Rest for a Weary Soul
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning. (Comment about success of VBS, number of kids, and lots of visitors - Most I remember seeing at a VBS — Thank you to everyone who had a part in it!)
An old song by the name of “Walking Alone at Eve” (number 716 in our song book) says the following:
“Walking alone at eve and viewing the skies afar, bidding the darkness come to welcome each silver star; I have a great delight in the wonderful scenes above.” (Psalm 19:1 - “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork!”)
“God in His pow’r and might is showing His truth and love!’
That’s verse one of this old beloved hymn, and then the chorus:
“O for a home with God, a place in His courts to REST, Sure in a safe abode with Jesus and the blest; REST FOR A WEARY SOUL once redeemed by the Savior’s love, where I’ll be pure and whole and live with my God above!”
It is this line “REST FOR A WEARY SOUL” that we want to look at for our sermon this morning!
Rest — What a concept, right?!
How wonderful it is after a hard days work in the sun, in the heat of the day and the sweat of the brow, to come inside and drink a glass of ice cold lemonade (or water, or tea) …
And to sit in the comfort of an air conditioned building and perhaps a recliner or a rocking chair and just …
REST!
We don’t know how good we have it sometimes right? (Just the blessing of air conditioning alone — What a respite in the heat of the summer)!
What does the Bible say about rest?
A lot actually!
We’re going to hone in on one section of verses in particular in just a moment.
But for now, just know that the word “rest” appears 275 times in the KJV of the Bible!
Just a small sampling of those verses include:
A most interesting one found in 2 Thessalonians 1:6–7 - “Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled REST with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.” (Context - Paul is talking about the persecution Thessalonica was enduring, and how God is going to punish their persecutors but give REST to the persecuted!)
Of course Genesis 2:2 - “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” (Setting a precedent that we need to set aside time for rest)!
And how about Mark 6:31 - “And He (Jesus) said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they (the apostles) did not even have time to eat.”
Have you ever been so busy that you barely had time to eat?! (That was the case with Jesus and His apostles quite often I’m sure!)
Well, I want to get to our main text this morning — Again, our sermon title is “REST for a Weary Soul,” and so with that we go to …
Matthew 11:28-30:
Matthew 11:28-30:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Don’t you just love those verses?!
I often think of various verses that are great “invitation” verses, verses that just lend themselves to the point in our sermon where we give the invitation:
Some of them a very stirring and serious invitation, others more hopeful and positive — both important!
“Rend your heart, not your garments!” is one of my favorites(Joel 2:13)
“Woe to those at ease in Zion!” (Amos 6:1)
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” (Isa. 1:18)
“Repent, and be baptized, every one of you for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
“All things are ready. Come to the wedding (feast)” (Matt. 22:4).
And then there’s this one! (Quote the verses again).
It’s a wonderful invitation, a comforting invitation, and a simple invitation!
And that invitation is for you! (As it is for me!)
Let’s look at it a little closer:
V. 28 - In the first place, notice the words of Jesus Christ:
“Come to ME” — Jesus does not say, “Come unto Mohammed,” He does not say, “Come unto Buddha,” or any other human being you might think of — He says, “Come unto ME” (Jesus Christ)!
You know the verse - John 14:6 - “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Showing the exclusive nature of Christianity).
Acts 4:12 is a good parallel as well - “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
So we must come to CHRIST!
Secondly in v. 28, notice “all you who labor and are heavy laden” — In the introduction we mentioned coming in after a hard day’s work (whatever that hard day’s work is to you) - I picture working out in the yard in the sweat of the day — That’s labor to an extent … But I can think of a lot more difficult things that many do!
But now think on a deeper level, and think about man’s SPIRITUAL laboring, and his SPIRITUAL burdens that are heavy laden!
We even sing about it - “Ye that labor and are heavy laden lean upon your dear Lord’s breast. Ye that labor and are heavy laden come and I will give you rest!”
So that brings us to the third place of this verse - “And I will give you rest.”
Do you YEARN for that rest?
In an audience this size there’s BOUND to be SOMEBODY who does not have that rest yet?!
Have you ever asked yourself why that is?
“Hark! the gentle voice of Jesus falleth
Tenderly upon your ear;
Sweet His cry of love and pity calleth;
Turn and listen, stay and hear.”
“Ye that labor and are heavy-laden,
Lean upon your dear Lord’s breast;
Ye that labor and are heavy-laden,
Come, and I will give you rest.”
V. 29 - “Take my yoke upon you” - A yoke is a farming implement.
It’s what goes around the neck of draft animals so they can pull a plow.
Jesus mentions HIS yoke.
I’m reminded of Jesus’ words from Luke 9:62 - “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
When you become a Christian, you’ve got to put your hands to the plow!
You’ve got to keep eyes straight ahead — Don’t turn to the left or to the right — Plow straight rows!
And certainly don’t look BACKWARD! (Yet many do!)
Jesus says “take MY yoke upon you!”
“And learn from Me” — We’ve got to learn what Jesus would have us know for salvation - Luke 1:76–77 (Speaking of the young John the Baptist, forerunner of Christ, says) - “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins.”
(In other words, salvation requires … KNOWLEDGE — Knowledge the Bible gives!)
“For I am gentle and lowly in heart” — This shows the humility of Christ, and we ought to be humble as well — In fact, we MUST humble ourselves if we are going to be saved (James 4:6)!
The KJV says “For I am meek and lowly in heart” — Does meekness mean weakness? (No, strength under control!)
“And you shall find REST for your souls” - That’s what we’re discussing today!
“Rest for a weary soul!”
How many souls of men are WEARY and CANNOT REST because of the knowledge of their past sins?!
How many souls of men are WEARY and CANNOT REST because of the CONSEQUENCES their still living out because of their sins?!
How many souls of men are WEARY and CANNOT REST because they have no hope of eternal salvation of their souls because they have not yet come to Jesus as their Savior?!
Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), and Jesus Christ came to give us rest! (Matt. 11:29)
V. 30 - “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light!”
A wonderful short verse (just ten words) to perhaps memorize because it will remind you of just how good you’ve got it when you really think about the blessings you have in Christ!
“Every spiritual blessing” is located in Christ, in fact - Ephesians 1:3!
Of course, you’ve got to be IN Christ to have access to those blessings!
Galatians 3:26–27 - “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Listen to the words of Heb. 4:9-11 as we come to a close!
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
“There remains therefore a REST (sabbatismos) (sabbath) for the people of God!”
Context of the book of Hebrews?
The Hebrews writer was dealing with a bunch of Christians that wanted to give up their rest and go back to the law of Moses! (Not much different than the Israelites in the O.T. wanting to give up in the wilderness and go back to Egypt instead of entering Canaan)!
And so you Christian, you lay hold on that rest that Jesus has promised you!
And you don’t ever give up!
(Invitation for those who don’t have rest).