TV 1744 Promised Land | Conclusion

Think about what Jesus said to the rich young ruler. He even said he loved him in one place. It was something that drew Jesus to this man who wanted the kingdom of God. He valued it. He saw it. He tried to keep the law all of his life, but there was one thing he lacked. You know when God speaks to people, that can be a central issue in how God speaks to people. He is faithful. If there is something that possesses our hearts like that, he knows how to put his finger on that. And he says, what about that? And how many people know how to deflect, say, yes, Lord, but, or no, it's not like that, or whatever they do, they find a way to sidestep the Lord putting his finger on the issue. And I'll tell you, for those who enter his rest, God wants ... In other words, rest is a picture of something that is settled. And I pray that those who listen to me today, if you're not in that place, that God will put such a cry in your heart that you won't rest until you enter that rest, until you know that that's a settled issue, not to be debated, never to be looked at and wondered about. Yes, you're going to deal with all kinds of other things, and God's going to deal with needs in you. That's not what this is about. This is about entering a door, passing from death to life, being lifted out of the realm of darkness, the power of darkness, into the kingdom of his Son, being born again. All of those refer to events, points in time where there is a ... where God calls and there is a genuine surrender. Every bridge is burned behind you. There is no going back. I am now 100% a member of the new creation. God's going to help me live here, but nothing here outweighs my attachment to that.

And I'm here to listen to his voice and become, and to grow up to be his brother or sister in a kingdom that will last forever. That's the issue, okay? Now I've had people over the years, I mentioned the Sabbath, I've had people over the years, what about the Sabbath? Aren't we supposed to keep that, or what do you think about people who do? And one thing I've been fond of saying is, I keep the Sabbath just like Abraham did. How many of you realize Abraham didn't know anything about the Sabbath? That was part of the law. God used the law to teach his people a lot of stuff. The law contained many pictures of truths that are true now. It's not about observing a literal day on this planet. It's about coming to the place where we recognize that God has done something that's finished and I'm going to let go and be part of that. That's the issue. That's all Abraham did. He believed God and was declared righteous. He didn't keep the Sabbath, he didn't know anything about it. So I'm going to keep it the way he did. I'm going to believe God and rest in what he's done. That's what he's talking about. He comes down to this, for if Joshua, verse 8, chapter 4, if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. Therefore, or there remains then a Sabbath rest for the people of God. That was a picture of what God wants for us. Why? For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works just as God did from his. That's what it's about. I have to stop. I can see that in more than one sense.

Certainly it is resting from anything that is about me and where I'm the center of it and I'm just living out an earthly life. It deals with sin, it deals with everything, it's just me trying to carve out a life for myself. I need to stop that, say that's something I need to leave behind. That's what repentance is about, by the way. Nobody comes to the Lord without repenting. There is a 180 from going this way to now going this way and leaving my earthly life behind and saying, Lord, it's in your hands. You direct my path. Whatever you want is what I want. There's a ceasing. But I see it in another sense where sometimes, many times ... times, people are drawn to ... they have a sense of their need. Because God is first, if He's going to speak to a human heart, He's got to make us aware of our need. But when people come to that place where, I need this, this is not where it's at, I need to be a part of this kingdom. What happens? Many times the enemy will jump in and they'll say, well, you need to do this, you need to do that, you need to do the other thing. How many of you think we can earn our way in? See, that's not how it works. And if we could, we'd be boasting. It's not of works lest any man should boast. It's entirely by God's power, by God's mercy. God is the only one that can invite us in and He has taken care of every obstacle. My entrance is a matter of just laying all of that down and recognizing I can't do anything, but I can surrender. I can believe His voice.

I can believe not just this particular issue, but I can believe Him. My faith is forevermore in Him. I'm leaving this behind. No longer am I a citizen of this world, I'm a citizen of another world. Praise God. It has to be that decisive. And I'll tell you, we've got a God who can make that transition for anybody who's willing. All right? Now if He says stop working and trust God and enter rest, why does it say, let us therefore make every effort? Well He's certainly not saying work for it, is He? But what He is saying is you need to take this dead seriously. If this doesn't at some point become the only thing that matters, the only issue in your life, if this is not the only issue that rules your heart at that particular moment, you've never been there. There's got to be a time when you're going to face this question and nothing else will matter. I need God's help. Lord, I'm crying out to You. If there's something that I need, help me with it. But Lord, this is the most important thing. If I miss this, I miss everything. Well is that the truth? If there's somebody here who misses and who hears the voice of God and finds some way to sidestep it and still pretend to be a follower of Jesus, do you really want to stand there on that day? Do you not realize what's at stake? The issue is life forever or destruction. That's it. That's the choice.

Oh God. Think about what Jesus said when He talked about entering and all those who thought they were entering the kingdom because they were this and they did that or they were Jewish or they were whatever it was that they thought, and He said, strive to enter. The striving is not to earn it. The striving is not to somehow convince an unwilling God to accept somebody like me. He didn't come to save good people, there aren't any, but He came to save sinners. Well I certainly qualify. I need Him. There's not one thing I can look inside and say, this is why He chose me. To Him be the glory. Praise God. We have no right to look down on anybody. Some people are caught in open, terrible sins that have wrecked their lives. Do we look down at them and say, what's the matter with you? We can look and say, there but for the grace of God, go I. That could be me. But God was merciful to a sinner like me. He loved me in spite of everything that was wrong with me. And I'll tell you, there's another trick that God plays, or the devil plays, I mean. God doesn't play tricks. The devil plays with God's people. I don't feel it, so something's wrong. There must be something I forgot to do. I didn't hold my mouth right. I didn't say the right words. I didn't do this. I didn't do ... God help us to come to a place where we lay all that down. It's not about what we do or don't do, or how we do it. It's the basic surrender, where there is an encounter.

You remember the movie, The Encounter? Wow, powerful. But there has got to be a moment of encounter where Jesus speaks in the depths of our being, and we recognize our need, and there is nothing to which we cling. We simply lay it all down and we say, yes Lord, from the depths of our being. And I'll tell you, there's a rest that does come to a human heart when that happens. That's what God longs to share. Praise God, He longs to share with every person who hears this. If somebody misses this, it's not because God doesn't care. It's not because God doesn't do what would open the door for somebody. He's there to help us. He's there to invite us. But one thing He's not going to do is invite rebels into His eternal kingdom. People like the rich young ruler who said, my earthly riches are more important to me. How do you think he's going to feel on that day? Weeping, wailing. Oh, did I mess up big time. God is reaching out to people today that maybe He'll never crossed in. What matters is not necessarily an altar call. What matters is that when God speaks, you're going to have to make a choice. You can't say, well, I'm headed for lunch, so I'll talk to you later, or this is more important, or I'll, you know, I mentioned that song that we heard so many years ago, no longer, about how a man gives his testimony and reaches a point where God's speaking no longer. I mentioned that to Sue afterwards, and she remembers it just like I do. Powerful, powerful song. Sad testimony of somebody who just stopped listening and God stopped speaking. But I believe with all my heart there are people here today that He is doing, He's not giving this for no reason. He's not giving this to cause His people to be afraid. He's with you. If you cross in, you're going to have, yeah, you're going to go into a Canaan land, there are going to be some giants there, but He's going to be with you, and He's going to give you a territory there. And all of that is going to be a part of getting us ready for the real promised land, which lasts forever. Thank God. So this is not to cause people to be afraid. It is to cause people to check up and be sure, examine yourselves. We had a service about that a while back. This matters. Why would, why would the writer have this burden from heaven? To write a whole book, and yes, all the way

through there are encouragements to Christians to look, to real followers of Jesus, to look to Him and to realize it's a finished work, and we got to save you as able and willing, and it's going to take us all the way. And yet everywhere there's this warning, don't stop short. Don't stop short. Don't, you know, over and over because it's a real issue. What's the issue that keeps, if you're not in, what's the issue? Are you really not willing, or do you just not believe that you could possibly qualify because of this or because of that? Stop listening to that junk. There's one voice you need to hear. I love you. I've paid it all. If you're willing to give it all, I will receive you as you are, and you will become a part of a new creation. Your destiny will change in a moment of time from one who is headed for destruction to one who is headed to eternal life with me. Which is it going to be? How many church people today, as I say, don't know what this is talking about. But I don't want to come to the end of my way. I don't know how long when that is. That's up to the Lord. I don't want to come to the end and say, well, you didn't tell me. You weren't honest with me. God's heart reaches out. And of course, does he know? Well, the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, not just the outward stuff. See, God doesn't look at the outward appearance. He looks at the heart. So He knows if there's something in your life ... A reservoir of self-will that you have never surrendered to Him, that you need what He's talking about today. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account. Now I think many times, as I've read through this passage, I think we probably all have been inclined to sort of almost take the ... Okay, now he's going to shift gears and talk about something else. But there is a connection. He's certainly talking to people to encourage them that we have all the help we need.

He says, therefore, since we have a great high priest, what does that have to do with entering into his rest? Stay with me. We have a great high priest, one who can represent me before God, one who has the sacrifice that makes me one with Him, that makes me acceptable to a holy God, who has ascended into heaven. Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. Now that's an exhortation to Christians because we're going to have tests in this life. Your faith will be tested, but if you've got what he's talking about here, you've got what you need to stand up to it. And those are the ones who will overcome in this hour especially. All right? For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize or empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet he did not sin. Praise God. Then you have that awesome verse. Let us then approach God's throne of grace, thank God it's grace, God's power at work saving sinners. Approach God's throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy, that's what I need, and find grace to help in our time of need. Now I've always associated that or assumed that it's like, all right, he talked about this, now he's just jumping into another subject. There's a connection. I believe one thing God is saying to you, if you're in this valley of decision, and the issue has honestly never been really settled, you never passed from death to life. It's still your life, bottom line. You're going to do what you want to do, and there are issues you've never ... You're willing to go along and profess, but the real issue, am I his without any condition? Am I unconditionally his or not? That's never been settled. And you read scriptures where, make every effort, where am I going to get the ability

to do that, such a thing? Do you think maybe this also applies to that? There is the Son of God and His Father inviting you to a place where whatever you need to reach out to Him and to let go, He's willing to supply it. You see where the responsibility winds up. If I don't take advantage of this, it's not God's fault. There's a point in time when I'm going to have to surrender. This issue is going to have to be settled once and for all. Now, yes, there's a whole lot that comes after that. He's with me in it though, and He's guaranteed how it's going to come out. But what about those in so many professing Christians in the world today? As things get worse, as things get darker, what's that going to look like? How many are going to really show up and prove that they're just like the children of Israel? All you have to do is have the right thing happen and their real heart will come out. The real unbelief will be there. Meanwhile, there'll be a bunch of people of no account in this world for the most part who will say, it doesn't matter, Jesus is Lord. He is on the throne. I trust Him all the way to the end. Bottom line, my life is not mine anymore, it belongs to Him and He is well able to save to me completely because I've come to God through Him. And that's the question, is the issue settled? It's between you and Him. I'm going to give out the Word and trust God. Imagine that. But didn't He say that the words that go out of His mouth will not return empty? They will accomplish what He has purposed. To Him be the glory. May God just reach out.

Not in condemnation, but in love and mercy. That's what's behind it. It's not, oh, what's the matter with you, you bad person? Yeah, we are sinners. But basically, have you not come to the place where you can just give it all to Him? All of your failures, everything that's wrong, everything that you think is right, whatever is important in your life, just, Lord, it's yours. I hand my life over to You. You take it. You save. I need a Savior. I don't need a teacher. I'm merely a teacher. I don't need a life coach. I need a Savior to deliver me from one creation and get me ready for another one. And it starts the moment He comes to live on the inside. And I'll tell you, when He's in here, it makes a lot of difference when stuff happens out here. It's not like He's out here telling me what to do. He's in here helping me do it. Oh, to God be the glory. To God be the glory. Every believer here needs to certainly check up and all of that, but God doesn't want anybody here to be fearful. If you cross this line and you hand it over everything, don't say, well, but I need to do this. I've got to do that. Give it to Him. But if you have never honestly turned your life over to Him, that is His challenge today because He is here to save.

And this is not just about a life decision. It's not just about becoming part of a religious movement or anything that has to do with this world. Ultimately, it's about being standing there on that day as one who has been rescued, who doesn't deserve a bit of it. But His love has reached out and made you a child of the living God and has given you a place in something that will never end as you stand there and watch countless numbers of people who are weeping and wailing and saying, oh, if I just had another chance. That's a chance right now. What will you do with it? To God be the glory. This has been the Midnight Cry broadcast. If you would like a DVD or CD of today's message in its entirety, please request it by program number. While it is not required, a donation of $10 for DVDs and $5 for CDs is suggested to help with expenses. Also for those who request it, we will send you our quarterly publication, the Midnight Cry Messenger, free and postage paid. Send your requests to Midnight Cry Ministries, Post Office Box 685, Southern Pines, NC 28388. We invite you to join us again next week at the same time, and may God richly bless you until then.