Verse 25, at that time, that specific time,
a time ordained by God in eternity past, at that time Jesus answered
and said, that I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and
earth. because thou hast hid these things
from the wise, and proved and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, father, for it seemed
good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto
me of my father, and 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. 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 at heart,
and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light. That 28th verse is the verse
that we'll consider here. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. In considering this verse, I
think it is wise that we first consider Who it is that speaks? Who is this that speaks these
words? Come unto me and I will give
you rest. Well, I think it's an important
question and I want to try to answer it here this evening.
Who this is that speaks Come unto me, all ye that labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You know, we live in
a world of promise. That is, the world promises things
to us. They say, come with us and you'll
be rich. Come with us and you'll be happy. Promises. Even the devil can
promise things. He promised our Mother Eve in
the Garden of Eden. He said, eat of this fruit. There
was the forbidden fruit on this tree in the midst of the garden
that God had expressively forbidden to be eaten. And the devil said to Mother
Eve, he said, eat of this fruit and ye shall be as gods knowing
good and evil, in other words, you'll never die. Well, you know the devil lied
to Mother Eve. The devil made a promise, but
the devil couldn't be depended upon. He lied to Mother Eve. Well, the world can promise,
sell all and go to California, get rich. Invest your money in
certain stock and be rich. Some of you brethren have heard
that one. Invest your money in this stock. Just give me $600
of your money, I'll double it for you. Or within two years'
time, I'll triple it. Just give me $600 or $800 or
$1,000. Invest your money in stock and
you'll soon be rich. Practically every day as you
read the paper of various magazines, if you participate in that type
activity. You'll find that these advertisements
promises many short ways to health, wealth, and happiness, and that
of all descriptions. But when it's all said and done,
it's nothing but words, Bob. Empty, empty words. I've seen ads in The paper, classified ads. Make
$200 a week while you're at home. All you have to do is address
some envelopes. Make $200 a week and just sit
at home. Make $200 a week just answering the telephone. Empty
words, vain promises. But He that promises in our text
here, is one who can be depended on. He who promises in our text
is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ and he is able to do all
that he promises. The Bible says that all power
in heaven and earth is given to him. It says that he has the
keys of death and hell in his hands. He said the government
is given to him in time and judgment is committed to him in eternity. He is faithful to do what he
promises. He will not lie, nor deceive,
nor break his promise. What he speaks, that he will
perform. You can have confidence in him
who speaks in this text. He's willing to do what he promises.
Not only will he do it, but he's willing to do it. He's willing
to do it. He desires to do it. He loves
to do it. He loves to fulfill and keep
his promises. He's not reluctant to fulfill
his promises, as you and I sometimes are. Sometimes we're faithful
in the fulfillment of our promises to do something or to be at a
certain place or be of a help to somebody, but sometimes we're
reluctant, you know. We hesitate. We say, well, I
know I've said this lots of times. I said, I wish I'd keep my mouth
shut. I wish I'd keep my mouth shut and then I wouldn't be in
this situation that I'm in now because I said I'd do it and
Since the time I said it and right now, I'm reluctant, and
I wish I'd have kept my mouth shut. I'm reluctant to fulfill
an engagement or a promise that I made. But the Lord Jesus Christ
is ever willing. Now, I'll tell you, that's an
insight to the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's willing
to perform all that He promises. He's willing. He has long since
proved by the love he has to man and the sacrifice he has
made for man's salvation. He has proved his love and he
has proved his willingness. He endured the cross of shame
and degradation. He has proved his love. And I
believe, in light of what I have said so far, I believe that since
he has endured all of this and has evidenced his love to us, He has a right to be believed
by every one of us. Now, secondly, since I've tried
to answer the question, who is this that speaks? Who is this
that makes this promise? None other than the Son of God.
None other than God's Christ. It's the virgin born Son. It's Him who knew no sin. who
was without sin, who was made sin in our behalf that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him. It's God manifest in
the flesh. That's who speaks. It's the God
who cannot lie. It's this immutable God that
we talked about this morning. I am the Lord, I change not. It's Him who speaks. Surely He
has a right to be believed. Now, secondly, who are they that
are spoken to by the Son of God? Who are these promises made to? Who are these people that he
speaks to? Well, I'll tell you. They are
they who labor and are heavy laden. Now, he's not necessarily
talking about a physical labor there. Because the majority of
those in this world that are even the poor, those that are
involved in physical labor, who are laden down, they're not interested
in the Christ of God. Well, let me tell you who he
is talking to. He's talking to all who are pressed down and
burdened by a feeling of sin. That's who he's talking to. A
man who's pressed down and burdened. by the guilt of sin is the man
that labors and is heavy laden. And to that man he promises rest. All who are anxious about salvation
is involved in describing those whom the Lord Jesus Christ speaks.
Anybody here anxious about salvation and desire to have it? all who
tremble at the thought of judgment, all who tremble at the thought
of hell and have fear of falling off into it. They are those that
he speaks to here, all who are pressed down with guilt and the
burden of sin and iniquity against God. These are they whom the
Lord Jesus Christ speaks to. Now, this was the state of mind
in which the Jews were, in whom Peter preached on the day of
Pentecost. This was their state of mind.
That is, they were pressed down with the burden of guilt of their
sin against God. This was the state of their mind.
When Peter preached, their conscience were awakened and they felt convinced
and convicted and condemned and they cried out, men and brethren,
what shall we do? Do you remember that? This was
the state of mind Paul was in when he was on the road to Damascus
and he got sight of his own sin. When he felt the guilt of his
own sin, And he was confronted by none other than the Son of
God, who speaks in this text. And Paul, down prostrate before
him, cried out, What wilt thou have me to do? This was the state
of mind of Peter and Paul and John and Matthew and all of the
saints of God in the Bible. This was the state of mind. They
were under a sense of heaviness, a feeling of awareness of their
rebellion against God. And they felt the awfulness of
sin. And they were anxious for salvation. And they trembled at the thought
of death and judgment. And they cried out. And Jesus
Christ here says, Come unto me, all ye that are in that state
of mind. All ye that are in that state
of mind, pressed down and burdened by the guilt of your sin, come
to me, and I'll give you rest." These were the people that the
Lord Jesus Christ was speaking to. Well, what is it that he
asks of thee? He tells them, he said, come
to me. Come to me. Now, come, the word come, to
me seems full of grace and mercy and encouragement. Come, the
word come. Come now, says the Lord in Isaiah,
and let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet,
though your sins be red like crimson, they shall be white
as snow. Come, grace and mercy and encouragement. Come is the word put in the mouth
of the king's messenger in the parable of that guest supper,
when he said, All is now ready, come! The table is set, the delicacies
are here, the finery, the drink, the wine, the food, the linen,
everything is here that is needful and necessary to make this a
successful supper. All is now ready, come! You know, come is the last word
in the Bible to sinners. The Bible says in the last book
of the book of Revelation, and almost in the last verse, it
says the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. That's the last word
to sinners. Come. Come. He does not say, Go get ready. I want you to notice that now.
He does not say, go and get ready. Now that's the word of the Pharisee
and self-righteous. They're going to get ready. They're
going to get worthy before they come. They're going to do something
before they come. They're going to feel satisfied
in their own hearts that they have mended their ways, they
have turned over a new leaf, They have made certain promises
to themselves that they were going to keep by way of their
conduct and character, and so they're going to come now, you
see. They're going to get ready first.
But he doesn't say, go and get ready. He doesn't say, go and
get ready. Notice that. He says, come, not go and get
ready. He doesn't say, send, as the
poor Roman Catholics do, that is, commit yourself or commit
your soul. to the priest or commit your
soul to some saint or some angel?" He doesn't say that. He doesn't
say, send. He doesn't say, go and get ready. But he says, come.
Come. He says, come to me with all
your sin. And I'll be gracious. I wait to be gracious. Come to
me. Well, someone says, I feel unfit.
Well, the worse you think yourself to be, the better prepared you
are to come. The worse you think you are,
the better qualified you are to come. The Lord Jesus Christ
is not the Savior of the fit. He's the Savior of sinners. He
come to save sinners. He didn't come to save fit people.
He didn't come to save the whole. He come to save those that were
wounded, those that were blind, those that were held in captivity. He come to deliver them when
they wanted assurance and an attestment of the fact of his
qualifications as being the Son of God, that he said, John the
Baptist was a little bit worried about it, or at least that's
the indication, and he sent some of his disciples and said, if
you be the Christ, John the Baptist, he's bothered here, he says,
if you be the Christ, tell it so plainly. He said, go tell
John. Go tell John. that devils are
being cast out. The wounded are being healed. The blind receive their sight. Captives have been led into deliverance
and freedom. He said, tell them that. And
that's all he said. He's not the Savior of the fit,
but he's the Savior of sinners. He came to save sinners. Paul
said he came into this world and said, this is a faithful
thing, and worthy of all acceptation, worthy of our acceptance, worthy
of being believed. He came into this world to save
sinners in whom I am chief. Paul said he was the chief of
sinners. How many do you suppose, if I took a poll, had access
to the population of our area here, of Marion County, we'll
say of Marion County that has about, what, 70,000 people, I
suppose, in it. If I had a poll, drawn and sent
this, took this poll, sent this paper out to all of those in
this area that profess to be Christian, Every soul that has
held his hand up or has signed a paper or who has made some
sort of an indication that he's taken on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, I'd say to him, answer this question. Are you the chief of
sinners? How many do you reckon would
say, would mark an X in there and say, yeah, I'm the chief
of sinners? Not very many. Not very many. That's what Paul
said he was, though. He said, I'm the chief of sinners. He's not the Savior of the fit,
but He's the Savior of sinners. Well, He said, come unto Me. He didn't
say, come unto the altar. A lot of, you know, preachers
in churches say, well, if you come to the altar, now that's
where you come there and pray, and weep and mourn and shout
and all that. You might find it. But he didn't
say that. He said, come to me. He said, don't stop short of
me. If you stop short of me, you stop too short. If you stop
at the baptismal pool thinking that you're going to find rest,
you stop too short. If you think you joined the church
and you're going to get rest, you stop too short. If you think
that because you've reformed and you quit this and you quit
that, that you're going to get rest, you've stopped too short.
He said, come unto Me, unto Me, and I'll give you rest. That's
why He's going to give people. He's going to give people rest.
These that are burdened down with heaviness of conscience,
heaviness of guilt, that are anxious to be saved, who tremble
at the very thought of death, and hell and judgment, he said,
if you'll come to me, come to me, embrace me, receive me, I
will give you rest. Rest, the whole world is full
of restlessness and disappointment and weariness and emptiness. And the very faces of the men
of this world let out the secret, they have no rest. They have
no rest. They have no rest. They spend a lifetime, lots of
people do, they spend a lifetime hewing out cisterns, broken cisterns
that can hold no water. Think of it. Spend a lifetime
in religion, A whole lifetime, 50 years, 60 years, a lifetime
of being religious, and all that they've accomplished is hewing
out cisterns, broken cisterns, that'll hold no water. Disappointment,
weariness, emptiness, and restlessness is characteristic with the men
of this world. and I'll give you rest." Notice
he said, I will not sell it. He didn't say, I'll sell it to
you. He said, I give it to you. Come to me and I'll give you
rest. If you got a thousand dollars, you can have it. That's not what
he says here. If you straighten up your life,
I'll give it to you. That's not what he said. If you'll
make certain promises that you'll hold out faithful to the end,
I'll give it to you." That's not what he said. That's not
what he said. I don't know where these preachers get this business.
Let's keep it just like it is. He said, if you'll come to me,
if you're burdened down with the load and guilt of your sins,
if you'll come to me, I will give. I won't sell it to you,
I'll give it to you. I'll give you rest. Now notice, he didn't say he
would lend it to you. I'll lend it to you. That's what
most of them tell me. Most preachers and churches that
I know anything about, that's the way they interpret that,
they say that the Lord Jesus Christ means there All ye that
labor and are heavy laden, come to me, and I'll lend you rest. And after a while, when you get
tired of it, I'll take it away from you, or you'll lose it.
That's what they say. I'll lend it to you. I'll lend
it. That's what the Armenians say. That's what all the free
willers say. I'll give it to you for a while,
and then I'll take it away from you. You can have it for a while.
Have it and enjoy it there for a while, for 2 or 3 weeks, 2
or 3 months, or 25 or 30 years, but I'll take it away from you
someday. Someday when you're not studying your Bible like
you ought to, and you're not going to church maybe like you
ought to, I'll just reach down and take it away from you. Is
that what it says here? It says, come unto me and I'll
give you rest. I'll give it to you. It's yours. I'll give it to you. Just give it to you. I talked
to a fellow here the other night, I was trying to tell him what
the gospel was, and I said, that's what it is, that's what it's
all about. I said, when a man becomes aware of his true self,
that he is by nature a sinner before God, and he feels it in
his bones, he feels it in his heart, he knows that he's a rebel
against God. When he comes to that place in
his experience, And he hears the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ,
I give unto you eternal. I said, that's what it is. He
gives it to you. He gives it to you. He doesn't
sell it to you. He doesn't lend it to you. He
gives it to you. That's the grace of God. He gives
it. Can I be any plainer than that?
Can the gospel be preached any plainer than that? I never heard
it preached any plainer than that. A lot of people can preach
it better than I can, but they can't preach it any plainer than
I can. Or they can't preach a better
gospel than I can. Won't lend it to you, give it
to you. Rest. All right, just let me
mention a few things now as to what this rest is. What is this
rest? Number one is rest from the fear
of sin. Sin's terrible. Sin's terrible. Oh, it's terrible. God hates
sin. God hates sin. He cringes at the very thought
of sin. He hates sin. But listen, rest
is from the fear of sin in that the Lord Jesus Christ has completely
taken away our sin. You couldn't do anything about
your sin. But He can. He can put it away. You can't
do anything about it. What can you do about your sin?
You can moan over it. You can groan over it. And you
can make certain curses against it, but you can't do anything
about it. You can't do a single solid... You can vow and purpose
and promise yourself that you won't do this or you won't think
that. You can't do anything about it. He can. He can put it away. The Lord Jesus Christ has completely
put away our sins. So rest is rest from the fear
of sin. He has put away our sin. They're
forgiven. They're pardoned. They're removed.
They're blotted out. They're sunk into the sea of
God's forgetfulness. That's rest. Isn't that rest? when you know that your sins
will not rise up to look you in the face, or will not haunt
you in the day of judgment. That's wrath, brethren. Oh, all the sins that you and
I have committed, awful thoughts, awful thoughts that we've had.
Some of us have committed awful deeds that are ungodly and unthinkable. Listen, they'll never be brought
up to haunt me in the day of judgment. They'll never be brought
out of a book or out of the remembrance of God and brought up and accused
me before the multiplied billions and billions of people of souls
that stand before God. They'll never accuse me. Oh no, they've been blotted out. They've been put away. They've
been buried in the sea of God's forgetfulness. They have been
cast behind God's back. And He said, I'll not remember
them against you no more. You see, rest from the fear of
sin. And that's rest, brethren. That's rest for a troubled heart,
isn't it? For a troubled soul. Oh, that
your sins won't be brought up? God won't remember them against
you? You'll remember them, and I'll remember them, but God won't.
Isn't that something? All right. Secondly, rest from
the fear of the law. You know, the law has no further
claim on the man who's come to God in Christ Jesus. You know,
the law says, you honor me 100%. The law of God is is contained in two verses, I
think, in the Ten Commandments that characterize the whole thing.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all your strength, and
you shall love your neighbor as yourself. That's the law of
God. Can you do that? Can you love
God with all your heart and all your strength and all your mind?
Can you love your neighbor as yourself? Rest is being delivered from
that law. From the fear of that law, the
man that has come to the Lord Jesus Christ, he has been delivered
from that fear of that law because that law has been honored and
satisfied by the Savior Himself. Listen, I told you this morning
that the debt has been paid. I told you this morning that
the Lord Jesus Christ delivered up the payment of that debt in
his own hands and present it unto God. And the debt is paid,
and all the requirements are satisfied. The Bible says he
is the end of the law. He is the end of the law for
righteousness to them that believe. from the fear of the law. Don't
have no fear of the law anymore. The law is my companion. The
law is my friend. The law demands that my salvation
be secured because the law has been satisfied. Have no fear
of the law. And thirdly, rest from the fear
of the devil. Now, he's powerful. I know that.
The devil is powerful. But he cannot touch those that
have come to the Lord Jesus Christ. God has built a hedge about him.
His angels encampeth in compass about them that fear him. God's
angels, as John Mitchell mentioned, are the angels of God. Every
one of us who are believers in Christ Jesus have angels, that
ministering spirit that God has sent to guide, to guard, and
to protect us. That's right. The devil, brethren,
He's powerful, but he can't do anything against those that have
come to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's got a hedge about him. Satan
cannot overcome the powerful might of our God. He can't do
it. He may buffet us, he may sift
us, and he may vex us and torment us, but he can't destroy us.
To know that, that's rest, brethren, that's rest. Rest from the fear
of the devil. And then, fourthly, rest from
the fear of death. You know, the sting of death
is taken away. The Lord Jesus Christ has overcome
death. Death is a conquered enemy. God,
through Christ, has conquered enemies. That's our last enemy,
and it's been conquered. The sting has been taken out.
That's right, and when you die, When you die, you'll understand
that. I don't understand it now because
I haven't experienced it. We'll have to experience it to
understand it fully. But the sting of death has been
taken out. The strength of that has been dissolved. God's
overcome it. The believer's soul is safe.
And I believe that's rest, don't you? Safe from death. Why? You've got nothing to fear. You can go to sleep. If you're
a believer in Christ, if you've come to Christ, and He's given
you rest, then you can lay down and sleep tonight. You're not
afraid of death. What are you afraid of? The sting's
been taken out. The Lord Jesus Christ has conquered
sin, hell, death, and the grave. Nothing to be afraid of now. When you die, God will send an
angel to carry your soul to Abraham's bosom. He did for that beggar
and I'm sure He will for you. He'll escort you into glory.
See, your nest and your rest is not in this world, it's in
Christ. And He cares for you and He's
concerned about you. Come unto Me and I'll give you
rest. Rest from the fear of death. And then lastly, rest from the fear of afflictions
and tribulations and trials and troubles and storms that come
our way. Rest from all of that. You see,
he'll cheer your heart and he'll sustain your fainting, faltering,
halting spirit. He'll enable you to bear your
loss patiently and hold your peace in the day of wrath. Rest. Brethren, that's rest. when you
know calamity comes upon you and it will come upon you. In
this world you will have tribulation. This business of people saying
that Jesus Christ comes to save men from disease. I have seen
an ad in the paper this morning that says come to our meeting
and find out about the Christ of God who has taken all your
diseases. Don't you know that God doesn't
want you to be sick? He doesn't want you to have any
discouragements and disappointments and anything of that nature,
that it's all been taken care of. I don't know anything about
the Christ that died for sickness in all of that business. Christ
came into this world to save men from their sins. And I don't know how you explain
all that in light of what I'm about to say. The Bible says
in this world ye shall have tribulations. You'll have them. You'll have
them. You'll have deaths in your family. You're going to die.
You're going to die. Your uncles and your aunts and
your father and your mother and your children and your best friends
and your preacher, all is going to die. Your right arm is going
to be cut off someday. The storm of affliction is going
to come upon you. Him that comes to the Lord Jesus
Christ will have rest. He'll have rest in that day because
he'll know that God is on the circle of this globe and he runs
and rules and controls all of this. And he sends the famines
to give you rest. That's right. Well, lastly now,
just let me speak a minute or two to those who have not come
to Christ. I've spoken for the most part
to those who have come to Christ. But now let me ask you something,
because there's some here, you know your heart. You haven't
come to Christ. You've been thinking about it,
but you haven't come. Now let me ask you this. What
possible reason can you give for not coming to Christ? You
answer that question honestly in your own heart. What possible
reason can you give? for not coming to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Will you tell me that you have
no need to come? Will you say that? Will you say,
I have no need to come? Will you tell me that you have
no sin to be pardoned, no iniquity to be covered? Will you say that?
If you do, I don't believe you. If you say, I have no need to
come, you are saying, I have no sins to be pardoned. And I
don't believe you. I don't believe you. You could
tell me that. 500 times every day, and I'd disbelieve you 500
times every day. Listen, will you tell me that
you're happy without the Lord Jesus Christ? You might tell
me that, but I wouldn't believe you. No, I don't believe it. You dare not look in your own
heart this evening. You dare not search your own
conscience. If you do, you'll find out that you're not as happy
as you think you are. Listen, take heed, take heed
and listen to me. Every morning, you're in awful
danger. Every evening, every hour of every day, you're in
awful danger. You stand on the brink of hell.
Let a fever, let a fever, an accident or disease carry you
off and you're lost forever. That's right. Many in this church fell at work
for gleeing. Just the other day, had a physical
examination the week before. Doctor said you're in good shape.
Just three or four days ago, walking out in the brush, doing
his job, looking for a gas line or something. He pointed over
there and said, there's a lion over there. And before the last
word got out of his mouth, he plunged into the brush and they
said he was dead before he hit the ground. Dead before he hit
the ground. You mean to tell me you have
no need of coming to the Lord Jesus? You have no need? You
have no sin to be pardoned? No iniquity to be covered? Huh? I don't believe you. You say
you're happy? I don't believe you. Search your
heart. Search your conscience. I don't believe you're happy.
Don't believe you are. I believe you're salving your
conscience. I don't believe you're listening
to that still small voice. You're not happy. You're not
happy. You better listen to me this evening. Anything can happen. And if it happens, you'll be
carried away in a flood. You'll be lost forever. Escape
for your life. Flee now. Come to Him. Come to Him while you're in your
right mind. Tomorrow, God may take your mind
from you. You might not have it. Come now. Come unto Me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden. will give you rest. I'll give it to you. Can you
come? Can you come? Right there in
your heart, can you come to Christ? He'll give you rest. He'll give
you rest. Can you come? Thank God, I heard
His voice one day, about 20, twenty-five, twenty-seven, twenty-eight
years ago, I don't know when it was, a long time ago, I heard
His voice. He said, Come. That's the verse
of Scripture that the preacher preached on. Right there. Come unto Me. I heard the voice
of the Son of God. He said, Come. And I come. I didn't know what He was talking
about, but I come. I don't mean physically come before the church. I knew then that didn't do it.
I knew that it was between me and God. I knew back where I
sat in the back of the building, and I knew as I went home that
night and considered this all night long, and all the next
day I considered it, I knew that it was between me and God. I
knew that. I knew that it had to come by
faith. I knew that it was a committing
myself, my soul, to God Almighty. And He gave me rest. And I'm
going to tell you another thing. I've never regretted it. From
that day until now. Never regretted it. No sir. God's blessed me beyond measure. My how God's blessed me. Poor, poor, poor, faltering sinner
like me. God's blessed me. Maybe He'll bless you. If he calls you, you're already
blessed. You come.