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The Peace of Christmas (Hebrews 4:1-13)
10 Plays1 day ago
Sunday Message recorded 28 December 2025
by Senior Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
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Transcript
Introduction to Jesus as Lord in Hebrews
00:00:06
Speaker
Well, if you know the words of that song, what it's saying is, i call him Lord. And ah I call him Lord. I hope that you also refer to Jesus Christ as Lord. you know, you may be wondering, why are we looking in the book of Hebrews when we're coming right out of Christmas and we've been in it for a while? It's because the book of Hebrews also calls him Lord.
00:00:29
Speaker
You know, sometimes you think of Christmas being about a sweet baby, and he was, I'm sure, like ah completely sinless and so forth.
Significance of Jesus' Birth in Hebrews
00:00:37
Speaker
However, he is Lord, and he is a high priest, and he is the Son of God. There's so many things about Jesus that can be said and should be said.
00:00:48
Speaker
So that's why we've been in this mini-series looking at Jesus from the book of Hebrews. We've been at five messages so far. Today is number six. Next Sunday, Josh will give the final message in the series, number seven. But
Symbols of Christmas: Star, Angels, Gifts, Lights
00:01:04
Speaker
the series has been looking closely at seven signs or seven emblems that are often picked up on with the birth of Christ.
00:01:13
Speaker
You know, the biblical narrative talks about, for example, the star. the star of Christmas. And the star of Christmas is Jesus. Like he's the one that should be above it all and the one we focus all of our celebrations around.
00:01:28
Speaker
But there are also four Christmas angels who made announcements and so forth, four angelic announcements that were given on behalf of the Lord to people.
00:01:39
Speaker
And so we looked at the angels of Christmas. We looked at the gift of Christmas. You know, Jesus is the gift of Christmas.
Peace and Rest in Hebrews 4:1-13
00:01:46
Speaker
So I know... I was talking to some of the younger ones already today saying, what'd you get for Christmas? You know, and anyway, their face beams up. You want to know what to say? Just say, what did you get for Christmas? And they will let you know, believe me. But ah the gift of Christmas is Jesus. It's so precious, you know, to think of him as coming to pay the price for our sins.
00:02:08
Speaker
And then the lights of Christmas, we decorate our trees, our homes, even our town is decorated so nicely. But the light, the light of Christmas is Jesus. And then the child of Christmas, we looked at that on Christmas Eve.
00:02:23
Speaker
But then now this morning, we're going to look at Hebrews chapter 4, verses 1 through 13. If you'll find your way there, Hebrews chapter 4, verses 1 through 13. And we're going to look at the peace The peace of Christmas.
00:02:35
Speaker
I don't know if that's one thing that you think of when you think of Christmas, but I would say definitely peace is one thing. Our text is not going to use the word peace, but in so place of peace, it's going to use a truth or concept principle that's very closely related.
00:02:54
Speaker
Rest. rest. Some of you may need a silent night after having gone through all of the Christmas preparations and celebrations and so forth. But
Entering Spiritual Rest through Belief
00:03:04
Speaker
whenever you hear the word rest, which is going to be mentioned 10 times when we read through this passage, I want you to think of the word peace. Okay, so every time you hear a rest, think of being at peace.
00:03:17
Speaker
So we're going to look at that together. ah But also along with that word rest, there's another word that's going to be mentioned seven times. And you're going to think, why is that mentioned so frequently? It's the word enter.
00:03:31
Speaker
Have you entered into rest? the peace or the rest, the spiritual rest for your soul that Jesus is offering to you. You know, here we are between Christmas and New Year's. It's a great time to say, you know what? I've never really laid it all down.
00:03:47
Speaker
I want to lay it down. And if there is peace, I need peace because I am so anxious. I'm so tore up on the inside. If that's you, then we just urge you to turn to Christ and to come to him.
00:04:01
Speaker
But you have to enter into it. And so we're going to hear the word enter along with rest seven different times. And so ah some high school students will tell you they're they're already thinking about entering into college. And that's why we were mentioning about the scholarship. We want to make sure that, you know, your church is behind you.
00:04:22
Speaker
And so we want to offer you a scholarship. If you meet those specific qualifications there, we would love to be a part of helping you reach your goals in terms of training and so forth.
00:04:34
Speaker
But, you know, they talk about taking the SAT or the ACT. When I think about those, I still get you know nervous. I break out in hives. I'm thinking, oh, Lord, I still remember those days.
Prophecies and Promises of Peace
00:04:45
Speaker
But you know some take it like the spring semester of their junior year. Others are saying, no, you really need to push it back. Like I would start the fall of your junior year of high school taking those.
00:04:57
Speaker
But there's one thing i read I thought was so interesting, and yet it's heartbreaking at the same time. A study discovered that 1% of the students say, you know what, when I take the ACT or the s SAT, I'm not worried. I'm not worried about it one bit. I have no anxiety.
00:05:16
Speaker
Just 1%. That means 99% are saying, I am stressed out before I take that test. But you know what, it won't be the last time. Because there are a lot of tests that we face in real life.
00:05:30
Speaker
And so we have to learn who to go to whenever we're nervous, who to go to when we're anxious about things. And so that's what this message is going to be about. butt know if you remember, Isaiah the prophet wrote more about peace than anybody else in the whole Bible.
00:05:48
Speaker
If you look up the word peace and you try to say, where is that mentioned the most in scripture? the Isaiah, 27 times he brings up the word peace.
00:05:58
Speaker
And so I would definitely recommend if you're going to do a word study on peace, go to Isaiah because say he's way out front of everyone else. But that seasoned man, Isaiah, pointed to one source for peace in this troubled world.
00:06:14
Speaker
he pointed to Jesus. And I want to read that verse for us, even though we're already on the other side of Christmas, it's still applicable. Here's what it says in Isaiah chapter 9, verses 6 through 7, for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
00:06:43
Speaker
of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. You know, that's that's the great thing about Jesus Christ. He will never run out of that peace.
00:06:55
Speaker
But I want you to notice that in addition to talking about the Lord's positions, you know, he has different titles that are mentioned in that passage. There's also this wonderful promise that he's going to usher in an age of peace.
00:07:09
Speaker
Well, this promise of peace was reiterated by the angels. Remember, they sang to the startled shepherds in the night sky, singing glory to God in the highest, and on earth,
00:07:22
Speaker
peace. Peace among those with whom he is pleased. That's not found in Isaiah, that's found in Luke. Luke chapter 2 verse 14. So keep this promise of peace in mind and please stand with me as I read Hebrews 4 1 through 13. Remember when you hear the word rest, I want your mind to automatically say rest. That means peace.
00:07:47
Speaker
And also watch for the frequency of that word enter as we read through this great passage together.
Trust and Obedience as Paths to Peace
00:07:54
Speaker
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
00:08:08
Speaker
For good news came to us just as to them. But the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
00:08:22
Speaker
For we who have believed enter that rest. As he has said, as I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest.
00:08:35
Speaker
Although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way. And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.
00:08:49
Speaker
And again in this passage, he said, they shall not enter my rest. since therefore it remains for some to enter it. And those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience.
00:09:06
Speaker
And again, he appoints a certain day today, saying through David, so long afterward in the worlds already quoted today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
00:09:20
Speaker
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
00:09:35
Speaker
For whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his Let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience for The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
00:10:11
Speaker
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
00:10:22
Speaker
Let's go to the Father in prayer. Lord, we've had a wonderful time celebrating the coming of your son together, Christmas. Lord, just singing about Christ and singing about Jesus has made our hearts glad.
00:10:37
Speaker
Lord, some of us are still on a winter break. We're still on Christmas break. But soon we will be returning to the daily responsibilities that we each have to carry.
00:10:49
Speaker
But I pray that during this lull, during this time, that you would help us learn there is a spiritual rest. Even though we work hard, we can still have rest in our soul.
00:11:02
Speaker
And so please help us, O Lord, to know that there's peace, there's rest in Christ. And so speak to us from this passage. You assured us in this passage that the Word of God, it's living.
00:11:15
Speaker
It's active. It's so sharp. It can pierce down way down deep, and it can certainly discern the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. And so please, Lord, we need to hear your voice as we are paused to enter a new year.
00:11:31
Speaker
So Lord, guide us. Speak to us. Some are seeking guidance. Others are needing guidance, but maybe they haven't been seeking it. But somehow in this message, you're going convince them If you're going to have that spiritual rest, you're going to have to come to Jesus, surrendering and saying, Lord, I want you to guide me.
00:11:50
Speaker
So bless us as we look at this passage. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you. You may be seated. I'm excited about this message today because, you know, there's a hymn that we sang many times in this church building.
00:12:06
Speaker
What a friend we have in Jesus. You remember the one line that says, oh, what needless pain we bear. It talks about, oh, what peace we often forfeit.
00:12:16
Speaker
Oh, what needless pain we bear. So I hope this message will help you not to carry those burdens on your own shoulders, but to lay them down at the Lord and to have peace. Let me give you the outline real quickly so that you'll have that and you can just really sit there and listen and soak in what God wants us to to know.
00:12:36
Speaker
First, we're going to look at trusting. Trusting in his promises brings peace. Are you trusting in the promises that the Lord has given? Well, that's one thing we have to do if we're going to have peace. That brings peace when we trust in his promises. The other thing has to do with obedience.
00:12:54
Speaker
Are you diligent in your obedience to what God has revealed to us in the word? Diligence in proceeding with obedience also brings peace. You know why peace leaves?
00:13:05
Speaker
When we start disobeying and we're not living for him. That's why suddenly we can't find any peace. We feel so anxious, stressed out, driven. We're saying, why can't I find that rest that I believe I'm supposed to have in this life?
00:13:19
Speaker
Thirdly, we're going to look at learning, learning from the principles of the Bible. You know, the Bible is so fresh. It's fresh every morning. That's why I'm trying to urge as many as I can read through God's word with me. Don't be a legalist.
00:13:35
Speaker
Don't be a Pharisee about it. If you can't read all the days, you know, reading that's on the list, then just read what you can. It's more important that you connect with God than you check it off.
00:13:47
Speaker
But it will give you a track upon which you, over which you can, uh, Follow the Lord and you can hear his voice as you go through the year. So we're wanting today to say, Lord, if it's going to help me to have peace in my heart, help me learn from the truths that are mentioned in scripture.
00:14:07
Speaker
But the fourth and the final thing is very important, is remember. I think we have to remember God's presence if we're going to have peace. The reason we get alarmed and fearful and stressed, we forget. God said he's going to be with us.
00:14:23
Speaker
Jesus said, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. No wonder Jesus invited us all in Matthew 11, 28 through come to me. he said come to me all you who are heavy laden, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest.
00:14:40
Speaker
You'll find rest for your souls, is what he said. That's what he's offering you today. That's what he's offering you as you start a new year, is a soul rest, a spiritual rest.
00:14:51
Speaker
So you won't feel like you have to strive in order for God to love you. You'll know, wait a minute, he already loves me. Jesus went to the cross so that I don't have to prove and achieve my way into God's family.
00:15:05
Speaker
Only the finished work of Christ will help you to find that soul rest. So let's look at it together. Let's start with trusting. Trusting in God's promises brings peace. I found that concept mentioned in verses 1 through 5 of the text that I just read.
00:15:23
Speaker
The first thing I want you to know is we have to trust that it's available. Do you believe that peace is available? Oh, let me read verse 1. Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands...
00:15:38
Speaker
It's still standing. It's right there. He's offering it to you and to me. But here's what happens.
Urgency of Accepting God's Invitation for Peace
00:15:44
Speaker
Let us fearless. Any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
00:15:49
Speaker
It's like God's holding it out and saying, here it is. And you're saying, no, it's got to be something else. I'm going to keep looking in this world and going to all these different places. But we have to trust in the availability of peace.
00:16:03
Speaker
You know, the old fisherman, Peter, Simon Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1-2, may grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
00:16:18
Speaker
I believe that's where real peace will come into our hearts is whenever we get to know God, when we get to know Christ, when we get to know God through Christ, I believe that's the firmness of the promise when it says it still stands. Do you know you can be saved today? You can have your sins forgiven today.
00:16:39
Speaker
You can enter into God's family. You can know assuredly that you will go to heaven when you die today. All of that is still standing. That's the firmness of the peace that is available in Christ. But your heart should be stricken with fear when you realize, you know what, even though it's available, there have been people in the past who have missed it.
00:17:03
Speaker
They've neglected it. They've ignored it. They've rejected that promise. And that's why he says, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
00:17:15
Speaker
Why? If there's peace available, why would you leave today without tasting that peace that is so available? The failure to reach out to the promise is what happened to those who still don't have peace in their hearts. In other words...
00:17:31
Speaker
Don't blame God. Just do not blame God if life is so filled with worry, if life is so filled with anxiety and so forth, because Jesus is sitting there saying peace is available for you as you start 2026.
00:17:46
Speaker
But also we need to trust that in something else besides the availability, the accessibility, Yes, maybe God does have a lot of peace that's available, but is it really available to you?
00:18:00
Speaker
And if it is available to you, how do you get it? How do you reach it? How do you not fall short of it? Well, trust in the accessibility of peace.
00:18:11
Speaker
God sent messengers with the good news of the gospel message. See, the problem the problem was not accessibility through Christ. Oh, it's it's open.
00:18:23
Speaker
Everybody in this room, you are welcome to come to faith in Christ. You are welcome to come to God. If you'll turn from sin, place your faith in Christ, you're welcome to come.
00:18:35
Speaker
It's not a matter of accessibility. It's a matter of receptivity. Some are simply saying, no, I think I'll wait. I don't think I'll trust the Lord today.
00:18:46
Speaker
And so that's the lack of receptivity that I'm referring to. The message was heard, but here's what it says in verses two and three. It was not believed. It was not believed.
00:18:58
Speaker
See, there's two types. When God looks at the world, does he look at our skin color? Does he look at our racial makeup and so forth? I believe those are gifts from him. But no, I think he looks at something much deeper.
00:19:11
Speaker
I think he looks at our hearts and he says, I see this part of the world is still unbelieving. And this part of the world is believing. That's the way God sees us. And he sees us that way because that's all it takes for us to enter into the family.
Biblical Teachings on Rest and Peace
00:19:26
Speaker
That's all it takes for us to go to heaven when we die, is that we're putting our faith and trust in Christ. So if you're still on the unbeliever side, why don't you come on over on the believer side?
00:19:38
Speaker
It's so good over here. You know, Peter stated a truth about God's will in 2 Peter 3.9. I've never forgotten from the first time I read it.
00:19:50
Speaker
I would read when I was working in a factory. I would read during break sometimes, and I would take my New Testament. I remember reading 2 Peter 3, 9, and it said to me, God is not wishing, God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
00:20:08
Speaker
You know, that means you. That means you, every person in this room. That means everybody that's hearing the sound of my voice. That's why a messenger has been sent to deliver this good news to you.
00:20:22
Speaker
But the the danger is that someone could reject it. And so we either will trust or else there will be no peace for us. There'll be an absence of peace for us.
00:20:34
Speaker
And that's why he quotes Psalm 95, 11, two times. Verse three and verse five, he quotes it. As I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest.
00:20:46
Speaker
God's talking. If God's talking, we need to be listening and say, I got to take that seriously. Because God's saying they're not going to enter my rest if they don't come through the right way.
00:20:58
Speaker
And so I thought, wow, but there's no rest. Even for the Jewish people, when they went into Canaan and Joshua led them, they won all these battles. There was still something that Joshua could not provide for them.
00:21:11
Speaker
You know, verses three and four also allude to God's rest. When he completed creation, you know what it says he did? He rested. You know, there's a legitimate time for you and I to work.
00:21:23
Speaker
I mean, work hard. My dad put within me a work ethic. Nobody has to look over my shoulder and make sure I'm working. It just comes natural. But you know what? I still have to say, i still need to pause and rest.
00:21:38
Speaker
We're gonna offer some great training in the new year in February. There's a man named Mark Wade who has studied this really intently. And he's going to share with us, we're going to have three different sessions on a Saturday. And I invite you to make that a priority because if we don't rest, if we don't draw close to the Lord, you know what we're not going to do? I don't care what kind of, where you are in your life. If you're in retirement, if you're still working, if you're still in school, you are not, I am not, we are not.
Jesus' Sacrifice and Soul Rest
00:22:08
Speaker
going to flourish. We're not going to be fruitful. There's so much more that God will do if we will take the time to be with Him. So we're going to look at that in February together with that one-day seminar.
00:22:22
Speaker
But you know what? What if people say no? Well, apart from trusting in God's promise, you know what it becomes man's heart? Becomes restless. We're driven.
00:22:32
Speaker
We're worried about everything. I think it was a man named Augustine, long time ago, who said, you know what? Our hearts are not at rest until they find rest in Christ.
00:22:47
Speaker
That's the bottom line. We're not gonna find rest anywhere else, not the spiritual rest. So the first way to rediscover peace is to trust in God's promise. The second way is to say, what about my obedience? Am I obeying what I know to be God's will? I think that's where he goes from verse six down through verse 11.
00:23:11
Speaker
Sometimes we're kind of on and off with that, aren't we? I don't know, in my life, that's the that's the way it can be. It's like sometimes it's diligence, sometimes it's negligence.
00:23:23
Speaker
So when we're negligent, we can't we can't blame God for saying, okay, well, I'm just going to diminish the peace in your heart. So we start getting worried and fearful and everything consumes us.
00:23:36
Speaker
Well, the writer makes a case for diligent obedience. And so he keeps talking about what diligence is not. So let me give you three things that diligence is not that's found right here in verse 6 through 11.
00:23:52
Speaker
The first one, diligence does not disobey. Look at verse 6. Look at verse 11.
Power of God's Word for Peace
00:23:59
Speaker
Two times the writer points to the failure of others in the past who did not enter God's intended peace or rest.
00:24:07
Speaker
And what was the cost? disobedience. He says it twice. You know, sometimes God's word's like a mirror. You know, God's word is not going to tell you some fairy tale.
00:24:18
Speaker
God's word's going to show you the truth, reality. This is where it is. And God says, sometimes that's the problem. We're not striving to obey. The word strive there is spudazo. It means to be diligent. It means make every effort.
00:24:34
Speaker
It's in the active voice. It's not in the passive voice. You see, God's saying, I want you to obey me. God's not going to make us obey him. We have to choose to obey him.
00:24:45
Speaker
It's deliberate. It's active. It's a choice. We pursue diligence. When I look at these verses, I think of the intensity of purpose followed by the intensity of effort.
00:24:57
Speaker
We say, okay, I really want to put everything I have into being obedient to my Father, to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But while it is true that disobedience may rob some of peace, there's something else that robs others of the peace available in Christ because disobedience does not, I mean, sorry, diligence does not delay.
00:25:22
Speaker
Diligence does not delay. Someone who's diligent doesn't delay, right? Well, the writer once again is quoting David in Psalm 95, only this time verses seven and eight.
00:25:34
Speaker
And he's talking about the urgency of God's invitation. Do not procrastinate on what God is saying to you. As you enter a new year, say, God, I'm not going to put off disobeying. I'm going to do today what you're telling me to do today.
00:25:50
Speaker
What does he say a couple of times in verse seven? See, today is not tomorrow. You know, today is not next week, not next Sunday or the next.
00:26:01
Speaker
It's not next year. It's not someday. you No, the opportunity is open now. So we have to say now, help me to do what you're telling me to do today.
00:26:11
Speaker
If you were to look at that word today, every time it's mentioned in the book of Hebrews, you would find that there's seven times that it's mentioned in chapter one, verse five, chapter three, verse seven.
00:26:24
Speaker
Verse 13, verse 15, chapter 4, verse 7, and chapter 5, verse 5. And on and on it goes. It's mentioning over and over. But why not delay?
00:26:35
Speaker
Why can't I just delay and put it off a little bit longer? Why should I proceed with obedience? Well, here's a couple of things to think about. Think about the privilege.
00:26:47
Speaker
Today, you can hear God's voice. That's what he's saying, right? If you hear God's voice today, are you promised that
God’s Omnipresence as a Source of Peace
00:26:56
Speaker
tomorrow you will hear God's voice if you shut him out today?
00:27:01
Speaker
No. He may be gracious. He may be merciful and speak to you next time. But I believe that every time we say no, every time we say, I'll get to it next time, every time we do that to God, I wonder if it's like our spiritual hearing is being blocked over and over again and then God's speaking, but we're not listening.
00:27:23
Speaker
Wow. I would say another reason is because not only the privilege, if you hear his voice, but also the prohibition Do not harden your heart.
00:27:36
Speaker
Don't harden your heart. See, that's the opposite of being diligent, isn't it? Where we say no to God so much that it hardens our heart. I've told you before that up in the Northwest, there's an Indian tribe.
00:27:49
Speaker
And the Indian tribe there believed that the conscience was like an arrowhead. And the arrowhead was anchored inside the heart. So every time that a brave would do something against his conscience, they thought the arrowhead would turn.
00:28:05
Speaker
And of course, every time that the arrowhead would turn, it cut their heart and they would feel pain inside. But then what could happen is if that brave, if that warrior continued to ignore that arrowhead, ignore the conscience, ignore what was going on the inside of him, you know what happened?
00:28:25
Speaker
Eventually his heart became so hard that it would smooth off the tips of the arrow so that when it turned, he didn't even feel it. And then pretty soon it's so rounded out that the arrowhead spinning and warning, don't do it.
00:28:41
Speaker
And yet he's not listening. Don't harden your heart. If he's speaking to you today, you should say, OK, today speaking, I'm not going to miss this chance. This is my opportunity to surrender to God. But also diligence does not do a a third thing.
00:29:00
Speaker
Diligence does not dismay. You know, verses eight through ten. If you look in this passage, but also if you were to read through the scripture, you would see there's different, I guess you could call them layers of rest.
00:29:15
Speaker
Like for example, there was creation rest you know, of the Sabbath. That's why God created the Sabbath, because he knew that just like he took this pause, he didn't have to have the rest, but he chose to rest to be an example to us. And he said, you need a rest.
00:29:31
Speaker
One day out of seven, you need a rest. So that's creation rest. But there was also Canaan rest in addition to creation rest. The Canaan rest was rest from the strife.
00:29:44
Speaker
Joshua and the troops fought so many battles getting in there to obtain that promised land. But there's a third layer of rest, and that's Christ's rest for the soul.
00:29:55
Speaker
That's the rest that he's talking about here. That's the rest I'm trying to offer to you on behalf of Christ. That's why Jesus was standing there in Matthew 11, 28 to 30, saying, come to me, just come to me.
00:30:08
Speaker
And what did he say? Come to me and work your way. He said, come to me and I'll give you rest. I will give you rest. I will give you rest. Isn't that a wonderful promise?
00:30:22
Speaker
See, verse 10, look at verse 10 in our text carefully. For whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his works.
00:30:35
Speaker
see, if we could work our way to heaven, why would Jesus have to come and die on the cross? No, we can't work our way into into heaven. And so we have to trust in the perfect, sinless life of Jesus Christ.
00:30:51
Speaker
And so that's why when we come to him, we receive peace because now it's like, it's not on my shoulders. Now it's like, all I have to do is repent of sin and put my faith and trust in Christ.
00:31:04
Speaker
Over and over again, mankind has failed to enter into this deeper rest or this peace. And so the Lord said, you know what? You're going to find it in my son, Jesus Christ.
00:31:17
Speaker
But when we do come to Jesus Christ, we are going to be changed so much that we're going to obey. I don't think we're going to obey out of like pressure. i think we're going to obey out of privilege, out of preference. We're say, I'm so thankful that you saved me.
00:31:34
Speaker
And I want to obey you as I go through the rest of my life. Well, let me give you a couple of more as we try to get this close to a finish here. The third one is learning from the principles of the Bible.
00:31:47
Speaker
I think it's interesting that verse 11 ends with these words, let us therefore strive to enter that rest so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. And then look at that connecting word,
Finding Peace in God for the New Year
00:32:02
Speaker
for.
00:32:03
Speaker
For The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
00:32:16
Speaker
See that word for there? It's connecting to everything else. So what is it that's gonna teach you and help you? Help me, teach me as I go through 2026. You see, i brought with me, you know, I have the list that I read in my devotion time, but I've also printed off the new list because I wanna keep growing.
00:32:39
Speaker
I wanna keep learning from God's Word because you know what God's Word is gonna teach me? God's Word is gonna teach me this year that if I'll come to Him, He will give me rest.
00:32:50
Speaker
And I need that. I need to be reminded of that. Well, when I looked at this, I thought, well, what is it that we can learn here about God's word that would help us to find that rest? And I thought, well, these are good reasons why.
00:33:06
Speaker
The first one is the authority of the scripture. You know, God empowered 40 different writers to write the Bible. Just different time zones, different eras and spans of time. But all these different men were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the scriptures. And it's amazing how cohesive it is. It's amazing how all this time that those words have stood the test of time.
00:33:34
Speaker
Why is that? It's because of this first thing that we see, for the Word of God. It's authoritative because the Bible's divine. It was written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit.
00:33:49
Speaker
But also notice the assessment of the Bible is so dynamic. It's so dynamic. think Isn't it amazing that you could have read something 100 times and you read it 101 times, you know, and you're like, oh my goodness, I never saw that before.
00:34:05
Speaker
That is what he's talking about, how it's so living. Get in the Word of God. Maybe you've said, well, I've read it, you know, before. No, have you really read it all?
00:34:16
Speaker
Are you being honest with yourself there? You know, if we would get in God's Word, it's so living. God will love on you. You know, Psalm 119 verse 165 says this, those who love your law have great peace.
00:34:33
Speaker
Those who love your law have great peace and nothing, nothing causes them to stumble. if we'll stay in the word of God. It's so living, it's it's definitely authoritative.
00:34:46
Speaker
But here's the other thing, the activity of the Bible is dauntless because it says it's active, it's active. It's like the Duracell bunny that just keeps on coming at you. you know It's like, it's so energetic.
00:34:59
Speaker
But also the fourth one is the approach of the Bible is dissecting. It'll cut down deep. See, there's so many that spin these days, right? So much double living, right?
00:35:11
Speaker
Well, what will cut through double living? What will cut through spinning? What will cut through all of the image? The Bible. It gets down to where the truth is. It gets down to the truth and that's the activity of it. It's so dauntless. It's so dissecting, but it's also diagnostic, isn't it?
00:35:29
Speaker
It says it pierces to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow. You know, we we have doctors, physicians who are a part of our congregation. And yet they would probably tell you, well, you know what? We couldn't go to the division of soul and spirit.
00:35:44
Speaker
But then what about the ability of the Bible? the but The ability of the Bible is so amazing in how it's discerning, discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. God knows what's going on inside of us. And you get into God's word, you know what?
00:36:00
Speaker
Like the mirror, he'll show it to you. Let me go to the fourth and the final thing that we need. If you want peace to come to you, if somehow it's it's not there yet, maybe you're looking for it.
00:36:12
Speaker
If you want to rediscover peace, it was there and now it's gone. Here's one possible fourth thing. Are you remembering that God's with you? Are you remembering that he's there?
00:36:23
Speaker
You know, Hebrews remembers what God said, what God did, who God revealed himself to be over and over again through the New Testament book of Hebrews.
00:36:35
Speaker
And I think it's amazing that 35 times the writer of Hebrews reaches from the New Testament back to the Old Testament and says, don't forget this. Don't forget that God said this.
00:36:46
Speaker
Don't forget that God revealed this. 35 times, 35 direct quotes, many other allusions, And as I read this last verse of our text today, and no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account, two things came to my mind.
00:37:07
Speaker
So we're going to kind of wrap it up and bring it to a closure with these words. Nothing in my life is hidden from God. Nothing. Nothing in my life is hidden from God. That's what it's trying to tell us in the first part of this verse. But you know what the second part of the verse is saying?
00:37:24
Speaker
Everything in my life is seen by God. Nothing's hidden, but everything is seen. Why is that comforting? Well, if you're living in disobedience, it's not comforting. You're gonna say, oh no.
00:37:37
Speaker
But if you're living in obedience, It's so comforting because sometimes no one else in the whole world is recognizing what you're doing. Yet the whole book of Nehemiah, it's so amazing because Nehemiah mentions in chapter three, all these guys that worked on the wall around Jerusalem.
00:37:56
Speaker
And it's like, why do we have to bother ourselves with all those people in their names? Because God says, I won't forget. i won't forget what you did. God will not forget what you're doing.
00:38:07
Speaker
And so that's why I think it's amazing. You should read Psalm 139. David wrote those words because he wanted to remind himself and he wanted to remind us of something very important.
00:38:20
Speaker
You are not alone. You are not alone. I know that sometimes a widow feels alone. A widower feels alone. Maybe a college student goes away and they're still, they don't know all the other students in the student body. They can feel alone. They're separated from their family.
00:38:35
Speaker
I know that different ones can feel alone, right? Maybe that's where you are. You feel lonely. But here's the thing. Psalm 139 says, you're not alone. Do you know that when you were in your mother's womb, God god was there disc designing you, making you exactly who you are. Do you know that God said on the other end, when it comes time for you to go to glory, do you know that God said, I already have determined.
00:39:00
Speaker
The number of, not years, I know we always celebrate, we've celebrated two birthdays over the last little while, but the number of days that he has determined for each one of us, they're all written in his book.
00:39:13
Speaker
And so he said, i'm going to be I was there when you were being formed. I'm gonna be there, standing there, waiting on you. When you walk through that door, it's gonna be like a door like that one. You'll walk through that door into his arms.
00:39:26
Speaker
He said, I'll be there. But do you know where he's also there? He's there every single day. And there's a great verse in Psalm 139 that I wanted to share with you, verse five. And here's what God says. This is what David heard God say to him. And he's saying it to you and me as well.
00:39:42
Speaker
David said, you hem me in behind before, and you lay your hand upon me. I remember when I was visiting a fellow pastor in Miota, Saskatchewan one time when we served in Canada for six years.
00:40:00
Speaker
I remember we were talking to Arlie Peters and he said, you know what? I read that verse and it was so comforting. And I said, what's comforting about that? And he said, because it's like God's got me in a little box. He's got me in his hands because he said, I'm out there behind you. i'm behind you. I'm also out front of you, but I've also placed my hand upon you.
00:40:21
Speaker
You see, God's all around. He's not forsaking you. He never will. And so what we have to do is say, Lord, help me remember that you're with me.
00:40:32
Speaker
I love the way the writer of Hebrews closes his book. He closes it with an interesting benediction in chapter 13. verses 20 and 21, he refers get he refers to god get this He refers to himself as the God of peace.
00:40:49
Speaker
The God of peace. That name God of peace is mentioned four other times in scripture. Romans 15.33 and Romans Philippians Thessalonians
00:41:03
Speaker
But you know, it's a great benediction for the closing of this year that he's the God of peace. And as you begin a new year, he's still gonna be the God of peace. You see, our peace isn't determined by our circumstances.
00:41:16
Speaker
It's not determined by how you feel. ah I don't feel peaceful. No, it's not. It's determined by who he is. He wants to give his peace to you through Jesus Christ.
00:41:27
Speaker
That's why we want to extend ah a gospel invitation to you. Would you stand with me? Would you stand? I want to stand out front in case there's someone who needs to make a decision today. But I want to want to be able to introduce anyone who doesn't know this God of peace to him.
00:41:44
Speaker
You know, there's a ah gospel tract that I first saw with the Billy Graham crusade, and it was called Steps to Peace with God. And it starts out with Romans 5.1, and it says, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:41:59
Speaker
That's where you receive peace. It's through Christ. But then it says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So the second step is you've got to say, you know what? I'm not who God wants me to be.
00:42:11
Speaker
I've made some mistakes. I've rebelled. I've resisted against God. But then the third step is to discover that God said, I know that. I've made a bridge.
00:42:21
Speaker
It's like God's reaching down from heaven and he offers a bridge. And that bridge is found in 1 Peter 3, 18, Christ. Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3.18, sorry.
00:42:39
Speaker
And then the last one is, we have to embrace You have to receive it. John 1.12 says, to all who receive christ who believed in his name.
00:42:49
Speaker
He gave the right to become children of God. That's what this invitation is about. Would you like to take those steps and come to God? I'll be down front. We don't have to get it all settled out this morning. We can start and we can keep it going through the week. But we want you to know we have peace in our hearts through Christ and you can as well. Let's pray.
00:43:12
Speaker
Lord, thank you for this time of invitation. We just want to place it in your hands. We realize that there are many who are visiting our congregation and we love it. We're glad they're here. i hope they'll come back. i Hope you'll please give them that sense in their spirit, in their heart, that they're welcome here.
00:43:30
Speaker
This church is not looking down on them. No, Lord, what we believe is that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. We're all just sinners. We're all broken. We've all disobeyed.
00:43:41
Speaker
But Lord, we have found that in Christ, we can make things right with you. We can have peace with you. So if there's anyone here and they didn't know that until today, help them to come to Christ so they too could have peace in their hearts and have be at peace with God. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:44:07
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.