Matthew 11:28-29 "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."
“Ye shall find rest”: I.e., from the endless, fruitless effort to save oneself by the works of the law (Heb. 4:1-3, 6, 9-11). This speaks of a permanent respite in the grace of God which is apart from works (verse 30).
Matthew 11:30 "For MY yoke [is] easy, and MY burden is light."
JESUS' call has always been to those in need. The sooner we learn to lay our cares on JESUS, the better off we are. HE can take care of all our problems, if we just depend totally upon HIM.
Matthew 11:28-30
I. The Invitation: Come Unto ME...
A. HE gives us an invitation to come to a person.
1. Not an invitation to come to an institution.
2. Not an invitation to come to a religion.
3. But this is a personal invitation to come unto ▶▶HIM◀◀...
B. Who is HE?
1. HE is the ONE who was rejected, and yet invites us to come.
2. HE is the ONE who was without sin and yet was crucified to pay for ours.
3. HE is the ONE who has the power to receive and keep all who come to HIM. cf. Jn. 6:37b, "...him that cometh to ME I will in no wise cast out."
4. This is no empty invitation, JESUS Christ means exactly what HE says, and HE invites us with open arms to come unto HIM.
C. ▶▶▶Here is a fundamental difference between Christianity and all other religions of the world.◀◀◀
1. Salvation is in the person of JESUS Christ!
2. When CHRIST invites us to come unto HIM it is to receive eternal life.
3. John 3:17, "For GOD sent not HIS SON into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through HIM might be saved."
4. "He that hath the SON hath life; and he that hath not the SON of GOD hath not life." cf 1 Jn. 5:12
II. The Invited: All ye...
A. JESUS' invitation is all inclusive.
1. When we send out invitations we send only to a select few.
2. I am thankful that with JESUS the invitation is "Whosoever will may come"!
3. And we sing that old song, "Whosoever surely meaneth me!"
4. You say, "Pastor, He didn't say whoso ever in this verse!"
5. I know, but He did say "All ye that labor and are heavy laden" and that includes everyone!
B. This invitation is to you and I today!
1. To all who are burdened with a load of sin.
a. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of GOD.
b. That means that every man, woman, boy, and girl is in the same boat.
c. We are helpless to do anything in and of ourselves to alleviate the burden of sin!
d. Illustration: In the ancient city of Venice there was a bridge called "The Bridge of Sighs". At one end of the bridge there was a courtroom; at the other end there was a dungeon. Above the door to the dungeon were the words, "Abandon hope all ye that enter herein." Picture a man who has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in that dungeon with no hope of release. That is where we were under the burden of sin, but Jesus came to set us free! Jn. 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
2. To all who are broken and conquered by sin.
a. There are some who are slaves to sin, their sin has them in a death grip.
b. They are like a man in quicksand.
1) Some see them and say, "I am sorry for you, but I can't help you."
2) Others say, "You should be more careful next time!"
3) But JESUS says, "Come unto ME, and I will lift you out of your sin."
4) The songwriter put it this way: "From sinking sand HE lifted me, With tender hand HE lifted me, From shades of night, to plains of light. Oh, praise HIS NAME, HE lifted me!"
3. To all who are burdened with sorrow and doubt.
a. Perhaps this is your case this morning.
b. The events of life can certainly bring heavy burdens upon us.
c. Tragedy comes and we ask why?
d. This in turn brings great sorrow, but JESUS Christ can lift you out of the depths of despair and fill your heart with singing!
e. Maybe you are plagued with doubt and unbelief.
f. Wondering if the promises of HIS Word are true.
g. Find relief from those doubts and concerns...trust CHRIST today!
III. The Promise: ...I will give you rest.
A. The need for rest is evident.
1. We are living in the most restless age ever in this world.
2. There was a time when folks were content to take a slow buggy ride, but now we rush down the freeway in order to save time!
3. We get so busy with the affairs of life that we find ourselves struggling with life rather than enjoying it.
4. Listen to David's cry in Psalm 55:4-6.
5. Oh to get away from it all and find rest!
6. JESUS says, "Come unto ME...and I will give you rest."
B. HE alone can give us the rest we need
1. ▶▶This rest is found only in the service of our LORD. ◀◀cf. v29
2. We come to HIM for salvation, take upon us the yoke of service, and learn more about HIM and we will find rest for our souls.
3. Some have said that it is too hard to be a Christian and live for the LORD, but JESUS said HIS yoke was easy and HIS burden light.
4. Proverbs 13:15, "Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of trans- gressors is hard."
#JESUS♡
