Three Simple Questions
Notes
Transcript
Great to be here. Introduce self and talk about BBC briefly. Introduce Nolan. Left behind Rachel and the kids. Four wonderful children…and another kid. :) Children are a blessing from the Lord!
We sometimes refer to ourselves as “the frozen chosen.” Gets so cold (-40) we have to plug in our non-electric cars. Proudly tough to others, complain amongst ourselves. (You’ve probably heard Pastor Wellman say we have two seasons: winter and the 4th of July.) We are REALLY working on that global warming, let me tell you!
We’ve had over 120 consecutive days with temps below 40 degrees. But I acted by faith the other day, and put away my car plug! We’ll see if I need it before next winter. :)
It’s a blessing to be here on this Anniversary Sunday. This church has a special place in my heart, and I know it’s been a very difficult time. It’s my desire for God to minister to our hearts this morning through His Word.
PRAYER
Matt. 11:28-30
This morning, I’d like us to ask three simple questions about these verses: Who, How, and Why. May God speak to us with the answers.
I. The Invitation
I. The Invitation
“Come unto me.” What an invitation from God’s only begotten Son!
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Many people want to accuse God of being cruel or distant or uncaring, but He is the exact opposite. He sent His only begotten Son to DIE for sinners!
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
While Christ was on this earth, He invited sinners to come to Him. And He invites sinners still. But there’s a catch. (“I knew it!”) You have to meet the conditions.
II. Who Is Invited?
II. Who Is Invited?
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Who may come for rest? The answer is right here.
A. Ye that labor
A. Ye that labor
Labor: toil; become weary.
Life is hard. It wears you out. Many folks experience this toil every day, and they are very weary. Physical weariness is hard, but the solution is pretty simple. Mental and spiritual weariness is much more complicated; it can feel impossible to get rest from it! Have you ever felt like Solomon did when he wrote this in the book of Ecclesiastes?
For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
Yet man is born unto trouble,
As the sparks fly upward.
It can feel like everything is hard work; everything is resisting us. Do you feel this way? Then you meet the conditions. Christ is inviting you to come to Him.
B. Ye that are heavy laden
B. Ye that are heavy laden
Heavy laden: to load up; to overburden.
Have you ever felt like you’re carrying more than you can handle? Christ calls that condition, “heavy laden.” He pointed out one way to be heavy laden in Luke 11:46.
And he said,
Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
This occurred because of sin. Sin, and men’s efforts to atone for it, are heavy burdens!
For mine iniquities are gone over mine head:
As an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
We live in a sin-cursed and sin-polluted world. Pain and heartache are everywhere. And our lives become laborious and burdensome. But there is hope, friend. The Lord Jesus Christ invites us to come to Him!
III. How Can We Have This Rest?
III. How Can We Have This Rest?
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Satan lures people to sin with lies and empty promises. He is wicked and cruel, but God is not cruel or unloving. Jesus Christ tells us exactly what we need to know about His rest.
A. Take my yoke upon you
A. Take my yoke upon you
A yoke has a couple of meanings here.
1. Work and purpose
1. Work and purpose
It is a harness that binds two beasts of burden together. (A yoke of oxen.) What an invitation from the Creator! (John 1:1-3) We may come to Him, and volunteer to take on His work and His purpose for our lives. What a wonderful “coworker” to have!! In Christ, we may have an eternal purpose in life that is a great comfort.
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
2. A sign of servitude and belonging
2. A sign of servitude and belonging
Servants in Bible times wore a yoke to show that they were servants. It also identified them with their master. As I say this, some may ask, “Why would I come to Christ in order to become His slave? I thought we were talking about getting rest!” There are a few reasons why this would be attractive:
If you labor and are heavy laden, whatever “freedom” you think you have isn’t helping you much
You’re already a servant to something.
John 8:32-36
A kind and loving master makes the job much easier
A difficult boss can turn enjoyable work into a miserable job, and a great boss can make hard job almost fun. Christ is the best Master you will ever know!
B. Learn of me
B. Learn of me
“Learn from me.” When you come to Christ, you will need to submit to a new Teacher. He will teach you about Himself, about His Father, and about His love. He will teach you His holiness, His mercy, and His grace. He will show you His power, His longsuffering, and His sacrifice. He will change you, and you will become like Him. Specifically in this verse, we see that He will teach you to become meek and lowly in heart…just like Him. (If meekness and lowliness are good enough for the Son of God, it ought to be good enough for us!)
C. Ye SHALL find rest unto your souls
C. Ye SHALL find rest unto your souls
In verse 28, we see, “I WILL give you rest.” That is His will, His desire. But it’s contingent on you coming to Him. In verse 29, we see, “Ye SHALL find rest...” If you come to Him, rest is guaranteed; it’s a promise. And this rest will settle in your soul. Bodily rest wears off quickly, as does mental rest. But soul rest—that can sustain us when our minds and bodies are worn out! Only God can give us rest in our souls. Wealth cannot do it, leisure cannot, relationships and worldly pleasures cannot. Only Christ can give you rest in your soul. Are you missing that today?
IV. Why Does This Bring Rest?
IV. Why Does This Bring Rest?
You might be thinking, “This is a tough sell. How does Christ’s yoke, and meekness and lowliness, bring rest?” He tells us.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
A. His yoke is easy
A. His yoke is easy
Easy: kind; gracious; good.
A benevolent master understands his servants’ limitations. He values his servants’ wellbeing. He doesn’t expect something that they can never produce. And Christ is all that, and more. He doesn’t promise “Easy Street,” but as we serve Him, He promises grace, love, goodness, and more. He loves us with an everlasting and perfect love!
The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying,
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:
Therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Earlier we read John 3:16. That is the greatest love that one may have!
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Christ did this and more. Know this, friend: you will find no master that is more loving and gracious than Jesus Christ. His is an easy yoke.
B. His burden is light
B. His burden is light
Light: insignificant; minor; nimble.
Remember that Christ is inviting those who are toiling under heavy burdens? He has a yoke and a burden to give you in exchange, but His burden is a light one. It is minor and insignificant; you’ll almost forget it is there.
Luke 18:9-14
You know what’s hard? Trusting in yourself for earning God’s favor. It’s much easier to rest in God’s forgiveness and justification.
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
V. Who May Come?
V. Who May Come?
A. The lost
A. The lost
If you have never come to Christ, you cannot imagine the rest He has for you! He designed you to know and love and live for Him, and until you do, you will not be fulfilled and joyful and at rest. You cannot know peace until you know the Prince of Peace.
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
B. The wayward
B. The wayward
Perhaps you came to Christ in salvation, but you have forsaken Him and the truth for a time. You have been doing what YOU want to do. I expect you have found it is a laborious and burdensome life! Christ is calling you to come to Him for rest.
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
C. The hungry
C. The hungry
Perhaps you would say, “I came to Christ years ago, and I’ve never left! I’ve never wandered away.” Praise the Lord! However, there is always more for us to learn from Him and about Him. I will have been saved for 30 years in July, and I need His presence and His rest every day of my life.
We may easily become content with our spiritual progress, and begin living in the strength of the flesh. When that begins, we start to labor and become heavy laden. Christ wants to give us rest.
John 15:1-8
In other words…the undeserving may come, and He will give you rest. We cannot earn His rest; we cannot manufacture it. We may only have it when He gives it…and He is inviting us to come, so that He can give it to us.
Won’t you come to Him? He’ll take your labor and heavy burden, and give you rest instead. And that’s a trade we’ll never regret making!