Kingdom Rest
The Rest of the Cross, Part 1

Genesis 1:31-2:3 "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. [2:1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2:2] And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. [2:3]  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

We find ourselves often, as humans, as believer and unbeliever, reading things in the Scripture and taking these great truths for granted. For instance, I have read the above verses for years, read them quickly, but never sought their deeper meaning. As I read these verses the other day several questions came to my mind, forced in my mind by the Precious Holy Spirit.

First, Why did God rest? Was He tired from His labors over the earth, over all that He had created in the Heavens, so tired that He had to stop and take "a breather"? Second, Why did God sanctify the seventh day? What made this day so special from all others? And finally, third, Why do we, of this present Church Age, fail to follow the order of the Sabbath? What God has sanctified, does it not stand sanctified for all time? Let's seek to answer each of these questions today, as we study them in the light of God's Word.

Did God rest on the seventh day because He was weary, because He, like a man, had given His all in creating the Heavens and the Earth, and now exhausted He had to take a break? What does the Scripture say?

Isaiah 40:28-31 "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. [29]  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. [30]  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: [31]  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Our God does not tire as man tires, for He has an inexhaustible source of power. While we sleep He watches, while we rest He works, and controls, and monitors. Our Creator has an abundance of power, so much so that He has power to give away, power to give to us when we are weak, power to share with us when we are afraid, and powerless.

We, who are human, look at this power and are utterly baffled by it. We see the Lord and say "there is no searching of his understanding", we are confused by a Person who never wearies for we are weary, a Person who needs no outside help, no machinery to help Him accomplish His task. We do not understand His limitless power, power freely offered to those who ask Him for it, but we can say, we who have entrusted our lives to Him, that "they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint".

So if our Creator was not tired when He hung the earth on nothingness, when He set the moon and the sun and all the planets around, then why did He rest? The context of Genesis tells us. Look at each of the days of creation, by turn.

After the creation of the first and the second days, after God created light, and separated day into night, after God separated water from land and created earth, He looked upon what He had made and:

Genesis 1:10  "And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."

On the third day God caused the first hint of life on earth by causing the flora and fauna to grow. No weeds grew, only good crops, only plant life necessary for happiness and order, peace and prosperity. God looked on this and:

Genesis 1:12  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Next God established the sun, the moon, and the seasons of the earth. The earth was God's jewel in the Heavens, and He decided to put a spotlight upon it, and:

Genesis 1:18  "And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good."

God created the creatures of the skies, the birds, and the creatures of the seas, creating things to fill the hidden places of man, things to fill the skies so that man might wonder, and:

Genesis 1:21  "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

Then, in the sixth day, God made two pronouncements: After He made the creatures of the earth, the cattle of the field, the animals that all walked the earth, God looked and saw:

Genesis 1:25  "And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

Yet the signature of the Artist, the final mark of the Creator was not yet on the earth. Darwin teaches that man descended from monkeys, and amoebae, and lizards, and lower creatures. Yet God, looking out over all He created, saw that it "was good", but not finished. Nothing in this perfect creation was in God's image. God's signature was missing.

So on the sixth day God made man in His own image and after His likeness, and placed this signature of Him over all creation to dominate and rule it. As God looked out over creation, complete with His signature, like a cosmic Artist God was satisfied, for:

Genesis 1:31 "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."

The Creation wasn't just good, it was very good, it was ME'OD, vehemently good, good with a vengeance. The work was finished, and when the work is finished the Artist sits down, lays down His paintbrush, stops His labors. God ceased because He was done.

God sanctified or set apart the seventh day because it taught a great principle to mankind. There was nothing left for God to do after the sixth day of creation. Nothing needed to be added, or subtracted. No mistakes were made. God built creation, like an Artist, one step at a time, until He reached the point of signing the work by creating man.

By setting apart the seventh day God showed all of creation the work was perfect. Man cannot add to the perfection of what God has wrought: in fact, if man adds anything to the work, if man seeks to "append" to the work on the seventh day, then man takes away from what was already finished. For if God could add nothing else, then man, who wearies in toil, certainly couldn't add anything without demeaning the work of the Artist.

Who among you thinks that s/he can take one of the works of the Masters and make it better? If I take a paintbrush to a work of Van Goth, or of Picasso, or of Rembrant, what do I by my feeble efforts do to that work? Every stroke that I add reduces the cost of the painting by thousands of dollars, and as I add each stroke I eventually make the work useless.

So it was with God's creation. No man could add to it, it was complete, "it is finished" was God's eternal cry! Yet man added a stroke to the canvas of creation, he added the paint of disobedience, and with one stroke blurred the signature of the Cosmic Artist. Adam, through disobedience, marred the "image of God" in each one of his progeny so that sin and death entered into Eden.

The signature had to be restored, or the work would always be less than good.

With the passing of time God, tirelessly and ceaselessly, worked with His signature, mottled mankind. When God chose out a people unto Himself, a people He would remold into this signature, Israel, He gave them a set of Laws to live by to teach them that they could not correct the canvas of their miserable lives. This Law pointed out our fallen nature, highlighted how we were less than we were created because of sin, spotlighted our miserable works as falling far short of the mark of righteousness, just as surely as the sun and the moon spotlighted perfect creation prior to the fall. God told His people:

Ezekiel 20:10-12 "Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness. [11]  And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. [12] Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them."

Exodus 31:16-17 "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. [17]  It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. "
 

The Sabbath, or Saturday rest, was given to Israel to remind them that God alone sanctified the nation as Chosen. God, the Creator Artist, He alone has the power to bring righteousness out of unrighteousness. He alone has the power to "blot out" the smearing that our sin brought on His creation, and that Israel had to rely on God alone for redemption, for cleansing, for eternal life. The Sabbath, or Saturday rest, was a sign to Israel of the coming sanctification. For the Artist would one day come in Person, in the form of a Man, and with His own blood re-sign the work for all those that believe.

Which answers the last question:

Matthew 12: 1-8 "At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. [2] But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. [3] But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; [4] How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? [5] Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? [6] But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. [7] But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. [8] For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."

God rested on the seventh day, Saturday, as a sign that the work was completed after creation. Nothing could be added to it to make it finished. Israel was to rest on the seventh day, Saturday, to remind them that the Great Artist would one day come and blot out Adam's error of adding to and perverting this perfect work by his sin. When the Creator came, the one who established the Sabbath as a ceremonial lesson, He who established the Sabbath rescinded it to teach that the shadows were passed - the reality was now here.

When Jesus Christ walked the earth, He walked it as God Incarnate, Creator God in the flesh. The Pharisees saw Jesus as a simple carpenter, a prophet perhaps, and tried to hold Him to the Law of the Sabbath. But Jesus rescinded the Sabbath to show that the Greater had come.

Jesus Christ is the Sabbath of all who believe. The Artist, in this present Church Age, does not work with paints and colors, light and shadow, but poured out His very blood to change us, who accept His offer, into the very Children of God. Our Sabbath, Jesus, is a place of rest. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour today:

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29]  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. [30]  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

The first Sabbath demanded than man rest from his physical labors, the second that we rest from our spiritual labors. The first Sabbath imposed strict penalties, even death, on those who failed to cease their labor on the seventh day. The second Sabbath, Jesus Christ, if ignored in this life, will cause you to spend an eternity in hell in the life hereafter. For only the Sabbath of Jesus has the power to blot out our transgressions:

Colossians 2:13-14 "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; [14]  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross."

The early Church understood that Jesus was the shadow that the Sabbath foretold of, and because of this turned from the ceremonial Sabbath and began to worship on the first day of the week, Sunday, the day out Lord resurrected, the day the Sabbath of Salvation was clearly revealed to man:

Acts 20:7-8 "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. [8]  And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together."

1 Corinthians 16:2  "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."

Are you under the Law, or are you under Grace? Each man and woman here today needs to examine their lives - if you aren't under the Sabbath of Salvation, if you aren't resting in Christ for salvation today, commit your life to Him. If you are in Christ, but need a Church home, we extend the hand of fellowship to you today. Come and worship the Sabbath revealed, Jesus Christ, and work with us to bring in a harvest of souls for God's glory.
 

Hebrews 3:14-17 "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; [15]  While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. [16]  For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. [17]  But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? [18]  And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? [19]  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."

Hebrews 4:8-12 "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. [9]  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. [10]  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. [11] Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. [12]  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

This is a fantastic section of Scriptures, and we'd have to spend several weeks to cover every aspect of it. Please don't be unhappy if I preach out of this section again, for, just like John 3:16, these verses can be preached over and over, each with a different aspect, each imparting great spiritual truths.

This morning we talked about the Sabbath of God, why it was established, and why we no longer, as believers, follow the Jewish Sabbath. This is because, in the Church Age, Jesus Christ is our Sabbath. He is the One we must rest on for salvation. Equally important, and often overlooked, is the fact that we must rely on Him and His Word after salvation. You see, Jesus is not just a "one time" Sabbath, but He is to be a perpetual Sabbath for all who believe.

Recently a deranged and twisted man, Larry Ashbrook, walked into the Wedgewood Baptist Church and started firing a 9 millimeter gun at the believers who were gathered there. At the end of his rampage 7 people were dead, and Ashbrook killed himself after he sat down on the back pew.

The news reports tell us that this man threw a pipe bomb into the Church, and they tell us that this may change the "open door" policy of the Church in the future. But the news reports don't tell us the whole story. In a recent Baptist Press release I read that, in the midst of the shooting, a 19 year old youth stood up and looked Ashbrook in the eyes. Ashbrook asked him why he was standing up, and the boy responded "I know what you need. You need Jesus Christ in your life!". The gunman muttered something about the young man standing up, and the boy replied, "I know where I'm going when I die, for I have Jesus!". After those words the gunman sat down on the back pew of the Church and took his own life.

Yes, it is indeed tragic that 7 Christians lost their lives, but in the past centuries the Church was literally watered with the blood of its martyrs. These young people, who were shortly praising God on this earthly plane, are now praising God in the heavens, and we are saddened by their loss. But out of tragedy seen shines one young man who, without regard for his own life, stood up and spoke the words that halted the evil. This is the rest that God calls His believers to today, just as He did in the early Church.

People have a bad tendency of "spiritualizing" this passage in Hebrews, to make it out as if God is saying to believers "you can lose your salvation if you're not careful". Yet this passage has noting to do with loss of salvation, but with loss of the Kingdom Promises because of sin.

You see, when you accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour, you not only were saved for eternity, but you became an heir of God and joint heirs with Christ:

Galatians 4:6-7 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. [7]  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

Now an heir inherits the riches of the Parent. This is truth, this is Bible truth. Do you think that your only inheritance is Heaven, that this is all that God has given you as His heirs? On the contrary, the Bible teaches:

Psalms 24:1  "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."

If we are heirs of God by faith in Christ Jesus, then we are heirs to the promises of God in this life as well as in the next life. The promises of blessing in this life are ours, if we rely on our Sabbath, Jesus Christ. The Promised Land is not an allegory of Heaven in our passage, nor does it teach that those who failed to enter into the Promised Land are now in Hell. Let me dispel that myth right now, for read this text:

Hebrews 3:16-18 "For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. [17]  But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? [18]  And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?"

Now, if the "his rest" referred to in this verse refers to the Promised Land, an allegory of Heaven, and all those who fell are now in Hell, then let me ask you this question: Is Moses in Hell? Moses fell, along with the first generation. Moses was told by God to speak to the rock, yet he smote it:

Numbers 20:10-12 "And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? [11]  And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. [12]  And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them."

And because he smote it, Moses was buried before he entered the Promised Land. Is Moses in Hell? Absolutely not! So our passage isn't referring to loss or gain of salvation, but to loss or gain of Kingdom promises after salvation. Let's see how that applies to us as believers.

Hebrews 3:14-15 "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; [15]  While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

"... we are made partakers of Christ". PARTAKERS is the Greek METOCHOS, which means "a partner, an associate, one who shares with another". When we accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour at the point of salvation we became heirs to the Heavens. This is unconditional, for as Jesus said:

John 10:29-30 "My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. [30]  I and my Father are one."

Yet Jesus calls us to more than this - Jesus calls us to be partners with Him in this life as well. Israel was chosen by God as His blessed people. God promised His people security of soul and special privileges on the earth. The Promised Land, though not yet attained, was promised to Israel by a God who never lies, never falls away from His Word. His Word is His bond. This land was theirs, but they had to do something.

They had to believe in God while they went to get that promise! They had to trust in God, not in their own power, to walk into the Promised Land. They had to forsake sin and its pleasures while focusing on the goal: walk to the Promised Land with your head held high, for it is already yours no matter who owns it now.

Yet Israel strayed from the path of God's will, forgot that the Promise was already theirs, and because of sin (provocation) they lost the Kingdom Blessings.

How do we, as individual Christians, as the Church, guard against losing our Kingdom Blessings as that first generation of  Israel lost theirs? Our passage tells us:

Hebrews 3:14 ".. if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end .."

God did the greatest thing for us at the Cross. By a simple act of faith in Christ we, who are the least of all things, became walking temples of God the Holy Spirit. We became heirs of the Kingdom, and sons of God. If God did the greatest thing for you at the Cross, the salvation of your soul - if He raised you up to the state where you can enter into the Heavens with Him - will He not surely give you all things on this earth, if you but believe and rest in that belief? Paul echoes this promise when he said:

Romans 8:31-32 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? [32]  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

Just as God freely gave us Grace through the Cross, He will "freely give us all things" that we need in this life. But to secure these Kingdom Promises we need to avoid hardening our hearts through sin. We need to keep our eyes on Him, on our Saviour, not on our own feeble abilities.

Hebrews 3.16-19 "For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. [17]  But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? [18]  And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? [19]  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."

How did Israel "provoke", PARAPIKRAINO, "embitter or exasperate" God? They saw God in the cloud, the saw God in the fire. When Moses descended the mount, they saw God in the shine in Moses' face. When God brought them to the sea He caused them to cross over on dry land, yet they saw all these things and refused to grow in grace, but kept bitterly complaining rather than trusting God with each trial.

And their active unbelief, believers imitating unbelievers, so exasperated God that He eventually caused them to fall in the wilderness, dead, never seeing the Kingdom Promises fulfilled in their lives. The sad testament to their lives are summed up in these words, "they could not enter in because of unbelief".

Hebrews 4:8-10 "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. [9]  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. [10]  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his."

There remains a rest for the people of God, and each and every believer in this Church tonight needs to seek out that rest. That rest is in Jesus.

Yes, I know you may have accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, but is He your Lord? Do you trust Him, do you rely on Him? Or, now that you are saved by Grace, have you reverted to your old life of "trying to get by as best I can". When the trials come do you murmur against God, or do you look to your Heavenly Father and claim the Kingdom Promises?

Psalms 78:20-22 "Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? [21]  Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; [22]  Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation"

God's salvation is not only limited to Heaven, but is an earthly salvation as well. God has abundant power to supply our every need, if we but, in faith, rest in Him and His promises. This is what the writer of Hebrews means when he said:

Hebrews 4.9 "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God".

Or, as Jesus said:

Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [8]  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. [9]  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? [10]  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? [11]  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

As believers we often fail to receive the Kingdom Promises in our lives because we fail to enter into Kingdom Rest. We pray, "God, will you", but we pray believing He will not grant. Yes, there are times when God doesn't grant. Paul prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh be removed, yet God said "My Grace is sufficient for you" (2 Corinthians 12.9). It was better for Paul that God not grant this prayer request. Yet, dear believer, don't presume for God. Ask, then let God tell you He won't. But we often pray believing we won't receive, and in doing so prevent God from blessing.

Not because He is hindered in power, for He is omnipotent, but because He desires that we be partners together with Him. And if one partner acts unseemingly, the other Partner is constrained, held back, from doing the best good for the partnership.

Hebrews 4.11 "Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."

The writer of Hebrews uses a interesting phrase to describe the Christian resting in Christ. Think about it: "Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest". The two terms, "labor" and "enter into that rest" seem to be opposed to one another. Either I work, or I rest. How can I work and rest at the same time?

Though we who believe are saved, there remains in us the seed of sin. This seed will be with us until we stand before Jesus Christ in our glorified bodies one day. This seed speaks to us, "Go ahead, do it yourself", "If you don't do it, you'll regret it", and constantly eggs us on to depart from rest in Christ in order to follow the other pathway. We have to labor against that self, labor to trust in God's rest. How can we do this? How can we reach down into our souls and quell this impulse to dispute the promises? The Scripture tells us:

Hebrews 4.12  "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Only by constantly pouring the Word into our lives, by immersing ourselves in its precepts, by applying its teachings to our lives - only by this can we labor to enter into that rest. A Christian is no stronger than s/he lives the Word. Let me repeat that: "A Christian is no stronger than s/he lives the Word". Only the Word of God has the ability to pierce into that area between soul and spirit. No surgeon can get there to cut out the resistance we sometimes seem to have naturally to God. The Word is "a discerner", KRITIKOS, a critic that we use to determine our action as to whether they are pleasing or repugnant to God.

If you want to enter into Kingdom rest, Hebrews tells us four things that we must do:

1. Trust God with your earthly life, just as you trusted Him with your soul.

2. Forsake sin, for sin and unbelief bar us from receiving the Kingdom Promises.

3. Drink the Word of God, and apply it to every facet of your life.

4. Look for the hand of God and His Presence whenever the trials come. Don't look for the bad, look for His hand - and learn from your mistakes when you fail. If Israel had done this, the first generation would have inherited the Kingdom Promises.
 

An attractive  young woman got on the bus one day, though what most people noticed was not her beauty but her white cane. The young woman was blind. When the blindness came on her years before, she was bitter, resentful of God for allowing this thing to happen to her. Every evening when her husband, a colonel in the military, came home she'd complain. She wouldn't go out to shop, just complain, and hurt. Finally her husband felt that something had to be done, so he told her she'd have to go out and do the shopping. Frightened of her helplessness she refused, but he told her he'd ride with her on the bus until she got comfortable, then let her go on her own. Every day for about two weeks her husband, in uniform, would ride with her, help her out at her stop, then walk her to the store. Finally, after what seemed to her to be such a short time, her husband said, "Tomorrow you have to go on your own". When the lady stepped on the bus she was frightened but, remembering what she was told, she asked the driver where an empty seat was. He told her, and she was on her way! She rode the bus all that week without incident, and on Friday, before she got off the bus, the driver said "I sure do envy you".  At first she thought he was talking to someone else, but she said, "Why do you envy me? I'm blind." The driver said, "That may be so, but when you started riding this bus I noticed the nice officer that rode with you every day. He doesn't ride with you now, but every time I see you get off the bus I see him standing across the corner watching you. He always watches until he sees you cross the street safely, then he blows you a kiss. It must be wonderful to be that loved!"

God loves you, and wants you to enter into His rest, a lifetime of rest in His Promises, a lifetime of security because you have trusted Christ as your Saviour. You are Kingdom People - you have Kingdom Promises, if you but rest in Him.

Return to the Main Menu/ Bible Studies!