil things; your heart is troubled. God's intention is for you to put everything down and receive His provision because God wants to place this power within you to deal with things through His rest.
Sometimes when others talk to us, we do not even know what they are saying; we are distracted because our thoughts have gone elsewhere. Many people, under the pressure of life, often suffer from insomnia at night because they have too many troubling matters and lose God's rest.
The promise given to us in the Bible is: The Lord loves, He gives sleep to those He loves. Why can you sleep peacefully? Because God's rest is upon you; God tells you not to worry, for I am with you. Many people turn prayer into a form of busyness, saying they must pray every day for God to bless them. If you think this way and act on it, you turn prayer into toil. How do we explain grace in this matter? Regardless of whether you pray or not, God's blessings are always upon you. Let me emphasize again, this does not mean you do not need to pray. If you are willing to pray, God's abundant blessings and strength will be supplied to you. This is different.
For example, when you get up in the morning, look in the mirror and say to yourself: You are loved by God. Wherever you go, God's blessings will follow you, and then joyfully go to work. Your mood will be completely different because everyone carries the blessing of Jesus Christ. When you arrive at the company, the company will be blessed because of you. When you return home, your home will be blessed because of you.
Last week, I experienced this again. A friend of mine came over, and at noon, when we went to eat, it was exactly twelve o'clock, and there were almost no people in the restaurant. The waiters were almost asleep. When we entered, they welcomed us. My friend said, "This place is so quiet today, perfect for talking." I said, "The boss might not be happy; there’s no business." I was praying for this restaurant. I have told brothers and sisters many times, you are messengers of the gospel; wherever you go, you will bring the gospel of Christ and God's blessings. After I prayed for this restaurant, five minutes later, a couple came in, and after a while, another couple came in. By the time we left, the restaurant was very lively because we are messengers of the gospel. When you are in God's rest, God's provision is always upon you. Wherever you go, you will surely bring God's blessings there.
Every day, declare this to yourself, and your life will be different. You will not be troubled by things, saying, "What should I do? I'm so worried." God has the power to solve problems. If we treat prayer as a troubled heart, thinking that if we do not pray, we will not be blessed, then your prayer lacks assurance. You are willing to tell God all your matters, and God will take responsibility for you, allowing you to see the fulfillment of what you prayed for. Do not turn prayer into another form of work.
For example, if you do not pray at five in the morning, then your prayer is ineffective. This is a wrong idea, as if God only listens to your prayer at five o'clock and not afterward. I wish for brothers and sisters to pray anytime and anywhere; God always listens to your prayers. We trust God, but it does not mean we toil endlessly, holding on to things ourselves, and then pray for God to help you. In this way, God cannot help you. Many people are still filled with toil in prayer, meaning that after praying, they still think, "Will God fulfill this?" Tomorrow they continue to do the same. In reality, you do not believe.
Some people's prayers are enough once, but some need to pray continuously until the matter is fulfilled. You pray once for this matter, believe that God has done it, and then you do not need to pray again. But if after praying for something, you still have worries and are not at peace, then you should continue to pray until you are no longer worried. Perhaps the matter has not yet been fulfilled, but when you see it, you are no longer troubled and no longer suffer from insomnia, which proves that God has already accomplished it. Seeing the result is just a matter of time.
When your heart is no longer troubled by something, in God's rest, you have already received God's provision, whether it is healing provision, financial provision, or provision for your faith. In short, God has already given it to you. When you sit down, God begins to work. What does this mean? When Jesus Christ was on the cross, He said, "It is finished," meaning He accomplished all the work of salvation for us, and then He sat down at the right hand of the Father. Sitting down means His work is finished, not because He was tired. We are seated with Christ. Every time you sit down, the Holy Spirit begins to work and guide you, making you no longer worried.
Last Thanksgiving, a brother with depression could not find his way home. After the meeting started, he went out and did not come back. The pastor mobilized everyone to look for him, and they searched many places but could not find him. Everyone thought he was lost because he did not know the way home. What happened? That brother walked home by himself. At that time, I laughed and said, "None of you thought that God had already healed him." God works in wonderful ways. Many times, we toil and worry ourselves, resulting in losing rest.
Job in the book of Job worried every day that his sons had sinned against God, worried and afraid. The Bible calls this an evil, unbelieving heart, meaning: "Devil, when will you attack me? When and how will you attack my children?" As a result, this actually happened. Brothers and sisters, rather than worrying about something, it is better to return to God in prayer. "Lord, I entrust my children to you; I believe you will surround them with protection."
Last year, at the entrance of a community, a child was hit by a car. The driver might have been a novice; he was supposed to step on the brake but instead stepped on the accelerator, and the child was killed on the spot. Can parents play a role when their child is in danger? No, we have many things to worry about. The best way is to rest in the peace of Jesus Christ, letting Him protect you and supply all your needs. When you hand your problems over to God, do not worry anymore.
In life, some people worry about money, some worry about marriage, and some worry about business. But when you hand these over to God, He will let you see the fulfillment of these matters. We must first have a heart of rest, and then you will see the provision that comes from rest. Why should we be in God's rest? Because we cannot do everything well by ourselves; what God does is certainly better than what we can do. If you truly hope for your child to succeed, it is advisable to entrust your child to God, let him know God, and teach him with the words of the Bible. God will surely keep his future path.
1 Peter 2:6: For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
The cornerstone refers to Jesus Christ. God has placed His chosen and precious cornerstone in Zion. The Bible mentions two places, with two representations: Mount Zion represents grace, and its counterpart is Mount Sinai, which represents the law. When God proclaimed the law on Mount Sinai, three thousand people died that day. When the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost, three thousand people repented and received life. Today, we are all on Mount Zion because God has established the cornerstone. We are all built upon this stone. Those who believe in Him will not be put to shame; to be put to shame means you will not be disappointed. You believe that God will surely accomplish what He has said.
There is another meaning in Isaiah 28:16: Therefore, thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not be in haste."
In the Old Testament, a term is used, called haste; in the New Testament, it is directly changed to shame. A person who is ashamed is certainly a very anxious person because they have lost rest.
God says: I have laid a stone as a foundation in Zion. No matter how high the building is, it is always based on that cornerstone. No one builds a house carelessly; even a slight deviation will become more severe as it goes up. Therefore, we must always use the cornerstone as the standard. Our cornerstone is Jesus Christ; our benchmark is Jesus Christ. We must establish our work on the rock of Jesus Christ. This stone is a tested stone that has overcome all temptations in the world and has triumphed in all things.
When the disciples were on the boat with Jesus, a storm arose. The disciples woke Jesus, saying, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" After Jesus stood up, He said: "Peace! Be still!" Before this happened, Jesus had already said: "Let us go over to the other side." He spoke very clearly. In Jesus' view, this could be done, but the disciples were terrified because of the wind and waves. Although Jesus calmed the external storm, how could the storm in the disciples' hearts be calmed?
Jesus only needed one word; all things must listen to Jesus. But the hearts of people often do not find rest. Many people say they can handle small matters themselves and seek Jesus for big matters, thinking Jesus is so busy that He has no time to take care of us. This can easily lead us to lose rest. We must believe that our God is powerful. When you hand your problems over to Him, you are actually enjoying His rest. When Jesus calmed the storm, He said to the disciples: "Why are you so afraid? Where is your faith?" The disciples' faith should be in Jesus. They only needed to think of one thing: Jesus is on the boat with us; there is nothing to worry about! That is how rest comes.
Knowing that Jesus is in your life, what do you have to worry about? No matter how great the storm is, can it swallow Jesus? The devil's attacks on you may be great, but Jesus has the power to overcome. This is the reason we can enjoy rest. The best way we can do is to give up our efforts and look at things with the hope of Christ. The disciples did a lot of useless work, trying hard to bail water out, and only called Jesus when they were at their wits' end. If they had called Jesus at the beginning, they might not have had to experience that fear and worry.
Resting is not doing nothing; it is doing things with the victory of Christ. You believe that God is with you, your help, and He will surely lead you on the path ahead. Some people pray while feeling discouraged; rather than that, it is better to read the Bible first, sing a hymn, or listen to a sermon to let our hearts rest.
Matthew 11:28: Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Our Lord did not specify anything; in fact, it refers to all things. You can seek Jesus for everything; when you go to Him, He will let you enjoy rest because God loves you very much. It is because of this love that He is willing to come to the world to suffer for you, to die for your sins, with the purpose of bringing you into His abundance and His rest. Some say, "I also believe, but why have I not received healing or seen miracles?" Many times, it is because we do not believe correctly. You must believe in God's provision. When you are in His rest, you will see God's marvelous power manifested.
Some people say that when people encounter problems and pray, they need God to give them strength to fight against the devil. Such faith will lead people to lose rest. In fact, you do not need to fight anymore because everything has already been accomplished. Two thousand years ago, there was a battle between Jesus and the devil. In that battle, the devil was completely defeated. You are not fighting against the devil by your own efforts. God will not give you strength to fight against the devil again; you just need to declare that the devil has already failed. Spiritual warfare is believing that Jesus has already won the battle on the cross. When we choose to believe that Jesus has triumphed, the battle is over.
We only declare the devil's defeat in the name of the Lord Jesus, rather than fighting. Two thousand years ago, my Lord Jesus has already overcome; I am no longer fighting against the devil. He has already been defeated and is under my feet. The devil has failed; in the name of Jesus Christ, I command this disease to leave me immediately! You must first believe and then declare it!
Many people recite, "By the stripes of Jesus, I have been healed," but when they declare it, it has no effect. The reason is that they do not understand what this represents. When Jesus was beaten for us, the devil was already defeated. At that time, Jesus' health was already upon you. You may have health issues in this world, but God has already provided solutions. Jesus Christ is your solution. When you believe this way, your heart will have rest.
When you are wavering, the devil can easily attack you. When we do not have rest, we will be anxious, and anxiety can easily lead to mistakes. There is a testimony in the Bible: God said to Abraham, "I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore." God also told him that only the one born of him would be called Abraham's descendant. The words were very clear, but the couple became impatient waiting. Sarah was anxious and said, "We need to do something for God; we need to help God." People began to laugh at them because they lost their rest. Sarah's menstruation had ceased, and in human eyes, it seemed there was no opportunity. If they did not find a maid to bear a child, they would truly have no child...
But God's word is faithful. When the time came, God let him see the birth of his child. So they named the child Isaac, which means laughter. When they saw the child, they laughed and knew that God had such power. We must understand that God has completed all work; you are in His rest, and provision always exists.
Just like your home always has running water, do you worry about not having water every morning? As long as there is no special notice, the running water will continue. You have already paid the water bill, so there will surely be a supply. When you turn on the faucet, the water will flow out. What I mean is that in each of you, there is a direct channel of God's blessing. Faith is that faucet; when you turn it on, blessings will flow out.
The Bible says we are seated with Christ. Sitting down is a posture of rest. God hopes that each of His children faces life with this mindset. He is our shepherd, and He will supply all our needs. No matter what happens, He is with us, guiding us on the path of righteousness. What you need to do is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and strive to enter His rest, meditate on the promises He has given us, and reflect on God's power. Meditate on His love for you. Then you will have rest.
Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Those who accept Jesus Christ have a completely different foundation from those who do not believe. Some say, "I believe in the Lord, but why do I still encounter suffering in this world?" Jesus never said that after you believe in Him, you will not encounter danger, suffering, or illness in this world. But Jesus gives us a very strong assurance: "In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world."
Do not be afraid when encountering problems; Jesus has the power to lift you up. Even if the righteous fall seven times, God will not abandon us. The unbelievers are different; when they fall, they face calamity. Their foundation is completely different from ours.
The wise man builds his foundation on the rock. The rain, floods, and winds that beat against that house can be understood as problems you will encounter in your life. Others may slander and attack you, even showing you things you do not want to see. Unbelievers will also experience such things.
Some say, "I believe in the Lord, why did this happen to me?" My answer is simple: If you did not believe in the Lord, who would you blame for such things? Perhaps you would say, "This is bad luck; it's my fate." Some unbelievers who get cancer will blame whom? They do not know God; they only blame their bad luck. But Christians will blame God, asking why such things happen to them. In fact, these terrible circumstances are not given by God. Both believers and unbelievers will encounter certain situations. Those whose houses are built on sand will collapse, but those built on the rock will stand firm. This is the difference in foundation. When we believers encounter circumstances, we may be weak, but God will lift us up.
No matter how solid your house is built, if the foundation is unstable, it will fall when the wind blows. But if the foundation is on the solid rock, the house will not collapse when the wind blows and the rain falls. We must rest on God's rock; the rock determines the stability of the house. Today, when it rains and snows, do you fear because of the rain and snow in your home? It is because you believe the house is solid. No one would say, "It's raining and snowing today; I'm scared to death." Such a person might be living in a straw house from decades ago and would worry that the strong wind would blow the house away. The reason you rest in God is that you know you are in a solid house.
In Jesus Christ, no matter how great the external storms are, you have such a house protecting you. What do you have to worry about? Just like Noah's Ark, even though the rain was heavy and the storms were great outside, God is his direction, God is his provision. Knowing this, you will rest.
We are all wise people, and we all have the same foundation, which is Jesus Christ. His foundation is solid, precious, and unshakeable. In any situation in life, we can overcome by the grace of the Lord Jesus. What you do for the Lord now, God will reward you in the future. You are not striving to do something for God; you are working with His power in His rest, enjoying the joy that God gives us every day.
Hebrews 3:13: But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
When a person harbors an evil, unbelieving heart, it is when they rely on their own toil. Over time, it is easy to be deceived by sin, and the heart will harden. It is easy to imagine how a person's condition will be when sin visits them daily. I hope everyone is filled with the Holy Spirit every day, living in the Holy Spirit, and working in His rest. No matter what you encounter, first do not panic, do not be afraid, because God is your protection, holding fast to the hope we profess, so that it will not be shaken.
Lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. This means that not every believer can rely on God in life. Some people know certain things should not be done, yet they do them anyway. They also know that God will not protect them in doing this, and when things really happen, they still blame God. For example, some quick-money schemes and high-return businesses. These are things to stay away from, yet there are always people who do not believe.
Proverbs 28:22: A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth, and does not know that poverty will come upon him.
When a person harbors an evil, unbelieving heart, they toil and work, and over time, it is easy to be deceived by sin, leading them to become deeply entangled.
Verse 13 says, We must exhort one another every day. Each of us needs to be reminded. On the seventh day of the week, we need to be correctly reminded. We know that in Christ, we are righteous, but many times we forget. So every week when you come here, I will remind you correctly, so that through God's word, you carry God's power and faith to live. This is our daily mutual exhortation, lest we be deceived by sin and our hearts become hardened. A hardened heart is due to not believing in God but relying on oneself. We are in God's rest, receiving His provision.
Hebrews 4:11: Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
The opposite of unbelief is belief, which is rest. I hope brothers and sisters will be in rest. In the new week, you can say to yourself, "God has prepared abundant blessings for me. I declare that I am in God's provision. I am justified by God and pleasing to Him, receiving provision in His rest. I do not worry about tomorrow; I believe you will prepare for me every day."
Raise your hands and pray to God, no matter how big or difficult the matter is, hand it over to God and see Him accomplish great things in you. If you need healing right now, let God's power manifest in you. Believe and you will receive. At this moment, the Holy Spirit wants to touch you, heal you, and hand over all your worries to God. You are in His rest; He is your shepherd and will guide you to still waters.
Lord, at this moment, speak to every brother and sister, fill them with your Spirit, restore the damaged cells in their bodies. The Lord's Spirit is upon you, and we will surely receive power. You will become a beautiful testimony for the Lord. I believe in the healing power of the Lord is already upon you. I believe there is nothing too difficult for Him.
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you for your grace. When we hand everything over to you, we are enjoying your rest. In rest, we solely look to your provision. We are willing to work with your power. You have overcome this world, and you can lead me to victory. Please grant me the wisdom I need at this moment, so I can experience you more in life and witness your goodness. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.