Come to Jesus and Rest
Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 33:26
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· 29 viewsThe gracious election of the Father and the bountiful provision from the gentle and lowly Son allow for the burdened and labored to come and find rest for their souls.
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25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;
26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 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.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11 concerns increasing opposition.
First John the Baptist’s confused response to Jesus.
Then Jesus addressed the rebellious and hard-hearted crowds (Matthew 11:16-24).
He pressed in on their hardness to John’s preaching of repentance, and Jesus’ celebratory approach to the encroaching kingdom.
They were unmoved by everything.
They were unresponsive to revealed mercy and this brought the reprimand from our Savior upon those who are unmoved by Him.
Why are you a Christian?
We can answer this question in so many ways.
Ultimately, why are you a Christian?
The answer doesn’t come back to you, but to God.
The Father’s Gracious Election in Revelation – Why do they respond?
The Father’s Gracious Election in Revelation – Why do they respond?
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding…
Matthew begins describing the doctrine of election.
What is election?
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Election is the ultimate reason behind the question,
“Why does anyone respond to the call of the gospel?”
Election is God’s gracious decision to conceal and reveal His will to sinful and wretched sinners.
How does election work in practice?
Election conceals the truth of Christ from the “wise and intelligent.”
Election conceals the truth of Christ from the “wise and intelligent.”
Jesus thanks His Father in heaven that part of His gracious will is revealing the kingdom to babies.
The kingdom of heaven is not revealed through intelligence, status, background, or anything of worldly standards.
The kingdom of heaven is revealed because of the gracious will of the Father!
The gospel hidden from the wise and understanding.
Wisdom here is not biblical wisdom.
It is a worldly wisdom.
A kind of wisdom that Paul rebukes in 1 Corinthians 1.
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
A kind of wisdom that seems right to a man.
The Broken “Seemer”
The problem with mankind is that the indicator for what seems right is broken.
All those who operate as though they are wise in the eyes are actually foolish.
The “wise and understanding” here represent those who possess a worldly wisdom which reflects what seems right to a man.
But the problem humanity has is our “seemer” is broken and the wise things of the world are vain and foolish.
The gospel is hidden from such people that reject biblical wisdom and accept the ways of the world.
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…
Election reveals the truth of Christ to “little children.”
Election reveals the truth of Christ to “little children.”
The “little children” are the babes, the helpless, and unlearned.
Those with no status.
Those without significance, intelligence, or strength.
Jesus did not come and call all the “popular people” to Himself.
He came and called the “least of these.”
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
It’s not as though smart people can never come to know Christ.
But we must never forget that intelligence and ability DO not make one a Christian, but simple childlike faith.
Maybe you think, “This doesn’t seem fair! You mean God conceals things from unbelievers?”
We ought to be extra careful at this point.
For God to conceal things from the minds of unbelievers is merely to allow them to go their own way.
It’s merely to allow them to continue in their path of destruction.
Humanity is in a boat headed for the waterfall of destruction in Hell.
Concealing from unbelievers happens asymmetrically from revealing (Carson).
To conceal is to do nothing to them, whereas revealing requires Him to do something.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke 1) Because of the Revelation of the Father (11:25–26)
The astonishing thing about God’s activity is not that God acts in both mercy and judgment but who the recipients of that mercy and judgment are: those who pride themselves in understanding divine things are judged, those who understand nothing are taught.
Our prayers reveal what is within our hearts.
In John 17, we hear an extended prayer time utter from our Lord’s lips.
But throughout the gospels we see glimpses and glimmers of the prayers of Jesus.
When Jesus prays, the rejection of the crowds don’t discourage Him.
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children…
Election ought to produce grateful praise.
Election ought to produce grateful praise.
Jesus’ attitude toward the election of God is one of gratefulness.
The Lord Jesus himself isn’t scorning toward election.
He’s not grumbling and complaining about how God could choose some people and not others.
He’s filled with gratitude and gratefulness at the electing grace of God for some and not others.
So whatever position we come to on the doctrine of election, we had better share Jesus’s attitude toward it.
The doctrine of election is not merely a doctrine we sip fine whiskey and discuss in some eloquent manner.
It is a doctrine to worship the Father through the Son in the power of the Spirit.
The doctrine of election reveals God’s secret purposes in the salvation of lost sinners.
And it is meant to produce in you and I not only a humility that is childlike.
But a gratefulness that springs from the heart of thankful trust.
It is not enough to merely know about the doctrine of election.
We must be caught up in rapturous praise because of it.
Christian, when was the last time you sat down and were filled with grateful praise over God’s electing grace?
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Christian, be filled with rapturous praise!
Because our God’s love for you began before you ever knew Him.
Before you ever thought anything about Him.
Before you were ever born.
Election is the gracious will of the Father toward His children.
Election is the gracious will of the Father toward His children.
26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
“Before the world was made, God’s eternal, immutable purpose, which originated in the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, moved Him to choose (or to elect), in Christ, certain of mankind to everlasting glory.
Out of His mere free grace and love He predestined these chosen ones to life, although there was nothing in them to cause Him to choose them.”
The gracious will of God is to reveal His saving character whomever He wills and withhold it from whomever He wills.
According to Jesus, this is Gods gracious character.
Electing grace removes all human boasting.
Electing grace cuts the legs out of human arrogance and pride.
The Father elects a people unto Himself in eternity passed (Ephesians 1:4-5), the Son redeems His people unto Himself (Ephesians 1:7-9).
And the Spirit applies Jesus’ redemption to the elect (Ephesians 1:13-14).
From time to time when you talk to other believers it almost seems as if today themselves rejoice in the grace of Christ, but the decision to come to him was all theirs.
They will say statements like,
“I know that I’m a sinner and I deserve death and I’m so grateful for what Jesus has done for me. But, I’m the one that chose him.”
Not always but sometimes they put the emphasis on their own personal decision to follow Jesus.
There’s nothing wrong with this theologically.
God demands a response.
But it’s almost as if their attitude and posture is one of,
“Well, I deserve this.”
Or “I grew up in a Christian home, so of course I’m a Christian!”
Election, which is often despise and detested by others because it “does seem fair!” or “How could God choose?”
This doctrine of election causes Jesus to spring forth in thankfulness.
Oh, that we the people that would share the heart of our Savior for Gods electing grace in the gospel.
Instead of rejoicing in and worshiping the Father, who has chosen a people for Himself.
The ultimate cause and reason of your salvation isn’t you.
It’s Him.
The Son’s Bountiful Provision in Redemption – Who do they respond to?
The Son’s Bountiful Provision in Redemption – Who do they respond to?
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Jesus says that the Father has handed all things over to Him.
There is purely factual reality of this claim.
To say that God has given all things into His hand demands an exclusive and unique fact between Himself and the Father.
Redemption as the exclusive Son of the Father.
Redemption as the exclusive Son of the Father.
Everything has been given to Christ, and everyone that Jesus welcomes is welcomed into the relationship of the Father and Son.
Jewish tradition even holds that only God knows wisdom and only wisdom can know God (Wisdom 9:9-11).
But here Jesus applies this to Himself.
He says that He is the One who knows the Father.
Only the Father knows Him.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
But this goes beyond the mere factual reality of the relationship they share.
There is a personal sense in which Jesus shares a personal relationship with the Father.
Secrets and Close Friends
Even close friends, there are things we don’t tell one another.
We don’t typically share personal and intimate details because as we might assume,
“It’s none of their business.”
But think of the relationship that shares everything.
…no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
There are no secrets in their relationship.
Nothing hidden.
Only fellowship and communion.
Just like Jesus praises the Father for His concealing and revealing, so the Father hands all authority to the Son.
Redemption as the authorized Son of the Father.
Redemption as the authorized Son of the Father.
This is more than Jesus being the Messiah or “Anointed One.”
There is a personal relationship that Jesus has always shared with the Father.
A relationship that precedes His Messiahship (D.A. Carson citing George Ladd).
It’s not natural for people to have relationship and fellowship with the Son of God.
It’s not natural to have fellowship with the Father.
Everything you and I have had revealed to us needed to be revealed, not merely known.
Your knowledge and fellowship with God has been received.
But Jesus is the cause of the revelation.
…no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Jesus is the One who reveals the Father.
It’s in the face of the Son of God that the Godhead is known.
Even Peter will later confess to Jesus’ questioning…
“But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus doesn’t reply and saying,
“Wow, Peter! You have really been paying attention!”
“Wow, Peter! You’re so smart to have figured this out on your own, I know you had it in you.”
“Wow, Peter! You always were the most resilient of my followers!”
17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
God’s goodness rests in his own character of kindness and mercy toward wretched sinners.
He is unspeakably, kind and compassionate to the lowliest and the weakest.
This is unspeakably good news to struggling sinners like you and I.
I am convinced that one of the biggest problems in evangelical circles is our low view of God.
It’s not that we opening denounce Him or speak ill.
It’s that we compare God far to often to what we’re like.
We speak and act and think of God with extremely human.
If we think of God as just a bigger version of ourselves, we are in a bad position.
God is so utterly different than we are.
It’s not only in God’s greatness that we are infinitely different than he is.
But I would argue, especially so when it comes to his goodness.
There is an infinite span between your goodness and God’s goodness.
God’s goodness far out paces your own.
What is Jesus like?
Redemption from the gentle Savior.
Redemption from the gentle Savior.
Paradise was lost in the garden.
But God promised he will restore all things to himself and thus bring paradise again.
But throughout the Old Testament, we get glimpses of paradise.
For instance, the Sabbath is a kind of micro paradise that Israel was meant to partake in every week.
It was meant to be a sign of trust and obedience that life comes from the hand of the Lord, and thus partake in a day of rest.
But the people of Israel continued to refuse to rest in the promises that God had made.
The continued admonition for the people of God was to rest in him.
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”
Legalism has a hope.
It sounds like this,
“If I just do well enough, then I’ll be acceptable“
“If I just try hard enough, then I’ll make it.“
Antinomianism also has a hope.
“I’ll find my own path to life and it’s not how God says I’ll find it“
“I need to find my own way and it’s contrary to the way that God has told me“
Both of these paths are filled with great burden and striving.
But Jesus tells us here that there is a better way.
What qualifies you to come to Jesus?
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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.
Come to Jesus and Rest – How does their response look?
Come to Jesus and Rest – How does their response look?
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 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.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Those who are burdened and heavy laden are qualified to come.
Those who are burdened and heavy laden are qualified to come.
“You don’t need to unburden or collect yourself and then come to Jesus. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come…Whether you are actively working hard to crowbar your life into smoothness (“labor”) or passively finding yourself weighed down by something outside your control (“heavy laden”), Jesus Christ’s desire that you find rest, that you come in out of the storm, outstrips even your own.” Gentle and Lowly, pg 20-21
But as Hebrews tells us…
3 For we who have believed enter that rest…
Don’t miss this, Hebrews tells us that the rest of God is entered by all who have believed upon the Lord Jesus.
9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Heavy burdens exchanged for the easy yoke.
Heavy burdens exchanged for the easy yoke.
29 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.
The imagery here is one of two oxen plowing a field.
A “yoke” is what binds them together which allows them to pull the plow together.
Oxen plow a field with a yoke that keeps them pulling together.
In Jewish society, a Jew was meant to bear the “yoke of the law” (France).
The Rabbi’s would even refer to their own schools of thought as a “yoke” of sorts.
Now the law is not bad but it never gave an individual the power to obey it.
Not only did the law not give a person the power to obey it, the Pharisaic leaders added to the law and threw great burdens on-top of the law that God had given.
But what Jesus says here is amazing.
He says that we are to actually take His yoke upon ourselves.
If you’ve ever seen oxen yoked together, you don’t just place an inexperienced oxen on it’s own.
They’ll place an inexperienced ox with an older one so he may learn as the older one bears more of the weight.
Jesus says if you are weary from the religious system weighing you down, come to Him.
The one who comes to Jesus sees the Son and the Father through the Son. The one who comes to Jesus takes the yoke of the law, but one that Jesus bears the heavy burden.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The gracious election of the Father and the bountiful provision from the gentle and lowly Son allow for the burdened and labored to come and find rest for their souls.
The gracious election of the Father and the bountiful provision from the gentle and lowly Son allow for the burdened and labored to come and find rest for their souls.
16 Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
