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Entering into His rest is having faith that if we die to Him and remove our agenda, God will lead us; and if we don’t have the arm of the flesh in the middle of it, we will get where we’re supposed to go. It’s an absolute guarantee because God does not lie. But it takes total death of our agenda. You can think you’re doing the will of God but if you are not doing what He created you to be, you’re not going to enter into His rest... One thing God was angry with the children of Israel for was that they took everything lightly and didn’t really care whether they were doing the will of God or not. He said those from other countries would be saved before them because they didn’t give honor to God for what He’s done and doing still. Hebrews 4:2, For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. We talked about this in one of the first messages on faith. Without faith in what we’re doing, not necessarily unbelief, but complacency and sloppiness with handling the precious word of God, is not a good thing. We want to look at that now because what’s coming in holiness is handling the will and the spoken word of God with great care and God’s labor over us with great preciousness. Maybe you are already doing that, maybe you aren’t, but it’s worth looking at. Verse 3, For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Verse 11, Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Entering into His rest is having faith that if we die to Him and remove our agenda, God will lead us; and if we don’t have the arm of the flesh in the middle of it, we will get where we’re supposed to go. It’s an absolute guarantee because God does not lie. But it takes total death of our agenda. Jesus prayed that His Father would take the disciples out of the world. We can look at 1 John 2:15, Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Then we have the most popular verse, John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. But John says you need to hate the world and not be a part of it. So what is happening there? That’s a stumbling block to a lot of people that the word doesn’t make any sense because one place says do it this way and another place it says to do it this way. But what happens is for instance, I say, Jesus Christ is my Savior. Or somebody smacks their finger from a hammer and says Jesus Christ. Now, those two different phrases using Jesus Christ are at opposite ends. So what Jesus was really teaching is that because Jesus has power over all flesh, He can go into the world and not be tempted to be a part of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the pride of life, because there is no sin in Him. If Christ is in us, then it depends on where we’re focused and what we’re called to do; if it’s in my calling I may be able to do something you can’t do. So we don’t judge anybody by what they’re doing versus what I’m doing because that’s between God and me, God and you. But you need to understand that it better be God that you’re listening to and not something else. So to enter into His rest is to do the will of God. When I was younger my dad took his VW Bug and tied a field disc to the back of it and went around and around until he got the ground soft enough he could plant a garden. Ideally that Volkswagen is not made to cultivate a garden, so it’s more difficult to get the job done. But if you were made to do a certain thing, it’s not hard to get it done. When Jesus comes back and someone says, but in Your name I cast out devils and in Your name I healed and in Your name I did this or that, what does Jesus say? Depart from Me, I never knew you, because you did your own thing. He didn’t recognize their labor because the labor He put in them was something totally different than what they did. You can think you’re doing the will of God but if you are not doing what He created you to be, you’re not going to enter into His rest; it’s going to be hard all of your life. Hebrews 4:11 again, Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. How do we know if we don’t believe something? We don’t follow it. You may say oh yes, I believe. But if you’re not following, you don’t believe it. There is a place we can go in God that is restful. I’ve entered into God’s rest in some parts, but not everything yet. Those parts that I’ve entered into His rest, everything is easy for me. For instance, being able to discern the word of God. It’s not hard for me because God made me and gave me the gifts to be able to do what I’m doing, and I feel good about that. But not all things yet, because now we’re entering into the Holy of Holies and the Father has a work to do. Verse 12, For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. What is the sharpest thing? It’s the word of God. …piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit… What does the soul do besides keep record of your life? What is in your soul is what motivates you to do something. And if it’s serving the devil, your soul is going to motivate you to keep doing the things you are doing. So to break that power of you doing what you don’t want to do, Jesus came to save the soul, to stop you from having to be tormented by those things. Before sin, there was just joy and delight in the soul. What does the world say about the soul? They have soul music, and whatever is in that music motivates their soul. Whether they realize it or not, the soul music is music that stirs them up, good or bad. So what is in the soul and in your heart is determined by who you choose to serve, and that reflects in the soul. If we want to receive salvation, we have to come to a place to give up the workings of the soul and let God live in our soul and in our heart. In your heart is where the spirit of God is and in your soul is the motivation of what you put in the heart and in the soul. David speaks about the soul. He tells the soul to stand up and become strong. What are your hands hanging down for? Wake up, O soul. Have delight in the Lord. And what does that do then if the soul does that? Because you believe that’s what you need to do then the spirit of God begins to move in you to accomplish the will of God. So when it says the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, it is up to you because you are supposed to be in charge of your soul, nobody else. I can’t be in charge of your soul. I can’t make you do anything. If you don’t want to get rid of the generations, go ahead and be that way. But I can show you here you won’t be in heaven. If you don’t get rid of the generations you won’t be in heaven because you can’t get rid of the motivations. And not only that, but in the soul what else happens? The spirits of your generations speak to you through the soul. Not your mind, but through your soul. If you have no idea of the spiritual things, you can’t even recognize it. But if you recognize it, then it’s proof you have the Holy Spirit teaching you. But if you don’t and you can’t see it, where’s the Holy Spirit at in your life? You’ve pushed Him away because you want what’s in your generations’ soul. My responsibility is to teach the word of God and yours is to apply it to your life. …and of the joints and marrow… Where there is life and where there’s activity. …and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. James 2:14, What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Jesus is the Vine and you are the branch, and if you don’t bear fruit you are cut off and thrown into the fire and you’re gone. That branch is gone and never will be again. Verse 18, Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? I’m not talking about works of the flesh, I’m talking about the works of the spirit, what God has called us to do. Verse 21, Was not Abraham our Father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? When we go to the cross and die to our own agenda and pick up Jesus that is living faith, because Christ comes in you. He is alive in you and He brings everlasting life if you allow Him to stay in there and don’t allow the world or the generations to come back and take it over. James 1:14, But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Every man is tempted when he is drawn away with his own lust and begins to move in it. Verse 15, Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. What do vexations do for you? When you become born again, there are vexations that come upon you. Why? If you can’t see any other way, God will bring vexations on you so you can see who you are. Maybe you had something happen to you and you blew up about it. And then you said, I didn’t know that was in me. Well, God just showed you that it was in you. Now, what are you going to do with it? It’s up to you. Not anyone else, but you. God has made provision for those that are in Christ Jesus to get rid of all that stuff so there will be no temptation in that particular thing. Then He moves on to the next and the next, and finally you come to a place that you have died to the Lord and He’s put life in the place of death. John 11:25, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: A person that believes in God, truly believes, but doesn’t understand or is still a child, even though he dies he will live in the last day. A child is one that does not know how to communicate with God by the spirit. Verse 26, And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? If you live in Christ and believe Him, you should get to the point that you’re willing to go and be tested to see whether you really believe. Abraham did with Isaac, when God said take him up on Mount Moriah and sacrifice him. That’s believing that even though that child is going to die, he is my promise. However it is, it doesn’t matter, God said to do it and I know that He’s not going to harm what He promised because He can’t lie. And he went up and sacrificed. That’s believing. He had faith in his God that it would all work out. Those are the ones that can live a thousand years with Christ, ruling and reigning. What did it say about going into the Holy of Holies? The highest level of earthly power that God can give us is to walk in holiness that we might have dominion over all the earth in Christ Jesus who is leading us to what we should do. John 12:42, Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: They believed He was the Christ but they didn’t have enough faith in Him that He would protect their destiny. I had to change my destiny when the Lord called me. He gave me the power to change it. Verse 43, For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. They wanted the things that we know today don’t count. Doing something to lift yourself up before men doesn’t make you anything in God. In fact, it cancels a lot of blessings God was going to give to you because you already received from satan the praises for what you’ve done. But if you stay quiet and let God have hold of your life, He will lift you up too and He will show the world who you really are. Verse 44, Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. If you believe in Jesus, Jesus said, You’re not believing on Me, but you’re believing on the Father that gave Me the word. He didn’t even take any credit at all. When you hear the words and you see His actions, its God that you’re seeing and not Jesus, because He has given Himself to Him so that God may be glorified. And then at the end of John Jesus prayed, Lord, glorify Me like I was before the earth was created. Verse 46, I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. If you can’t see, there is something there that is hindering you from being able to see because Jesus said He would manifest Himself to those that love Him. Verse 47, And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. If everything Jesus did was the Father’s work, then it’s the Father that is going to save the world through His Son Jesus. That makes Jesus the second Adam. The first Adam caused the world to come into chaos and then Jesus died on the cross to bring us out of that chaos to live in God’s peace. Verse 48, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. When Christ says we are to do something, that word is not manufactured from Jesus, it came from the Creator of all the universe. In the first chapter of Genesis, God said let there be, and the word created it. Because Jesus came, we will be like Him, and not only that but we will do even greater things than what He did. That’s what the Bible says. Verse 49, For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. So if God helps you get free of a generational thing but you go back and don’t stay away from it, it will jump on you again and be worse than before. And you have dishonored Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the Father because He set you free in that and you went back to what you had before. That’s not good. Verse 50, And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. Matthew 13:4, And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: It never even sprouted. Verse 5, Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root they withered away. Those are two of the things people do when God sows His word. The first hadn’t prepared at all to receive His word. And the second one didn’t have fertile soil; there was too much world in them. They couldn’t receive the word. And when it did come they were excited for a few days or weeks but when the testing started to come it withered and died. Verse 7, And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them. What are the thorns? The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. Those three things choked out what God started to grow in them. Verse 8, But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. They brought forth fruit. It was good soil because they had faith and believed. When the word came to them, they opened their heart and they received it and then began to labor to come into that word. That’s good soil. It’s not saying, that was a good message, and that’s it. You didn’t take it in, you just said that was a good message. But when a word comes you say, Okay Lord, what part of that is in me? And He will show you what you need to do. Verse 10, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? In my first years of preaching, I preached in parables. There are people that left because I didn’t make it plain to them what I was saying, but those that were hungry took it and studied it and God opened it up to them so they could understand. The ones that just came to see what’s going on, it didn’t do any good. Today I preach so that everyone should be able to understand what I’m saying. Verse 11, He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. If you aren’t bearing fruit with what He gave you, He’ll take it all away and give it to someone else. Verse 13, Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: Jesus is saying, you’re going to preach but they’re not going to understand because I’m not going to give them understanding. They’re going to have to seek it. That separates the men from the boys. When you have to seek, what happens? Every time the Lord speaks, I give it to you, but are you seeking your part of what you’re supposed to be doing as well? And I don’t mean just for a day or two or even a year. But the reason He doesn’t want them to understand is because of verse 15. If we just left it go, we would say God is kind of prejudice. For those that don’t want Him and don’t seek Him, He won’t pay any attention to you. Verse 15, For this people’s heart is waxed gross… Have you ever said something was gross? I sound pretty gross when I have the flu or I’m congested and I’m trying to clear my throat. That’s gross. …and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. God doesn’t want to mess with gross people. It’s just that simple. Verse 16, But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. Many of the prophets in the Old Testament did not understand what they were prophesying. Verse 18, Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. If you are alert at all you can feel yourself drifting until it’s all gone. I remember when I first started going to conferences to try to get understanding of how to walk in the spirit. I would follow along in the scripture what they were preaching and I would write the references down. The next day I opened the Bible and looked at those scriptures and I would have no idea what it was they were teaching because it was beyond my comprehension so I couldn’t grab ahold of it. I would take it and read it and read it until finally I would begin to break through and begin to understand. Layer by layer I continued to understand what it was that the preacher was saying and what was true and what wasn’t. That’s a little like a chicken hatching. Every chicken that’s alive today had to peck their way out of the shell. And for every person that amounts to anything in the kingdom of God, you have to look at the scripture and keep pounding at it until finally you break through and you begin to understand it. If you don’t have that, then He knows you’re really not that interested and He’ll go to someone else for a very important job that has a lot of value in eternity. Verse 20, But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. Verse 22, He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. The briars and thorns are the world, which chokes out the good seed. The word becomes secondary to you and finally you go on to nothing because you’ve not sought and what has won is the generations in your life. Jesus warned the leaders of Israel that they were a wicked and perverse generation. He didn’t call it anything else but a wicked generation. And that’s what we have today. Verse 23, But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matthew 13:39, The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. At the end of the world those that are full of lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life will be plucked out of the field and thrown in the fire and they will be gone. You say, well that’s not so bad. Really? You think that’s better than living forever with God and being able to do all the things He has planned for us? It’s going to be incredible. Verse 41, The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity (their own thing); and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. That makes it very clear. In outer darkness is a furnace of fire. Verse 43, Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Psalm 16:10, For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. For David to say that, what did he have to have? He had the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was in the Old Testament, but only to the leadership. But since Christ came, it’s for any one that wants to be with God. David was afraid his soul was in hell and the reason he felt that was because God’s presence manifested what was in him. Psalm 22:13, They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. And he goes on to describe how desolate he is if God doesn’t move in his life. Psalm 56:13, For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living? Psalm 57:2, I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. David had to cry out that way. He saw the sin that was in him but he didn’t have the power to get rid of it like we do today. Verse 4, My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. My heart is fixed, O God. I’m going to serve You and I’ve given up what I was going to do and wanted to do. I’m going to do it Your way because Your work is easy and light. The difference between you doing something your own way or doing it how God shows, is like taking a Billy goat and tying it to a little plow or getting a four wheeled tractor and hooking it to a ten plow and see which one gets done the quickest. It’s up to you to apply what parts God is showing you that you need to change. Only you can do that but God is ready and willing. He didn’t come to judge. He came to save your soul. When He comes back He will judge. I have always walked in that promise. The mistakes that I’ve made, He’s not going to give up on me because He walked this earth and He knows how tough it is. He said don’t try to be like someone else, let them be who they are, but I have something different for you. And from that point on I didn’t worry about what other people were doing. I need to understand what God wants me to do. This last move is going to be a move of the spirit that God does it. We preach the word and it’s up to those that receive that word to have the power to get rid of what’s in them. And if you want to go back into your generations, so be it. You’ll find yourself dying until you are dead. No question about it. 
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AuthorLarry Troyer |
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