Rest for the Soul

very beloved again, a very beloved verse by the Lord's people showing the great compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ inviting those who are laboring and those who are heavy laden to come to him that they might find rest not only for their bodies but specifically for their soul.

As he said, take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

As pondering over this this afternoon I was struck really by the by the way that the Lord Jesus Christ was not afraid to set before the people two truths which seemed to be incompatible the incompatible truths of God's sovereignty in salvation and man's responsibility and that here in this chapter the Lord Jesus sets before those that were there at that time and before us this evening, that there is a responsibility in man to hear the word of God and those who hear the word of God and refuse to turn from their sin experience a greater form of judgment and we see that with the cities that the Lord Jesus Christ went to and as he did the mighty miracles amongst them, as they saw people being healed, as they saw people who were raised from the dead, the Lord Jesus pronounces a woe upon those saying that if these mighty works hadn't been done in Tyre and Sidon or if these mighty works had been done in Sodom and Gomorrah those cities would have turned from their sin a long time ago and they would not have been destroyed and so he pronounces a curse upon those who have heard and seen and witnessed the good hand of the Lord and yet still remain hard-hearted. God is sovereign in salvation, that is extremely clear throughout the Word of God and yet man is still responsible for his sin. He will be cast into hell because of his own sin and because he has not believed upon the way of salvation that has been provided by God. verse 27 it says, that all the things have been delivered unto me of my father and no man knoweth the son but the father and neither knoweth any man the father save the son or except the son and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him and so it is Christ who reveals to the individual the Father.

So he sets before, first of all, the sovereignty of God and the hard-hearted nature of man and his inability to see Christ and his inability to see the Father. But then he comes, as it were, with another truth. two separate truths held out in two separate hands, yet seemingly to the human mind, incompatible one with another, yet the Lord Jesus Christ holds them up and presents them in basically the same sentence. No man can see God. No man can view Christ as to who he is.

But then he says, come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And so the rejection of these truths brings a greater condemnation. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for thee. And so both of these truths are true at the very same time, that Christ is able to elevate the sovereignty of God in salvation, man's inability to reach out to God, but he's also able to lay before us a responsibility. that there is that responsibility for a sinner to examine what he sees round about him and to acknowledge that there is a God and to search out for that God. And so one truth does not cancel out the other.

We seem to fail to be able to grasp. We want to be able to understand God and yet the Bible tells us that God is unable to be understood with the human mind. He's far greater than the human mind. He's the creator of our mind and our intellect and our understanding.

And so we as finite humans are unable to fully grasp God and all that he lays before us and if he says that we are accountable for our sin and will be sent to hell because we have not believed and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ and yet he still presents to us that God is sovereign in salvation, that he chose the people before the foundation of the world, Just because you and I cannot reconcile those truths does not mean those truths don't exist. Just because we are unable to reconcile them doesn't mean that one cancels out the other. They are both true at exactly the same time and they are both presented to us in the scriptures. Jesus held both of them up. not just here but also throughout his teaching.

John 3.16, it says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the condemnation that light has come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil and so here the Lord Jesus Christ again sets before us that whosoever Whosoever shall believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ shall have life, and who will be sent to hell is those who have not believed. They remain in a condemned state.

He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already. Why? Because he has not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. It does not say that because God hasn't chosen him. It says, because he has not believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

John chapter six, verse 37. And the father himself, sorry, chapter six. that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out for I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me and this is the Father's will which he has sent me that all which he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. And so in verse 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me.

God's sovereignty is elevated. That is what is the truth. But he also says that he that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. There is the hope for the sinner. It is not to look and to focus upon God's election and God's sovereignty, it is to look at the open door that has been presented to him by the Lord Jesus Christ. And if he has that desire to come to Christ, then we can be sure that it is God that has put the desire into that sinner's heart and they are being drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ by that. band of unseen love and they are coming to the Lord Jesus and whoever has that real need of Christ, they will come to him. But he also says, whosoever cometh unto him, I will in no wise cast out. Verse 63, It is the spirit that quickens. It's the spirit that makes alive. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.

There are some of you that believe not, for Jesus knew that from the beginning, who they were that believe not and who should betray him. And he said, therefore, I say unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given him of my father. And so again, he sets before this truth, the sovereignty of God, that nobody can come to God except it were given to him of the Father.

If you think of a magnet, that passes over steel and aluminium and plastic. There will be some metals that have no effect, they won't wriggle, they won't move as that magnet passes over but as soon as the steel comes within reach of those magnetic forces then there is that drawing power, there is that movement and there is that drawing up to that magnet and so it is with God. he is sovereign in his choice and he gives that ability for the sinner to come to him and yet the scriptures lay out that there is that hope, the scriptures lay out that hope for the doubting soul that whosoever comes unto me I will not cast out and it is that truth that whoever comes to the Lord Jesus Christ won't be cast out because They have been drawn to Christ by the Father, by the Spirit, the Spirit that has made a life. As you pass that magnet over the steel, you see sometimes, don't you, it begins to, the steel begins to move.

It begins to almost show that it is alive. And as that magnet comes closer and closer, then there is that attraction. There is that attraction. I wonder if you have that attraction this evening. Has there been that stirring in your heart? Maybe you're struggling with this. Well, am I elect? Am I one of the father's choice? And are you focusing at the end of the matter rather than the beginning of the matter?

Is that stirring taking place within your heart? Well then that stirring that is taking place within your heart, that attraction that you feel to the Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning of the matter. It is a revelation to you that you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a revelation to you that you are being drawn by God to Christ.

Like the lady who had the issue of blood, spent all of her money but rather grew worse. No doubt she couldn't lay out a theological explanation of the drawing power of the Holy Spirit. No doubt she didn't fully grasp God's sovereignty in election, yet she had an attraction to the Lord Jesus Christ. She knew that the Lord Jesus Christ was her only hope. Vain was the help of man in her condition and her only hope was the Lord Jesus Christ and she had an attraction to him, she was drawn to him.

In Matthew chapter 9 And behold, a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood, verse 20, 12 years, came behind him and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself, if I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be whole, I shall be saved. Yes, her condition was a physical condition, yet she went away from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Daughter, be of good comfort. Thy faith has made thee whole. Thy faith has saved thee. And she was whole from that very hour. She came to Christ with a physical condition, yet she left him having her sins forgiven, cleansed of both her physical and her spiritual uncleanness.

She was drawn to Jesus. Maybe in her own mind, she thought that she made that decision. Maybe she thought that she'd, you know, I've tried this route, this route, this route, and this route. Now I'll decide to go to the Lord Jesus. She didn't realise that it was the Lord working within her heart. She didn't realise all that was taking place, that she was being spiritually awakened. She was becoming born again. She had a spiritual attraction to the Lord Jesus Christ, or she knew that she had to get to him. She knew that he was her only hope for her healing.

And my friends, that's all you need. All you need to know about the Lord Jesus Christ is that he's the one that is able to save you. He's the one that's able to deal with the need of your sin. Do you need to worry about whether you're elect or not, whether your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life or not? No. All you need to know is you need to know that you've been invited to come to the Lord Jesus Christ because you are thirsty, because you are hungry, because you are laboring under the weight of your sin and that is all that is needed to come to the Lord Jesus Christ for what did they accuse him of? this man receives sinners.

This man is a friend of publicans and sinners. He that has ears to hear, let him hear. And so this drawing power is the spiritual work of God. It is a powerful work, it is an effective work that separates the sinner from the kingdom of darkness. We can think of a vehicle that's stuck in the mud. and it's been pulled out by a tow truck. It's unable to get itself out, but it is pulled out by another vehicle. And so God pulls sinners out of the kingdom of darkness. He pulls them out of the miry clay of this world and he brings them to himself. He pulls them out from the hold of Satan. and he draws them to himself. They say, like the lady, that they spent all their money but only got worse. They tried to deal with everything themselves, but they only got worse.

But then they recognise the Lord Jesus Christ and they say, it is him and him alone that can help me. Well, I'm not elect, doesn't matter. Come unto me, all you that are labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You see, it's the need that makes Christ attractive. You see, the people of the world don't see any attraction in the Lord Jesus Christ whatsoever because they have no need of him, or they think they have no need of him. despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And yet those who are laboring under the weight of their sin, that's the need that they have. Christ becomes attractive. Labor always creates a need.

If we've labored in the garden or maybe we've labored at work, we've had a busy day and we are tired. Not only are we tired, we are hungry and we are thirsty. And so Jesus sets before us a picture of somebody that has come from a day's work and they are tired, they've been labouring. Not only are they labouring, they are carrying a heavy burden. And no doubt in the mind of Jesus at this time, he was looking at the Pharisees and he was looking at them and the weight that they laid upon all of the people, the burdens that they laid upon them, the law that was laid upon them. But also he gives us a picture of a sinner that is loaded with their sin. They're tired of labouring in this world and they're burdened with their sin. And so he says to those, come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

John 6 again, verse 35. tells us there, and Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. And I say unto you that ye have also sorry but i say unto you that ye also have seen me and believe not but all that the father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh unto me i will in no wise cast out and so jesus says those who are laboring and are heavy laden laboring under the weight of sin he says he that cometh to me shall never hunger and shall never thirst. Chapter 7 and verse 37. In the last days there, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scriptures have said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. And so Jesus, as he gives that account, come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, that labouring that is a tiredness, that labouring that brings a thirst, that labouring that brings a hunger.

He says that he's able to quench that thirst. The world can never fully satisfy. He says that he's able to quench that hunger. I am the bread that came down from heaven. I am the bread that gives eternal life, a sustaining strength. But also, I am the place of rest for your soul. Are you tired of this world? Have you found out? Has the Lord revealed to you that this world is like a treadmill, constantly rolling, constantly keeps going and going and going, sapping all of your energy?

Does not this sound beautiful to you, that the Lord Jesus Christ offers a rest? a rest for your never-dying soul and he invites you to come to him. You who are indeed heavy-laden, you that are indeed labouring under the weight of sin, you indeed who are thirsty and hungry and not satisfied with what this world has to offer you, it is to you this invitation is given. and it is given to you so that you might have hope and that you might have a rest for your soul. How then do we come to the Lord Jesus Christ? Well we know that we are drawn to him.

But how is this revealed in our individual experiences? If you think about it, maybe there was a time that you fell in love. and you began somehow that you don't really know how. You cannot really pinpoint your finger on the time that you fell in love with your partner, your husband or wife. But you know now that there was that time that those things took place.

You were drawn to each other. And so it is with many of the Lord's people, they love the Lord Jesus, but they cannot fully grasp the time when they began to love him. It's like they've always loved him. And that love is the evidence of his love to you. It is the evidence that he has drawn you to himself. It is an attraction that you have.

Could you walk away from the Lord Jesus Christ? Is the love that you have for the Lord Jesus so weak, so fragile that you could just walk away right now and say, I'm just going to pack it all in, I don't believe any of it? If not, why not? It's because you love him. You love him more than you realise you love him. Like Peter says, to whom else can we go? You have the words of eternal life. You do love him. You love him because he first loved you. And you love him because he has drawn, the father has drawn you to his beloved son. And so you are attracted to him.

So how do we come to Christ? The same as you come to any person, you go to them. How do you go to Christ? You speak to him. He's the high priest at the right hand of the Father. He ever lives to intercede for us. He's always there. He's never far away from any of us. You've only got to talk. to him. He that comes to God must believe that he is and he's a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.

Prayer, as we come in a moment, to all intents and purposes, to the eyes of man, it's foolish. So I was in there praying a minute ago and thinking, well, you know, if people were to see you, think you're mad. Speaking, they say don't they, speaking to yourself is the first sign of madness and to other people that's what we are doing, just speaking to ourselves. Yet we know that true prayer is communing with God through his beloved son the Lord Jesus Christ and so how do you come to Christ?

You get on your knees and you speak to him You commune with the Redeemer and you ask Him, my burdens are heavy. I'm labouring under the weight of my sin and it is written, it is written that you have said that you will give me rest. It is written that you will never cast anyone out. I beg a poor at mercy's door stand such a wretch as I. Tell him that you are sorry for your sin.

Tell him that you believe in him and that you trust in him and you desire to follow him. And these are the evidences that you have been drawn to the Lord Jesus. No man comes unto the Father except by me. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.

Jesus says, Come unto me, all you that are labouring 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 you shall find rest for your souls. I'm not like these Pharisees, I'm not like these oppressive kings, I am the meek and lowly Saviour. Be yoked together with me and I'll grant you the strength and ability that you need to walk this narrow way that leads to life, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

He will provide rest for our soul. Yes rest and comfort to the seeking soul but eternal rest also for every individual that trusts in him and not only does this speak of salvation but also as believers we can come to the Lord Jesus Christ can't we. and there are times when we do labor and our lives are labor and we are heavy laden with the trials and difficulties that this world lays upon us and so he says come unto me all of you that labor and are heavy laden i will give you rest this is why we come to the prayer meeting this evening to present to the lord those things that are burdensome to us those things that cause us impossibilities in our Christian experiences and we come and we unburden our hearts and know that rest that that unburdening gives to us.

May the Lord then encourage those that are looking at the end of the matter rather than the beginning of the matter to come to the first base, to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ and you will see that he has chosen you before the foundation of the world. I don't desire to know the end of the thing before the beginning. Look at the beginning and then begin to climb the ladder and to learn more and more and more of Christ. Election is a truth for the Lord's people who desire comfort and to see the amazement of the wonderful gospel of the Lord Jesus that was chosen in him. before the foundation of the world.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Amen. Continue by singing from Gatsby's hymn number 582. High beyond imagination is the love of God to man. Far too deep for human reason, fathom that it never can. Love eternal, richly dwells in Christ the Lamb. Hymn 582. God's imagination is the love of God to man. Far too deep for human reason, God the man did never plan. Love eternal, of eternal which they dwelt in Christ the Lord.

Lord Jesus, non-competition, open its dimensions, Lord. This aboundless, endless river, have its waters freely flowed. How ecstasy, how ecstasy, Come and takes this street below. Jesus, love, love, He will never, never, never leave this church afraid to fail. Holy Savior, And my soul a bruising's worth

Rest for the Soul

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