We just lift up these prayers
to you and the various people, and we also lift up our missionaries
too that we support, John Claude and Lance. We pray that thy will
would be done in their lives, that you would move as you see
pleased, and if it's your will to heal them, We'll give you
all the glory and honor and praise, but if it's your will to have
anyone go through whatever we go through, then we'll be quick
to give you the glory, too, and that thy will would be done,
and that you would give them strength and grace. All these
different prayer requests give the folks strength and grace
and peace through any trial or tribulation or health issue that
they're going through. And we love you, and we'll be
quick to give you all the glory, and we love you because you first
loved us. In Jesus' name, amen. Matthew 11. I know we've looked
at this portion of Scripture before, but I just want to bring
out a few things today for Sunday School in this. Matthew 11, starting
in verse 28 and 29. Now, for the believer in Christ, before we were saved, we had
no rest. We had no peace amongst ourselves. None at all. I didn't. I was tossed to and fro all the
time. Tossed to and fro by what folks said. Tossed to and fro
by what was going on in the world. Tossed to and fro by circumstances
that came up in my life. And I still have circumstances
come up in my life and I still have things come up and I still
look at the world and go, wow, what, you know, we see, but I
have a rest now. I have a hope that I didn't have
before. And for the believer, Jesus Christ
is our resting place. He's our resting place. He's
our resting place while we journey through this world of woe. And
it is a world of woe. It really is. Various things
occur in our lives, but we have a peace that passes all understanding
now. We have a hope. that we look
on Him who we don't see, but we love Him and we praise Him. And He is our resting place.
Look at our text in Matthew 11, verses 28-30. And this is the
Master speaking to the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. Now we see twice the word rest
mentioned in our text. First in verse 28, and then again
in verse 29. And they're two different Greek
words. They're actually two different Greek words. The first is found
in verse 28. Come unto me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Now, in the Greek, the word labor
there is to feel fatigue. To feel fatigue. By implication,
to work hard. To work hard. Religion is hard work, isn't
it? When you have a list of what you got to do, it's hard labor,
beloved. And those of us who come out
of that, we know it's hard labor. It's hard labor. It means to
be toil or be wearied. And the word heavy laden there
means to load up. To load up. So come unto me all
ye that are fatigued and weighed down and overloaded, it means
also to be overburdened with ceremony. Oh, is that not religion? Is that not what we came out
of? Those of us who came out of that? Oh, there were so many things
we had to do. So many things we had to do. Now we've learned
Christ did it all. Now we learn that. And rest in
verse 28 is defined this way. I love this. So he says, Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. So the Greek word here means
this. To cause or permit one to cease from any movement or
labor. Isn't it wonderful? Cease from
your labors. Is that not what the gospel preacher
says? He doesn't give you a checklist of things to do. He says cease
from your labors. Look to Christ alone. Look to
Him alone. I'll give you rest. Rest where
you cease from all your labors. Cease from your list of doings. It means to repose. And you're
all reposing right now in the chairs. That's what reposing
means. You sit. You repose. You're still. It's an old word that old-time
preachers used to use, and I love it. So what comfort we find in
the renewing of our strength when we just rest in Christ and
what He's done. Is that not where we find the
peace that passes all understanding, when we cease from our little
checklists and the little things that we... I know we're saved
and we still even think sometimes, oh man. No. Rest. Rest in Christ. Cease from your
labors. Look to Him. In Him alone. We find great strength when we
do that. Because we find strength in Christ. And look at verse 29, it says
this, Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and
lowly and hard, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Now
this Greek word is a different word but with a similar meaning.
It says, a succession of inemotion. Business or labor. Again, same
kind of thing, but it's a succession as well. Stop. Stop trying to
work your way to heaven. Stop trying to think that you
can gain merit and favor with God if you're doing that by your
works, because you can't. True rest is only found in Christ
and Him alone. Ceasing from our labors. Now
let's look at some points in light of this. God's people have
entered into the eternal rest of God, and that's only in Christ. The rest of God is only in Christ.
He is our resting place. We find rest nowhere else. We've
been born again by the Holy Spirit of God, and what happens? We're
resting and reposing in the finished work of Christ and what He's
done. By God's grace and mercy, He's
given ears to hear when we were deaf. Given eyes to see when
we were blind. What does He do? He gives His
eyes to see by the preaching of the gospel. And He's granted
us the gift of faith. He gives us faith to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. And He becomes our Sabbath. He
becomes our rest. And we cease from our lambs. Let's look at four biblical truths
that are given to God's children who are resting in Christ and
Him alone. Turn, if you would, to Hebrews 4, verse 10. The first point is this. The first biblical truth about
resting in Christ is this. We have completely, and I mean
completely, ceased from trying to earn God's salvation by our
own sinful efforts, by our own doing, by our works. And think
of this too, Brother Matt and I were talking about this this
week, and Brother Jake in Colorado is the one who had brought this
up a few years back to me. Work. Now we think work is things
that we do with our hands, right? But you know that work is defined
in the English as something that you do in your mind or physically
too? So if a person thinks that they
can gain merit and favor with God, it's a work, even if they're
not doing anything. They think, well, I'm a, now
we've all been here. If they think, well, I'm not
as bad as that guy down the street. Yeah, you're worse probably.
We all are. But that's a work in itself,
too. Because you're thinking, well,
I'm not as bad as him. You're measuring up yourself to some other sinner.
But God says you're all sinners. We all are. All of us. I'm a
sinner saved by grace. Those of you who are saved are
sinners saved by grace as well. So we've ceased from trying to,
we've completely ceased from trying to gain God's salvation
by our own efforts. When God, by his marvelous grace,
reveals to us our sinfulness, before who he is, he's holy,
he's righteous, he's just, he's pure, he's perfect. And we're
sinners. Then what happens? We stop trying
to justify ourselves, don't we? We stop trying to justify ourselves
before God. Because we know that our good
works are like filthy rags. So by God's grace and mercy,
we cease from our labors. We cease from our religious works.
We cease from trying to gain merit in favor of God. Well,
I don't do this, and I don't do that, and I don't do this,
and that, and that, and that, and the list goes on and on and
on, and it becomes this huge list of, well, if you don't do
this, then you're not a Christian. Well, my rest and hope is in
Christ. Now, there's things that I don't
do because the love of Christ constrains me. But there's things
that I do that we just, remember Paul, a wretched man that I am.
You can deliver me from this body of sin. Oh, we've ceased from our labors.
Look at Hebrews chapter 4, verses 9 to 11. The first Biblical truth about
resting in Christ is that we've ceased from our labors. Look
at this. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his
rest, he is also ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor,
therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after
the same example of unbelief. So the first point is that we
cease from our labors of trying to gain favor with God. Scripture
says right there, for he that has entered into his rest, verse
10, he also ceased from his own works. See, it's natural for
us to want to justify ourselves, but we can't. The only way we
can stand before a holy and righteous God is that God in Christ must
justify us. He did it all. It's His works,
not ours. We look to Him. He cried it is
finished. It means there's nothing to be
added. He did it all. And we just look to Him, right?
Scripture says just look. Look to Christ and live. Look
to Him and live. So the second biblical truth
is this. We have complete, perfect confidence in the perfect, redeeming
work of Jesus Christ. We have a complete confidence
in what He's done. Hebrews 9 says this, neither
by the blood of goats and the cast, but by His own blood, He
entered into the holy place. Heaven obtained eternal redemption
for us. Hebrews 9.12. Neither by the
blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered
in once into the holy place, having obtained." Having obtained. Brother Dave, he obtained eternal
redemption for you. Isn't that marvelous? It's not
a maybe. Having obtained eternal redemption,
and this is for believers, for us. And notice it says eternal
redemption. You can't lose it. So the believer in Christ has
complete confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, right? Turn, if
you would, to Philippians chapter 3. There was a time when we had
confidence in ourselves, wasn't there? I know there was for me. You guys know all about it. I used to be a Pharisee in the
sense of I used to say, well, that person can't be a Christian
and do that. Surely he can't be. Well, when God showed me
grace, oh my gosh, He showed me what I was. Now I look inward. And then when
I see someone else, something happened, I think, well, there
go I, but for the grace of God. Because we're all susceptible
to things, aren't we? Anything we see done, we're susceptible
to those things, except for the restraining grace of God in Christ.
Look at Philippians 3, verse 3. For we are the circumcision
which worship God in spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus,
and have no confidence in the flesh. Our dear brother Paul
has no confidence in the flesh. No confidence in his doings.
None at all. Remember who Paul was. Pharisee
of Pharisees. One of the most learned men of
the ancient days. No confidence in the flesh. None. And then he counted everything
he learned and everything he had as done. And is this not the opposite
of how we used to be? Did we not used to rely on the
flesh? Did we not have confidence in ourself before? And our strength
and the things we could do? Well, I'm not as bad as that
guy. Why? Well, because it's all self-righteousness,
isn't it? It really is. Now we have no confidence in
ourselves as far as justifying ourselves before God, as far
as salvation. I can't save myself. But I know one who can save any
sinner who comes to him. Hebrews 10. Turn there if you
would. Hebrews 10. Oh, our confidence. Our confidence is in Christ.
Hebrews 10. Verses 9-14. This is the opposite. No confidence in the flesh is
the opposite of how we used to think. Because we used to rely
on our own strength and our own works. Hebrews 10, starting in
verse 9, Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh
away the first, that he may establish the second, by the which we By
the witch will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all. I used to be into a religion
where every week they said they turned a piece of bread and wine
into the literal body and blood of Christ. That's a lie. Pulling down Christ supposedly
from heaven. What a lie. He offered Himself up once, beloved.
Just once. And every priest standeth daily
ministering and offering sometimes the same sacrifices, which can
never take away sins. So these Old Testament priests
used to continuously offer sacrifices, right? Continuously. They could
never take away sin. And you notice they never had
any rest, did they? They were always doing. But this man, after
he'd offered one sacrifice, and that sacrifice is himself, the
God-man, Jesus Christ, God incarnate in the flesh, after he'd offered
one sacrifice for sins, and that's the sins for all his people,
all the elect of all the ages, forever, sat down on the right
hand of God. He sat down. Why did he sit down? Because the work is done. It's
finished. From henceforth expect until
His enemies be made His footstool. And for by one offering He hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified. We have complete confidence in
Christ and what He's done. No confidence in ourselves. He
did it all. Either He did it all or He didn't
save any of us. But He did it all, beloved. and
cried with a loud voice, it is finished. Wonderful words for a believer.
Wonderful words for sinners. It's just hard to find sinners
nowadays. But if you see yourself as a sinner, praise God, because
He's revealed that to you. He's revealed that to you. The third biblical truth is,
We are in a constant battle. Turn, if you would, to Ephesians
chapter 6. We battle with false religion, which tries to promote
man over God in the issue of salvation. Our God is a sovereign God, and
He is not at our whim. We are at His whim. We are at
His mercy. But we do battle against princes
and principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places. Look
at Ephesians 6. Verse 10, Finally, my brethren,
be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on
the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand against
the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the
whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and heaven done all to stand. Now, E.W. Pink points us to Christ
about the armor of God. And think of this as we read
this. Think about Christ as we read this. Stand therefore, having
your loins girt about, with truth. Who's the truth? Christ. That
ye may be able to withstand in this evil day, Oh, sorry. And heaven on the breastplate
of righteousness. Who's our righteousness? Christ. And your feet shod with the preparation
of the gospel of peace. Who's the gospel all about? Christ. Above all, taking the shield
of faith, who is the object of our faith, beloved? Christ. wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet
of salvation..." Oh, we have salvation in Christ and Him alone.
"...and the sword of the Spirit." This precious Bible, this precious
Word tells us all about our wonderful, merciful Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. "...the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints." Now we have three enemies in this world.
The world, the flesh, and the devil. And it seems to me, for
me, my worst enemy is my flesh. I'm my own worst enemy. Spurgeon
said that and I heartily agree with him. And what did the flesh make Paul
cry? Romans 7. Turn, if you would, there. Oh,
the flesh, the flesh, the flesh. We're saved, but we still carry
this body of flesh around, right? Body of death. Romans 7, verses 24 and 25. O wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? Oh, we have a civil war, don't
we, within us. Every single day. But we have a rest. We have a
rest. And we can say with our dear
brother Paul, look at verse 25, I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord, so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God,
but with the flesh, the law of sin. Who's my rest? Who's your rest when we're battling
like this? Christ. Christ is the sinner's
only hope. He's the believer's only rest. And the fourth and last point
is we have a confirming comfort from God who cannot lie. Turn,
if you would, to Hebrews 6. The fourth biblical truth concerning
resting in Christ is that we have a confirming comfort from
God who cannot lie. Hebrews 6, verses 17-20. So our comfort and our hope used
to be in ourselves. What we had, what we do, possession-wise
and all kinds of things. We'd even measure ourselves up
against other people by what we had and what we didn't have.
None of that stuff matters anymore, does it, beloved? It doesn't
matter at all anymore. I think it was you, Brother Dave,
who said last week we were talking, you said, somebody else is going
to get it all anyways. We collect all this stuff and
hold it so tight. Oh, this world is not my home.
We're just passing through, aren't we, beloved? We have a confirming
comfort from God who cannot lie though. Our comfort, our hope
is in Christ Jesus and Him alone. We have a strong consolation.
A strong comfort in Christ. Hebrews 6, verse 17-20. wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things in which
it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation
who have fled. for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope set before us. Which hope we have is an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast." Oh, Christ. Remember, we saw
last week He's the nail in the sure place. Oh, He's sure and
steadfast. "...in which entereth into that
within the veil. Whether the forerunner is for
us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek." And notice it says, who have fled
for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. Oh, when
God shows you you're a sinner, you only have one refuge. And
we flee to Him, just like those who would flee to the city of
refuge. Oh, we flee to Christ, don't
we? Turn, if you would, to Ephesians chapter 2. We have fled for refuge in the
Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. We cease from our labors. Cease
trying to gain merit and favor with God. And we find rest. Rest. Rest for our souls. Rest
for our labors. And rest for our souls in Christ. See, there's no rest in our labors,
is there? Because we saw that in the text. We're to cease from our labors. Oh, we rest and repose in Christ
and Him alone. And the one who rests and trusts
and believes on Christ, do you know that they're as sure of
heaven as if we're already there? And representatively speaking,
we are in Christ. Oh, may this bring hope to our
souls. Look at this, Ephesians 2, verses 4-7. But God, I like this little phrase here.
So he's not just merciful, but God who is rich in mercy. That's our God. That's our God. He's rich in mercy. For his great
love wherewith he loved us. Remember we looked at that last
week? He's loved us with an everlasting love. Even when we were dead
in sins. Dead. Born into this world, dead
in trespasses. Didn't have a clue about God.
Dead. And that means dead. Graveyard
dead there in the Greek. It's dead. Dead in sins. Hath quickened us together with
Christ. By grace, ye are saved. And hath raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Sit together in heavenly places
in Christ. Why? Because where the head is, the body will soon
follow, right? Oh, that in the ages to come
He might show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. Oh, we have a rest. A rest in
Christ. Precious. Comforting. But know
this also, that God's enemies are unrelenting in their efforts
to turn the eye of God-given faith away from Christ. Turn, if you would, to Colossians
3, verses 1-4. Our flesh even can rear its ugly
head, right? Our flesh can even rear its ugly
head when we're going through a trial or something, and then
we try to do things on our own strength sometimes, don't we? Or we try to take the situation
under our own hands. Remember, we saw on Wednesday,
though, he can make a mountain into a plain. Colossians 3, verses 1-4, If
ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections
on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead,
and your life is hid with Christ and God. So keep your eyes upon
Him. Keep your eyes on the rest for
our souls. False religion always uses the
same tactics. They'll tell you that it's Christ
has not done enough. And I know because I was in it.
And I used to promote it that way to my shame. But God has
shown me grace. Tell you you've got to do something.
And I used to look at people, like I said, I used to look at
people and say, well, that person can't be a Christian. They're
doing that. Oh, to my shame. Oh, they'll tell you that before
God saves you, sinful man must do his own part. Christ doesn't need any help
to save a sinner. They'll tell you this. They'll
tell you you've got to be baptized to be saved. That's a lie. They'll
tell you you have to worship on Saturday to be saved. That's
a lie. They tell you you have to be
a member of their church or you're lost. That's a lie. They tell you you have to speak
in tongues. That's a lie. They come with a whole checklist
of things. And I know. And those of you
who come out of it, you know. They did. We did. We did, didn't
we? We had a whole checklist. And it was long. Oh, lies, lies,
lies. We who have been saved have ceased
from our labors. We're resting and trusting in
Christ and Him alone. He's done it all. And this is
what we preach. We preach a savior who's accomplished
salvation for his people. And he did it. It's finished. I don't know who his people are,
therefore we preach the gospel to all. And God does the same. He does the same. Glory to his
name.