REST, ZION and the PROMISES of GOD

Luke 14:15-24 The Parable of the Banquet Guests
Hebrews 3:7-9 Issues of the Heart

Attending the Banquet/Feast---Entering HIS Rest---Entering Zion--- Entering into the Covenental Promises of God...   All these depend on the condition of the Heart!
If the heart is right , the feet will follow!
The Leading is always in Spirit!

Disobedience, rebellion, unbelief, distractions, fear... All these directly affect entering into the covenental promises of God. The problem has never been God's provision. He has always gone before His people to show them that the way is open.
Are there flooding waters along the way?   FOR SURE!
Indeed there are, but God's people are not overcome by death in the face of these floods. YHWH always goes before us to prepare the way. An open door is NOT the problem, the issue is always the people. It should have been a 30 day journey in the wilderness, but instead it was a 40 year journey, and now for Ephraim, it has been a 2500 year journey in wilderness.

This Word is for Us!... Today when you hear His voice, DO NOT harden your hearts as they did in the rebellion!

He's saying come out and be separate from them... Come join with those who are coming out and journey on with them on your way home.
The promises still hold true today!
He promised us that He would turn our hearts toward Zion when you are in your exile, and then He would come and get you and bring you home to Zion.
Today is the Day of Salvation!  Salvation is body, soul And Spirit!...This includes the Land and all the promises! Salvation includes the open door.
Will we have to search for it? FOR SURE!!!...  "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"
This requires an action. It is a doing!
In 'Hind's Feet', even Much Afraid on her journey at the precipice of injury, had to search for the way on the trail. The way was hidden, but it WAS there.
Maybe the way seems like the wrong direction at first, but this may indeed be appointed by the Shepherd.
Much of the grumbling and complaining in the wilderness had to do with "we're going the wrong way"..."This is taking us no-where" and many other such comments. But what was the issue here?
Unbelieving Hearts!  Flesh complains no matter what the circumstances!

The promises have NOT chnaged!. Many have gone before us and settled in the Land. Was there difficulty? Yes deffinitely!  Those faithful ones went and did it against seemingly impossible odds through out all of history.....For example facing the Turks, and all other empires who occupied the Land at those times...the way seemed impossible, but they knew that the LORD always goes before His people to make a way , so they did not let those enemies stop them. The promise is still there, and the way is still open for those who will. We just need to find it!
It is the time for whomsoever will... " I will take you one from a city and two from a family and I will bring you home to Zion".
" I am the Door"
"The way is narrow and hard to find"
"Seek and you will find"
"Knock and the door will be open"

He is the Door Home!   No-one should say the door is not open yet! If we knock, then He will open the way, the door will be open.
If you say the door is not open yet, then it will not be open for YOU.

Jeremiah Chapter 3 ( read)
Psalm 85 ( read)

Those who have ears to hear WILL hear, and those who have eyes to see WILL see. Those who are inclined to slumber, He will cause a deep sleep to fall on them.

In Hebrews ch. 3 the Word is about disobedience, and unbelief. He is saying that disobedience and unbelief will Never enter My Land.
So what has to change?  Unbelief has to become belief! Otherwise it is NOT going to happen!

This is a Bridal Call. The Issue is Faith!
Yes God is gracious towards us but grace alone doesn't save us. By grace are you saved THROUGH FAITH!  It is not the grace that saves you it is the Faith, and faith is walking forward with God NOT KNOWING what He will do next or even what you will do next, but it is trusting in God that He will show us along the way. Fatih is believing that He's got your back all along the way.
We can't just sit and wait for our unbelief to become belief. We have to DO something!
God's wrath is always spoken against unbelief. There is no sacrifice for unbelief.

Abraham's faith ( his belief) was counted to him as righteousness... Psalm 85:13 says righteousness goes before him and prepares a way for his footsteps.
In Mark 9:24 the man says " I believe, help my unbelief".  His belief was standing in the way and he knew that it was impossible to please God without it.
Unbelief is an issue with God! Without Faith it is impossible to please HIM  Heb 11:16
Just previously in the chapter in verses 13-15, the" Hall of Faithers" are listed and look what He now says... " these all had faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off...they were strangers and exiles on the earth. FOR PEOPLE WHO SPEAK THUS ( as they do with faith), make it clear that they too seek a country, and truly if they had been mindful of that country from which they had gone out, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN.

There is always that opportunity to return!  Those who believe have that same opportunity. The issue is believing in God and His promises!

If you think you are going home with unbelief , then you are crazy!.. In Luke the people who refused the invitation to the banquet didn't believe in something that God was doing with them. Something else was going on with the people, something else was more important, and they didn't enter becuase of their own unbelief.... Those in Luke had an invitation to come to the banquet, ( or the rest or the homeland or.....) they wanted to come but not right now, they all had other things that were more important, their hearts were turned to something else.

But this was NOT an unlimited invitation! The Word is TODAY...Today is the day of Salvation!   Today when you hear His voice...

Clearly the King was angry with those who refused to come at the appointed time when the invitation went out...He said" NONE OF THESE SHALL ENTER!"

When you receive the invitation to come...COME!
We pass up the opportunities when God presents them to us with words like..."It's not the Lord's timing",  It's not the Lord's will", or  " the Door isn't open yet"....If the invitation to come is there and the door is open than it is the Lord's will !
We are the ones who close the doors ! We are the Problem! The covenant was and is faultless but it was the people who God found fault with...  Heb 8:8
The problem with Israel in NOT the God of Israel, the problem is with the People of Israel.
We best figure this out now people, that we are the problem! The covenants are NOT contingent on the people...He passed through the pieces for us.!

If we can admi this, then we have to deal with our fear! Both sides of fear. Fear can go in all directions. Fear that we are not going to make it, fear that we will get left behind...etc... Much afraid feared that the Shepherd would leave without her...He addressed that fear with her, and told her,  "You were suppossed to be here when I called".
The problem is Fear and Unbelieving Hearts! Heb 3:10 " the people always go astray in their hearts"...Psalm 81 they rebelled and did not believe God, they wanted their own cravings, and He DID leave them out in the wilderness to die, but that was not His purpose for them, it was to bring them home, and had they trusted in His promises...in His provision, and in His leading, they would not have died in the wilderness.

Today when you hear His voice ( it cries in your heart)( according to Deut. 30 it is very near you in your heart and in your mouth), so Today when you hear His voice do NOT harden your hearts as they did in the wilderness and rebellion...an how many fell and died in the wilderness?

All through the chapter the issue is the heart, and unbelief, and rebellion, it will prevent you from dwelling in the promises and it will prevent you from entering into the promised land.

We have a choice. Choose this day whom you will serve...Fear or Faith...It's your choice...go astray in you hearts and perish in wilderness, or have faith and believe in the promises of your God and He will bring you Home!