HELP IS STILL AVAILABLE!
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Text:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Dealing with the text:
This 11th chapter of Matthew deals with Jesus departing to preach in their cities (verse 1). In the previous chapter, chapter 10, Jesus gave the 12 apostles (before they received the Holy Ghost) power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Jesus gave them power.
You need to understand here that power doesn’t come from you.
It doesn’t come from how much word you know, doesn’t come from how long you been in church, does not come from a position you hold.
Power doesn’t come from how holy you think you are.
Power comes from God, authority.......this is what the scriptures says....it comes from God. And if God did not authorize you.....then it doesn’t matter how much you holler, speak in tongues, shout......it won’t come to pass.
Why does Jesus give them this power?
Verse 7 of chapter 10 says:
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
Mark 6:12 states:
And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
So they preached that in order to experience the kingdom of Heaven, men (humankind) should repent.
I find it interesting that in the original language, in particularly, the Textus Receptus which the KJV was translated from does not contain the word “should”. Meaning, that this was not an optional thing, the apostles preached simply “Repent”......there was no in between discussion, there was no suggestive dialogue here.......just REPENT!
Cont.
So now chapter 11 verse 1 pickups with after Jesus commanding his twelve disciples, to go throughout all Israel and preach “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” and “Repentance” that Jesus himself departs to teach (and I note) “in their cities”.
I looked at this and said “hmmmm very interesting”. I asked why would Jesus send the twelve out to all of Israel but he himself circle back around and preach in their cities? Then the Holy Ghost reminded me:
But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
Luke 4:24 says it in a better way that we may understand:
And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
Sometimes for a preacher, the hardest place to preach is to preach at home.
But I received a revelation from this:
Watch this:
Jesus was not going to give them something they couldn’t handle. I need to repeat that:
Jesus was not going to give them something they could not handle. He was going to give them something that would cause their spirits to be broken. They need to achieve success (before they received the Holy Ghost) so that after they really received Power......they could be unstoppable!!!
So when the rejection comes, so when the trials and persecution come, they would realize that we have the power to be successful!
TAKE HOME:
And saints of God I need for you to understand, that if you trust God that God is not going to put you in something that is going to break you! He’s not going to put you in something that you can’t handle!
Encourage your neighbor and tell them “Neighbor....whatever you’re going through.....God says......you can handle it!”
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the LORD!
THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU CAN’T HANDLE......YOU’VE GOT TO LET THE LORD HANDLE IT!!! THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS CAN’T HANDLE......YOU GOTTA LET THE LORD HANDLE IT.......THERE ARE SOME THINGS THE DOCTORS CAN’T HANDLE......YOU’VE GOT TO LET GOD HANDLE IT!!! THERE ARE SOME THINGS THE LAWYERS CAN’T HANDLE.....YOU JUST GOTTA GIVE IT TO GOD AND LET HIM HANDLE IT!!!!!
The disciples, wouldn’t have been able to minister in there hometowns because they would’ve folded like a church chair. They would’ve been discouraged, they would have given up had that took that assignment......but Jesus said “Let me take it”.
Did you hear what I said this morning “Jesus SAID.....LET ME TAKE THAT OFF OF YOU!!!!”
I believe there is going to be a release in here this morning!!!!
LET’s SHIFT to the Remainder of the Text:
And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
A couple of things here:
John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus......John is in prison right before he is executed.
John had been preaching about the Messiah, and he sends a message to Jesus “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another.”
Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
You see it with your own eyes.
The blind receive their sight
The lame walk
The lepers are cleansed
The deaf hear
The dead are raised up
And the poor have the gospel (good news) preached to them.
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Right now.....you ought to thank God you have sight, you ought to thank God you can walk, you ought to thank God you don’t have a disease that could cut you off from society, you ought to thank God you have ears to hear, you ought to thank God that you are alive.
We don’t fit any of those categories.
But the last two we did and we do:
Did- past tense. The poor have the gospel preached to them. That could be present-tense too.
The poor in Spirit. Those who have no strength, those who are discouraged in spirit, those who have not the spirit (there are many ways to look at this scripture) those who are not saved.
You can have everything in the world, you can have these worldly goods, and you can have all the money and not have to ever worry about anything and be just as poor as a person living in a stick hut. Why?
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Because when you have Jesus you have everything!!!! When you get the spiritual things that God has for you it exceeds any earthly possession that you may have because the things of God are ETERNAL!!!
Find someone you haven’t spoke to this morning, tell them......I don’t have a lot of money, don’t have a fancy car, don’t have the finest clothes........but I got Jesus......and because I have Jesus I have everything......because HE IS MY EVERYTHING!!!
Are there any saved folk in here this morning that are glad that God saved you from spiritual poverty!!! I was full of sin but God saved me......we can shout and rejoice off of a lot of things, but can we take a moment to thank God for saving us and rescuing us from spiritual poverty!?!? Thank God he sent His word and He healed me.....thank God he sent His word, both literal and figurative! He sent Jesus, Jesus is the word......and when we heard the preaching of the gospel......IT SAVED OUR LIVES!!!
Then Jesus says “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”
There is no repugnance towards Jesus, we won’t shrink back or turn away from the LORD. Not embarrassed about Jesus, not embarrassed to speak on his name or to proclaim Him.
You want to know the key to happiness in your life.....the key to living the blessed life! Don’t be offended in Him!!!! Don’t turn away from Him.....turn to Him!
CONTINUE WITH TEXT:
So after Jesus tells John’s disciples this....we notice that in the background a crowd has assembled. Maybe they came to hear what Jesus reply would be to John’s disciples.
There were some that were skeptical about John The Baptist’s ministry. But Jesus assured them in verse 10 that John was the one that the prophets had foretold about that would prepare the way for the Messiah.
Jesus then says in verse 12:
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
John had been preaching about the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of heaven was (also is) advancing, yet violent people take it by force......not meaning possessing it but attacking it. It is the same today.....the church is being attacked in every way imaginable.
THE FACT IN THE REST OF THIS TEXT IS THAT JESUS IS DEALING WITH A BUNCH OF UNBELIEVERS. They didn’t believe John.....and John was getting ready to die. Many did not believe Jesus and Jesus was going to die. They were not going to believe the apostles and the apostles were going to die. They were not going to believe the saints.....and many of the saints in the early church were going to die.
So now we arrive at verse 20:
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
Jesus had done many mighty works but they refused to repent.
Jesus preached to them and performed miracles and they still did not turn from their wicked ways.
And Jesus said woe to Korazin and Bethsaida, woe to you people of Capernaum.
WHAT SORROW AWAITS FOR THOSE WHO DON’T REPENT! WHAT SORROW AWAITS FOR THOSE WHO REFUSE TO TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS!
Let’s close on the last part of this text:
BUT IN THE MIDST OF JESUS’ WOES......HE REALIZES THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE MIXED IN WITH THE UNBELIEVERS THAT ARE WEIGHED DOWN WITH THE WEIGHT OF SIN!
Sin brings weight, because the way of a transgressor the scriptures says is hard.
But sin isn’t the only thing that can bring weight. The cares of this life can weigh us down. AND LET’S JUST BE HONEST AND REAL IN HERE.....SOMETIMES LIFE GETS HARD AND YOU GET TIRED!!!
SOMEONE TODAY IS CARRYING A HEAVY BURDEN.....BURDEN OF CARING FOR LOVE ONES, BURDEN LOW FINANCES, BURDEN OF SICKNESS, BURDEN OF ADDICTION.
But Jesus says these words to those who are burden
“COME UNTO ME!”
Don’t turn from me.
Don’t go to someone else.
Jesus said “COME UNTO ME!”
WHO CAN COME?
ALL OF YOU......EVEN THE UNBELIEVER.......THE MERCY OF GOD!!!! GOD JUST SPOKE A WORD OF WOE OVER THEM AND YET HE GIVES THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO STILL COME TO HIM!!!! HAD IT BEEN MOST OF US......WE WOULD’VE BEEN DONE WITH THEM JUST LIKE SOME OF US ARE DONE WITH OUR FAMILY MEMBERS.
Jesus said “COME UNTO ME, ALL YOU THAT LABOUR, ALL OF YOU WHO ARE WEARY, ANYONE WHO IS TIRED, ANYONE WHO IS CARRYING A HEAVY BURDEN..........AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST!!!”
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
SOMETIMES WHEN THE LOAD GETS HEAVY TO BEAR.....YOU GOTTA LEARN HOW TO REST IN THE ARMS OF JESUS!!!
When Jesus says “Take my yoke” it means to fall into subjection to Him. It means to SURRENDER TO HIM!
Jesus then says “learn from Me” I will teach you what you need to do when hard times come.
Watch this......a yoke was also designed to fasten to oxen together to pull and plow a field. It was a heavy burden, one ox alone sometimes couldn’t do it. You had to link up another ox in order to accomplish a task.
JESUS IS SAYING......LET ME HELP YOU!!! YOU CAN’T DO THIS BY YOURSELF.......YOU CAN’T TAKE THIS BY YOURSELF.......LINK UP WITH ME, SUBJECT YOURSELF TO ME, LET ME TEACH YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, FOR I AM GENTLE AND HUMBLE IN HEART!!!! THE LORD IS NOT ABRASIVE, HE IS NOT EGO-DRIVEN LIKE SOME OF US ARE.......HE WILL IN NO WISE CAST YOU AWAY!!!!
AND JESUS THEN MAKES A PROMISE TO THOSE WHO COME TO HIM. YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR WEARY SOULS!!!
I DON’T CARE WHAT IT IS THAT HAS YOU WEIGHED DOWN......IF YOU GIVE IT TO JESUS, IF YOU COME TO HIM, IF YOU LINK UP WITH THE LORD......HE’LL GIVE YOU THE STRENGTH THAT YOU NEED, HE’LL HELP YOU CARRY THE LOAD.
ANYBODY HERE THAT FEELS WEIGHED DOWN......COME TO THE ALTAR AND LETS PRAY. JESUS SAID COME TO ME, ALL WHO ARE WEARY AND HEAVY-LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST. ANYONE THAT IS HERE THAT IS TIRED, THAT IS AFFLICTED, THAT NEEDS HELP, THAT NEEDS STRENGTH........THAT’S DEALING WITH ISSUES THAT YOU’VE TRIED TO OVERCOME BUT CAN’T.........JESUS SAID COME!