The Greatest Promise

Q: What does the Bible say about rest for the weary?

The Bible promises rest to the weary through Jesus Christ in Matthew 11:28-30. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus extends a compassionate invitation to those who are weary and burdened, promising them rest. This promise highlights the merciful nature of Christ, who is fully able, willing, and faithful to grant rest to our souls. Rest, in this context, is multifaceted; it encompasses peace of mind, relief from the burdens of sin, and an assurance of salvation. The call to rest is not merely about physical cessation from labor but a deep spiritual rest found in relationship with Christ, who says, 'Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' This entreaty underscores the essence of the Gospel—the necessity to come to Christ rather than to legalistic efforts or human wisdom—where true rest and solace are found.

Q: How do we know Christ's promise of rest is true?

We know Christ's promise is true because He possesses the power, willingness, and faithfulness to fulfill it. The promise of rest made by Christ is founded upon His unique authority and capabilities. First, Jesus has the power to give rest, as affirmed in Scriptures such as John 17:2, which depicts His dominion over all creation. Secondly, His willingness to provide rest is evident in His mission; He came to seek and save the lost, demonstrating His desire to save sinners and grant them the peace they so desperately need. Lastly, His faithfulness is assured; as God who cannot lie, He guarantees that what He promises, He will accomplish. These three characteristics—power, willingness, and faithfulness—create a solid foundation upon which believers can rest assured that Christ's promises will come to fruition.

Q: Why is coming to Christ important for Christians?

Coming to Christ is essential for Christians as it is the only way to find true rest for the soul. The call to 'come to Christ' is central to the Christian faith because it signifies the means by which we receive grace, mercy, and rest from our burdens. As illustrated in Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites all who labor and are heavy laden to approach Him directly rather than relying on the law, religious rituals, or human efforts for salvation and peace. This emphasis on coming to Christ highlights a personal relationship, where individuals are called to trust not in their own capabilities, but in His completed work at the cross. Such a coming is not about physical movement, but a spiritual act of faith that brings eternal rest for the weary soul. This relationship is transformative, as it leads to ongoing learning about His love and grace, producing a deeper peace and rest in our daily lives.

Q: What does it mean to find rest for our souls?

Finding rest for our souls means experiencing spiritual peace and relief from the burdens of sin and guilt through Christ. Rest for our souls, as promised by Christ in Matthew 11:28-30, encompasses a profound sense of peace and security found only in Him. This rest signifies freedom from the guilt and shame of sin, which weighs heavily on the heart and mind. By coming to Christ in faith, believers are assured that their sins are forgiven and that they have been reconciled to God—thereby lifting the burdens that cause spiritual unrest. Additionally, this rest involves not only an initial peace at conversion but also the ongoing growth in grace as we learn of Christ and His ways. As we deepen our understanding of His sacrifice and His love, we discover more of the rest available to us, learning to navigate the challenges of life with the assurance that we are in the capable and loving hands of our Savior.

My message today is entitled,
The Greatest Promise. The Greatest Promise. And I'd
like for you to open your Bibles to the 11th chapter of Matthew. This is a very familiar passage
of Scripture. I'm sure most of you have read
it or heard it read many, many times. But I call it The Greatest
Promise. Recently, I spent three weeks
in Mexico, down in Chiapas and the Yucatan, preaching in several
pueblos and villages and cities. One night I preached the gospel
of Christ to an open air gathering. There were so many people there
that night that they all couldn't get in the little church, so
we met out on the patio where they dry coffee. This is about
a ranch about 30 miles north of Guatemala. And after I finished
preaching, I speak to a translator. I have a friend who's been in
Mexico 25 years, and he translates for me when I go there and preach.
And after the service, a man spoke to my translator, missionary
Milton Howard, and he said this to Brother Howard. He said, I've
heard this gospel before, but tonight I really heard it. And I think I understand what
I heard. And I'll be back. Do you know
what he's saying? Do you understand what he's saying?
Let me tell you again. He said, I have heard this gospel
before, but tonight I really heard it. Now, my friends, it's
one thing to hear with the ear. It's quite another thing to hear
with the heart. It's one thing to hear with the
ear, and quite another to hear with the understanding. Our Lord
said that. He said they, talking about the
unbeliever, He said they have ears, but they do not hear. He
said they have eyes, but they do not see. They have hearts,
but they do not understand. And He turned to His disciples
and He said, blessed are your ears, they hear." Well, these
people have ears just like their ears. No. They have natural ears
like their natural ears. But the Holy Spirit has anointed
the heart and the soul and the mind. And they're hearing not
just with these ears, but hearing with the heart and with the understanding.
And that's what He's saying there. And I pray that God will today,
give us ears like this man in Mexico to really hear what we've
been hearing and to really see the glory of God in the face
of Christ Jesus. Everybody, practically everybody
is familiar with the name Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ.
It's used all the time. It's used in preaching. It's
used in cursing. It's used in the history books.
It's used in the movies. It's used by politicians. It's
used by preachers. But may we be able to see the
glory of God in the face of this God-man, this person, and may
God give us hearts to believe. I'm conscious that when I preach,
whether here or anywhere else, that if my voice is the only
voice that men hear or women hear, nothing of any consequence
will be accomplished. Nothing of any eternal value
will take place. We've got to hear Him speak from
heaven through His Word and through the man whom He sent. That's
right. That's what Paul said. He said,
I come to you preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, not with enticing
words of man's wisdom or intellect or psychology or philosophy. I come to you with plain, straightforward,
simple language, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom
of men, in the arguments of men, but that your faith should stand
in the wisdom of God, in the power of God." You see, that's
what Paul said about the church at Thessalonica. He said, our
gospel didn't come to you in word only. What in the world is he talking
about? Our gospel didn't come in word only. What, did he draw
pictures? No. Our gospel didn't come in word
only. It came in power. It came in
words anointed with power. It came in words made effectual
by the Holy Spirit. It came in words like a sword. The sword of the Word is the
Word of God. The sword of the Word of God piercing even between
the joints and the marrow into the soul and the heart. And that's
what Paul said about this Thessalonican church. He said, our gospel didn't
come to you just in words and doctrines and facts. It came
to you in power and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance. That's how the Word came. And
that's what I pray that God will be pleased to do as I speak Not
only today, but at other times that He will make the Word to
be effectual. And this scripture I want to
read from my text. Like I said, it's one with which
you're familiar and one you've heard, I'm sure, many times.
But let's see if we can hear it. Let's see if we can hear
it. Matthew 11, 27. Jesus Christ
said, All things are delivered unto Me of My Father. And no
man knoweth the Son, but the Father. Neither knoweth any man
the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal
him. And then he said, Come unto me,
all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Come unto me, and I'll give you
rest. Now, there are few texts in the
Bible more important than this one. It's so clear, it's so plain,
it's so rich in promise and purpose. There are few as important. And
there are few texts in the Bible which hold out such mercy. The
Lord's not obligated to us. I don't know where people picked
up this idea that God is obligated. You know the only obligation
God has to a rebel is to punish him? The only obligation God
has to a sinner is to damn him. The only obligation God has to
us is to pay us the wages of sin. That's death. God must punish
sin. God may show mercy. He doesn't
have to. Everybody in the Bible who approached
Jesus Christ approached him on this basis. Will you show mercy? Nobody ever sent Jesus Christ
a bill for services rendered. That's stupid. Everything they
ever asked for was mercy. And those who asked for it received
it. God's not obligated to you and
me. God doesn't owe us anything.
We messed up everything God made. We perverted everything God's
given us. We've twisted and warped everything
God's presented to us. everything God Almighty made,
we messed it up, and we're messing it up more and more every day. The only thing He owes us are
the wages of sin. So there are few texts that hold
out such mercy, and there are few texts in the Bible so full
of comfort, rest, coming to me, all you that are laboring or
heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. There's not one person
out of a hundred that knows what rest is. Rest. Peace. Comfort. Joy. Rest in mind. The mind of the
average person is like the troubled sea, the water dashing cruelly
against the rocks. Rest of soul. No depression. No anxiety. No deep feelings
of guilt. rest of heart, no hatred and
malice and enmity and grudge and vengeance, rest of heart,
rest of body. Do you know anything about rest?
Do you know anything about rest? That's the reason I say this
is one of the most important texts in the Bible. One holds
out such mercy and one that's so full of comfort because God
Almighty in the person of His Son is promising Rest. Rest. Well, let's study this
text under four headings. First of all, who's speaking?
Secondly, to whom does he speak? Thirdly, what is his command? And fourthly, what's the promise? All right, who's speaking? Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. I'll give you
rest." Now, who's speaking? I'll give you rest. Well, when
someone promises you something, especially something as great
as this, the promise depends on three things. If I promised
you something tonight, it would depend on three things. Number
one, my ability to deliver, my power to deliver. I may out-promise
myself. Secondly, my willingness to deliver. I may change my mind. Thirdly,
my faithfulness to my promise. Will I continue? Will I persevere? Isn't that true? If someone promises
you something, would not it depend, that promise depend on those
three things, my power, my willingness, and my faithfulness. As the years
go by, I may forget it. All right? The one who speaks
here and promises to us rest is the Lord Jesus Christ, and
He fulfills toward us and toward God the Father, all three of
those things. He has the power. In fact, He's
the only one who does have the power to give you rest of soul,
of heart, and of mind. That's right. Scripture says
He's able to save. John 17 too. when he prayed in
Gethsemane, he said, Father, you've given me power over all
flesh that I should give eternal life to as many as thou hast
given me. When he sent his disciples out
to preach, he said, all authority, all power is given unto me in
heaven and earth. Go ye therefore and preach the
gospel. All power, all authority. He has power and he's able to
give rest. Scripture says he's able to do
all that he promised. Abraham believed that. He is
able to say to the uttermost, them that come to God by him,
he is able to keep you from falling. He is able to present you before
his throne of glory with exceeding joy, faultless and without blame. He is able to raise your vile
body and make it like His own. He's able. He's the only one
who can give rest. So He's able. All right, what
was the second requirement? He must be willing. Well, He's
willing. He's willing to give rest. That's
why He came to the earth. He said, I'm come that they might
have life and that they might have it more abundantly. He said,
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. He delights
to show mercy. Paul wrote, Jesus Christ came
into the world to save sinners. I Peter 3.18 said, He died just
for the unjust that He might bring us to God. That's why He
came. That's His mission. That's His
purpose. One of the disciples told Him not to go to the cross.
He said, For this cause came out to the world. He was born
crucified. So He's able to give rest. He's willing to give rest. And
I'll tell you this, He's faithful to His promises. What my God
purposes, He promises. What He promises, He fulfills. He said, Have I not spoken it?
Shall I not bring it to pass? In hope of eternal life, which
God, who cannot lie, promise before the world began. Firm
as His throne, the gospel stands. My Lord, my God, my trust, if
I'm found in Jesus' hands, my soul will never be lost because
His honor is engaged to save the weakest of His sheep. All
that the Heavenly Father gave the Son will surely keep." I'm persuaded, I'm confident,
Paul said, that what God Almighty has purposed, He'll fulfill. He'll accomplish that which He
has purposed. All right, the second question.
We've dealt with this one who's speaking. It's the Lord of Glory.
It's the one who has the power, the ability, the willingness,
the faithfulness to give rest. To whom does He speak? Now listen,
to whom does He speak? He says, Come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Now,
He does not speak here of our labors and burdens in the flesh.
We shall always have to work and toil. Ever since Adam fell
in the garden and God said that man shall eat his bread by the
sweat of his brow, that's true and that'll always be true. We're
going to have to always labor and toil and work till this life
is over. We're going to have tribulation.
In fact, Paul said, if a man wouldn't work, he shouldn't eat. That's right. Men are expected to work. Women
are expected to toil and labor. We're going to have burdens.
We're going to have trials. We're going to be heavy laden. We're going to have to toil all
the way through this life. Sun up to sun down. That's not
what he's talking about here. We can't quit work. We can't
stop working. We can't stop laboring. We can't
stop building. What he's talking about here
is this. All ye that labor and are heavy laden, he's talking
about in spirit, in heart. I'll tell you, if the heart and
the spirit are right with God, the toil and the labor of the
flesh is easier and the burdens are lighter. A man whose heart
is right with God can go to work a lot easier than a man who has
depression of spirit and mind and heart and labor of body too. What are the things that cause
us to labor and be heavy laden spiritually? What depresses you?
What brings you down? What troubles you? What keeps
you from having rest and joy and peace and precious sleep? I'll tell you a few things. Number
one, our feelings of sin against God. David said that. He said, my sins are ever before
me. Against thee, O God, and thee
only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. I'll tell
you, we think about our sins, we contemplate our sins, we're
concerned about our sins, we feel guilt over our sins because
they're against God. And that keeps you from having
rest. and a concern for your soul's
salvation. Am I saved? Tis a point I long
to know, John Newton said. Oft it gives me anxious thought.
Do I love the Lord or no? Am I His or am I not? It causes
great unrest. Thoughts about death. People
afraid to die. Did you know that? Oh, I hear
the quartet singing. I'll be glad when I have my home
over there. If they found out they was going
to have heart trouble tomorrow, they'd all flip, you know. They
don't want to die. They're just talking. The average
person's scared to death to die. Church member included, scared
to death to die, afraid of death, afraid of judgment. The average
person has no rest, no peace, no joy. Where will I spend eternity? Will I hear the Lord say, depart
from me, I never knew you? These things are what make us
heavy laden. a feeling of sin, a doubt about
salvation, our relationship with God, fear of death, fear of judgment,
fear of condemnation, fear of hell. And I'll tell you, a person
that doesn't know God and doesn't fear those things is a fool.
Fools make a mock of sin. Well, if we are laboring and
heavy laden in spirit and heart and soul about sin, death, judgment,
eternity, our relationship with God, thirdly, what is His command? He said, Now everything is delivered
unto Me of My Father. And no man knows the Father except
the Son, and He to whom the Son will reveal Him. So if you'll
come to Me, you that labor and are heavy laden and are filled
with depression and guilt and unrest, if you'll come to Me,
I'll give you rest." Now, what's his command? Come to me. Come
to me. Now, notice he didn't say go
to the law, go to Sinai and try to obey the law. Notice he didn't
say go to church and try to do good works, get involved in a
program and get out doing certain things, you know. That's not
what he says. He doesn't say, now, if you're laboring and heavy
laden, go get busy. No. He says, come to me. He didn't
say someone Send someone in your place. He didn't say that. Send
someone in your place. Send another representative. Send a preacher. Send Mary. Send
a priest. No, you come to me. He didn't say, wait and get better
so you can come, so you'll feel worthy. He says, come to me. All ye that labor and are heavy
laden, come to me." Not go to the preacher. He can't help you,
can't help himself. Not go to the front of the church.
That's what everybody's doing now. They're walking now, back
and forth, going down once and then rededicating and keep coming
back, you know. That's a terrible place to try
to find salvation. He didn't say, go to the baptismal
waters. He said, come to me. Believe on me. Now, how does
one come to Christ? By faith. Don't move a foot. Coming to Christ is not a physical
move. You don't move a hand nor a hair.
You don't move a head nor a foot. You come to Christ in heart.
You believe on Him. You look to Him. Come to me. Come to me. And come now. Just as you are,
just as I am, Charlotte Elliot wrote, without one plea, but
that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to
thee, Lord, Lamb of God, I come. Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blood, I can't do that, but to thee
whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come.
O Lamb of God, I come. Just as I am, thou wilt receive
and welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve, because you promise,
I believe. Lamb of God, I come. I wish I
could make that plain to all my heroes. Salvation's in a person. It's not in a possession. It's
not in a profession. It's not in a morality. It's
not in a denomination. It's not in all these things,
raising your hand and reciting the sinner's prayer. Salvation
is in Christ, trusting Him, believing Him, resting in Him, looking
to Him. You see that? That's what it
says. I don't know how to make it plainer.
He said, God, the Father's given everything in My hands. Now,
you come to Me. Come to Me. Don't come to anybody
else. Come to Me. All ye that are laboring
and heavy laden, I'll give you rest. I'll give you rest. What's His promise? I'll give
you rest. Rest. Every word here is important.
Come now, look to Christ. Two, leave your idols and your
false religion. Don't drag them along behind
you. To me, Christ alone, and I, I, He purged our sins by Himself. I'll give, give, I will, it's
certain. I will give. It's not for sale. It's a free gift. You, personally,
individually, I'll give you rest of mind, of heart, of soul. I'll give you rest. What is your
fear? Fear of sin? Well, Christ Jesus'
blood cleanses us from all sin. In Christ, there is no sin. My
sin, oh, the bliss of that glorious thought, my sin, not in part,
but the whole past, present, and future are nailed to the
cross. I bear them no more. It is well with my soul. Give
you rest. Rest from the fear of sin. What
is your trouble? What are your laboring? What are your fears?
Rest from the works of the law. We're not under the law. We're
under grace. The law has no dominion over us. We're under the grace
of God and the love of Christ. What about trials, disappointments,
sickness, heartache, sorrow, death? All things work together
for good to them who love God. who are called according to His
purpose. That's your rest in Christ. You know when something
does come your way, an ill wind blows, or a mountain must be
climbed, or a river must be forded, or a burden must be carried.
He gave it for His glory and your good. Rest from the fear
of death. To die is gain. To die is gain. He that believeth on me shall
never die." We've already died in Christ. Rest from judgment. Rest from the fear of eternity.
My sheep will never perish. I give them eternal life. They'll
never perish. No man's able to pluck them out
of my hand. My Father gave them all to me. No man can pluck them out of
my Father's hand. Let me ask you this. Could there ever be
a soul in hell trusting Jesus Christ? No, not at all. While God would lose His honor,
heaven would lose its glory if one person who rested in Christ,
trusted in Christ, believed in Christ, came to Christ ever perished. And then he said in closing,
he said, now, take my yoke upon you and learn of me and you'll
find rest. You see, come to me and I'll
give you rest. And then as you learn more of
me, learn more of my love for you and my grace toward you and
the Father's covenant of mercy toward you and all that the Holy
Spirit has sent to be the comforter for you, as you learn of me,
then you're gonna find more rest for your souls. See, it's not
a, you don't, this victory is not totally won in one day. You
pass from death unto life, that's right. You pass from the kingdom
of darkness to the kingdom of God's dear Son by faith in Christ. You become a child of God. But
a baby is a baby is a baby. When I was born, I was born just
six pounds and so many ounces. But I had life, I had everything
that I have as a full grown man. But it matured and it grew and
developed on what? On eating. and resting and on
food and on nourishment. And so as I learn of Christ,
I grow from a baby in Christ to a young man in Christ to an
elder in Christ. And I grow in rest. Come and
I'll give you rest. And then learn of me and find
rest for your soul. If you want this message on tape,
Jesus is the Christ, last week, and the greatest promise, send
two dollars. and I'll mail it to you. Here's
the address. God bless you.

The Greatest Promise

What does the Bible say about rest for the weary?

How do we know Christ's promise of rest is true?

Why is coming to Christ important for Christians?

What does it mean to find rest for our souls?

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The Greatest Promise

What does the Bible say about rest for the weary?

How do we know Christ's promise of rest is true?

Why is coming to Christ important for Christians?

What does it mean to find rest for our souls?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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