This morning I shall be taken my text from the book of Hebrews chapter 4 verses 9 and 10. ‘There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his’. Yesterday, we’ve seen from the scriptures the entrance into the first rest for our soul designate for inner peace, assurance and confidence with God in Christ Jesus from the guilt, bondage and condemnation of sin. Today, we are considering another rest which is in the present tense for the people of God. It is sum up in these seven words – cease from works to enter into the rest. What works and rest? The rest is psychology, outward and physical, different from the first rest which is spiritual and inward. The scriptures cannot be broken; everything comes from within the man – the spiritual before the physical. This particular rest has to do with the prevention from those things that are causing sadness which Christ has borne on his own body on the tree or things we consider as reproach which are already fallen on him or our worrisome caused by special emphasis attached to something that is not needful (Luke 10:42) to bring some to suicidal thoughts and action, scandalous testimony of compromising godly lifestyles for the price of a dog or hire of an harlot (Deuteronomy 23:18) in pursuit after evil profits and riches and from many such things the gentiles labour and seek after to deprive themselves of the kingdom of heaven. Your personal interest and desire to enter into the first rest is indisputable for an optimum advantage for utmost benefit and possibility to access the second and additional rest. Christ, in his invitation to sinners spoke of two rests, namely, ‘I will give you rest, and you shall find rest for your soul. Let me simply put it this way that the Lord is saying that after you received his rest (pardon and peace with God) from the guilt, burden and condemnation of sin, you will then learn how to find rest for your soul from the outward and physical challenges that will definitely call forth as an emotion, feeling, or response against the rest for your soul. This additional second rest could only be found and entered into when we have not make an infringement against the first rest (for he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Hebrews 4:10). The first rest is for your spiritual peace with God and rest for your soul – the inner man, the certainty of eternal life. ‘These things have I written unto you that believes in the son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe in the son of God’. 1 John 5:13. To keep believing is to keep obeying and to remain strong and unyielding to pressure from Satan, flesh and the riches and cares of this world seeking to remove you from both rests. There shall be days of adversity from the storms of darkness and tsunamis of life showing up to take you out. Those days when you hope for good, but evil would come, and for light but darkness. Job 30:26. Sometimes, it is going to be a long dark hours of the night in your experience, though it is day, when your friends would scorned you, and the mountains around you carried into the midst of the sea, and the blast of the terrible ones unannounced strike on you as a storm against the wall with vehement and boisterous windblown to carry you away – will you take your stand and how? Will you keep (manage to remain calm and enter into the present additional rest) or lose (get angry and upset to sin by complaining or murmuring against or before the Lord) your cool and how? I say again that both rests are conditioned stimulus and they require humble cooperation with God in what he’s working to accomplish in your life. This cooperation is achievable by four out of the nine fruit of the Holy Ghost inside of you – faith, temperance, peace and longsuffering but through the discipline faculty of your ‘mental faith – though he slay me, yet I will trust him (mental faith manifested in behavioural attitude) but I will maintain mine own ways before him. Job 13:15. If you keep your head down before the Lord, though troubles may be in your life and around you, but you would be like Daniel sleeping (affording physical or mental rest) inside the den of lions enemy has thrown him, but was untouched and unharmed by the big cats because he trusted in his God. If you are not taking advantage of your full rest from the first rest provided for your soul through the knowledge and obedient walk to the word of God (come and learn of me, and take my yoke upon you, and you shall find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden light) you would be lacking the property of being physically and mentally strong or capable to enter into this additional rest and become vibrating with irregular palpitation instead of quietness in the body, soul and spirit. Why are you cast down oh my soul? Why are you disquieted (troubled, inner turmoil, discountenance and restless) within me? Hope (have faith – trust) you in God, for I shall yet praise him for help of his countenance. Psalms 42:5. It is the priority and responsibility of the Lord of peace himself to give you peace always by all means as long as the condition for the first peace deal with him is not breached. 2 Thessalonians 3:16.
You would be presenting and causing personal danger of eternal loss to the rest for your soul if great care (but as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. Psalms 73:2-3) is not taken against those sharp thorns of life set and shoot up to choke the seed of life in you to death. Mark 4:18-19. This is another scriptures revealing that once saved is not forever saved. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich (and Ephraim said, yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin. Hosea 12:8) fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 1Timothy 6:6-9. It is a great thing and the blessings without sorrow (as the partridge sits on eggs and hatchet them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days and at his end shall be a fool. Jeremiah17:11) if there is no pollution and uncleanness in all your labour and financial and materials profits before God. Jehovah never asks you to seek him in vain, but you should seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness – how to walk and please him and abide daily in his will. He will never forsakes the righteous nor leave his seed to beg for bread. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Psalms 92:12-15.                  
The second additional rest is meant for your outward, physical and mental tranquillity, safety and assurances from the provisions made available, required and necessary and ready for supply for your use (my God shall supply for all your need Philippians 4:19) for the pilgrim journey in the wilderness of this life to your spiritual Canaan of rest. Child-like spirit (Lord, my heart is not haughty; neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed – rested and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalms 131:1-2) and servant hood trust (unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwells in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us. Psalms 123:1-2) unto God to give what is good and when it is good in his sight without murmuring and taunting (yea, they spoke against God; they said, can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? Can he provide flesh for his people? Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation. So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; they were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. Psalms 78:19-22: 29-31) Jehovah-Jireh with unlimited power to provide is the approval of a blameless and harmless walk and the keys to unlock the chamber of this another rest for the people of God. ‘Be careful (desperation, agitation, nervous, deep unrest, emotional disorder and upset) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace (rest, serenity and state of stillness) of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-8.
Christ is the true rest – the true Sabbath. The Son of man is the Lord of Sabbath – rest. Once you’ve discovered that your true satisfaction, spiritual rest, and present physical and mental rest could only be found in your increasing deeper- personal relation in your walk and conversations with Christ by doing those things that are pleasing in his sight, irrespective of what is lacking or wanting in your life, you’ve come or arrive into a contended state of well –being and are energize to do all things through him that gives you strength. In him is your fruit found – in him is your help. Your strength and rest is to be still (rest in the Lord and wait quietly or patiently for him. Fret not yourself any wise to do evil) no matter the duress under which you may be from the enemy. The river of God is in you, constantly washing aside all the dirt thrown into it by the enemy. It is the stream of peace and calmness, the absence of mental stress or anxiety, despite the rage of the enemies. God is in you, and you shall not be moved. Jehovah God will help you and that right early. Be still (cease from fear, self- low esteem, and ungodly help etcetera) and know that he is God. You are not into God’s rest by keeping the Sabbath day holy (let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Colossians 2:16-17) or by going to church gatherings on Sundays (Matthew 28:1) as the first day of the week which Apostle John on the Island of Patmos made a remark that calls attention to as the Lord’s day (Revelation 1:10) though this is scriptural and good in itself for your edification, growth and spiritual care for one another as members of the same body – one man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regards the day, regards it unto the Lord; and he that regards not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he that eats not, to the Lord he eats not, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no man dies to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. Romans 14:5-9.
The bible declares that God rested on the seventh day of his work of creation – for he spoke in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, and God did rest on the seventh day from all his works. Hebrews 4:4. First, all which transpired in the Old Testament (the law was our school master to bring us to Christ. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus) were meant to prepare us for the New Testament for our perfect understanding of the fulfilment of the scriptures in Christ Jesus who has fulfilled the law and made it honourable. God commanded the Israelis to keep the Sabbath in commemoration of their deliverance as a ‘gifted special day’ and a symbol of rest from Egyptian’s slavery and oppression which is the summary and symbol of our rest from the present and future spiritual rest from the guilt, bondage and condemnation of sin. ‘And remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day’. Deuteronomy 5:15. Second, God would teach the children of Israel through the provision of manna he fed them with for forty years in the wilderness that true and lasting blessings with riches without sorrow comes from constant obedient and dependent on him who alone has the power to make rich or make poor – by physical strength or men’s wisdom shall no man prevail. ‘And thou shall remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in your heart, whether thou would keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knows not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Deuteronomy 8:2-3. Manna is a disciplinary and probation food – but how awfully they failed the test through different lusts and carnal desires and would not be content with such things as they have? Earlier was their self-centeredness, disobedient and covetous hearts exposed when they were instructed to gather an omer for every man, according to the number of their persons; for every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less. And when they did measure it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. Exodus 16: 16-18. How sooner than later the children of Israel did demonstrated Egyptian’s mentality an characters of slaves mediocrity in hoarding what was not meant to be kept till the following day? And Moses said, let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. Exodus 16:19-20. Unusually as of previous days, they were allowed to gather manna twice or double in quantity on the sixth day against the seventh day which is the Sabbath of God for rest and worship of God. They should prepare it for their consumption and enjoyment against the seventh day and none should go out on the seventh day to look for Manna; but nonetheless, many of the children of Israel went out to the field to seek for more Manna, much more than what God has prepared for them to have – seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better? And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, this is that which the Lord hath said, tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.  And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said eat that today; for today is a Sabbath unto the Lord: today ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.  And the Lord said unto Moses, how long refuse you to keep my commandments and my laws?  See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So, the people rested on the seventh day.  And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Exodus 16: 22-31.