Come to Me and Find Rest

The Call to Know Real Peace

July 7, 1996

Matthew 11:25-30

Introduction

Summertime traditionally is the time when we recharge our batteries— find rest and recreation. Rest is something we all need regularly, and from time to time we need special times of renewal. Here in Matthew is one of the most attractive invitations to rest and renewal in the entire Bible:

This passage begins with a prayer.

Jesus has been talking about tension. He spoke about a divided home, and a divided heart. He has been speaking about the tension when some people follow God and others do not. Such tensions require great wisdom on the part of Christians. The disciples could easily become bewildered and overwhelmed.

The disciples might have wondered if only extremely gifted people could ever know God's will, or very strong people could carry it out. Often when Jesus spoke about conflicts to come they would say, "When? What? How?" "If these tensions and troubles come," they were thinking, " how will we ordinary people cope?"

Here in his prayer, Jesus gives insight into how the really vital things of salvation are known. Jesus thanks the Father that what we really need to know can be known. But then he uses the key word: "revealed." The walk with God is first of all a revealed way.

Wisdom is Revealed to Infants

"My Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I am grateful that you hid all this from wise and educated people and showed it to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that is what pleased you."

"Showed it to ordinary people"

Faith, genuine faith in God, is a great leveler. I thank God for scholars and theologians. I thank God for people who are not afraid of truth. I believe by faith that all truth is God's truth. And yet as it is pursued and developed, theology is sometimes a very esoteric science. The truly great theologians are humble people, at least where they encounter truth.

Make no mistake about it, I believe it is vitally important WHAT we believe. But there are always those very smart people who forget that finally Truth is a Person who is very capable of making Himself known to those who seek him. I believe our children and young people can invite the Lord Jesus into their heart, and know Him in their everyday lives. But Academia at times would make understanding salvation a Mensa test. Jesus in his prayer says that wisdom unto salvation is revealed to ordinary people ("babes") through the love of God revealed in Christ. Hebrews 11:6

Transition

But that is not the invitation to rest I spoke about.

A Broad Invitation to All Who Need a Rest

"Come unto me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest..." Here is a sincere invitation. By the Holy Spirit Jesus is speaking to you and me this morning. It is a call to renewed fellowship with Jesus.

We don't have to be rich or poor, or wise or simple, or any other criteria of judgment— all we have to be is tired. God actively invites; he is not indifferent or passively available IF we know how to apply. If we will begin coming to Him, he will begin moving toward us with rest. You will not be put off. Coming to Jesus is not like applying to any other source of help:

Illustration: Harvard Community Health Plan— very good— but when you call you get this menu of numbers to push— THEN you get a receptionist, who screens the call, THEN you maybe get a triage nurse, THEN you give your number and if you're lucky THEN the doctor calls you back. And Harvard is one of the better helping institutions. By contrast Jesus says, "Come here! I care!"

"I will give you rest!" What does this mean? What sort of rest does Jesus give? I confess I want to know!

It is rest from any and all guilt. You don't need to carry guilt the rest of your life.

It is rest from resentment and unforgiveness. You don't need to carry hard feelings against others.

It is rest from fear of dying. You don't have to worry about eternity, and whether or not you are saved.

It sometimes is just plain rest. Jesus is interested in what you need. When Elijah was depressed he found he served a God who cared— and God does not care less for you— and me.

Transition

This is a pure love. There are no "strings" attached to the love of Jesus— he loves you as you are. But there are conditions that help us find Christ's rest. We have to let go of other masters. Jesus sets us free to be what we are created to be. He speaks about "a yoke."

The Yoke of Jesus

In the same thought/phrase/breath that Jesus speaks of rest he also tells of a yoke. A yoke is a work collar, a harness put on an animal that is going to labor. Or at times, a yoke is made for people so they can carry burdens. Jesus is using the term to indicate a submission to his mastery.

Submission is not incompatible with freedom.

A yoke usually implies connection, or team work. On a very few occasions I have had passing glimpses of yoked oxen, or ox teams. We are so citified that many of our children have never seen cattle up close, let alone having driven or touched them. But this would be very familiar to his hearers/

(Illustration: Ken Sullivan's early years saw him driving oxen in Nova Scotia...??) We work together with others who belong to Jesus. Christ's "yoke" implies that we have the privilege of being on a team together— we help each other— we are not galled by our assignments.

But best of all, to take the yoke of Jesus implies more:

We are yoked with HIM. (I Corinthians 3:9 "We are laborers together with God") When the Master Himself is with us, our work is joy! When he tells us to do something, he also goes along with us, before us, behind us— to take the heavy end of the task. (I Corinthians 3:9 "Laborers together WITH God...")

When we share with Jesus we never come out on the short end of the deal. Do you remember Bob Benson? There is a passage in his book Come Share the Being, that I have gone back to again and again:

Do you remember when they had old fashioned Sunday School picnics? It was before air conditioning. They said, "We'll meet at Sycamore Lodge in Shelby Park at 4:30 Saturday. You bring your supper and we'll furnish the tea."

But you came home at the last minute and when you got ready to pack your lunch all you could find in the refrigerator was one dried up piece of baloney and just enough mustard in the bottom of the jar so that you got it all over your knuckles trying to get at it. And there were just two stale pieces of bread. So you made your baloney sandwich and wrapped it in some brown bag and went to the picnic.

And when it came time to eat you sat at your end of the table and spread out your sandwich. But the folks next to you— the lady was a good cook, and she had worked all day and she had fried chicken, and baked beans, and potato salad, and homemade rolls, and sliced tomatoes, and pickles, and celery, and topped it off with two big homemade chocolate pies.

And they spread it all out beside you and there you were with your baloney sandwich. But they said to you, "Why don't we put it all together?"

"No, I couldn't do that, I just couldn't even think of it," you murmured embarrassedly.

"Oh, come on, there's plenty of chicken, and plenty of pie, and plenty of everything—- and we just love baloney sandwiches! Let's just put it all together!"

And so you did, and there you sat— eating like a king when you came like a pauper. Benson goes on "And I get to thinking— I think of "me" sharing with God, when      I think of how little I bring, and how much He brings, and that He invited me to "share" I know I should be shouting to the housetops, but I am so filled with awe and wonder that I can hardly be heard.

"I know you don't have enough love, or faith, or grace, or mercy, or wisdom— there's just not enough to you. But He has— He has all those things in abundance and says, "Let's just put it all together."

If Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, should invite you to share a joint checking account with him— you putting in all you have and he the same— how long would it take for you to agree? Here God Himself, in the person of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, says, "Come join with me forever in doing my work, and I will share with you, and never leave you." As we seek rest and renewal this summer, respond to this Great Invitation of Jesus: "Come unto Me!"

Prayer

Song: #100 The Lord's My Shepherd (Crimond)