"come To Me"

“Come to Me”

Matthew 11:28-30

(The First Part of this Sermon was borrowed from Pastor Frey)

In 1989, a musician named Bill Withers wrote and recorded a song entitled “Lean on Me.”

I’d imagine most of us have heard it before; it’s been very popular for the past 31 years.

And it’s popularity is due not only to its catchy melody—one that might be running through your head right now—the song also deals with a topic that applies to all people of every generation: “We need someone to lean on.”

And so Bill Withers sings: “Lean on me, when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you to carry on, for it won’t be long, til I’m going to need somebody to lean on.”

We need people to go to and talk to.

We need people who will listen to us and help us.

We need people to lend us a hand when we can’t do it on our own and to lift us up when we are down.

That’s why the song “Lean on Me” still strikes such a chord with so many people today.

But leaning on someone else doesn’t always work, does it?

It’s great to have those people in our lives that we can count on, but sometimes they aren’t strong enough and sometimes they aren’t smart enough and sometimes they aren’t stable enough.

I mean, they are human beings as well.

And all human beings have limitations.

We are all in the same boat.

None of us have all the answers.

None of us are gods.

Bill Withers encourages his friends: “Just call on me, brother, when you need a hand.

We all need somebody to lean on.

I just might have a problem that you understand.

We all need somebody to lean on.”

Sadly, this doesn’t always solve our problems.

Long before Bill Withers put his idea to music, Jesus Himself said words that are very similar, but much more powerful:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Life and stress…they go hand in hand.

We will all experience this.

There is no getting around it.

Many of us turn to food as a way of coping with stress.

Others use drugs.

Some turn to alcohol.

Some burn the midnight oil surfing the internet and pay for it the next day because they haven’t had enough sleep.

Ultimately, the only way to find the rest we need is to turn to Jesus.

A yoke is a wooden instrument that yoked two oxen together and made them a team.

And Jesus is saying: “Be my teammate and together we will pull the load.

Together we will deal with the stresses of life.

Together we will carry your Cross.

Together we will lift your burdens and help lift the burdens of others.

Together we will be victorious over those things that seek to destroy you.

Together we will live the life you have been created to live.”

Being yoked with Jesus means that we are in a relationship with Him where we have the opportunity to learn from Him the art of gentleness, warmth, love and assurance.

Being yoked with Jesus means to walk with Him and do the things He does—to be humble, putting the cares and needs of others before our own.

And in this relationship with Christ we find life—eternal life and life abundant.

We experience true freedom because we no longer need to go it alone.

We no longer need to be “looking out for number 1.”

We no longer have to be in competition with others or worry about what other people think about us.

Because, when we are walking with Jesus Christ—we are too concerned about the feelings, the well being and the salvation of our fellow human beings…

…that we don’t have time to be all wrapped up in self.

And when we are all wrapped up in self—that is a terrible burden indeed!

It’s a burden no one can carry.

“Come to me,” says Jesus.

“Come to me with anything that wears you down.

Come to me with any burden on your heart.

Come to me and I will give you rest.”

Not only is a yoke a wooden instrument that was used in farming.

The term was also often used to refer to the task of obedience to the Torah.

Later in Matthew Jesus has some hard words for the religious leaders of His time.

He says that they “tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other peoples’ shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”