Uncertain Times Part 3 - God's Invitation Part 2 - Coming to Stay
Notes
Transcript
Text
Text
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Introduction / Review
Introduction / Review
Throughout history in times of trouble men have sought God. The unrest and uncertainty we are witnessing in our day may prove to prompt the same response. We are by nature self reliant and independent creatures but God did not create man to function this way.
A Reminder of Gods calling to man...
A Reminder of Gods calling to man...
Last week we discussed the significance of God’s call to each of us to come to him. We looked at the first man Adam and the separation sin caused as recorded in Genesis. We noticed that in the beginning God created man for his pleasure and to fellowship with him and since the fall of man God has been calling man back to himself. Not only has he called us but has made a way for us through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ.
Brief Review - we looked at...
I. The Resistance of Man - as illustrated in the preaching of Stephen “ye stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart”
II. The Request of Christ - Jesus calling “come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden” - He is still calling today
III. The Result is Rest - Jesus promised “rest for out souls” - this is what Christ is calling us to. He is calling us to a rest for our Soul.
We summarized this by a concluding that the only way for man to “come” was through a humble heart and repentance of sin.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
So where does this lead us?
But after we have
The call to come is a call to stay
The call to come is a call to stay
The amazing truth is that Christ is calling us to himself in order to have a personal right now relationship. Many times, we think of God as being something that we will experience after this life and while this is true in a very real sense, it misses the point that God is here and now! To many times Jesus is just an addition to the life we are already living instead of a completely new life reoriented by the work of Christ in the sinful heart of man.
What Jesus is really calling us to is himself. While on the surface this might sound simple, its really a transformational truth when properly understood. There is a longing in the human heart that can only be satisfied by Christ. Through the centuries man has tried to fill this void with a myriad of things.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The overarching idea of man to the purpose of life can be summarized in any number of ways but condenses it for us when it says “lust of the flesh”, “lust of the eyes” and the “pride of life”. These ideals have been woven into the fabric of our minds for all of our lives and when compared to the scripture we find they are in direct opposition to the ways of God.
Matthew 11:
1. Our Decision - “take my yoke upon you....”
1. Our Decision - “take my yoke upon you....”
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.
A. Our decision to yoke together with Christ is a symbol of cooperation and union
A. Our decision to yoke together with Christ is a symbol of cooperation and union
Illustration: Like a yoke on two oxen that would be plowing together
Contrast this yoke with the “yoke of bondage” that Paul is speaking about here in Galatians:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
His commands are not grievous..
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
B. Our decision to yoke together with Christ is a voluntary exercise
B. Our decision to yoke together with Christ is a voluntary exercise
Illustration: Have you ever been forced to do something that was a dread? Maybe you have been forced to work with someone that is impossible to deal with. In life we are faced with many situation where we are forced to do things that we would prefer not to do!
Christ is calling us to come and take but he is asking - he does not force!
A. We take it - it is not forced
B. The
Contrast this yoke with the “yoke of bondage” that Paul is speaking about here in Galatians:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
His commands are not grievous..
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
So we see our decision now we look at ...
2. Our Development - “learn of me...”
2. Our Development - “learn of me...”
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.
The call of Christ is a lifetime call to learn of him which is far different from learning about him.
Illustration: We can learn of past historical figures like George Washington, Julius Cesar, Napoleon Bonaparte or more recent figures like Winston Churchill or FDR - much is written about them in a variety of articles and books but we can never actually know them.
This is not true of Christ! With Christ we can know him personally and that is exactly what he is calling us to.
3. Our Discovery - “for I am meek and lowly....”
3. Our Discovery - “for I am meek and lowly....”
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.
Jesus is telling us something about himself here “I am”
Why is this significant - this is how we get to know God
Just think of the implication of this - as finite creatures we can literally learn of God - it mean to know him personally - like a husband gets to know his wife before they are married like a father knows his son and a son his father - like a best friend knows us and we him - God is calling us to know of him
Conclusion
Conclusion
“my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
The appeal leads us to an assurance. The assurance that walking in fellowship with our God provides the true rest our hearts are searching for.
Come - (last weeks message)
Take -
Learn -
Know -
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.