INTRODUCTION (SECURE ATTENTION) & BACKGROUND OF THE PASSAGE:
PRAY before starting the sermon.
We live in a stress-filled world.
There is stress at home, stress at workplace, stress in business, stress in ministry, stress everywhere.
Last night, I was reading an article in Economic Times (dated: September 12, 2016).
According to a survey, 46% of the Indian workforce suffer from some form of stress.
Even in ministry, there is a lot of stress.
I was telling my wife that the recent Christmas has been a stressful time.
Though I shared the pulpit with others, I still ended up preaching 12 sermons in the month of December!
Those of you who preach regularly will know how strenuous that could be.
Beginning from Christmas Eve, our little daughter had fever, cold, and cough.
We had few sleepless nights.
Overall, the month of December was pretty stressful.
I was asking the Lord to strengthen me and to grant His grace.
Saints, since all of us go through different kinds of stress, we desperately need the Lord’s rest.
The Lord knows that.
That’s why the Lord gave us an awesome promise for our Church this year.
Would you take God’s Word and turn your Bibles with me to MATTHEW 11:28-30 (READ)?
I have entitled today’s sermon as: “REST FOR YOUR SOUL.”
CENTRAL PROPOSITION OF THE TEXT: Jesus invites all who labor and are heavy laden to find rest in Him.
THE PURPOSE BRIDGE: To encourage the members of EAGC to find spiritual rest in Jesus.
FALLEN CONDITION FOCUS: Already dealt with above.
CENTRAL PROPOSITION OF THE SERMON: We can find spiritual rest in Jesus by coming to Him, taking His yoke, and learning from Him.
I. THE RECIPIENTS OF JESUS’ INVITATION.
Read verse 28.
Jesus invites “all who labor and are heavy laden.”
This call is not for the self-sufficient.
This call is not for the arrogant or pride people.
Unfortunately, many people are too proud to admit that they are burdened.
They don’t realize that they need divine help.
This call is for those who labor and are heavy laden.
Some scholars say that the word labor indicates the burdens we take upon ourselves.
And the phrase heavy laden refers to the burden that others put upon us.
This word heavy laden most likely refers to the burdens laid by the scribes and the Pharisees (read Mt. 23:4; cf. Lk. 11:46): “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”
An orthodox Jew was burdened by his religion.
A Jew had to keep all the 613 commandments mentioned in the Old Testament.
Added to that, they had to follow lot of rules and regulations mentioned in the Jewish traditions.
A Jew lived under the echo of “Thou shalt not.”
But the Bible says that we can be never justified by following the Law (read Gal. 2:16).
People around us are also living with heavy burdens.
They do all kinds of things to please their gods.
They believe that good works are the root of salvation.
But Christ did all that needs to be done in order to gain our salvation.
For us, good works are the fruit of salvation, not the root of salvation.
All that we need to do is to come to Jesus with simple trust.
Note that this invitation is universal.
Jesus says “all who labor and are heavy laden.”
It doesn’t matter which caste you belong to, which religion you follow, which region you belong to, what the color of your skin is, or what your background is.
This invitation if for you!
This morning, are you burdened with sin? (read Ps. 38:3-4).
Are you burdened with trying to be right with God through your good deeds?
Then, this invitation is for you.
II. THE TWO-FOLD INVITATION OF JESUS.
Refer verses 28-30.
A. Come to Me.
Read verse 28.
Jesus invites us to come to Him.
He does not say, “Go to Moses.”
He says “Come to me.”
Jesus offers Himself as the solution to our burdens.
This is an authoritative invitation.
To understand this invitation, let’s look at verse 27 (read): “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Offering rest is a divine prerogative (read Isa. 40:28-31).
But here, Jesus offers this rest.
This is not the invitation of an ordinary teacher.
He offers similar invitations elsewhere in Scripture.
Read John 6:37; 7:37.
Jesus says “Come to me.”
Read verse 3—we need not go elsewhere; we need to go to Jesus.
Now coming to Jesus implies that we trust Him.
Read John 6:35—here coming to Jesus and believing in Him is used parallelly.
Our object of faith is not a church, a pastor, a creed, or anything else.
Our object of faith is Christ Himself.
No person on earth can give such an invitation.
Even your own father or mother or husband or wife or children or friends cannot offer such an invitation.
Most of us like to be around people who can make us cheerful.
We don’t like to listen to bad news.
Most of us don’t like to spend all our time with people who are burdened.
ILLUSTRATION: {In the 5th century BC, there was king who ruled Persia.
His name is Ahasuerus.
In Esther 4:1-2 (read), we read that “no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth.”
Rather, he loved to spend time with people who were in awe of him—read Esther 1:1-4.
Ahasuerus ruled his kingdom by shutting out the mourners and by being surrounded by people who affirmed him.}
But Jesus invites the burdened people, whom the world rejects!
Jesus alone is the way, the truth, and the life (refer Jn 14:6).
He is the Resurrection and the Life (refer Jn 11:25).
He alone is our salvation.
He alone is the solution to every problem.
That’s why Jesus asks us to come to Him.
As preachers and believers, our job is to point people to Jesus.
We must not draw attention to ourselves.
Rather, we must lead them to Christ.
B. Take My yoke and learn from Me.
Read verse 29.
Jesus asks us to take His yoke upon us.
Jesus is calling us to rest, but not laziness.
He does not say, “Take my bed. Or take my chair.”
There is still a yoke to carry.
When a man carried a yoke, he would generally carry it on his shoulders (refer Jer. 27:2).
This is an image of subjection to obedience.
Jews spoke of the carrying the yoke of God’s law, meaning obeying God’s law.
So, when Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you,” He’s commanding us to obey Him.
While Jesus did all that needs to be done in order to grant us salvation, we still have a responsibility.
You must come to Jesus with an obedient heart.
You must be willing to learn (mathete) from Him.
That’s how you become His disciple (mathetes).
Read Jn 13:15.
You have to take the yoke of submission and instruction.
1. We need to take His yoke and learn from Him for He is gentle and lowly in heart.
Read verse 29.
Matthew quotes Isa. 42:1-3 (refer) in 12:15-21 (read) to stress that Jesus is gentle.
Though Jesus is authoritative, He is gentle and lowly (NIV: humble).
That’s why He is qualified to give us rest.
He will not crush or destroy us if we come to Him.
We will never regret if we take up the yoke of Jesus.
2. We need to take His yoke and learn from Him for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
Read verse 30.
Jesus says that His yoke is easy.
It is translated from the Greek word, chrestos, which can mean well-fitting.
In Jesus’ time, the yoke was tailor-made to fit the ox in order to avoid injuring the neck of the beast.
Jesus is saying that my yoke fits you well.
Now we know that Christian life is not easy.
We have to take up our cross and follow Christ (refer Mt. 16:24).
The yoke of Jesus is easy and His burden is light because it is laid on us in love.
William Barclay says that “love makes even the heaviest burden light.”
Read 1 Jn 5:3.
ILLUSTRATION: {A Sunday school teacher read Matthew 11:30 to the children in her class, and then asked: “Jesus said, ‘My yoke is easy.’ Who can tell me what a yoke is?”
A boy raised his hand and replied, “A yoke is something they put on the necks of animals so they can help each other.”
Then the teacher asked, “What is the yoke Jesus puts on us?”
A quiet little girl raised her hand and said, “It is God putting His arm around us.”
January 9, 2005, ODB}
Jesus commands us to come to Him, take His yoke and learn from Him.
III. THE PROMISE OF JESUS. (Slide# 6)
Read verses 28, 29.
Jesus offers us rest, specifically “rest for our souls” (refer verse 29).
This phrase comes from Jeremiah 6:16 (read), where Yahweh promises Jews that He will withhold His wrath and give them rest if they turn to Him.
In our passage, Jesus gives this invitation in His own name!
Jesus offers rest to us.
The word rest means salvation.
Jesus is inviting us to immediate salvation rest and the future heavenly rest.
Jesus’ promise applies to the everyday trials as well.
Read 2 Cor. 5:4.
All of us carry a lot of burdens.
We carry the burdens of sickness, work pressure, raising up kids, finances, emotional stress, anxieties.
We even face the burden of the devil’s attacks.
But there is good news.
Peter exhorts us, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (refer 1 Peter 5:7).
Jesus gives us peace even when we go through trials (read Jn 16:33; read Php. 4:6-7).
There is a rest in coming to Jesus.
There is a rest in taking up His yoke, in being obedient to Him.
There is a rest in learning from Him as a faithful disciple.
There is a rest in laboring for God.
CONCLUSION (INCLUDING THE PROPOSITION, REVIEWING THE MAIN POINTS [OPTIONAL], AND ACTION STATEMENTS):
CENTRAL PROPOSITION OF THE SERMON: We can find spiritual rest in Jesus by coming to Him, taking His yoke and learning from Him.
Someone said that Christ’s easy yoke does not fit on a stiff neck.
Would you continue to reject this great invitation of Christ?
Stop being stiff-necked and receive the offer of salvation from Christ right today.
There is no rest in sin, no rest in possessions, no rest in fame, no rest in people, no rest in drinking, no rest in higher education, no rest in a job or business.
True rest is found in Christ alone!
If you are saved, keep coming to Him (trust Him), be obedient to Him and learn from Him.
Then your souls will truly receive rest now and forever more.
IF YOU ARE STILL NOT SAVED, REPENT AND GIVE YOUR LIFE TO JESUS RIGHT TODAY!
