Sunday Evening Worship Service | 3-12-23
by Anthony McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Mark 2:28, Hebrews 4:3, Genesis 2:2, 1 Corinthians 15:19, Revelation 14:13, Revelation 21:4, Isaiah 28:11-12

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/anthony-mccool--sunday-evening-worship-service-143
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

------------------------------------------------------------
when we give him praise and worship and offer him things after he has done something that's gratitude and there's nothing wrong with that but as the praise team just saying we need a miracle when we praise him and we worship Him and we call on his name Jesus with great expectation before he does something that's called faith invite you just for a moment on the onset of this sermon whatever it is you have need of as Pastor McCool said this is the atmosphere for a miracle to take place whatever you have need of declaring a miracle by calling on the name of Jesus could you worship Him and proactively praise him for what he is going to do what would your praise look like if the miracle already took place how loud would you shout his name if he already gave you the provision how loud would you clap your hands if he already made the way when there was no way Jesus for just a moment we give you the glory father we give you the glory tonight yes Jesus yes Jesus Lord we lift up your name keep that same Spirit as you make your way back to your seats it's the highest honor and privilege to minister to the greatest congregation on the face of this Earth and I love each and every one of you I want to give a special happy birthday to my cousin [name redacted] let's give her a great big hand happy 15th Birthday and I I can't go a service without saying thank you to the praise team to the Musicians to the choir to all of our technical staff to greeters ushers Sunday school teachers every single capacity that has that operates on Sunday just all of these different faculties operating together and I I thank you thank you for setting the atmosphere for God's presence to be with us and his presence is here and miracles can take place tonight and I believe that in the name of Jesus two verses of scripture for you first one mark 2 28 and Hebrews 4 and 3 and if you would stand for the reading of God's word [Music] Mark 2 28 States therefore the son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath Hebrews 4 3. for we which have believed do enter into rest as he said as the prophets Joel Amos Zechariah used the current calamities the events of their day to invite people of a time of that time to an event taking place [Music] with these prophets particularly they use the calamities of the day to talk about the end of days the returning of Christ don't think me tonight exploiting the season that we are in no my sermon is not about any apocalyptic speculation concerning the end of days but it does coincide with it being spring break and a holiday so with that being said I give you my title tonight that God promises rest God promises rest if you would pray with me and help me pray over this sermon mighty God we thank you tonight Lord we thank you for what you have already done and we thank you for what you are doing right now Lord you know every need that is in this house father you know all the details your word tells us that you have the hairs on our head numbered and Lord we know the very same power that created this world is the same power that's alive in every situation that we lift up to you Lord as the praise team sang and we communally acknowledge that you are the deliverer and we give you glory we declare miracles to take place in this house tonight we thank you and we praise you in Jesus name we pray before you're seated won't you give him a hand clap of praise yes Jesus thank you thank you you can be seated God promises rest this is probably just a very ecumenical sermon probably the most non-controversial topic that I have ever preached before you could probably find any individual and say hey I agree with that statement I need rest and I'm going to intertwine you know the great debate throughout history of faith and reason in inc.com entitled a day of rest 12 scientific reasons it works number one No Time Out reduces stress oh yeah the National Institute for occupational safety and health reports in a CDC publication that stress levels at work at higher than ever than Health Care expenditures are nearly 50 percent greater for workers who report high levels of stress and stress creates Havoc with our physical and emotional health a growing body of evidence shows that skipping breaks can lead to stress and exhaustion number two time out gives you a chance to move to get out to exercise to get that blood pumping number three completely divesting from your work on a regular basis reduces inflammation and the risk of heart disease probably piggybacking off of that last scientific reason number four getting away from work boosts your immune system chronic stress also depresses your immune system and conversely adequate sleep and exercise of two of the four Essentials of boosting your immune system so take advantage at states of your weekends for extended R and are number five speaking of sleek you'll do it better during time out of work time off helps sleep time off helps sleep disrupting Habits Like checking your cell phone before bed number six your active time off adds years to your life and we can all think of those people that man they're going to live for a long long long time number seven taking regular time away from work restores mental energy you probably know that just from your own experience science supports your intuition studies show that people who do not know how to detach from work during their off-time experience increased exhaustion over the course of years and this just accumulates and snowballs over their career number eight when you take time out for yourself you're more creative number nine you're also more productive when you take time out number ten you'll focus better at work if you take your weekly Rejuvenation time a 2008 University of Illinois study shows that all work and no play dramatically reduces focus on your productivity number 11 your day off will improve your short-term memory and number 12 with regular time away from work you might even love your job again in a recent Harvard Business review article it states the first recommendation for restoring passion about work is to take a time out in athletics in football though there is an off season in the midst of the Season teams will have a bye week and idle weaken a week of rest to rejuvenate if a player is banged up from the battles this gives them some time to get healed up there's been a lot of question and debate in the NFL because they have Thursday night games and this is a great marketer for the league and it draws a lot of viewers but unlike Monday night which is right next to Sunday night Thursday night games the teams will either have their bye week before or after that and though the team gets a lot of notoriety they could have a real short three to four day turnaround and in football that's so taxing on the physical body it's not oftentimes enough time to heal up in baseball they play many more games than football due to the nature of the physical Demand on the body however the pitcher has a particular pitch count or can only pitch so many innings and for this reason there must be a rotation and a bullpen of pictures that collectively work together throughout the season because there is such demand and strain on the arm and after a pitcher throws so many pitches the arm has to rest and heal and basketball again a lot of debate even in the NBA right now with what is now called load management and this is a strategy by the players to rest key players due to the load of games of an 82 Game season and this aspires to keep players fresh during the playoffs or if the team is making a final run and while this seems reasonable if you packed up your family and bought tickets and flew to see your favorite team only to hear on the loudspeaker before tip-off that your favorite player was not playing in that game and in academics this week and the weeks kind of book ended around this time there is spring break a holiday a time to rest from all of the rigorous studying from the test taking from the exams from teachers and students that are with each other non-stop every day and it's just a Time of break and an intermission a half time if you will this imperativeness on rest is not a New Concept and there's little surprise that science backs up this lifestyle necessity it is important though in our Christian walk as we live communally as those who have the name of Jesus apply to our lives to understand the true context and meaning of the word rest and the great promise that our savior gives to us yes we look to the tremendous promise of rest to come in our Heavenly home but we cannot Overlook the present benefits and Promises available in this life between salvation and death or the rapture sister Olivia Hill who's a nutrition coach I want to read an excerpt from a post that she made regarding being prepared for Revival she states when people ask me why why nutrition why so Health focused isn't that vain this is my biggest reason my driving force which I'm fully aware doesn't line up with many in my field but I'm concerned with his field for there is a harvest and it's growing and she asked the question are you physically capable of getting into the field are you so sleep deprived that brain fog keeps you from remembering new members names are you so stressed out that you have nothing to give she said the last thing I want is for Revival to pass me by or you by or my kids by or your kids buy due to neglecting this vessel we have been given to Stewart it's my life's calling to equip you physically for Revival in your home in your church in your community because there is a harvest into sister Olivia I say Amen and there is a great rest available to every Christian now and for the future rest is a desired state but an elusive term indeed to define various Concepts Prevail as to what constitutes rest in the natural realm but when considered from a Biblical perspective one finds a variety of applications to God to the church and to us as individual Believers as Pastor McCool so eloquently preached to us this morning yes we believe in coming together and lifting up the name of Jesus but we only do this on Sunday morning and Sunday night and Wednesday evening and yes there are other events but the daily walk of the Christian the Monday that is going to come keeping our bodies ready and prepared for the Harvest the concepts of rest is presented in five different aspects in the New Testament using three different Greek terms in Hebrews chapter 4 alone those words are first catapausis which means Repose or abode using this term Repose in a sentence the diamond now reposes in the Louvre it's not just resting somewhere in an insecure environment it's not somewhere by happenstance but this diamond has all of the protection and security that one of the most famous and well-funded museums has to offer number two catapau which means to cease or settle down for something that is in motion stop and number three sabatismos which this is the derivation from the word that we get Sabbath there is a rest that has been provided for the church which we now have in possession and which we shall Hereafter receive the writer of Hebrews was greatly concerned with the presentation of the superiority of the Christian faith not from an arrogant standpoint but the life over just simply being a keeper of the law there is an extensive list of things considered better under Christ and his grace than under Moses and the law and among those Provisions is the amplification and extinct extension of the concept of rest so number one Sabbath rest in the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth and from this original act God moved in a creative fashion and he spoke the world's vegetation animals Seas stars and everything else except man into existence he formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and Man became a living soul this was all accomplished in the span of six days Genesis 2 and 2 says and on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made and he rested on the seventh day from all the work which he had made fatigue was no factor for God's rest exhaustion was not involved these are the common causes for the human call for rest but the rest of which God partook was the pause after the completion of a task God's Sabbath rest which followed creation also provided an example to man and was an invitation to man of the necessity and the permission for rest for he said it was good this term good in the Hebrew t-o-v Tove means yes good as we understand him absent of evil pure but it also had a little bit more context to it as well it also meant a system of function when he created there were laws put in place there were functions that were put in place to create a system and likewise we as humans in his creation we require rest to function at our highest level health and well-being depend upon man and woman's ability to have times and seasons of rest for the restoration of their mind and body and everybody is saying hey man I've never heard such good preaching but rest must be based on work God's rest was the crown of his own work and if we are to enter into rest it must be on the ground of some accomplished work we rest from our own work to rest in God's the morally applicable Story Goes that two Lumberjacks worked side by side chopping down trees together every single day however one Lumberjack Works non-stop without taking a break whereas the other takes an hour-long break each afternoon despite working for less time and both Lumberjacks inevitably choose the same number of trees to cut down each day possible The Lumberjack who works all day long asked the other how he manages just to chop down as many as he does while still yet taking a break to this he responds it's simple I spend that hour each day sharpening my ax yes also we must sharpen our action Kindle the flame inside of us to prevent burnout and this is the aspiration in our Humanity with Sabbath rest and to acknowledge that we rest from what we are doing to rest in the world he created the second type of rest was the rest for Israel when God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt it was so that he could lead them to a land of promise a land that he called them to but they also had to have faith and trust and do some things on their own it's been said that God is going to promise you a a land that's flowing with milk and honey but you've got to be able to knock down the beehives and milk the cow each morning and this is the type of rest God was providing them with they had to have faith to walk and there was dramatic Deliverance a miraculous Provisions Divine patience they wondered because of their unbelief and there was struggle but God still provided as they had Faith the Jordan was crossed and they reached the land that was promised to them cities they did not build Vineyards they did not plant houses they did not construct many beautiful wonderful blessings from the land that the Lord had awaited them this is not to say possessing the land however was not is going to be an adventure of complacency but this type of rest in the New Testament specifically Hebrews chapter 4 is talking about the rest when you've TR finally reached or accomplished a goal obviously there would still be battles obviously there would still be struggles l-i-f-e it's a terrible disease that plagues us all but the difference here is there was a comfort and a consolation and a rest that they were now possessing what would be theirs and this possession could be passed on to their children they had a land now they were no longer wonders but they had their own land that they could cultivate and they had built up security they they didn't wake up the next morning wondering where they were going to go they they had this security and they were now able to rest in this land that they had and the rest found in the New Testament and this context is talking about rest that we find through our accomplishments in this life our our house of worship it's it's been here 60 years I'm I'm not really concerned I don't wonder when I wake up in the morning if there's going to be church next Sunday or I don't wonder if there's going to be Bible study Wednesday night uh six months from now I don't think Pastor is going to get up and start preaching a another kind of Doctrine to you or or or or a year from now I don't think the church is going to be preaching a different interpretation or new revelation that's more palatable to the masses but there is a security in this long-standing church and I I have rest I have peace of mind that's not to say there's not struggles that doesn't mean that there aren't battles that we face but I have rest knowing that I have a solid place of worship and a great group of Give the Lord a hand for that a place of of worship a social system Security in knowing I have family and and friends and and resources I I have a home I have land I maybe it's Financial Peace maybe this rest in the context of your life is your 401k you know uh 10 years from now when you retire that you're going to be you know well set could there be an anomaly and something happened economically that could prevent you from having what you thought you would certainly that's not to say that these things couldn't potentially happen but it's the rest in answering the questions of the uncertainty of Life the best we can through our own talents and abilities yes with God's help it's a type of equity maybe you have an Arsenal at home and this is where you find your security and you rest with one eye open maybe Pastor Dean Livingston preached a sermon from the following story he said a young man applied for a job as a farm hand and when the farmer asked for his qualifications he said I can sleep on a stormy night the puzzled farmer he liked the young man so he hired him a few weeks later the farmer and his wife were awakened in the Night by a violent storm ripping through the valley he leapt out of the bed and called for his new Hired Hand but the young man was resting soundly so they quickly began to check things to see if it was all secure they found the shutters of The Farmhouse had already been securely fastened there were always there was already a good supply of logs by the fireplace the farmer and his wife went out to inspect the property and they found that the farm tools had been already placed in the stewards said in the safe from the elements and it seemed in all the bells of Wheat and hay had been bound and wrapped in tarp the tractor was already inside the garage the barn was properly locked tight even the animals were calm and had plenty of feed all was well the farmer then understood the meaning of this young man's words that I can sleep and I can rest on a stormy night because I have prepared in advance for what could take place in my life so this is the second context of rest as we understand it in Hebrews chapter 4 particularly but in the New Testament as a whole number three there is Rest In Christ are key text highlights the rest portrayed in the book of Hebrews it's a present rest that comes with the acceptance of Jesus Christ and his provision for dealing with sin and its judgments the writer of Hebrews States we which have believed to enter into rest we recognize afresh that our Salvation is not contingent upon our ability our Salvation is not contingent Upon Our Purity or our works it's predicated solely upon the sacrificial work of the Lamb of calvary we therefore who believe have entered into Rest by the Lord's work of Salvation resting assured being ready to meet our savior when he returns knowing that when we repent and turn away from our sins and we go down in his name in the name of Jesus that we're not automatically just uh trans transportated and I was trying to think of a cool word but transportated that that'd be a good one transported even better transported into heaven there is still a journey no we do we sin after we get baptized we try not to but I think it would be a very bold statement and perhaps a lie if you said you never had after you were baptized but we find rest in his name knowing as the Apostle Paul said that I have to die out daily My Flesh has to be hammered to that altar every single day that I can come before his throne of grace with boldness knowing that I can say Mighty God I thank you Lord please cleanse my heart please forgive me of my sins and I have an assurance and I have Rest In My Mind that I have entered into Covenant with him and he provides me with rest number four the future Eternal rest I don't know if I've ever been to a more beautiful service than this past Sunday evening with the celebration of life service for brother Roger Davis it was one of those times that you just you felt so lucky as all of us do to know him and to to be a part of something do we feel sorrow and pain absolutely but to be able to celebrate a life knowing that there is going to be a day when we're going to be reunited knowing that whatever hardships that brother Roger had suffered in this life that it was all wiped away for an eternal rest and so much of our Christian thought and hope deal with our future rest First Corinthians 15 19 States if in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable for there is a hope for rest Beyond this Earthly existence and experience and the Book of Revelation John recorded many vital statements concerning the life that is yet future 14 13 of Revelation he said and I Heard a Voice from Heaven saying unto me right blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yay you're the spirit that they may rest from their labors and their Works do follow them 21-4 and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away Charles Spurgeon gave the following description of the conditions that shall exist for the Christian Life that is yet to be he said o weary Sons and Daughters of Adam you will not have to drive the plowshare into the unthinkable soil of Heaven in heaven you will not need to rise to daily toil before the sun hath risen and labor still when the sun hath long ago gone to his rest but ye shall be still he shall be quiet ye shall rest yourselves toil trouble travel and labor our Words that cannot be spelled or arranged in heaven they have no such things there for they are always going to rest and whatever sorrow that you feel in this life whatever pain you experience in this life whatever tears you are currently crying and know you're going to continually cry over a lost loved one there is going to be a day when there is eternal rest and every tear shall be wiped away give the Lord a hand clap for that for that is our hope and that's our fourth understanding of rest and if the praise team and musicians would come forward finally to our fifth understanding of rest and Pastor McCool already preached my sermon this morning but he said that's confirmation I said that's easy for you to say you've already preached but I I'm grateful because usually when him and Pastor Whitley or Bishop they get up here and they always do that but when I usually when I'm preaching if they're preaching about holding on I get up that night and preach about letting go or if they if they if they preach about being still I preach about moving or or now is the time and then I get up and preach about waiting so this time we are in harmony uh can I just obviously kind of but the fifth interpretation of rest in the New Testament in Hebrews chapter 4 specifically is rest in the Holy Ghost Isaiah prophesied that there would be a sign given to men from God and experience described as rest for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to his people to whom he said this is the rest wherewithal he may cause the weary to rest and this is the refreshing when a person receives the Holy Ghost he or she now has the spirit of almighty God residing inside of them working on their behalf advocating the word of God says for things that they did not that you and I do not even know that we needed to pray for and moving in harmony with the choir song what is the name of the father Jesus what is the name of the son Jesus what is the name of the Holy Ghost Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus God was and is the creator okay God was and is the sustainer God was and is the judge of the world God is also the comforter for the Holy Ghost is Christ in you the hope of glory with his spirit in our possession God becomes the presence of consummate peace in our lives the prince of peace and absolute rest on this day [Applause] there is tremendous consolation in times of conflict to know that we have an adequate resource to handle that difficulty yes we talk about rest in a time to come yes we talk about rest in our physical bodies which we absolutely need yes we talk about rest and absence from our careers in our daily toils but today one of the most important forms of rest and which I would say the most important form of rest that leads us to our Heavenly Home is the rest that we have to have to do the job on this Earth and that rest is the Holy Ghost for some reason when I came in here tonight I thought I came into a Pentecostal Church for the rest I am talking about is the same power that created this world the rest I am talking about is the power that parted the Red Sea and made a way when there was no way the rest I'm talking about has the power to defeat a giant that steps on to your territory I'm talking about arrest of a redeemer foretold and just remained standing I'm talking about a rest of the word becoming flesh I'm talking about a rest that is Miracles when the Physicians had tried every single thing they could but there was a rest when she just fought through the crowd and touched the Hem of His Garment you talk about arrest you talk about a miracle you talk about giving glory to my redeemer and my receiver Jesus Christ every single option had been exhausted every single Financial resource had been thrown at to try to get a cure there was rest when she touched the Hem of His Garment I'm talking about rest when the storm of Life comes even though that you're a follower of Christ even though you claim to have him on your boat I'm talking about a storm that's still going to wage rage and you think it's going to take your life but you talk about rest when he's on your ship and you say Jesus I I'm a follower of you you're on my boat but I need you to I need you to wake up right now I need you to I need you to do something right now in this situation and as the as the piano plays I asked for a specific song tonight because when we get into his presence there is a rest and that rest encompasses anything that you have need of whatever Miracle whatever type of provision whatever reconciliation in a relationship that is the rest that the Holy Ghost provides I'm talking about a rest there in prayer Pastor said by his stripes we are healed [Music] a rest that the Savior that we served conquered the grave Resurrected from the grave and that same Jesus that same power that Rose him from the grave is the same power that is at your disposal that is at and in each inside of one of us so I want to provide an invitation tonight and let me say this before I give this invitation to the altar one of the greatest concerns that I have is that there would ever be a stigma around this altar this altar is for every single person every single time if you have the name of Jesus on your life there should be another time that you don't want to just get into his presence so I want to give you an invitation right now if you need rest in a certain situation maybe you need some answers in an uncertain environment maybe you need some rest when you've become weary over a situation maybe there is a financial need that you're needing that peace that passeth understanding maybe there's a relationship in your life that sure needed God to intervene the storms of life have just raged and you're a follower of Christ but you say Jesus Jesus I need that rest right now I need that rest right now as the praise team begins to sing I want you to lift up your hands tonight and listen to the words that they sing to you and let yourself find rest for your soul tonight and I believe the comforter is in the room and he is going to move that same Jesus that same power is inside of you in the glory just sit with these words yes Jesus [Music] for my soul would you lift your hands right now and then [Music] I find peace oh Jesus Jesus makes me entertain his presence would you entertain his presence why not ask him to heal right now why not bring it before him right now with boldness to it right now who knows the desires of your heart right now in the name of yours [Music] I love in the glory of his presence I'd find red would you find rest right now for my soul [Music] [Music] I find Kings makes people sing those words your presence [Music] we need you to say peace be still tonight myself I love your presence in my spirit I feel that maybe somebody under the sound of my voice maybe because of a mistake or maybe because of some things that the enemy's been lying into your ear that you you feel like you can't completely step into his presence I want you to know that that is an absolute Lie from the enemy when we come before his throne of grace we come with boldness boldness doesn't mean arrogance as Pastor told us this morning it doesn't mean that we're boorish it means that we come with a humble contrite heart believing that we serve a God so powerful that he can meet our need on this day and I want to remind each and every one of you that when Jesus conquered the grave when he was resurrected and then he revealed himself to his disciples a couple of them didn't believe him at first but he said fill these scars and that is so important to note because in our human Minds in our Humanity we would think that the resurrected glorified body of Jesus would be absent of any of the pain or the scars of this world yet we see the glorified body of Jesus saying hey these scars right here are the proof that a healing took place these scars these wounds right here that are now healed are proof that I conquered the grave so I want to ask you right now as a community of Believers if you would join up with one another oh okay because this is one body You're Not absent by yourself this is one body and each and every one of us have scars and Jesus said I'm giving you this invitation unto me you take on my name the very same power that created this world the third very same power that Rose from the grave is the same Jesus the Same Miracle working power the same creative power out of chaos is the same power that's alive and I want us just to lift our voices to heaven right now and let that rest just sit upon each and one of us right now would you pray yes Jesus that's the Holy Ghost that's the Holy Ghost with stammering lips he's going to speak to his people he's going to provide a refreshing oh yes yes Jesus yes Jesus give him peace right now give him peace right now