Introduction

Beloved friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, I welcome you warmly to this sacred space, this divine assembly, where we gather in unity and love to seek the face of our Lord. Today, we find ourselves standing at the foot of a great mountain, preparing to ascend into a deeper understanding of the profound truth hidden within the sacred pages of God's Word.

Our Scripture today is Matthew 11:28, where Jesus, in His infinite kindness and grace, extends this heavenly invitation: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." What a promise! What a Savior! In a world that spins with relentless demands and ceaseless troubles, isn't it comforting to know that there is a place of rest? Isn't it heartening to hear that there is a Person who offers us this rest?

And who is this Person? It is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the great Burden-Bearer. He calls us, not because we are strong, not because we have it all together, but because we are weary. Because we are burdened. Because we need Him.

J.I. Packer once wrote, "There's a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. When you truly know God, you have energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him, and contentment in Him." This, dear friends, is the heart of our sermon today. We will not merely know about God, but truly know Him - His heart, His character, His promises.

Distress and the Divine

The world we live in is filled with distress. We see it in the news, we feel it in our homes, and we carry it in our hearts. It's a heavy weight that seems to press down on us, making each step harder, each breath shallower. But in the midst of this distress, there is a divine presence. A presence that is not distant or indifferent, but close and compassionate. This is the presence of God.

God is not a stranger to our distress. He sees our struggles, He hears our cries, and He feels our pain. In fact, the Bible tells us that He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. But more than just being close to us in our distress, God uses our distress to draw us closer to Him.

When we are in distress, we are more aware of our need for God. We realize that we can't do it on our own, that we need His strength, His comfort, His peace. And so, our distress becomes a divine invitation to come to Him, to find rest in Him.

But how do we respond to this divine invitation? How do we find rest in God in the midst of our distress? This is where the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28 come in. Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

These words are not just a promise, they are a command. Jesus is not just offering us rest, He is commanding us to come to Him, to lay our burdens at His feet, to find our rest in Him. But this command is not burdensome, it is liberating. Because when we come to Jesus, we find that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

So, in the midst of our distress, we have a divine command to come to Jesus. But what does it mean to come to Jesus? It means to trust in Him, to rely on Him, to find our rest in Him. It means to let go of our own efforts, our own strength, our own understanding, and to lean on His strength, His wisdom, His love.

But coming to Jesus is not a one-time event, it's a daily decision. Each day, we must choose to come to Jesus, to lay our burdens at His feet, to find our rest in Him. And each day, as we make this choice, we find that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Jesus Himself experienced distress. He was betrayed by a friend, denied by a disciple, abandoned by His followers, and crucified on a cross. But in the midst of His distress, He trusted in God, He relied on God, He found His rest in God.

This is our divine example. An example that shows us how to respond to distress, how to trust in God, how to find rest in God. An example that gives us hope, that gives us courage, that gives us peace.

God is with us in our distress. He is not distant or indifferent, but close and compassionate. He is not just watching us from afar, but walking with us, carrying us, comforting us. This is our divine presence. A presence that gives us strength, that gives us peace, that gives us rest. A presence that is not based on our feelings, but on His faithfulness. A presence that is not limited by our understanding, but is rooted in His love.

This is the heart of God. A heart that is not distant or indifferent, but close and compassionate. A heart that is not just watching us from afar, but walking with us, carrying us, comforting us. A heart that is not limited by our understanding, but is rooted in His love.

Dissolving Distress through the Church

In the midst of life's storms, it is the Church, the Body of Christ, that stands as a beacon of hope and a sanctuary of peace ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO