Turn to Hebrews chapter 4 and let's pray. Dear Father in heaven, oh God, we need you today. I need you, God, to move on me and move on us, God, as we're here through these words that we would have power, God, that we would go forth from here in the power of your Spirit, being convicted by your word and being strengthened and encouraged by your word to be able to do the things that we hear, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. I would like to remember the context in which we're reading these verses. I'd like to read verses 10 through 16 in chapter 4. The context of the chapter, chapter 3, being closely connected to chapter 4 in the book of Hebrews, talking about the great sin of unbelief. And the first three chapters, especially the first Well, the first two chapters in the book of Hebrews talk about what? The great exaltation of Jesus Christ and who He is as God and Lord and King of all. Then you come to chapter 3 and you see this great sin of unbelief. And then in chapter 4 it talks about this rest, which brings us to where we're at now, this rest that comes to the people of God. And it's contrasted with the unrest that is in the unbeliever. And that's the contrast you see in these verses. The rest that the believer has versus the unrest that the unbeliever has. And I think we see that today in our culture. I think it's very applicable to us that people are so caught up in doing all these things and they're so busy, but really not accomplishing much or not accomplishing anything at all. but they're not doing it unto the Lord. And I talked to many people, like I said last week, who are so caught up in busyness and have so much unrest in their life. And I would like to address that today, but I would also like to particularly address verses 10 and 11. And even though we touched on those verses last week, I'd like to particularly address verses 10, 11, and 12, actually, in Hebrews, chapter four. So let's read those verses. Let's read 10 through 16 and we'll see how far we get today. In verse 10 it says, For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor, therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any man fall short after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of thunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do, seeing then we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our perfection, for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. Go back to verse 10, you see it talks about entering into this rest in verse 10, but then in 11 it says, let us labor therefore to enter into rest. Almost seems like an oxymoron to say let us labor to enter into rest. How can we labor and rest at the same time? So we see something here, that God does not measure rest by the lack of activity. we might measure rest and say, I need relaxation. And I know people that will go on vacation and say, I need relaxation, and their vacation is more restless than when they're at home. And so rest is not measured by activity or the lack thereof. And we see that especially in the Apostle Paul's life, as we looked at. But we are to cease from our labor, it says, as God did His. In other words, there was work that God the Father, God the Son, and the Spirit had to do in order to create the world. We see that in the preceding verses, in order for it to be completed as we know it. And Jesus came to earth to complete the work that his father sent him to do. And when he was done, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. And now we also look forward to our rest. Yes, the people of God do have a measure of rest because of what Christ has done for us. Also, like we went over last week, because we know that God is sovereign over all things, in His ownership, His control and power over all things, but our ultimate rest is still in the future. The believer's ultimate rest is still in the future, for God at this point in time has preordained His people unto works, unto good works in Ephesians 2.10. We looked last week at the Apostle Paul's ministry, how he experienced this deep inner rest. But this was something that he was growing in. In Philippians 4.12 it says, everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be when I'm full and hungry, to abound and to suffer need. But he's saying, I learned how to do this. I learned how to be content, if you read that that portion there in Philippians. He's saying, I learned how to be content in all things. So the Apostle Paul learned it. He was growing in it. He was growing in his contentment or rest. Paul was learning these things for the Lord had much work and toil for him to do. And now with us, the people of God, God has much work or labor for us. So the rest that the people of God have is not measured by the lack of activity, but it is measured by God's grace. This is all, to some degree, review. In a couple of minutes we'll get into new material. We went over a lot of this last week. But God's, it's measured by what? It's measured by grace. It's measured by God's grace, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15.10. What did he say? But I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. This labor that the Christian enters into is by God's grace. It is by the regenerating work of His Holy Spirit. It is by the love that is placed in the Christian's heart. by the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. God the Father preordained it, the Lord Jesus executed it, and now the Holy Spirit implements the plan of salvation. Salvation is a work of the Trinity, and the labor that the Christian enters into is a work of God, and is given to the Christian. But in verse 10, what does it say in verse 10? To those who have ceased from their own works. Like I said, I know we touched on this point last week, but I would like to expound on it more. What does it mean to cease from your own works, but yet to labor in verse 10? This is what I want to look at today, primarily. I would say that the primary meaning is that salvation is of the Lord. 2 Timothy 1.9 says, Who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose in grace which he has given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. So I think the primary meaning would be that we have ceased from, like we said last week, self-justification. So those who are saved are saved by a work of God on our behalf, not according to what we have done for Him. But I think we have to look further into this matter, it being of such great importance that we cease from our own works, because we see this principle over and over again. In the New Testament, Titus 3.5, Galatians 2.16, Romans 3.28, all talk about turning from your works. Turning from your works. And I think it's of great importance, but I think the problem is many don't have their own works. Many are not under the law. The law is what brings us to Christ. And I'll explain that further in a minute, but stick with me on that point, because I think it's imperative. We'll get back to that in a minute. Maybe we can ask the question, how does this look? Or what are the outward manifestations of someone who has ceased from their own works? Because we have already determined that it cannot biblically be determined by activity, or by the lack thereof. So how does a person think, act, and feel who has ceased from their own works? I have four points of how a person who lives has ceased from their own works and enters into that spiritual rest, that rest that is called his rest in here, God's rest. Four points. Four points of the person that has ceased from their own works. Number one, this person is no longer trying to justify themselves. We touched on that last week. We're going to go over that in more detail today. But first, the person is no longer trying to justify themselves. Number two, there is a 180 degree turn from what this person pursues in life for happiness and fulfillment. there's a 180 degree turn for what this person pursues in life for happiness and fulfillment. Number three, there's a recognition that my abilities, and we're going to touch on this when we get into verse 12, but number three, there's a recognition that in my abilities as a human, I have nothing to offer God outside of His work in me no matter how talented, smart, giving, or beautiful I may appear." Did you hear what I said? That's number three. There is a recognition in this person that in my abilities as a human, outside of the work of God in me, I have nothing to offer God in my human talents, no matter how talented, smart, giving, or beautiful it may appear. Number four. This person has come to realize that our understanding of God, separate from his word, is backward and must be consciously turned away from. The first point being the most important, because the other three points come out of this first point, being that a person who has entered into rest because he has ceased from his own works is no longer trying to justify himself. Last week we said that every person on earth is trying to justify themselves. Until they find their justification in Jesus Christ. Which I do believe is true. And I won't repeat that argument since we went over it last week. But I think we have to go deeper and ask why are people trying to justify themselves? And not why because of the guilt of the conscience. which is a very valid point, but why in terms of the impossibility of the task? Why because of the impossibility of the task? I think of some illustrations. Like if I knew that I had to swim a distance to be saved, and I knew the distance was only a quarter of a mile, I would attempt it, right? But if I knew the distance was from, say, from New York to England to swim across the Atlantic Ocean, I would not even attempt it. I would try to find another means. I would try to find another means. Go to Romans 3. I want to read this, and then I'm going to give you another illustration. But listen to this point, because I think this is part of the part of the problem here. Look in verse 3 and 4. It says, For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Why do people try to justify themselves or try to establish their own righteousness? Because they are ignorant of God's righteousness. They do not understand the very foundation of who God is. If we do not understand the righteousness and holiness of God, we do not understand God. It's like the illustration of trying to swim the ocean. It's ridiculous. I would never even attempt it if I knew what the requirements were. As another illustration, it would be like me thinking I can drive my car to the moon. Or a young child hearing a fictional story and not realizing it's fiction. A story about a car that can drive to the moon and thinking that it is possible. Man without God, without His Word and Spirit is just like that young child that thinks he can drive a car to the moon. He doesn't understand what it takes to do such a thing. He doesn't understand the laws of science. But my friends, I am here to tell you this morning that the boy has a better shot at driving a car to the moon than we do of making ourselves righteous before God without His mercy. See, this is the problem. Why are people trying to justify themselves? Why? Because they don't understand the requirements. They don't understand the task. And they think that they can somehow do it. And why do they not understand the task? It says here in Romans 10, because they're not under the law. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Many are still trying to justify themselves because they do not understand God's holy requirements. Because they do not understand God. They do not understand God. God in our culture has been reduced to little more than the big grandfather in the sky. Many today are deceived because they have been seduced into church by good feelings without ever coming under the conviction of sin. And the conviction of sin comes by the law. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. But if there is no law, how can people come to Christ? I don't know if they can. Can they? If they've never been under the law, how can they come to Christ? For what reason are they coming to Christ if they don't understand God's holy requirements? Because like I said, if the swim is only a half mile, maybe I can make it. If the swim is two miles, maybe I can make it. If the swim is the Atlantic Ocean, there's no way I'm going to make it. I have to relinquish myself to some other source. But people think they have no comprehension of who God is. And God is revealed in His law. God is revealed in His law. We read God's law. God loves the law. But somehow we view the law as something that's bad and negative. No, the law is good and holy and righteous. And we are carnal in Romans chapter 7. I believe it's a major problem today is that people are not under the law. If the gospel starts at Jesus loves you, is not dealing with the real problem. Because the real problem is that we are pathetic sinners and God's requirements are perfection. I really don't see how someone can truly come to Christ apart from the knowledge of God as Creator, Sovereign, and Holy Lawgiver. I know Francis Schaeffer said that when he would share the Gospel, if he had an hour in a plane to share the Gospel with somebody, he would share for 55 minutes about God being, Jesus Christ being Creator and Sovereign Lawgiver, and 5 minutes about the Gospel. Now I don't know about that necessarily, but I see his point. And so people understand God and His very basic character, how can they come to Christ? And it's something that's been greatly lost today. The righteousness and holiness of God and the law will bring people under that. For if someone comes to Jesus solely based on the fact that he loves them, that person is not coming for the right reason. The right reason is that we have offended a holy and righteous God. The problem is on our end. The problem is not on God's end, and the good thing for God to do would be to send us to hell. But God, in His mercy, has provided a holy justification in His Son. God does not bypass His holiness to save sinners, but He made a way through His holiness. Again, it brings me back to Romans, the first three chapters of Romans, it talks about sin. And then 4, 5, and 6, it talks about righteousness. The righteousness of God that is imputed to sinners by grace, through faith. Rest comes to the person who comes to the end of the law for righteousness and comes to Christ. But my friends, How can someone come to the end of the law for righteousness when they've never come to the law? How can you come to the end of the law for righteousness if you've never come to the law? And people, that's why I think lawlessness, lawlessness is so dangerous. And this view of God, that He is just a big happy person in the sky who just kind of hugs everybody and says, come to me because I love you and you'll be okay, don't worry about your sin. That's why it's so dangerous. And it's the view of God that has led many on this false road of Christianity, these false professions. And I will go through these last three points more quickly, but I think the last three come from the first one. The second one is there's 180 degree turn from what this person pursues in life for happiness and fulfillment. Matthew 5, 3-12 clearly turns our pursuit of happiness right side up from being upside down. As believers, we now understand that happiness is found in lowliness, in crying out to God, in weakness, in panting after righteousness, in forgiving others, in honesty about who we are, and in suffering for the name of Christ. The flesh can never find happiness in these things. It seeks for happiness in the opposite. It seeks for happiness in the lifting up of oneself, in the finding of one's identity, in taking everything as a light matter, in strength, in panting after success and security, in being one up on others, in trying to make others think somebody who we are not, and gaining the applause of others. That's what the flesh seeks after, all of those things. But, Jesus says, that's where you'll never find happiness and rest in those things, but you'll find happiness and rest in lowliness, in forgiveness, in weakness even, in seeking after righteousness, and being honest before God about our true condition. For those who have found rest in Christ have ceased from these things that are in the flesh and are now pursuing those things that we mentioned that come out of Matthew 5 through 12. What are you seeking today? Where are you seeking your happiness at that is found in God is found in Christ, which leads us to our third point, which is that the person who has ceased from his own works to obtain rest has recognized that their abilities as a human, without the work of the Holy Spirit, have nothing to do with God's Kingdom. I think this is a very important point for us. That a person who has ceased from his own works to obtain the rest has recognized that their abilities as a human without the work of the Holy Spirit, have nothing to do with God's Kingdom, no matter how talented, smart, giving, or beautiful they may appear. And this is part of a labor. I really believe that we have to consciously turn from finding happiness where we think we find happiness, and find it in these things where Christ has directed us. We have to consciously turn from thinking that my abilities as an administrator, my abilities as an orator, my abilities as a whatever it is, we all have natural abilities. God's not interested in it if it's not going through the cross. I'm not saying God doesn't use our abilities. I do believe when we get saved, He does use our abilities. But it must be through the cross. In Philippians 3, the Apostle Paul had more to boast about in his natural ability and accomplishments than anybody, than anybody. Really, think about it. He lists them all in the beginning of the first seven verses of Philippians 3. And then what does he say in verse 8? Verse 8, he says, Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung. that I may win Christ. Oh, my friends, this Christian life cannot be lived by my ability to administrate. God is not impressed with my ability to sing. God is not impressed with my ability to be nice to other people outside of His love. Those who have ceased from their own works have stopped trying to use their natural ability as spiritual gifts. Men may be oppressed with how well someone can administrate, or by the beauty of someone's voice, or by how much a person gives, but God is looking at the heart. And unless we have been to the cross today, and self has been crucified, and now I am experiencing the resurrection power, unless that is happening in my life, God is not impressed. no matter how good it outwardly appears. A person who has ceased from their own works has entered into God's rest. And we see that. I'm going to get more into this natural ability in a few minutes when we get into verse 12, but I do think we should think that through. and not mistake our natural ability for spiritual gifts. 1. The person of rest has stopped trying to justify himself because he came to the end of the law for righteousness through Christ. 2. His pursuit of happiness has taken a 180 degree turn from the desires of the flesh to the desires of God. 3. There is a recognition that their human abilities outside of the work of God have nothing to do with spiritual gifts. 4. Lastly, the person that has ceased from their own works realizes that what they understand about God outside of His Word is backwards and must be consciously turned from. Proverbs 14, verse 12 says, There is a way that seems right unto the man, but the end thereof is death. God's ways are not our ways and God's thoughts are not our thoughts. So far are God's ways and thoughts from our ways and thoughts as if the heaven is from the earth. I thought about that verse and I quote that verse a lot probably, but think about it. The earth is an incalculable distance from heaven. You can't calculate it. So what does it mean that man's thoughts and ways are so far from God's thoughts and ways? So I would think a person with his own understanding can search for God for an eternity and be no closer at the end than where they were at the beginning. Because my thoughts without God oppose God. And when I realize that and wholly lean on His Word, I begin to understand God. I begin to understand God. It's a realization that God's thoughts and ways are far different than mine. It's a turning away. It's a ceasing from my own ways and turning to God. And with those four things in mind, let's press on to verse 12. Those four things covered, really, verses 10 and 11, For he that is entered into rest, he is also ceased from his own works, as God did for his. Let us labor, therefore, to enter into rest, lest any man fall short of the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the abiding asunder of the soul and spirit of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. What will reveal these things to us? What will convince a person of their vile condition and at the same time bring a hope and joy that is greater than anything on earth? It is the word of God. It is God's word. God's very spoken word, it is quick, it is powerful, and it is sharp. These three things describe what it is. It pierces and divides, describes what it does. We'll see. So first, we are to understand that God's word is quick. That word can also be translated as alive. It means alive, or it actually means lively, lively. These are not simply words on a page to give us a higher way of thinking or to teach us a deeper philosophy. But Paul told the Corinthians, I did not come to you with wisdom of words, but I came to you in the power of God. In 1 Corinthians 2 and 3, God's word is alive. It gives supernatural power to the inner parts of a person. God's Word is alive. It's quick. Quick means lively. It gives us power over sin. Psalm 119.11 says, By word have I hidden my heart that I might not sin against you. The Word of God impacts our life to the dead spirit, of the unbeliever, it gives life, it quickens. And to the believer, it gives us power to obey. The Word of God is quick, it's alive, it's lively, it gives power. The Word of God is quick, it is powerful. The word in the Greek for powerful is energies, actually. This word is only used twice. Actually, two other times in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 16.9 and in Philemon verse 6. And in both instances it is translated effectual. And we could translate it in our modern language as being effective. Effective. The word of God is not just knowledge, but it changes how we live. It has an effect. It energizes us to obedience. Knowledge without obedience is pride. But when we mix faith with what we hear, it changes us. It energizes us. The Word of God is quick. It's alive. And it's powerful. Powerful in the sense that it has an effect on our lives. The Word of God is sharp. It cuts deep and precise. The Word of God, when it does its work in our hearts, will expose us. It will show us our error, and in a very specific way, and at the same time, show us how to fix the problem. It is sharp, it cuts deep, and it cuts precise. And it is sharper than any two-edged sword, where it has two sides. It cuts to remove the cancer, and it cuts to bring health. It cuts to remove cancer and it cuts to bring health. Nothing else reveals what is inside us like the Word of God. It pierces and divides. The Word of God pierces and divides. What is the Word of God or what are its characteristics? It is quick. It is alive and powerful. or transforming, and it is sharp, going deep and precise. And secondly, what does the Word of God do? It pierces and divides. The Word of God pierces simply means to penetrate. It makes me think of Peter when he was preaching in Acts 2 and they were pricked in the heart. And how often, too, When people hear a sermon, and I think we've all done this, and we should do it more, I think it's a good thing. And we say to ourselves, who told him? Who told the preacher about what I'm going through? How does he know what I'm going through? And we think that he knows. He doesn't know. But it's the Word of God that's pricking our hearts. It's penetrating our hearts. The Word of God is penetrating. And it should be. And it should be taught that way and preached that way. It's the way the Word of God is meant to be preached. We're not preaching that. We're not preaching the context of the Bible. The context of the Bible is that it's quick, it's powerful, it's sharp, it penetrates, and it divides. The Word of God divides asunder. It goes into the deep hearts and secret works of the inner person and exposes it. It is dividing the soul and the spirit, and the joints and the marrow. The soul and the spirit, and the joints and the marrow. Now I know when we get into the soul and spirit, many scholars are divided on this point, and what I mean is by the dichotomy and trichotomy of a man. I looked up twelve, probably twelve different scholars on this verse, and probably seven of them believe in trichotomy, and five of them believe in dichotomy. So basically what that means is, if you guys don't know what that means, is that some people believe that a man is made up of a body, a soul, and a spirit. Some believe, and that's called trichotomy, and others believe that there is only a dichotomy, where a man is a body and a soul, and the soul and the spirit are one, they're not separate. So that's called dichotomy. or dichotomous belief. Now, and some scholars simply state, I read two men who simply stated both points of view and didn't say which one they believe. And so if there's a division on that, I believe in trichotomy. I believe a man is a body, a soul, and a spirit. I believe that the soul and the spirit are separate. I don't really see how it can be any other way other than because When a man is unregenerate, he is spiritually dead. So he still has a soul, he still has an inner being. I mean, when someone's not born again, they're spiritually dead, but they still have a soul, they still have an inner being, they still have feelings, and they still have an immaterial part of their being. But they're spiritually dead, but when they're made spiritually alive, you have then they're born again. So I would think the spirit, I strongly believe that too, that the spirit, soul, and body are three parts of a man. If you look in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 23, it talks about that. It talks about a body, a soul, and a spirit. I have it written out here. I pray for your whole soul and your whole spirit, I'm sorry, and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And also in 1 Corinthians 15.45 it says, And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul, and the last Adam, which is Christ, was made a quickening spirit, making the difference between the soul and the spirit. making the difference between the soul and the spirit. Now, I think some people may take it too far, like Watchman Nee wrote a book called The Latent Power of the Soul, which I agree with some or maybe most of what he said in that book, but I think that he takes maybe this principle of the soul too far. But at the same time, I think it's important for us to understand we must make the distinction between the soul and the spirit And the Word of God divides it. Every spiritual gift can be imitated by the soul. The human soul has tremendous power and tremendous ability to look spiritual. You have what some people refer to as the extraordinary gifts. such as healing and speaking in tongues and prophesying, like they did in the book of Acts. And what you'll see is there's power, and I believe this is true, there's power in the soul. There's power in the soul to do those things that the devil can use. And I believe many are deceived today because the power that they see is no more than the power of the soul and by the power of the devil and manifested in what people think is a work of God. And then you have the non-extraordinary gifts such as the gifts of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5 and those gifts that we would have. So what we see is that those gifts and fruit can also be imitated by the soul. I guess if you don't call it the soul, I guess you can call it the unregenerate. If somebody would be dichotomous, they would still have to believe in the unregenerate man. Maybe we can call it the immaterial. That's why I don't understand dichotomy. Because either way, you have to believe in the immaterial part of an unregenerate man, which is his soul. And in that part of a man, we can function in what looks like spiritual gifts. And I think many do operate in what looks like spiritual gifts, and I think many are deceived. Many can come up and they sing these beautiful songs, and I think of some young people, when I was young, and they would sing, and they sung beautiful songs unto the Lord, and you would say, wow, they're saved! And they would even maybe take courage in the fact that they're saved, because they have a beautiful voice and they can sing unto God. But now they deny Christ totally, they deny the Gospel altogether. Were they saved because they were able to sing with much beauty to God or whatever they were doing? And that can work with gifts of administration. It can work with gifts of giving. It can be most deceitful. There's people that have natural gifts of giving. They naturally are giving people and they can help people. They don't even have to. They just do it. It's a natural gift. And it's very deceitful because it can be all in the power of the soul. I really believe it can be all in the power of the soul and have nothing to do with spirituality. Almost every gift, every spiritual gift can be imitated by the soul. And we must be careful because the Word of God, the Word of God will show us It will make that distinction, it will divide asunder between the soul and the spirit. The Word of God will lay it open to us. We must make the distinction between the soul and spirit, for every spiritual gift can be imitated by the soul. The human soul has tremendous power and tremendous ability to look spiritual. We must not operate in the power of our souls or in our natural abilities that are outside of the work of the Holy Spirit. I believe God will take our natural abilities and sanctify them. But don't be deceived. Everything that looks outwardly good or feels right is not spiritual. And the Word of God is continually teaching us how to make this discernment. It goes even into the joints and marrow. It even affects our body and how we function and how God would want us to function and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. Maybe the best thing we can say overall about this verse is this. There is no place where God cannot see. But even the things that are secret are as plain as day to God. You see that in verse 13. Look in verse 13. He goes, Is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him whom we have to do? There is no difference between light and darkness to God. Everything is open. There is no difference between secrets and things that are done in front of other people. It is all the same. We must learn to think this way. My friend, my very secret thoughts And the things that I've done in darkness and you've done in darkness that nobody knows about, it is as plain today to God. It's all the same. We cannot think that because we have certain thoughts and intentions that are not of God that we can live that way and somehow get away with it because the people we see aren't seeing it. And we start to judge ourselves according to how people see us. No. No, God knows everything. Your very thoughts and intentions are as plain as the actions that everybody else sees to God. The darkness and the light are the same to God. What is secret and what is in the open is all the same. We are judged by how God sees us. God is not judged by the outward appearance. We must learn to live this way. The only way to do it is to allow the Word of God to do the operation in our heart that it needs to do. It must come into my heart and cut and divide and heal. And the Word of God will do this. You cannot think that because something is in secret, nobody else sees it. That's primarily who we are. Primarily who we are is not what other people see. Although it should be, but follow me on this. It's primarily who we are inside. Now that should manifest itself on the outside. But in Romans 2.16 it says, In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. That secrets means inner things that nobody sees. As Christians, we should be continually allowing the Word of God to deal with our motives and thoughts and intentions. That is how a person is judged. For through God's Word and through His Spirit, we are dealing with ourselves in this way. The four things that we talked about in the beginning will be a reality. We will have rest. We will have rest for our souls. Everything I do and think, I must learn to think that Christ is right there with me. No matter how wicked my thoughts can be, none of us can deny that our thoughts can be very wicked at times. But Christ is there and He knows. I cannot hide it and act like because nobody else saw it or knows about it that God doesn't know. just plain as day to God. And oh, that should cause us to tremble before God and say, Lord, we come to You. We need Your grace. That would really cause you to cry out to God, Lord, I need Your grace today, Your mercy. Keep me, Lord, please, because I know where my mind can go. I know my motives. We may look genuine on the outward, But pride and selfishness and these things can so quickly come into our hearts. And I say, Lord, please keep me. It's only by Your grace that You'll keep me. And He does when we cry out to Him. But when we read these two verses in Hebrews 4, 12 and 13, it should cause us to tremble because there's nothing, there's nothing that God does not see. The light and the darkness is the same to God. We need to learn to think that way and allow God's Word to do its operation in our hearts, to do the operation in our hearts. But I think it's so amazing. It's much like as we're in Matthew on Thursday nights and the Lord rebukes so strongly the cities where He's preaching and condemns them and says that there will be very great judgment on the day of judgment against them. And then at the end of that chapter, What does he say? He says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. It's much like that here. I mean, this verses 12 and 13 are so convicting. And so it can even be greatly troubling to know that God knows everything. We're not getting anything over on God. down to the very smallest thing, and that's very serious, and we need to tremble. But what does it say in verse 14? Seeing then that we have a great high priest that has passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as yet like as we, yet without sin. Then look at 16, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace and help in the time of need. Well, my friends, when I think that God knows every one of my thoughts and every one of my motives and I just come to Him naked with nothing, I need His grace and He gives it to us. And we have Jesus Christ who was touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Even though we come to Him trembling, we can come with boldness because of Christ that we would hold fast to Him. And I'll tell you, when I look and see that to God, like I said, to God there's no difference between the secret and the outward. It's all the same. When I think of that, you know what I need? I hold on to Christ. I say, I need Christ. Boy, I need Him more than ever when I think about that, because I am guilty. I'm guilty, and we all are. But that should cause us to hold fast to the profession of our faith. For we have a high priest, and he was touched in the same way that we are yet without sin. And we'll get into those verses more next week, and we can come boldly to God's throne of grace. And it's amazing, the contrast there, if you look at the contrast between 12 and 13, and the end of that chapter, how we can come boldly, because we're holding on to Christ. We can come boldly, even though we're all guilty, and it's all the same to God, whether it's secret or whether it's in the open. But let me just end by saying this. The Word of God will do the work in our hearts that needs to be done. We need to realize that our thoughts and motives and intentions are wrong, naturally, and can be wrong even as believers. We never need to let ourselves just kind of go with the flow and think we're okay, and think we're doing everything right and our motives are fine. Because I'm telling you, pride self-seeking, comparing, all these things will sneak in so subtly. But if we're humble before God and lowly in letting His Word do the work in our hearts, He will motivate us by His love and by His grace, and we'll be pleasing in His sight. It's only through His Word that this can happen. So let's pray. Father in Heaven, I thank you for these words, God, where it can be so troubling to us in one sense, Lord, that you don't judge like men do, Lord. Everything is plain to you. Everything is plain and open to you, God. Even our most deepest, secret thoughts, that even the people that are closest to us may not know about. They're just as plain as day to you, God. That caused us to tremble, but thank you, God, that we can come to you with boldness because of Christ. And I pray, Lord, that these things would cause us to cling to Christ, to see that He's our only hope. For surely, Lord Jesus, You are our only hope in light of these issues, God. You are our only hope, Lord Jesus. We look to You. We praise You and thank You for Your grace today. In Christ's name, Amen.