Lord Make Me More Holy - King’s Heralds O Rest in the Lord - Del Delker

Lord Make Me More Holy - King’s Heralds O Rest in the Lord - Del Delker

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Voice Of Prophecy

H.M.S. Richards

The Rest That Remains


Lord, make me more holy, Lord, make me more holy, Lord, make me holy, holy, until we meet again. Until we meet again. Lord, make me more joyful. Lord, make me more joyful. Lord, make me more joyful until we meet again.

Joyful, Joyful, joyful, until we meet again. Lord, make me more humble. Lord, make me more humble. Lord, make me humble, humble. Until we meet again.

Lord, make us more faithful, Lord, make us more faithful, until we meet again. Faithful, faithful, faithful, until we meet again. We're happy to be with you for this worship service, and the subject that my father, HMS Richards, is presenting is entitled, The Rest That remains. Someone has said that modern life can be summed up in 3 words, hurry, worry, bury. This leads us to think of the senator who, as he rushed along breathlessly, was asked by a news reporter, what do you think of the world crisis?

He replied, don't bother me now, I'm in a hurry to make a radio address and a crisis like this is no time to think. The Lord Jesus was 1 of the busiest men who ever lived. As no other man could, he knew the terrible tensions and needs of a lost world. He said to his disciples, come ye yourselves apart and rest a while. Mark 6, verse 31.

It is probably true that what the most people want, and want the most, is rest. Millions look forward to what they call retirement, feeling that then in some way, mysteriously, miraculously, life's worries and problems will all fall away and they will have rest for the rest of their lives. The fact is that this seldom occurs. Had man never fallen, his rest would have been eternal. But since the privilege of that eternal rest was lost, our Heavenly Father, in His mercy, designs to restore the enjoyment of it in full, all satisfying measure.

Every true believer in Christ longs for a higher, holier experience than this earth can give. When David's heart was sorrowful and weak within him, and fear shattered his nerves, he said, Oh, that I had wings like a dove, for then I would fly away and be at rest. That's Psalm 55. That's what we all want down deep in our hearts, isn't it? Rest.

When the Lord gave the land of Canaan to the children of Israel, it was only a temporary possession. It was a type, a symbol, a picture of their final inheritance in the earth made new, renewed as it was in the days of Eden. But through unbelief they lost it. Had they remained faithful, the city of Jerusalem would have stood forever. You will read that in Jeremiah 17.

And the throne of David would have been occupied by righteous kings until the Savior Himself came as the seed of David. His reign then would have been established upon that very throne, and Israel would have been a mighty nation in righteousness, encircling the world. But they lost their opportunity. They turned away from God's plan. They followed the big crowd.

So the rest which they might have received when Joshua led them into the land of promise, they failed to get. But man's failure does not mean God's failure. His plans go on as best for you and me. He ordains that the rest for which his people earnestly long may be secured through Jesus Christ. Spiritually, it may be ours here and now in this world.

There are some Christians who are so busy in God's work that they never do much of the work of God. At least they never spiritually find rest. The story is told of an exploring party in deepest Africa that employed a group of native carriers and were pushing them hard to reach their destination. For several days they went on relentlessly at top speed. Finally the natives just sat down.

They would go no farther. When asked what was the matter, the superstitious ones replied, We are waiting for our souls to catch up with our bodies. There are a lot of Christians today who really run away from God in their hurry and rush, not merely for worldly things but sometimes for good things. They need to stop once in a while and catch up spiritually. They need God's rest in their souls.

Writing to the Hebrew brethren, the Apostle Paul speaks of the rest which Israel did not receive because of their unbelief. The rest that remaineth to the children of God, it's called in Hebrews 4 and 9, and which may be regained through Christ. He says, and I'm reading Hebrews 3, 15 and onward, Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation that was in the wilderness. For some, when they had heard, did provoke. However not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

But with whom was he grieved 40 years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believe not. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. It was unbelief in the word of God and promises of God which prevented those people who left the land of Egypt from entering into God's rest in the land of Canaan.

Yet there were some faithful ones who entered into God's rest spiritually in spite of the failure of all the rest. The Apostle continues, Let us Therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should come short of it, or seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them. You see, this had to do with the preaching of the gospel. It was a spiritual rest.

But the word preached did not profit them. Now why didn't it? Listen, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Now friends, we can hear the gospel preached, but if there is no faith in our hearts, it will do us no good and we will not receive the spiritual rest we want. If we do not believe God's Word, it will do us no good.

We may hear it preached, but there certainly must be faith on our part in order to receive it. We must really trust God's Word or we shall never find spiritual rest. To celebrate an old gentleman's 75th birthday, a young man who owned a private plane offered to take him up for a ride over the little West Virginia town where he had lived all his life. The oldster agreed. When he was back on the ground after about 20 minutes, his friend said, Were you scared, Uncle Dudley?

No, he hesitated, but I never did put my full weight down. You may smile at that remark, but isn't that a picture of some who call themselves believers. They have been offered Christ's salvation and have received it. They profess to believe in God and His promises, but they never really put their full weight down on them. Of course, Christ has been carrying them all the time.

His mercies have protected them, guided them, helped them, still they have never fully trusted Him. They do not know the joy that comes from complete rest in the promises of God. As those ancient people of God failed of entering his rest because of their unbelief. The Lord limited a certain day, saying in David, that is, in the writings of David, Today, after so long a time, as it is said, Today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Joshua had given them rest, that is, when he took them into the promised land, then would he, that is God, not afterward have spoken of another day.

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Joshua did not give that rest to them when they entered the land of promise because of their unbelief. But through Jesus, God still offers rest to all who believe. The last king who ruled over the chosen nation was Zedekiah. He was carried into captivity in Babylon.

Because of the apostasy and unbelief of the people and the kings disobeying the commandments of God, the scepter and the throne were entirely removed from them and passed into the hands of the king of Babylon, a mighty Gentile nation. Since that time, God's people have never constituted a literal kingdom on this earth. Through the prophet Ezekiel the Lord had declared of Zedekiah that such would be the case. Here are the inspired words in Ezekiel 21. And thou, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord God, Remove the diadem, take off the crown.

This shall not be the same. Exalt him that is low, abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, And it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is, and I will give it him. The 1 whose right it is, of course, can be none other than Jesus Christ. He is the seed to whom the promise is made.

Relations 3.19 This Scripture teaches that the scepter and kingdom were to pass out of the hands of the ancient king of the chosen people into the hands of some other power that was to rule over them. Zedekiah was the high prince, ruler of God's people, and he was abased. The low prince, no doubt, was the king of the Gentile monarchy, Babylon, who was exalted to the position of ruling over God's people. The scepter of royal rule was not always to remain with Babylon. Notice the words of the prophecy, the Lord said, I will overturn, overturn, overturn it.

3 times the word is used. The dominion of the world was given to Babylon, but that kingdom was not to stand forever. It was overthrown by the Medes and Persians, the second world empire. That was the first overturning. After being a world empire for more than 200 years, the Medes and Persians were overthrown by the Grecians.

That was the second overturning. Grecia held dominion as a world power over 160 years and then was subdued by Rome at the Battle of Pydna in 168 B.C. That was the third overturning, thus fulfilling the prophecy exactly. In the days of the world rulership of Rome, Jesus Christ was born of the seed of David. He will eventually occupy the throne of world dominion.

He will rule over God's people forever in the earth made new. Thus the true Israel will have the promises fulfilled literally to them. During all the years that Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece ruled the world successively, the people of Judah were not completely swept away. At times they even had rulers called kings but always under the authority of the other nations. Yet they reigned in a limited sense.

In Roman history, as late as the time when our Savior was born, there was a king in Jerusalem, the wicked King Herod. It has been written in the prophecy, and I am reading Genesis 49, verse 10, "...the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Now That was written many centuries before. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem and laid in the manger as a babe, the right to rule the world was conferred upon Him by the world's Creator. Shiloh had come. It was another name for him.

It is true that he did not take unto him a worldly kingdom at that time. He said, Now is my kingdom not from hence, else would my servants fight, that I might not be delivered to my enemies. John 18, 36. Yet the power belongs to him, and some day he will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The power is in his hands now and someday in the not too far distant future all the kingdoms of this world will pass into His hands.

That time is pictured here in the book of Revelation, 11th chapter, by the Apostle John. And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the 4 and 20 elders which sat before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art and wast and art to come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. While these things are taking place in heaven, events on earth will be of the most startling nature. Verse 18—And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, in the time of the dead that they should be judged, that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

And so it is. Heaven is astir, the earth is in commotion. Soon our Savior will begin his reign on the throne of his father David, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. The sad story of sin is soon to reach its end and God's eternal kingdom is soon to be set up. Truly we are living, we are dwelling in a grand and awful time, in an age on ages telling.

To be living is sublime, as the old song puts it. Have we entered into that rest which remaineth for the children of God? We may find that spiritual rest here and now as we live from day to day. And so be ready to take part in its fullest when the Kingdom of Glory comes. Christ invites you.

Will you not come to Him? For in the Christian home in glory there remains a land of rest, and my Savior has gone before me to fulfil my soul's request. There is rest for the weary. There is rest for you. O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him, and He shall Give thee thy heart's desires.

Commit thy way unto Him, And trust in Him, And fret not thyself because of evil doers, O rest in the Lord. Rest in the Lord. Wait patiently for Him. Wait patiently for him, and he shall give thee my heart's desires. Oh rest in the Lord, oh rest in the Lord.

O rest in the Lord and wait, Wait, wait patiently for him.

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The Rest That Remains

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