Rest For Your Soul

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.