Come
Unto Me
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION:
A. Are
you familiar with these three words? Stress? Fatigue? Weariness? I believe I
know the answer.
1. We live in a culture of constant
activity. Even our leisure time is packed with
activity. We have Netflix, Direct TV,
U-Verse, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest,
and I-Tunes. The only thing we do not
have is “I-rest.”
2. Even at church we are tired. I recently
heard about the longest sermon ever
preached according to the Guinness Book
of World Records. A 31 year old
preacher named Zach Zehnder of a Mount
Dora, Fla., set the longest speech
record in 2015 It lasted 53-hour,
18-minutes. He had 200 pages of notes and more
than 600 PowerPoint slides. He began on Friday,
November 7, and ended at 12:18
p.m. on Sunday, November 9. In order to
qualify for the Guinness record book there
had to be at least ten people in the
audience at all times and two independent
observers. Most of the audience rotated
but one man by the last name of Douglas
listened for over 50 hours. Following the sermon he said, “I’m exhausted.
I just
want to sleep.”
B. In the
days when Jesus lived on earth people were weary. They were weary of the
hard labor that accompanied daily living.
They were weary of the political turmoil that
surrounded them. They were weary from taxation.
They were especially weary of
religion. There were so many burdens and
traditions that had been imposed on them
by their religious leaders. Their
relationship with God was based on a system of rules
and works. It was wearisome,.
1. The New Testament begins with the book
of Matthew. Matthew was a Jewish
writer
who was very familiar with the legalism of his day. In his gospel he
presented an alternative to the weary,
burdensome, stress-filled lifestyle of his
readers.
2. He is the only writer to record these
words from Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30.
“Come to Me, all who are weary
and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon
you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is
light.”
3. What is Jesus offering to us?
I. AN INVITATION
A. All of us have received invitations. It
may have been an invitation to a birthday
party when you were a child. Perhaps it
was an invitation to join the Beta Club or
National Honor Society in school. Maybe
it was an invitation to join a Social Club in
college or an invitation to a wedding or
social event. There has never been an
invitation as unique as the one extended
by Jesus.
1. It is unique because of the one who
gives it.
a. There is no doubt Jesus lived on
this earth. A search of historical records will
provide more evidence for the
existence of Jesus than any other person in
history. Secular historians of
his day and even those opposed to Christianity
are in agreement that Jesus of
Nazareth was a real person.
b. Jesus was more than another human
being. He referred to Himself as:
1.) The bread of life – John 6:35.
2.) The light of the world –
John 8:12.
3.) The gate for the sheep –
John 10:9.
4.) The good shepherd – John 10:11.
5.) The resurrection and the
life – John. 11:.25-26
6.) The way, the truth and the
life – John 14:6.
7.) The true vine – John 15:5.
c. Paul wrote to the Colossians, “He
is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of all creation. 16 For
by Him all things were created, both
in the
heavens and on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
rulers or authorities—all things
have been created through Him and for Him.
17 He is before
all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
d. Can you imagine receiving an
invitation greater than this one that comes from
the Son of God?
e. Jesus desires that we come to Him.
He desires to have a personal relationship
with us. Christianity is not
about knowing facts. It is about knowing Jesus.
Christianity is not about
ritual. It is about relationship with the Son of God.
2. The invitation is unique because of
the ones who are invited.
a. Jesus’ invitation is unique
because it is extended to “all who are weary and
burdened.”
b. I am thankful Jesus did not say,
“Come to me all of you who are perfect and
have your lives together.”
1.) Consider the people Jesus
called to be His followers.
a.) Peter, Andrew, James
and John were fishermen who thought Jesus
was going to lead a
revolt against the Romans.
b.) Matthew was a
tax-collector despised by everyone.
c.) Some of the women who
followed Jesus were known as “sinful” women
(Luke 7:36-39).
2.) Jesus called all of them
just as they were. Beginning where they were He
began to mold them and
shape them.
B. In the midst of your burdens, fatigue,
worries and wounds Jesus invites you.
1. There was a man who had a fine hunting
dog. The dog had been trained to point
and retrieve. It also loved the
water. One day, the man and his dog went to a
lake. When it came time for them to
go, he called the dog, but the dog wouldn’t
come because it was having such a
good time in the lake. Again he called, but
the dog kept playing. Finally the
man took a stick and threw it. When the dog
saw it, he swam over, got the stick,
swam to shore, and laid it at his master’s
feet. The stick got his attention and he
heard his master’s call.
2. Your burdens may be the thing you
need to get your attention and remind you
that God is calling you.
II. A PROMISE
A. Jesus promised, “I will give you rest.”
1. When you are weary and burdened you
need rest. Both “weary” and “burdened”
imply heavy labor.
a. Exodus 1:14 describes the burden
placed on the Israelites by Pharaoh, who
“made their lives bitter with
hard labor.” Do you know anyone who has become
bitter because of the burdens
they have had to carry?
b. After Solomon’s death, his son
Rehoboam, imposed heavy burdens on the
people (1 Kings 12:10-11).
c. Jesus did not come to add burdens
to people but to remove them.
B. God is the originator of rest. After six
days of creation God “rested.”
1. Why did God rest? Was He tired?
2. Rest is God’s way of signifying
completion. After God had created the world and
everything in it there was
completion. Nothing was lacking.
3. When man exerted his will and
succumbed to Satan there was toil, stress, pain
and death.
C. The only way we can find completeness
and wholeness in this life is through the
rest Jesus offers.
1. You will never find rest through law
and works.
2. The best day of your life, apart from
Christ, will not be enough to earn your
salvation. Our righteousness is as filthy
rags in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6).
3. Because Jesus has fulfilled the law
and has become the once and for all sacrifice
for our sins we can rest in Him.
C. What burdens are you carrying in your
life? Guilt? Regret? Failure? Bitterness?
1. An old man was walking along a
country road carrying a fifty pound bag of
potatoes. Another man in a pick-up
truck offered him a ride. The old man climbed
up in the cab and set the potatoes
in his lap. “Why not put them in the back of the
truck,” said the driver. “No
thanks,” said the man. I’ll just carry them myself.”
2. We need the rest that can only be
found through Jesus.
III. A RESPONSIBILITY
A. We love verse 28. We are not so crazy
about verse 29. Why is this so?
1. “Yoke” implies work. When a farmer
used a pair of Oxen to plow a field he would
place a yoke on them. A heavy wooden
beam that would enable him to control
them and utilize their strength.
2. In the Roman world the yoke was a
symbol of rule and lordship.
3. Jesus says, “if you want my rest you
must be willing to take my yoke and work
for me. Have you heard of the 20/80
rule? Among American churches the
common ratio is that 20% of the
people do about 80% of the work. Frankly, I
think it may be more like 10/90. We
want Jesus’ rest but we don’t want to do the
work He has for us.
B. Look at what Jesus said about His yoke. “Take
my yoke upon you and learn from
me for I am gentle and humble in
heart.” In verse 30 He said, “for my yoke is easy
and my burden is light.”
1. Jesus was comparing himself with the
religious leaders of his day who were
loved to place heavy burdens on
people and were full of pride.
2. No one could live up to those heavy
demands.
C. Jesus says when we take His yoke we will
find rest.
1. The Bible says that “the way of the
transgressor is hard” (Proverbs 13:15),
2. One of the great blessings of being a
Christian is that, “godliness is profitable for
all things, since it holds promise
for the present life and also for the life to come.”
3.
Everyone faces suffering whether or not you are a Christian. All of us will
have
battles to fight. Some of them we will
lose. The joy of following Christ will make
all of them bearable.
4. One of the missionary couples this
church supports is Isaac and Janet Adote.
For several years they have lived in
South Sudan, a nation that has been
ravaged by war. Isaac is currently
working in another West African nation. There
are all types of challenges and
difficulties. He will tell you in a moment that they
enjoy a rest and peace that far
surpasses any strife they have encountered.
Their story can be repeated over and
over again.
CONCLUSION:
A. Have
you ever been thirsty – really thirsty? The summer after I graduated from high
school I worked for a construction company
pouring concrete sidewalks in an
apartment complex. It was hot, back
breaking work. One particular July day the sun
was beating down on us and the temperature
was over 100 degrees. I was so thirsty.
I looked up and there was my dad with a
thermos of ice water. I have never had
anything that tasted so good! At the end of the day it was so nice to go
home and
rest in an air-conditioned house.
1. Is your soul thirsty? Look at Revelation
22:17, “The Spirit and the bride say,
“Come.” And let the one who hears say,
“Come.” And let the one who is thirsty
come; let the one who wishes take the
water of life without cost.”
2. Are you tired and weary? Jesus said, “Come
to Me, all who are weary and heavy-
laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take
My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I
am gentle and humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke
is easy and My burden is light.”
B. "Come unto me." This is the invitation Jesus extends to you today.
