God Gives Us The Greatest Invitations! Series

God Gives Us the Greatest Invitations!

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 3:7-19; Hebrews 4:1-2

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared March 8, 2022)

MESSAGE:

*Think about the greatest invitation you could ever receive. For many people it would be an invitation for the best seats at the World Series. For others it would be for the best seats at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, or the 2023 Super Bowl in Phoenix. For many others it would be front row seats to hear their favorite singer in concert.

*But all of those invitations put together times a million couldn't begin to compare to the invitation Jesus gives us in these verses. The Lord gives us the most important, most valuable invitation the world will ever hear. Jesus said:

28. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.''

*This is the Lord's great invitation for us. How should we respond?

1. FIRST: WE MUST COME TO JESUS CHRIST.

*In vs. 28, Jesus calls out and says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." God calls people to come to Him. He calls people to salvation and safety. Here are a few more wonderful examples:

-In Genesis 7:1, "The LORD said to Noah, 'Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.'"

-In Isaiah 1:18 the LORD says, "Come now, and let us reason together, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

-John 7:37-38 also tells us that "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.''

*Jesus calls people to come to Him. "Come to Me!" Jesus said. Church, that was not some ho-hum, laid-back request. It was a passionate plea from Jesus to come to the only one who can save us, the only one who can give us ultimate rest forever!

*Jesus wants us to come to Him. That's why God even gave us an invitation in the last chapter of the Bible. Revelation 22:17 tells us that "The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!'' And let him who hears say, "Come!'' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."

*God calls out for all people to come to Jesus Christ. And we know this because 1 Timothy 2:3-6 tells us that God our Savior "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

*Through His Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is here right now, calling out for you to come to Him. I promise you that Jesus is here.

*Robert Beringer told the story of Mark and Susan Thomas. Years ago, they were transferred to the Middle East by Mobil Oil. Mark and Susan were excited about experiencing a new culture, but also worried about religious restrictions in their new country.

*On Easter Sunday morning, Mark and Susan held a worship service in their home, and invited some other Christians. As they worshiped, two police officers burst in and warned them to stop holding services or risk getting kicked out of the country.

*But when the officers later wrote their reports, they couldn't agree on the number of people in the Thomas' home. The younger policeman counted one extra person. He insisted that there had been a man "with a radiant look on his face" standing in the corner.

*That night the young officer dreamed that this man appeared to him again and said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am right there in the middle of them." (1)

*You probably won't see Him, but through His Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is here! He is reaching out to you today, and He says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The Savior wants to give you rest: Spiritual rest, emotional rest, eternal rest, every kind of rest you will ever need. But we must come to Jesus Christ. That's how to respond to the Lord's invitation.