If you would, you want to follow
along, turn to Matthew chapter 11. Verses 28 to 30 is what I'm
going to read. Matthew chapter 11, verse 28. Come unto me, all ye that labor
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. Over 100 years ago, a man wrote
this. It is not opinions that man needs. It is truth. It is not theology. It's God. It is not literature and science,
but the knowledge of the free love of God in the gift of his
only begotten son. Horatius Bonar wrote that. He
died in 1889. I don't know when he wrote it.
But guess what? It's still true today. I want to add one thing to that
list he give us there, though. It is not choice. It is not choice
that man needs. It's to be chosen by the Father
in the Son. To be chosen by God in Christ
Jesus. I have read many, many books
in my lifetime. and watched many countless TV
shows and movies. And there seems to be one thing
that a whole bunch of them have in common. They seem to think
that it's man's choice that determines his fate. That's what they think. It's
a lie, yes. That's supposed to be the difference
between being good and being evil. A woman, a man, or a child's
choice is the only thing that matters. And some will even,
they are so bold, that's the name free will. Because everybody's
got one, don't you know? They do not understand the nature
of man. even when they'll pay lip service
to it. I know some people, I've read some intelligent authors
that pay a little bit of lip service to the nature of man. Nobody has to teach anybody how
to lie. You have to teach children not
to. Why is that? Because that's the way we are.
They don't understand the nature of man, And they don't understand
this for sure, that our best deeds are as filthy rags in the
sight of God. They don't understand there's
none good. No, not one. And here's the kicker. They don't
understand that they don't understand. Our Lord Jesus Christ didn't
need anyone to explain unto him what was in the heart of men. The scripture clearly states
we need a new heart. We have a heart. Scripture's
clear about that. And it's what? Deceitful above
all things. We have a heart, and it's desperately
wicked. We have a heart, and out of its
abundance, the mouth speaks. The poison of Adders is upon
our lips. Our tongue is an unruly member
because our hearts are unruly. Now you think about all that,
then hear the words of the Lord. Come unto me, come unto me. The Lord knows our nature. our thoughts, our hearts better
than we ever could. And yet here we're told, come
unto me. And we are told, come unto me. It's not a request. It's not
even a plea. It's a command. It's a command. And it's a command from the Lord
of heaven and earth. This is a command from God manifest
in the flesh. Come unto me. He isn't asking,
Jesus Christ is not asking for anyone's cooperation. He is commanding
his living sheep to come to him. Come unto me. Don't come to an
opinion. Come unto me. Don't come to theology. Don't come to the preacher. Don't
come to religion. Come to Christ Jesus, and in
so doing, you will come to the Father. Honor the Son, come to
the Son, and in this, you honor the Father, who is above all. Because Jesus Christ said that
I and my Father are one. Come unto Him. He is the way,
the truth, and the life. No man, what? Comes to the Father,
but by me. Come unto me. Come unto me. And right now, today, that command
is still given. However, this is the part a lot
of people want to leave out. They want to talk about coming
to Christ. Come to Christ, come to Christ, come to Christ. But
there's a specification that our Lord Jesus Christ put here.
There's a description given. If you want to use the word,
there's a qualifier here. You understand? He said, come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. What's that mean? Folks, I know
some people who will use this, come unto me, and they'll use
it as a universal invitation. A, Christ doesn't offer invitations,
he gives commands. But B, he says, come unto me,
all ye, what? That labor and are heavy laden. Do you fit that category? Here's the description of those
who are commanded to come to Christ. And I have to say it. If you don't fit this description
that Christ gives, he's not talking to you. A lot of people think
that's cold blooded. You're leaving people out. No. I'm including everyone in
that our Lord calls. That our Lord commanded. And
I'll not add one whit to it or take one whit away by the best
of my ability. Jesus Christ doesn't say, come
unto me, all you that are so happy we can't stand you. I've seen them in places. Heard stories from other preachers.
I've seen them on Billy Graham's TV shows decades ago. Thank God they're gone. Seen
people, they'd call people to the front to come make a profession
of faith. And they'd skip down the aisle
chewing bubble gum. or smiling and laughing and bouncing. Christ said, come unto me all
ye that are weary, not bouncy, all ye that are heavy laden,
not chewing bubble gum. Here's the thing. Every son of
Adam, every daughter of Adam, every child of Adam should be
weary and heavy laden about their sins. But we're not. We're not. All are under sin,
both Jew and Gentile. And I like to put it that way
because you know what? That includes everybody. Because you're either
a Jew or you're not. That's what a Gentile means.
You're not a Jew. That's everyone. All should be
under the burden of their sin. All are under sin, but all do
not know. they are understanding. Because
there's a context to this verse, and it's usually ignored when
speaking about this verse. First of all, let me read this.
This is verse 25. At that time, Jesus answered
and said, I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent. and
has revealed them unto babes. Even so, father, it seemed good
in thy sight. You see, God doesn't ask us for
our opinions. He never has and he never will. Why? Because our opinions are just
like our heart. They're corrupt. This is what he said. The father
has to reveal the son unto you. And the father also has to reveal
your sin unto you. Now you wanna know where I got
that? Doesn't matter whether you want
it or not, I'm gonna tell you. Go back to verse 20, the same chapter,
chapter 11. This is where this started. Then began he to upgrade the
cities wherein most of his mighty works were done. This is Christ.
Because they repented not. Oh, they didn't repent. Woe unto
you, unto thee, Chorazin. Woe unto thee, Bethsaida. For
if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth
and ashes. But I say unto you, it'll be
more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for
you. And thou, Capernaum, which are exalted under the heaven,
shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which
had been done in thee had been done in Sodom, here he is comparing
Capernaum to Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. Then he says,
I thank thee, Father, O Lord of heaven, because thou hast
hid these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes. What? He has hid from these people
their need to repent. He's talking about, oh, he began
to upbraid them. Why? Because his works were done
there. His word was preached there.
His word was preached from his own lips, and they repented not. And then he says, if God doesn't
reveal it to you, you never will repent. You understand, most people seem
to use this word, come unto me all you that labor and are heavy
laden. They use this and preach this as your choice. Christ said
it's God's choice. It's God's choice. Now that might
hit you to the heart. I hope it does. I hope it does. Because that
might mean you're hearing what I'm saying. And all I'm saying
is what Christ said. Most people use this to preach
choice, but Christ preached differently. He told his disciples flat out
He told them that he spoke what he heard from the Father. That's
what Jesus Christ said. I can't speak of anything unless
the Father told me about it. I and my Father are one. And then he told them this. He
says, you didn't choose me, but I have chosen you. But I have
chosen you. Yes! There is a choice that matters.
And yes, it is not mine. And it is not yours. It's only after Christ is revealed
unto those that the Father gave to him that you will know of
your labor being laboring and heavy laden. We sing a song, show pity, Lord.
Oh, Lord, forgive. Let a repenting rebel live. All men are rebels, but all men
are not repentant. What's the difference? What's
the difference? I thank thee, Lord. I thank thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid
these things from the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes. Therein lies the difference. The work of God. What do you mean, the work of
God? What is the work of God? John wrote it. This is the work
of God. What? It's got to be something
deep, something really powerful. And it is. It's just most people
don't get it. This is the work of God, that
you believe on him whom he hath sent It takes the work of God
to believe Jesus Christ It takes the work of God to repent Understand what they say repentance
has to be granted if peradventure they be granted repentance That's the only way to know if
you are laboring and heavy laden. Christ chose to reveal himself
to some and not to others. Those are the ones that are commanded
to come, those who know who he is. Understand, you can't come to
one you don't know any more than you can believe on one you don't
know. Christ said the fathers hid these
things from men. Hid them from the wise and the
prudent in particular. You know how not many wise men,
not many mighty men after the flesh are called. There's some. What's the difference? Because
the Lord of heaven and earth has revealed these things to
some, to some. Then Christ says, Even so, father, for it seemed
good in thy sight, all things are delivered unto me of my father.
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. Then he says, come unto me, all
ye that labor, and are heavy laden. You gotta have the context
before you can quite understand the verse. It's true, come unto
me all ye who are weary. You can say it flat out, but
you better put in all you that labor and are heavy laden. That's
who Christ will give rest. Let me see here. Isaac Watts wrote this. My hopes, well, let me see. Lord,
how secure my conscience was and felt no inward dread. I was
alive without the law and thought my sins were dead. My hopes of
heaven were firm and bright, but since the precept came with
a convincing power and light, I find how vile I am. Then felt my soul the heavy load,
my sins revived again. I had provoked a dreadful God
and all my hopes were slain. Thy gracious throne I bow beneath. Lord, thou alone can save. Oh, break the yoke of sin and
death and thus redeem the slave. I like that, I do. I like it, because I know what
it means to be heavy, laden, and to labor. God brought me
to that. And if he doesn't bring you to
that, you're not gonna come unto him, because you're not gonna
feel a need to come to Christ to lift a burden you don't feel,
you don't know about. But what happens? He says, come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. I will give you rest. You understand? Not only is the
repentance given, not only is the revelation given, the rest,
the rest in Christ is given. Mmm The rest in Christ Jesus is given
it's not earned he gives it It's not worked for it's given Our
rest from our labor and our heavy load is in Christ Jesus and given
by Christ Jesus What do you mean cease from your
labor, Jesus Christ has paid it all. He paid all the debt I owe. Though
your sins be as scarlet, though your sins weigh on you heavily
and unbearable, he washed them as white as snow. And he said this, take my yoke
upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart
and ye shall find rest under your souls. Under your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden
is light. I looked at this word yoke. The
primary meaning, and I love this. I think this is one of the greatest
things I've ever read. The primary meaning of the word
yoke is to join. It's to join. You understand? He's not yoking you and me together,
Walter. He's yoking us in with him. It's
his yoke. Take my yoke upon you. You're
joining with him. Guess who's pulling all the weight,
folks? You want to know why my yoke is easy and my burden is
light? He's done all the work. He's done all the work. And in it you shall find rest
for your soul. You may not find any rest for
your weary bones here, but there's rest for your soul in Jesus Christ. You know, Scott Richardson wrote
something, he says there are men out there and they spend,
oh, you know, multitude of thoughts and working and scraping and
earning for an old age pension for an old age that might never
come. Here, you enter into his rest and you're done. He's done it all. Now, you're
gonna take on his yoke, but it's easy. You're gonna have a burden,
but it's gonna be light compared to the weight of your sins that
were upon you. Because Jesus Christ is not saying
you have a burden to carry on your own. You're joining yourself
to him. And the reason you're joining
yourself to him is because he's joined himself to you. He never said take the law upon
you and keep it, no matter how many preachers say that. We're not saved by grace and
kept by the law. That's a lie. Believers are joined
with Jesus Christ by grace It's his yoke upon you and this yoke
is not to be born by one. It's to be born by him But here
it is what is this yoke? Specifically that he says Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me Paul said it many times in his
epistles. I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren. Take my yoke upon you and learn
of me. Isn't that great? What am I supposed to do if I
come to Christ? Learn of him. Learn of him. Learn. And not just learn, learn
of me. Learn of Jesus Christ. Learn
of the Good Shepherd. Learn of the Bread of Life. Learn
of the true Passover, Jesus Christ. Learn of God manifested in the
flesh. Learn of the only begotten Son
of God. Peter wrote, but grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To
him be glory, both now and forever, amen. How do we learn? In the words of God from heaven
speaking to men, this is my beloved son, hear ye him. If you're coming under Christ,
you need to learn of Christ. How do we learn? He's given us
his spirit to teach us the things of him. How do we learn? We're to study, to show yourself
approved, a workman that needeth not be ashamed. How do we learn? John 5 and verse
24 wrote this. Words of Christ, verily, verily,
I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. What did he
say? He that hears and believes. How do you learn of Christ? You
learn from his gospel. You learn from his gospel preached
by himself in his word and by his men. Learn of me. This is the point where we try
to preach Christ every time we preach because that's who we're
supposed to learn about. How can you learn of him if they
won't preach him? Oh, how can you learn of him
when somebody's preaching a lie to you. You understand, if you're not
preaching the true Christ, the Christ of the Bible, you're preaching
a lie. Believers are no longer dead
in trespasses and in sin. We hear his word in his gospel,
who is preached from the scriptures, his word. And we are given understanding
by the Holy Spirit through the word of Jesus Christ. Luke 24
and verse 45 says, then opened he their understanding that they
might understand the scriptures. And I can tell you this. from
scripture. When Christ opens, no man shuts. When Christ opens the scriptures
to you, when Christ opens his word to you, no man shuts. You can't keep from hearing once
he has given you hearing ears. You can't keep from understanding
once he's given you a heart that understands. You can't keep from
seeing if he's given you eyes that see. And you'll like it. You'll like it. It may make you
uncomfortable sometimes. But I am of the opinion, and
this is my opinion. I think it's scripture too, but
I don't know exactly where. I'd rather know than not know. I'd rather see than not see.
I'd rather hear than not hear. And I'd rather understand than
to be ignorant. He'll open the scripture and
you'll understand. That might not be, it won't be
everything and it won't be perfectly. But you will understand this,
and I believe this whole heart of it, you'll understand that
the scripture is about him. Or you're missing the point.
That still happens to me today. I can read some scripture and
I don't quite get it. I know it's about him, but I may not
know what. For I am meek and lowly in heart,
and ye shall find rest under your souls. Rest under your souls. I am gentle and humble in heart. Rest in me. Rest from your labor. Rest from
your heavy load of sin. His yoke is easy and his burden
is light. Excuse me, I said it before,
I'll say it again. There's a yoke, but it's his
yoke. There's a burden, but it's his
burden. And that yoke word is still joined
together with Christ. Live and hear, love and walk. Hear and believe, excuse me.
Hear and believe, believe and love, love and walk, walk and
then walk some more. Walk while resting in him. He's willing to put it in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure. I don't know if
I can go a sermon without saying that. I love that verse. He'll put it in you both to will
to want to and to do of his good pleasure. That's a blessing from
God. There is rest for those that
Christ has made heavy laden, shown they are heavy laden. There
is rest for those who Christ has shown them they labor. There's
rest from our works in Christ Jesus, who has redeemed us by
his precious blood. We can rest in him. How? He maketh me to lie down
in green pastures. He restoreth my soul. The Lord
is my shepherd, and I shall not want. Amen. Oh, he'll make you
lie down. He'll make you lie down from
your labor, from your burden. I'm not gonna tell you, you will
never think about sin anymore, your own sin, because you will. Because we're that way. I worry
about what I do and what I say. but he makes me to lie down in
green pastures and he restores my soul because he makes me realize
it's not on me. He is yoked himself and yoked
me with himself and yoked you with him. The same good shepherd gives
rest to the sheep in the one fold. Other sheep I have, them
I must bring. And there's going to be one fold
and one shepherd. He quickens whom he will, he
reveals to whom he will, and he commands them to come. Come
unto me. Come unto me, all ye that weary
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Jesus came to save sinners. He will show you that you are
a sinner or you will never come to him. And when he shows you
you are a sinner, you will come to him. Have you heard his word? Are you laboring and heavy laden?
Here's the thing. Do you know you're not worthy
of salvation? Lots of people think they should
be chosen. They're wrong. But they think it. I used to
think I was a pretty good fella, until I found out different. You understand? I was 20 years
old. I'm simplistic, okay? I used
to think I was one of the good guys. And maybe I was, as far
as people go. I found out I wasn't good at
all. And I'm gonna tell you something. When you come to realize there
is none good, no not one, and that includes you, it's easy
to think, oh, there's none good, no not one. Yeah, look at that
guy over there. Look at them. Oh, yeah, there's plenty wrong
with them. That ain't what you're laboring
and heavy laden. You come to see there's none good, no, not
one, it means me. When you come to see a little
bit of, you're nothing but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores
that have neither been mollified or bound up with or not even
been treated. And I always thought putrefying sores,
you know what that is? that sores that are dying and
they're killing you, that is a heavy load. Come unto him, come unto him. Because if you come unto him,
he will give you rest for your soul, for your soul. Dear Lord, our Father in heaven,
thank you for showing us just a bit of
the sinfulness of our own souls. And thank you for revealing your
son and his people, the ones that were chosen and given to
him to see that we were laboring and we were heavy laden. Lord,
thank you most of all for the rest you have given us in your
son. He has taken our debts and paid them in full. And he has
given us the relief of them in this world we know. Though we're
still depraved, though we still sin, though we still fight, this
battle within ourselves, there's a rest for our souls in your
son. Thank you, Lord. In Christ's
name we pray, amen.