And so what happens is that the many examples that Israel, we could have chosen, or God could have chosen as an example of their apostasy, of their idolatry, about defilement of the temple, all of these things that he could have chosen, he goes to the Genesis, the beginning of this apostasy, was their constant grumbling, discontent with God.

And he says to let us fear. Let us fear whatever these things that are the beginning processes of drifting away from God to take this seriously. Well, today, last week it was about the attitude. Today it was about action. If we are fearing, if we begin to notice these symptoms, he says in verse 11, "Let us be diligent to enter the rest, so that no one will fall through the following the same example of disobedience." So, just as a quick review, last week we talked about the rest that he is referring to is just another word for salvation.

The rest that he's referring to is an invitation to re-enter the Sabbath that our Heavenly Father entered into on the seventh day. To find that rest that was broken because of our sins, because we couldn't be in the presence of God. So, Sabbath is an invitation back into restoration with the God of this rest.

I think the best way for us to understand this rest is the difference between a house and a home. If you've ever traveled for a long period of time, a week, maybe a month, you may have gotten a very nice hotel or you got an Airbnb, maybe even better than your own house.

And so when you first enter into it, it has better amenities, it has a better stove, it's a better location. And you say, "Wow, this is great, we're going to enjoy it." But after about two, three weeks, it gets tiresome because it's not your home, it's not your bed, it's not your refrigerator.

And so, you know when you come back home and you open the door, and it may not be in the best place, it may be a one-bedroom apartment, but you sit down, unpack your stuff, get into your comfortable clothes, and you sit on your couch, and then you feel at rest.

And it's not because it's better facilities, it's not because it's a better house, it's just your home. That's the difference between having all the peace that the world can give you externally, but not being at home. And that's the struggle for a Christian. That when we are constantly living to make this place our home, we are going the opposite direction of where God is taking us.

He's actually pulling us away from these distractions to make sure that our rest is found in Christ and Christ alone. So when he says, "Let us be diligent to enter that rest," he's not simply talking about taking away all the things that causes turmoil in our life, but it's an invitation to come to himself.

"Let us be active in our faith," to remind us again that we are aliens and strangers in this world. It doesn't matter if you have a large house, it doesn't matter whether your bills are paid, or what kind of position that you have at work, and you can have all the best friends and all the peace that the world can offer, we will still be aliens and strangers in this world.

And the minute that we forget that, the minute that we are striving to make this place our rest, that's where the turmoil increases for a Christian. He says, "We must be diligent. We must labor to rest," which on the surface sounds like a contradiction. It sounds like one cannot do the other.

I mean, if you are working, you are not resting, because typically when we say, "Hey, relax," it means drop whatever you're doing and just sit. Just relax. I'm going to go home and relax. You're going to go turn on the TV, watch Netflix, and you're just going to do nothing.

That's what we typically mean by rest. But here he says, "To work. Let us work. Be diligent to enter the rest so that we would not fall." Well, that language is not unique to Hebrews. All throughout Scripture, we are challenged to labor, to work, for whatever the reason— there it goes—for whatever the reason, we have misapplied or misunderstood the grace of God to mean that therefore we don't need to worry about anything, because the grace of God covers all of it.

We just relax. And yet, all throughout the Scripture, we are called to labor because of this grace. Ephesians 4, verse 1. After three chapters of Paul expositing and encouraging about election, about adoption, about predestination, about how God stepped off of his throne and pursued us completely sovereignly, unilaterally, he loved us.

At the conclusion of explaining this, he said, "The application of this grace in chapter 4, verse 1, "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called." He doesn't say, "You know what? Since God elected you, since you've been adopted, since God predestined you, just relax and coast along." That's not how he applies that.

The application of the grace of God and sovereignty of God and predestination is, "Therefore, since God has given you what you didn't deserve, let us live up to the calling. Let us live worthy of the gospel." In other words, be diligent. Be diligent to apply. In fact, again, in Philippians chapter 127, "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Isn't the root message of the gospel that God did what you could not do?

So how can he tell us to live worthy of the gospel? Because the whole purpose of the gospel is to teach us that we're not worthy of the gospel. How can any one of us be worthy of the blood of the son of Jesus Christ? None of us are worthy.

That's the fundamental, foundational message of the gospel. You are not worthy. And yet Paul says, "Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Because of this paradox, a seeming contradiction, people have chosen either one or the other. Some people have taken the grace of God and said, "Well, because it is by grace, we don't really have to worry about this other part." And anybody who challenges us...

Sorry, this isn't working today. Alright. And anybody who begins to challenge us to labor and say, "Well, that's legalistic." Anybody who focuses on, "We need to do the work of God." They say, "That's legalistic. It's by the grace of God." And they've chosen to come to this side to the extent that we begin to ignore passages like chapter 4, verse 11.

And then you have the people who are on the other side that we need to work so hard. And we forget about the grace of God and we begin to squeeze the life out of every individual. Well, the language in the Bible never excludes either. It is the grace that fuels us to work.

It is the grace of God that is the foundation in which we build our diligent work. It is never one or the other. It is not the grace that causes us not to do anything. And it is not the hard work that says, "Well, we need to earn ourselves into the kingdom." It is because we have been given what you and I don't deserve, it gives us the fuel to labor.

I think the perfect illustration for me is... Once a soldier is enlisted into the army, whether he is a seasoned veteran who's been to multiple combats, or he just got recruited and it's his first day in basic training. Once a soldier is recruited, he's a soldier. Whether you are a general or whether you are a foot soldier private, you are a soldier.

But a soldier who just enlisted is beginning to learn and get basic training to act like a soldier. And so when he gets enlisted, they will begin to train him and say, "Now that you are the soldier of the United States, now begin to act like it." And so that's what basic training is.

Basic training is to teach a soldier who is already a soldier how to act. But he's already become a soldier. And that's the calling of every Christian. We have been given something that you and I could not possibly earn. And so you have become a child of God. You have become an adopted child that God loves.

And as a result of that, because you have been given something that you cannot possibly earn, now begin to act like it. Act like a soldier now that you've put on the robe of Christ on you. And that's the language we see all throughout Scripture. 2 Timothy 2.10 "For this reason, endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with it eternal glory." He says he understands that God has already chosen them.

But for their sake, he says, "I'm going to labor hard." So God's election never negated Paul's hard work. Philippians 2.12 "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." If the salvation was by grace, why do we need to work it out? See, salvation by election never negated Paul's hard work.

Again, in Colossians 1.28-29 "We proclaim him admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose I labor, striving according to his power which mightily works within me." Apostle Paul doesn't say, "I'm going to work so hard." No, in my labor, I recognize the only reason why I'm able to labor is because of his work that is already working inside of me.

It was never one or the other. It was always both. It wasn't like, "I'm saved by grace, so it doesn't matter. I'm going to work hard so that I can deserve this grace." It was always both. Now, why is this so important? Because laboring and striving is a part of Christian life.

When we begin to drift, you don't need to do anything to drift. Drifting happens by somebody who just sits there and does nothing. He's not rowing. He's not headed anywhere in particular. He's not concerned about where he's going to end up. It doesn't matter. Drifting happens when you're just not anchored.

And so when there isn't a current, when a storm is not there, you may not drift far because there's nothing happening, but as soon as the water begins to move up and down, all you have to do is to do nothing. Do what you've been doing all along, and next thing you know is you are miles and miles away from shore.

And if you do that for a year and multiple years, one day you wake up and you realize you don't even recognize where you were. That's how far you drift. And so the warning of let us fear. Take this seriously. If the gospel that you heard means anything to you, if you have even a little bit of faith, and this is serious and it is real, and if you see yourself drift, if you've seen yourself drift, your heart has become hardened toward God, let us fear.

And then second, be diligent. What must happen? What needs to be done? What is it that's causing me to drift? How do I anchor myself in Christ? Well, that's where we get verse 12. Verse 12 is a passage that probably many of you have already memorized. For the word of God is living and active sharper than any double-edged sword.

It is able to divide between joint and marrow, spirit and soul. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart. But we need to recognize this first in the context of which it is being said. In and of itself, right, you've probably heard many, many sermons on this text itself.

So it stands on its own. But if you want to understand the full context of this first, you have to understand why this is written in this verse, in this context. He begins by saying for the word of God is living and active. For. The word for connects us to the idea that he was saying in verse 11.

Right? The warning against drifting. And a challenge to be diligent so that we do not drift. And so the verse 12 is written as the motivation of why we should not drift. And what's going to happen if we do drift. So how is this connected? How is verse 11 connected to verse 12 and 13?

For the word of God is living and active sharper than any two-edged sword. I think the best way for us to understand that is go back to the book of Amos and see what he means. And I think that application will make more sense. Before I read the passage in the book of Amos, the history behind Israel during the period that Amos is prophesying, they were living in peace.

All their enemies were conquered. The temple worship was in full swing. They had probably more wealth than they've ever known, at least in their history. So there was a lot of religious activity that was going on at the temple. Many, many sacrifices. Many Sabbaths being observed. And yet Amos is sent to the nation of Israel because everything was done externally.

And God repeatedly says to them that all of your many sacrifices, they are meaningless. And even their singing. Even their gathering. He says they are evil assemblies. And in the end he says, "I didn't ask you to make many sacrifices because he loved the smell of burnt animals." "He just happens to like to see blood flow on tables." And so he says, "All of these things that you're doing, they are meaningless to me." "Because you have drifted." "Externally you are doing everything religious, but internally there is no true worship going on." The reason why he commanded them to make these sacrifices was that through the sacrifice to humble themselves before a holy God and acknowledge that they are in need of forgiveness.

To come and genuinely in their repentance find forgiveness by the blood of these animals. Which ultimately was pointing to Christ. But to them it became a source of righteousness. That I did this and I did that. And it is to these people that he sends the prophet Amos, chapter 7, verse 7 and 8.

"Thus he showed me and behold the Lord was standing by a vertical wall with a plum line in his hand." "The Lord said to me, 'What do you see Amos?' and I said, 'A plum line.' "Then the Lord said, 'Behold I am about to put a plum line in the midst of my people Israel and I will spare them no longer.'" What does he mean by the plum line?

Plum line is a modern day, equivalent to a modern day leveler. A leveler, if you ever use that, no you put it against anything that you build that you want to be vertical level. It has to be perfect. Because if it's even a little bit crooked and you put any kind of weight on it, it's going to collapse.

And so a plum line is basically a leveler that even though by their naked eye it looks straight you put a plum line next to it with a weight on the bottom with a string and they can see if it is actually plum. That's what a plum line is.

So the plum line that God is referring to is showing Amos is the Word of God. That everything on the surface looks religious. Many sacrifices are being made. They're checking off all the right boxes. But when the Word of God is open to them, they have drifted so far away from God it has nothing to do with Him.

And therefore he says that judgment is coming upon Israel because everything that they were doing was superficial, was external. That's what he means in verse 12. He said the reason the warning is given, why we need to be diligent because oftentimes we can fool ourselves. And it is easy to fool ourselves when we are active in the church.

It is easy to fool ourselves when we are doing our duties. But we know deep in our hearts that we've drifted. We know deep in our hearts that everything has become a burden. And it's been a long time that you've actually worshipped God. It's been a long time since you've run to God for refuge because you needed Him.

You did it out of obligation. You did it out of duty. You did it because other people are watching. You did it because you have a title. But your heart has drifted far from God. And that's why he says for the Word of God is living and active. You can fool your wife.

You can fool your children. You can fool your church and your leaders. You can fool your friends, your family. But you cannot fool the Word of God. That's what he means. For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword. It is living. It is active.

You know what's interesting is in the Greek construction of this verse, for the purpose of emphasis, when an idea should really pop out, one of the things that they did was they would do it in repetition. They would say Peter, Peter or Holy, Holy, Holy. And you know that that's important.

Another tool that they used is they would use whatever was to be emphasized to put it at the beginning of the sentence. And so in the Greek, the word for living is in the front. So if we were to translate it exactly the way that is written in the Greek, it would say living is the word.

Living is the word. So the emphasis is that the Word of God is not just an ancient document, even though it's written in three different languages, Aramaic, in ancient Hebrew and Koine Greek. And all three languages are dead languages. It's no longer used today. In fact, ancient Hebrew was already pretty much dead by the time of Christ.

So only scholars and scribes used ancient Hebrew at that time. That's why when we study the Old Testament, usually we go to the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew. So all three languages, Aramaic and even the Greek, it's Koine Greek. It's not the modern day Greek that is being used today.

So all three languages are not languages that are being used today. So even though the Bible is written in dead languages, it was written 2,000, 3,000 years ago, respectively, he says it is still living. It is still active. 2 Timothy 3, 16, all Scripture is inspired by God. The word inspired literally means God breathed.

And the reason why the Word of God is active and it is living, it is because his very breath has been placed in this word. His very breath has been put into this word. So we're not just reading an ancient document. If the Bible is just literature, and many people have a difficult time reading the Bible because it's just literature to them.

But anybody, even if you are illiterate, if you receive a love letter, you will learn how to read. They said that 95% of the people who finish school, and they're not attending school, 95% of all Americans never read a book after they graduate. 95%. So if you've ever read a book after you graduated, you're 5%.

Part of the reason why so few people know what the Word of God is, is because they just don't like to read. It's a burden to study. But here's what's different. If all you see the Bible as is just literature, then we're all out of luck. 95% of the world, we're not going to be able to reach with the Word of God.

But the Word of God is not just literature. If all you see is a book, then yeah, we're basically screwed. But the Word of God is living and active. The very breath of God has been invested in here. So if you want to connect with God, the Bible is the primary way that we hear His voice.

It is living and active. We're studying the book of Philippians. Those of you who've been with us for more than 10 years, you know that at some point in our church, we've actually studied the book of Philippians. So this is not the first time. I preach through Philippians. So this is actually the third time that we're studying.

In fact, the first time we did it, we actually, the whole church memorized the book of Philippians. So every once in a while, you'll see some of us Pharisees with green T-shirts with the book of Philippians on our chest. So Tanya actually designed it, and it says, I think it says "Rejoice" on it.

It says "Rejoice" or something. It has a theme of Philippians, and then the whole book of Philippians. Or it says "Joy." I forgot what it was. But we have those T-shirts, if we still have it, right? When you look at that, you say, well, we've studied through that already.

We've already memorized that. You've already preached through it. Like, why are we doing it again? I guarantee you, you can study it for the next 40 years. How you read Philippians will be very different as a 10-year-old, 20-year-old, 30-year-old, 40-year-old, 50-year-old. As a rich person or a poor person.

It will sound very different when you're married and when you're single. When you have children or multiple children and don't have children. When you're in time of despair and when you're in time of rejoicing. When you're hurting and when you're happy. When your life is filled with friends or when you feel lonely.

The Word of God will seem very different because you change. Time changes. Because it is not stagnant. It is living and it is active. If it is just literature, once is enough. Once you've memorized it, you can move on. But because it's living and active, it is constantly changing.

Not because God is changing, but because it is constantly speaking to every part of our lives in different parts. I don't know how many times I would sit and do quiet time over the same passage. I mean, I've preached through pretty much the whole Bible. So I've read multiple commentaries on every single text, even though I don't remember most of this stuff.

I've gone through it enough where I'm familiar with superficial stuff about the Bible. About the general knowledge of what the Word of God says. But I don't know how often I sit in front of it and I am just amazed. Again, I can't believe I missed that. I can't believe that that's connected.

You know, during summer retreat, one of our workshops is inerrancy. And so a lot of people have already signed up for that. It's about basically how do we get the Bible, why is it reliable, why is it authoritative. And so our Elder James is going to be teaching that.

I think it's going to be a very useful seminar to be in. But the ultimate test of the Word of God is in the Bible itself. It's in the Bible itself. You've already heard, the real author of the Bible is the Holy Spirit. It's God himself. And so on the surface, when you study it like literature, you can see Paul's personality, Peter's personality.

You can kind of debate over who wrote the book of Hebrews. And like, who's Moses, what is his personality like. And superficially you can get all of that. But when you really begin to dig through the Word of God, it is so crystal clear that there is one author.

The roots are so deep and so interconnected. There is no way a human being or many human beings, no matter how many lives that they lived, could have put this together. It may seem like circular reasoning to you. And it's not something that I'm going to be able to convince with my words until you get into it yourself.

You know how often I sit in the middle of quiet time, I feel like I see him. This is not written by man. Nobody is this clever. Nobody is this smart. Nobody is this profound. Over and over, year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation, it is living and it is active.

In Psalm, chapter 1 to 1 to 3, the word active is energes, where we get the word energy. But if you look at Psalm, blessed is the man. The whole book of Psalms, it starts with Psalm, chapter 1, and it kind of prepares the reader for what's coming. But he begins, happy, blessed.

You know, happy, blessed, these are all just different words for somebody who is in the Sabbath. Somebody who is at rest. He is no longer in turmoil. But happy is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers.

His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. If you read that and you don't like reading, you're in trouble. Because he said, happy is the man who delights in the law of the Lord. He delights in the law of the Lord.

Oh man, every time I read the Bible, I fall asleep. There are some people who really delight in studying, these theological nerds. They love to read many chapters and talk about theology. That's not me. I just want to be basic. Not the new hip term basic, but just the old understanding of basic.

Fundamental. I lost some of you. Only Sharon knows what I'm talking about. When I see Psalm 1, it's a description of somebody who's in love with God. It's a description of somebody who delights in the law because he hears his master's voice. And he wants to know what he has to say.

He's not somebody who just loves law. He's not talking about a Pharisee who likes to dissect what does the Sabbath mean, how far can we go, what can we carry, what can't we carry. He's not describing somebody who likes to dissect what it says. He delights in the law of the Lord because he knows who he is.

He sees and he's experienced the breath of God. And he wants more. He delights in the law of the Lord. In his law, he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water. He's an individual who's drinking of this water and is being filled with life and energy which yields its fruit in season and its leaf does not wither.

And in whatever he does, he's prosperous. He's not an individual who's just determined to do the right thing. He's an individual who has tasted the goodness of God and wants more. He delights in the law of the Lord. And he begins to bear fruit as a result of this delighting.

Isn't that exactly what Jesus said? If you want to bear fruit, abide in me. Stay close to me. Abide in me. Be near me. Do not drift from me. The whole book of Hebrews, our retreat theme is about anchoring in Christ. Because until we are anchored in Christ, this will be a burden to you.

Does it not? If you don't have any affection for God, studying the word of God is an obligation. Especially if you don't like reading. Some of you guys just like reading for no reason. Maybe a few of you just want to know more theology. You want to be able to debate and put the people in their place.

Maybe that's what it is. But if all it is, if studying the Bible, all it is, is just to gain more knowledge, this is a burden. But this is not a description of just doing the right thing. This is somebody who is in love with Christ. That's why Jesus says, "My sheep, they hear my voice and they follow." When they hear my voice, it perks up because it's not simply like, "Oh, there's his voice and I better do this." It's because they want to be there because that's where food is.

That's where safety is. That's where they feel protected. That's where when the wolves come, that their shepherd is going to protect them. So when they hear the Master's voice, they automatically perk up and go. "My sheep, they hear my voice," and his voice has been put into his word.

It's his very breath. It's living and active. That's why Paul says, "Preach the word in season and out of season." Because fruit comes from hearing his voice being near him. Fruitfulness does not come because of technique. I hear so many people who say, "You know what? We've tried this and people don't want it." "They're not going to come if we do it this way." So they begin to look for techniques and they begin to change things here and there.

And so there's nothing evil about any of that. It's neither here nor there. But fruit does not come because of technique. Fruit comes because his word is preached and his sheep hear his voice and they want more. That's why he says, "Preach the word in season and out of season." Whether they listen or don't listen, whether people gather or don't gather, whether people feel loved or don't feel loved, whether they're encouraged or not encouraged.

He said, "Preach the word in season and out of season." Because there are some times it's going to come a period of time when people are going to be sick and tired of listening to words that are discouraging, convicting. He said, "They're not going to want that." When that happens, when that period comes, you stick with it.

Preach the word in season and out of season. Because the very breath that he has placed to convict us, to motivate us, to challenge us, to not drift has been put into his word. Do not drift. He said, "The word of God goes forth and it will not return until it has accomplished its purpose." Sometimes the purpose of God's word is to divide.

It's to divide between bone and marrow, between spirit and soul. It's to divide between those who believe and those who don't believe. And so when the word is preached and unbelieving hears it, he is irritated. He is out of place. If you're a child of the darkness, the word of God is the light being turned on.

And God's presence, his holy presence comes into our life and the reaction of a creature who belongs in the dark is trying to find a hole where he feels comfortable. And the word of God is preached. But if you're a child of the light and you have been in the darkness, you're going to thank God that the light is turned on.

Because now you can see where your master is and you can go. And that's why he says, "Preach the word in season and out of season." Whether people come or don't come. Because that's where, it's the word of God that's living and active. Not the technique, not the organization, not some new discipleship program, not the friends around you, not a single pastor, not a group of leaders, not a particular generation, not a particular book of opinions, not experiences, not money.

That's not where fruit is. True fruit is when we truly abide in Christ. Truly abide in Christ. It is sharper than any two-edged sword. The two-edged sword that he's referring to is a combat sword. He's referring to the battle. And he said every single one of us is engaged in the spiritual battle.

And the word of God is the primary tool that he's given us. It is sharper than that. I don't want to sidetrack about, is there spirit and soul? Are they separate? Are we two? Are we three? I don't want to get into any of that. Dichotomous or trichotomous. Because I think in the end we missed the point because it's just a hyperbole to say how sharp and effective the word of God is.

And it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. That's exactly how the word of God was preached in the early church when Apostle Paul, without hesitation, in boldness, he begins to preach the same gospel that Jesus preached, and he begins to indict them that the author of life that you proclaim to worship, you killed him.

And he says this to the same people who crucified Christ, probably expecting that he's going to be crucified as well. I'm not going to fail my master twice. After he preaches, Acts 2.37-38, "Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart." They were cut to the heart.

"Their thoughts and intention was judged and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, what shall we do?' Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" The word for cut here in Hebrews 4.12 is to cut or agitate violently.

Violent agitation cutting. It's a word that is used in battle. When you're in hand-to-hand combat, you don't want a dull sword. You don't want a sword that is inappropriate. It's sharper than that. In Amos 8.11-12, it basically says in the end, after he has spread the word, he said when the famine comes, it's going to be famine of the word.

People are going to be staggering from place to place, wanting to hear from God, connect with God, but God's final judgment is the word will not be taught. So when the word goes forth and it begins to cut, it's God's grace. It's God's love being patient and drawing us to him.

2 Timothy 3.16, all scripture is inspired by God. God breathed, and it is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequately equipped for every good work. He is equipped for every good work. Every time something happens and it doesn't work and we're frustrated, we're always looking for new things.

But he said it's the word of God that is profitable, that's useful, for training a man in righteousness. For whatever the reason, we think in order to do missions, we have to learn anthropology, contextualization, we have to be able to maybe do a little bit of marketing, get a business degree, and know how to manage.

He says, no, it's the word of God. And again, there is a place for all of that stuff. But this is being applied by people who don't know the scripture. If you want to be equipped to do evangelism, if you want to be equipped to do evangelism, if you're not that familiar with the word of God, before you learn technique of how to answer apologetic questions, how to use verbal judo to take somebody who's asking these questions and flip them around and attack them with the word of God, before you learn all these techniques, if you're not familiar with the book of Leviticus, that's where you should start.

If you don't know what the book of Numbers is for, that's where you should start. The word of God says it's his word that is useful to rebuke, to train, that man of God may be thoroughly equipped, thoroughly equipped for every good work. You could have all the training in the world, all the technique, all the experience in the world, but the word of God is not in you.

You cannot bear fruit. But you take an individual who just-- the word of God is just overflowing in him. And I'm not talking about simply knowledge. I'm talking about his connection with the Father. You take an individual where the living water is just overflowing in him, you see what kind of evangelist he is.

See, when the Bible calls us to evangelize, it doesn't say go do witnessing. He says be a witness, to be a witness. If you're not witnessing God, of course, the only other option is to have technique. But you take an individual, no matter how old, no matter how young, when the living water is overflowing in him, just sit him on a plane with somebody.

See if he doesn't come out. You know, we're trying so hard to share the gospel with our children. When your heart is filled with the love of God, see if that conversation just doesn't happen. It overflows because that's what he loves. You know when somebody is like a crazy Lakers fan, crazy Lakers fan, like we know, we know.

We have somebody who loves Jeremy Lin like that at our church. You're laughing because you know who he is. He didn't have a plan. He didn't have a plan to let you know that that's what it was. He didn't have a flow chart of what he needs to do to get the word out.

He just is a fan. I'm a fan of Jeremy Lin, right? He's a little bit higher than me, right? He didn't have to try. Now, I'm just using that as an example. If you fall in love with Christ, you will become the best evangelist. You will become the best small group leader.

You will become the best teacher. When the word of God is overflowing in you, it is not technique that causes the fruit. It is the living water in you. It is the Christ in you who will bear witness through you. We, our natural tendency is to give credit to creation rather than the creator.

That is our natural tendency. So whenever something doesn't work, we think we need to do more. Instead of going back to what he said, "Am I abiding in Christ? Have I drifted away from him? Am I anchored in him? Is it because I haven't been anchored, why I sense this frustration?" The word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword.

It's the word of God that judges the thoughts and intentions of our heart. And then in verse 13, "And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do." If you read verse 13, you may look at that, and either it will cause you to feel anxious and suffocate it.

You know the word for open, "triclitzo," where we get the word "tracheotomy." Basically, you know the procedure when somebody can't breathe, and they puncture a hole, and then they make sure they breathe directly out. That's where the word comes from, "triclitzo." It's to be open, open so that they can breathe.

And then the word for laid bare, "gymnazzo," where we get the word "gymnasium." So today, when we think of gymnasium, we think of lifting weights and becoming healthy. But at that time, "gymnazzo" is basically where two athletes, male athletes, would come, and they would be completely naked. And that's where the word "naked" comes from.

And the reason why they're naked is because it was meant to be a pure competition. No tools, no clothing, nothing. It was just flesh to flesh that they would wrestle with no encumbrance. And that's the word that is used here, that before God, we are all open, and we are all bare.

Now, if we don't understand that in the context of what he is saying, we can hear that and say, "Wow, God, we're completely naked before God. How suffocating." Let me read Psalm 139 with you, up to verse 18. "How you receive this may be evidence of where you are with God right now." Psalm 139, if you guys know, it's about David who's proclaiming that God is omnipresent, and he's omnipotent.

In Psalm 139, verse 138, "O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it all.

You have enclosed me behind and before and laid your hand upon me." If he stopped right there, he knows everything. You can't hide from him. He knows even the words before I say it. He knows all of that. Who would want this? How suffocating. But that's not what David is saying.

If you look at verse 6, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is too high. I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from your spirit or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, where can I possibly run? But in verse 10, "Even there your hand will lead me and your right hand will lay hold of me." The point of this is like, no matter where I try to run, I can't hide from you.

It's suffocating. I mean, you would think that that's what he would say, but he doesn't say that. Everywhere I go, there he is. Even my words, he knows me better than myself. But after he said that, what does he say? "Because of that, I know that he will lead me." There is no place that I can go where God is too far to reach.

There is no thought. There is nothing that I've said. There is nothing I have done. There is nothing I will do. There is nothing that I'm doing now where God is not present. And so, if you are drifting and you don't care, it is very suffocating. Because he's basically saying you can't run from God.

The word of God will judge the thoughts and intentions of your heart. But if you hear his voice, no matter how far you have drifted, no matter what you have said, no matter what you have done, he says, "The Lord is there and he knows how to lead me." That's what Paul is saying.

The word of God is powerful enough. It is living and active. It is sharper than any double-edged sword. It is a source of comfort to him. Verse 11, "If I say, 'Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,' even the darkness is not dark to you, and the night is as bright as the day.

Darkness and light are like to you, for you form my inward parts. You wove me in my mother's womb." And his response, he breaks out in praise. "I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, and my soul knows it very well." He doesn't say, "Oh, I'm suffocating." See, when he was hiding his sin, and he was running from God, he felt this weight of his sin.

But as soon as he acknowledged it, and he came before God, and he repented, he said, "Where can I go? I try to hide, I try to run, but I realize that I can't run from you." And that's what brought him to repentance, and because of this repentance, he said, "Thank God you know how to lead me, even in my own deception.

Even though I try to deceive the whole world, the whole kingdom, as the king." And he probably even forgot himself, when the prophet was given an illustration of this evil man who took advantage of his servants. He said, "Who did this?" He deceived himself. And yet, when the word of God was given to him, God led him out of that.

And that's what's leading him to pray, "I will give thanks to you, Lord, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my uninformed substance, and in your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are your thoughts to me." What are his thoughts? His word. His word. He's Psalm chapter 1. He's a man who delights in the law of the Lord because he found rest in Christ. That no matter how far he tried to run from God, there he was.

No matter how far he tried to run, no matter what hole he crept into, there he was. And God delivered him from his sins. He delivered him from his own deception. Praise God. The rest that we have that God offers can only be found when we are near Christ.

You know, when you first get married--well, I'll start with the dating. Okay? When you first date, everybody puts their best foot forward. If the first date you go out and the guy comes out with sweatpants, just walk out. Because that's the best. That's the best. It's just going to go down from there.

This guy's making no effort whatsoever. So if he comes out to a date, he's presenting the best that he has. He brushes his teeth, does his hair, puts the best suit on, whatever it is, that he's going to come out and he's going to present the best. As you get comfortable, it's going to start creeping out.

You don't have the best hygiene, whatever it is, and your bodily fluids, and stuff like that comes out. So some of you who have been dating for a while, you've been holding it in for so long, but eventually it leaks out. You can't hide forever. Eventually it comes out.

So when you first get married, there's some nervousness. Because now you can't hide. Maybe you did a really good job. You held the gas in for long, but you're going to be living together. Some of you guys just didn't care right off the bat. You were comfortable from the beginning.

But if you did a good job, you went in. But you know that's not going to last. There's some nervousness. And not only that, I'm just using that as an example. But in your honeymoon stage, you're trying still. But eventually it's going to leak out. All your idiosyncrasies, all your bad habits, your hygiene, all of it is going to begin to leak out.

And there's this awkwardness of like, "Oh, my God, I didn't know that about her. I didn't know that about him." And you go through that. But after you've been married for a long period of time, there is nothing hidden. Where can I go when she's not there? She knows everything.

Esther knows. Even before I open my mouth, she starts to mimic my sermon. She knows. But there's a sense of comfort and rest in that. Because I don't need to prove myself to her. She doesn't need to prove herself to me. She knows all my weaknesses and failures. And I know all of hers.

And so we feel comfortable because we don't have to pretend. And I feel rest. That's what he means in Psalms. No matter where I go, we're not pretending before God. God already knows everything. He's not shocked by you. Whatever mistakes that you have made, however far you have drifted from God, past, present, or future, God knows all of that.

The reason why he came to die for us is because he knows you. He knows you. He knew what you were going to do. He knew that none of us could have made it by our own effort. And that's why he came to die. He didn't die so that we would no longer sin, even though that's what he calls us to do.

He knew we couldn't. So he made us righteous. And then he tells us to now do your best to live up to that. There is freedom in Christ. True freedom in Christ that you will not find in any relationship, any kind of security, in any kind of job, any kind of praise.

There's this living water that only Christ can give. There's a bread that only Christ can give. And that's what he is saying here. He says, "Do not drift, for the word of God is living and active. You cannot hide before God. Everything is bare. But there is freedom in that if we receive it and come to him." And so that is my prayer, and that is the exhortation of the author of the book of Hebrews.

Where are you? Are you one of those people who are working hard saying, "You know what? I need to at least be a B student. I need to at least be a C student before I can come to church and become a member or fellowship with these people. Or if I can be any kind of use to God, I need to at least make myself to be a B." The whole reason why God called us in the first place is because we could not.

Every single one of us is deserving of the judgment of God by our own righteousness. If you found yourself drifting, let me conclude with this one encouragement. It's probably one of the biggest epiphany that I had through the word of God. And for the sake of time, I'm not going to get into it.

But the only Christian who fails is the one who quits. Only Christian who fails is the one who quits. Because he already won the battle for us. Let's take some time to pray as we invite our worship team to come.