The Full and Free Gospel Invitation

All ye that labor and are heavy
laden, I'll give you rest. I'll give you rest. You religionists
who are struggling with your ceremonies and your Sabbaths and your laws
and your rules and regulations, Christ said, come to me. I'll
give you rest from these things. I'll give you rest from these
struggles. And you unbelievers who worship idols of clay, of
flesh, who live in pleasure and can find none, who laugh on the
outside and weep within, who live for today and die tomorrow,
come to me, he said. I'll give you rest. And you who've
lived long in sin, whose lives are nothing but trouble, turmoil,
sorrow, conflict, you come to me. I'll give you rest. And you who live in fear and
despair, fear of death, fear of judgment, fear of hell, fear
of condemnation, fear of man, fear of God, fear of demons,
come to me. I'll give you rest. And you who
have a zeal of God, who go about to establish your own righteousness,
but have no peace and no assurance and no confidence and no communion
and no continued fellowship with God. You come to me. I'll give you rest. Who is this who calls so earnestly,
who speaks so positively, who makes such bold promises? Who
is this who takes upon himself such an awesome task? Just come
to me. just come to me just come to
me and I'll give you rest well look at the verse preceding our
text verse 27 he's the one to whom all things are delivered
by the father that's what he said look at verse 27 all things
all things leaving nothing out. All things
are delivered unto me of my Father." The fullness of authority, the
fullness of power is expressed in these words. All things. Do
you question it? Do you doubt it? All things,
not to the church, but to me, he said. not to your denomination,
but to me. All things are delivered unto
me from my Father. Would you like to see what some
of these things are? Well, let's go through the Scripture
and see. Look at Colossians chapter 1, verse 16. All creation, everything was
made by him, everything was made for him, and in him everything
consists in creation. the worlds upon worlds, the planets,
the stars, the earth, everything, all flesh. Look at Colossians
chapter 1 verse 16. For by him were all things created
that are in heaven, that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers,
all things, all things were created by him and for him, and he's
before all things, and by him all things consist. All things
are delivered unto me of my Father's creation here. It's been committed
to him, it's been given to him, it's been consigned to him. All
right? Colossians 119. All perfection,
power, and glory is in Christ. Look at verse 19, Colossians
1, for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness
dwell. Colossians 2, 9, for in him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. It's all been delivered
into his hands. All of God, all of God's fullness,
all of God's power, all of God's glory has been laid in the hands
of Jesus Christ, delivered unto him. All angels. Turn to Hebrews 1, all angels. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 6. And again, when he bringeth in
the first begotten into the world, Talk about Christ. He said that
all the angels of God worship him, fall at his feet, pay him
tribute. They belong to him. All the angels
of God. All flesh. Turn to John 17, and
here is the priestly prayer of our Master before he went to
the cross. In John 17, 2, he said, and as
thou hast given him Authority, that's what that word power is,
authority, power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given him. This one who calls, this
one who invites, this one who says, you come to me, you come
to me, I'll give you rest. Paul the sixth died. He couldn't
give himself rest. He couldn't give anybody rest.
He's dead now. Our Lord ever liveth. He ever
liveth to make intercession. He never dies. Death hath no
power over him. He's conquered death. He said,
you come to me. All authority over all flesh.
Look at Matthew 28. All authority in heaven and earth. Matthew 28 verse 18 listen to
this Matthew 28 18 and Jesus came and spake unto them saying
all power Is given unto me in heaven and earth In heaven and earth All the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge all the glory and happiness of his people
All the work of redemption, sanctification, and all judgment has been given
to the soul. Turn to John 5 verse 22. This
is an important scripture here. John 5 verse 22. Listen to it. The one who invites, the one
who calls, the one who beckons us to come to him and find rest
is the one to whom all things have been delivered. all creation,
all perfection, all power, all glory, all angels, all flesh,
all authority, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, even
all judgment. In John 5.22, the Father judges
no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son. You come
to me. You come to me. I have all things. The Father has delivered into
my hands all things. There's nothing outside of Christ.
It's all been delivered to him. And then look at our text again.
Who is this one who invites? This one who undertakes this
awesome task. This one who presents himself
as the answer to every need of every sinner. and solemnly and
sincerely invites us to come to him and find all that we need. He's made to me all I need. He
of God is made unto me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption. You come to me, I'll give you
rest. He's the one, he says here, all things, verse 27, are delivered
to me of my Father, and no man, 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." You're not going
to find God down at the church. You're going to find him in Christ.
You're not going to find God in the sunshine and the moonlight
and the stars and nature. You'll find him only in Christ.
There is no man on this earth who can tell you about God, only
Christ. That's what he said. No man knoweth
the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal him. Everything's been delivered to
me, he said. All things are delivered into my hands of my Father, and
no man, no man, however religious or whatever, is going to know
the Father, except the Son revealed unto him the father. Now men
may believe there's a God, and I think most men do, but there's
no way that a man can know God except in Christ. Now men may
know of God's existence, listen to me, but they can know nothing
of God's essence or glory except in Christ. Men may know of God's
works, the heavens his works and his glory, but no man can
know his will except in Christ. Men may know of God's power.
They can see God's power demonstrated, but they can know nothing of
God's purpose except in Christ. Men may know of God's miracles.
Many followed him because of the miracles which they saw,
but no man can know God's except in Christ. His will, his wisdom,
his decrees, his mercy, his mind. Men may know of God's judgments,
but no man can know God's justice, except in Christ. John chapter 1, listen to this.
John the first chapter, verse 14. No man knoweth the Father,
You can sit around and say, oh God be merciful, you may as well
talk to the wind. God help us, you may as well
talk to the clouds. My God wouldn't do this, or my
God wouldn't do that. Your God is an idol. The only
people in this world, if Jesus Christ is not a liar, who know
God are those who know Christ. No man. All authority is given
unto me. All things are delivered into
my hands. There's nothing outside of Christ
but judgment. There's nothing that any man
can own outside of Christ but God's wrath. He that believeth
not on the Son, the wrath of God abideth on him. No man knoweth the Father, no
preacher knoweth him, no priest knoweth him, no bishop knoweth
him, no cardinal knoweth him, no pope knoweth him, except as
he knoweth Christ. The simplest plowboy who knoweth
Christ knoweth the Father. The most learned, educated theologian,
or professor in the seminary, who does not know Christ, as
his substitute, sin offering, and Savior, does not know God.
John 1, 14, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. Verse 18, No man hath
seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, hath declared him. I had a vision,
preacher, and one night I saw God. God appeared to me. You
saw a revelation of demonism. You didn't see God. It was some spirit, all right,
but it wasn't God. God is only revealed in Christ,
and only known in Christ. That's what it says here, no
man has seen God at any time, awake or asleep. in a vision or a dream, no man
at any time has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son which is
in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared it. Philip, have
I been so long time with you and you don't know me? He that
hath seen me hath seen the Father. That's who this is who speaks.
Look at John 17.3. John 17.3. verse 3, our Lord said, this
is life eternal, this is life eternal, not to walk an aisle
or make a decision, not to lay claim to a theological belief,
not to join a church, this is life eternal that they might
know thee, their only true God, Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
You come to me," he said. Who is this who calls? It's the
one into whose hands the Father hath given all things. It's the only one who knows the
Father, and the only one who can reveal the Father, and the
only one in whom we can see the Father, and the only one from
whom we can get any information at all about the mind, and the
mercy, and the grace, and the wisdom, and the righteousness,
and the essence, and the glory, and the judgments of God Almighty. You look into the law till you
become a hermit, a critic, a judge. self-righteous Pharisee. You'll
never know God. You will not find God in the
law. You can look into nature. You
can look into the books of theology. You can study all the isms, Calvinism,
Pelagianism, Arminianism, Fundamentalism, and all the rest of them. You'll
never know God. You can join all the churches and go through
all of the ordinances, have all the hands laid on you, get the
baptism of some kind of spirit, speak in tongues, do anything
you want to, you'll never know God until you know Jesus Christ. That's a fact. Know man, knoweth
the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal. Because all things have been
invested in Christ. All things from the beginning
to the end, Alpha and Omega. All things have been delivered
into Christ, committed to Christ, invested in Christ. All authority,
all power, all glory, that in all things he might have the
preeminence. And he's the only one who knows
the Father. Miss Christ, miss God. Miss a saving knowledge of Christ,
talk of God all your life, have religious experiences like nobody's
ever had before, but you'll never know God until you come to Christ. What is it to come to Christ?
Let's look at this text again. You see the importance of it
now. You see the power of him who calls. You see the authority
of him who invites. And what condescension, what
mercy, what grace that he should invite me! Come unto me! Come
unto me! What is it to come to Christ?
Well, in general, it means three things. First of all, it means to believe
on him. Turn to Hebrews 6. This will
help you. It means to believe. In Hebrews
chapter 6, verse Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 Without faith this
is Come to Christ is to believe on him to believe on him is to
come to us We can't come to him. We don't believe on Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved, but I shall
they call on him in whom does not believe To come to Christ is to believe
on him without faith. It's impossible impossible to
please God he that cometh to God but believe that he is, that
he is, that he is God, that he is all he claims to be, that
he is all that he says he is, that he's creator, sovereign,
substitute, savior, son of God, son of man, crucified, redeemed,
buried, resurrected, mediator, that he is, and that he is the
rewarder of them that diligently seek him. In other words, he
that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he has the
power and the will and the ability to do what he says. That's what
it is to believe. It's to believe that he is, and
that he is the rewarder of them that diligently, not insincerely,
not hypocritical, not in a false manner, not in a show before
men, not in an emotional state, that diligently seek him. Secondly, what is it to come
to Christ? It's to receive him. Turn to John 1 verse 12. It's
to believe. I'm a sinner. Your word tells
me that. My heart tells me that. Your
law tells me that. I'm a sinner. I believe that
you're God. I believe there's no God beside
thee. I believe you're not only God, but I believe your mercy
and your love and your grace in Christ. I believe you gave
your son to die for our sins. I come to you diligently seeking
your mercy. Come to you. Oh Lord and watch
this. I receive him John 1 verse 12 as Many as received him now
look at verse 11. He came to his own and his own
received him not that's the Jewish nation Back here before Christ came
God called Abraham So I make you a great nation bless them
that bless you curse them that curse you He gave to that nation
the prophets He gave to that nation the tabernacle. He gave
to that nation the law. He gave to that nation the prophecies.
He gave to that nation the types. He gave to that nation the house
and lineage of David through which the Redeemer, the Messiah,
would come. And when the Messiah came, he
was born of the son of Mary and the daughter of Mary, Joseph
and Mary, the son of David and the daughter of David, Joseph
and Mary both in the house and lineage of David. He was the
son of David by natural birth. And he came to that nation fulfilling
their laws, fulfilling their ceremonies, fulfilling their
tithes, fulfilling their prophecies. He came to them, and they received
him not. They said, we will not have this
man reign over us. We have no king but Caesar. Don't
write the king of the Jews. Write, he said he's king of the
Jews. We have no king but Caesar. Pilate
said, well, I've written on that cross I've written. Verse 12,
as many Jew or Gentile, black or white, old or young, rich
or poor, learned or ignorant, as many as received him. Received him as what? How'd he
come? Messiah. Messiah. Redeemer. Savior. Simeon said, I've seen thy salvation. Representative, surety. as many
as received him, prophet, priest, and king, who willingly owned
his scepter and received his rule and bowed to his reign,
as many as received him, to them gave he the right, to become
sons of God. That's what it is to come to
Christ. Come to him in his true character. You're not going to
come to Jesus, sweet little Jesus boy, and be saved, because sweet
little Jesus boy can't save nobody. It's the Lord Jesus who's able
to save. You're not going to come to your
conception of Christ, or your preacher's conception of Christ,
or your church's conception of Christ, or somebody else's conception
of Christ, and to say you're going to come to him in the character
in which he was denied and rejected by the Jewish nation. King Jesus,
Lord Jesus, if thou should believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, Thou shalt confess with our mouth
Jesus as Lord. In what character was he rejected
by the Jewish nation? Lord. In what character was he
despised and ridiculed and persecuted by the soldiers? Lord. King. They put a crown on his
head, a crown of thorns. They put a reed in his hand.
They put a purple robe on his back and they bowed the knee
mockingly and said, Hail King! In what character was he crucified
on the cross? When a man was crucified on a
Roman cross, they wrote his crimes above his head. What did they
write above his head? The King! That's how he was crucified. I'll guarantee you this, this
little frustrated, defeated, disappointed, pitiful Jesus,
who's up there in heaven crying his eyes out because you won't
let him into your heart, can't save a flea. And you come to
him in that character and with those credentials, and you'll
find his judgments resting upon your head. You come to him as
king! You come to him like the leper
who fell at his feet and said, if you will, you can make me
whole. That's right. You come to him as a thief on
the cross who said, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom!
That's right. I know that's not being preached
today, but it's so, and that's the reason it's not being preached
today, because it is so. To receive him as he is, not
as you think he is, not as somebody said he is, but as he is. Bow
to him. Down, sinner! Down! Bow to Christ! Receive over your
head the scepter of Christ, the rule of Christ. You say, well, the preacher told
me all I had to do was believe Jesus died on the cross. The
devil believes that. He was there when it happened.
But he'll never bow to the reign of Christ. All I got to do is
believe. Somebody says, is that Jesus
died on the cross and was buried and rose again. There are 50,000
demons who believe that. And every Roman soldier that
helped nail him to the cross was there when it happened, and
they saw the results of that death, and they knew he arose.
They knew it for a fact. They tried to cover it up. Knowledge
of the facts of the gospel doesn't save. They do not save. It's knowledge of a person who
saves. That's right. To receive him. All right. Thirdly, it's to commit
myself to him. Turn to 2 Timothy 1. What is
it? To come to Christ? I have nothing
to gain at all to mislead you. I have only to lose my soul to
mislead you or myself. But I'm telling you what this
book says. To receive Christ, to believe on Christ, and it's
a committal to Christ. 2 Timothy 1.12, Paul said, For
the witch cause I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I
am not ashamed. I know whom I have believed.
That's to believe. That's to believe. And I'm persuaded
he's able. He's king. He's sovereign. He
can do anything he sets out to do. He can work all things after
the purpose and counsel of his own will. He's able. Only a king
can do that. He's able. Only a sovereign can
do that. He's able to keep my soul out
of hell, keep all judgment and condemnation off my head. to
keep all demons and powers and forces of evil from my door,
he's able to keep my soul. That which I have listened, committed,
committed. In private, I have believed in
my heart. In public, I have confessed with
my mouth, Jesus to be Lord. I have committed consciously,
intelligently, willingly, lovingly, eternally Myself the Christ Jesus All right notice the text again,
what does he say come to me? That's what you see it's not
just And I'm not making light or ridiculing
But I'm warning it's not just a religious profession Not just
an emotional experience It's intelligently and definitely
to come to Christ. Come to me, he said. Not to the
altar, not to the front, not to the preacher. Come to me. Come to me. All ye, now watch
this, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, every invitation
of Christ, get this, it's important, is conditioned upon need. Let not conscience make you linger,
nor fitness fondly dream. All the fitness he requires. Who can come, preacher? All the
fitness he requires. Can I come, preacher? All the
fitness he requires is to feel your need of him. Can you come? I ask you, do you
have a need? Do you have sins? He says, though
your sins be as scarlet, I'll make them white as snow. Are
you laboring and heavy laden under the burden of sin? O everyone that thirsteth, are
you thirsty? Weak and weary, are you weak
and weary? They that behold need not a position,
but they that sit. Why did the woman with the issue
of blood crawl on her hands and knees to get to Christ? She had
a need. Why did the harlot come to his
feet and weep and bathe them with tears and dry them with
the hair of her hips? She had a need. All that came to him with a need
went away fulfilled. They all found mercy, and so
shall you, if you have a need." Christ came to minister, not
to be ministered unto. Did you hear that? He said, I
am not come to be ministered unto, but to minister. God does
not need you to serve the Lord. I hate to shatter the bubbles
of so many religionists, but God Almighty The Lord Jesus said,
I didn't come to be ministered unto, I came to minister and
to give my life a ransom for many. It's not that he needs
you that you should come, it's that you need him. You have a
need? All you that labor, come. All
you that are heavy laden, come. Now watch this and I'll close.
I'll give you rest. Here's a sweet word to a weary
soul. Rest. I need this. All seek it. Every son of Adam
seeks it. Every daughter of Adam seeks
it. Rest. Rest. Rest. Only believers find it. It's
not an outward rest. It's a spiritual rest. You come
to me. I'll give you rest. rest. Most religionists don't
know anything about it. Only believers, only those who
come to Christ. Turn to Hebrews 4, 3. Let me
show you something very important here. Hebrews 4, verse 3. Come unto me, and I'll give you
rest. And Hebrews 4, 3 says this about
those who come. Hebrews 4, 3. We which have believed,
watch this now, underscore it. Hebrews 4, 3, do enter into rest. It doesn't say shall, it says
do. We who have believed have already. We're not talking about a rest
after death. We're talking about a rest right
now. You come to me and I'll give
you rest. If you come to the law, there's
no rest there. And you keep looking at the law,
thou shalt not, thou shalt, thou shalt not, thou shalt, you're
not going to find any rest because the law is going to keep you
under conviction and turmoil and trial. You come to the church
and the conflict of the church and the doctrines and the theology
and all of these things and all of the things that enter in that
shouldn't will keep you disturbed and you look within your own
heart and you won't find any rest there. You won't find any
beauty or any righteousness if you look in your own heart and
you'll see that it's a heart of iniquity. We all do faith
is the lead. Our sins and iniquities, like
the wind, have driven us away. Even our righteousnesses are
filthy rags. You take a good look at your
prayer, and you can't find any rest there. You take a good look
at your faithfulness, and you won't find any rest there. Take
a look at your gifts, and you won't find any rest there. Take
a look at your service, and I'll take a look tonight at this sermon
and wish I could preach it again. Because we make a mess out of
everything we touch. You won't find rest in those
things. That's not where he says to come for rest. He says, you
come to me. I'll give you rest. I'll give
you rest. We who believe enter into rest.
When we view the righteousness of Christ, we don't despair over
our lack of righteousness. When we view the free justification
in Christ, our minds and our consciences are put at rest. I am complete in him. But now look at something else
he says here as we close. Come unto me, all you that labor
and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you and learn of me, learn of me. Don't try to learn about
the tribulation and the millennium and the rapture and the post
and the pre and the oz and the horses and revelation and learn
about all the difficult scriptures and things like that. Learn of
me. learn of me, and you shall find
rest unto your souls." Oh, there's rest upon rest. We who believe
do enter into rest. We have ceased from our works
and our labors, and we find in Christ a peace and a rest. But,
now, you learn of me. And he said, the redeemed man,
as he learns of Christ and walks with Christ, will find more and
more reason for rest and peace. You see what he's saying? When
I come to see Christ as my sacrifice and sin offering, accepted by
the Father, When I come to see that I'm fully, totally, completely
righteous in Christ, that I'm complete in Him, that God remembers
my sin no more, that I'm justified in Christ, I enter into a rest,
I'm at rest. And then the more I learn of
Him, not the more I learn of the law, the more I learn of
Him. Not the more I learn of the difficulties
of doctrine and theology, but the more I learn of Him. The
more rest I find, the more reasons for rest. There's only one reason why men
do not come to Christ. It's a two-fold reason. Number
one, they don't need him. Number two, they haven't seen
him. For he that seeth the sun and
believeth on him hath everlasting life to come to me. You see,
now, what I've preached to you, you say, Brother Man doesn't
give an invitation. Oh, wait a minute now. I've given you
the most solemn, beautiful, sincere invitation that can possibly
be given. Come to Christ, and you'll find
rest. My invitation is to come to Him,
not to me. I can't do anything for you.
I can't give you what God gives me. I wish I could. Can't give
you what God's given some of these other believers. Don't
come to them. Don't go to the professional
soul winner. He doesn't have rest himself.
He can't give you any. Christ said, come to me. All
ye that labor in the heaven and earth, I'll give you rest. Don't
come down here and beat on a bench until you get the victory. The
victory is not in the bench. Come to Christ. And you see,
you settle these things between you and God. I know today's religion
says when you get to the end of the service, start giving
people an opportunity to express themselves. They don't have anything
to express. When they get a home alone with
God, alone with Christ, when they come to Christ and he'll
express it, it'll bubble out of him like an artesian well.
It'll flow out of him like a river. You'll find it out. And he'll
want to publicly confess his Christ, his Lord, in baptism.
He'll want to follow Christ in baptism. He'll want to be with
God's people. He'll want to turn loose of the
things of this world and the companions of this world. He'll
want to walk with the King. He'll want to hear the King's
gospel. He'll walk with Christ from now on. But when you get
religion down here, they have to keep you coming back here
to keep it pumped up. But when it's in Christ, come to me." That's the invitation. I'll give you rest. And as you
learn of me, you shall find rest under your soul. It will become
stronger and be established through the passing days. We thank thee for the rest which
we have in Christ, for the blood of Christ that cleanses us from
all sin. We come to publicly declare again
our confidence and faith in him who loved us and gave himself
for us, whose body was broken and blood was shed for the remission
of our sin. We believe, we trust him, we
look to him. And as all who believe and who
have publicly confessed Christ following human baptism, as we
come around our table, we ask for thy presence. We ask, O Lord,
that thou would, stronger than ever before, reveal to us him
who is our hope and our refuge and our strength, whose blood
was shed for the remission of our sins. Direct our thoughts and our meditations
now by thy Holy Spirit. In the name of Christ we pray.

The Full and Free Gospel Invitation

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