Rest for Your Souls

Well, good morning. If we haven't gotten a chance to meet yet, my name is Daniel, and I've

! had the special privilege of coming here with my family for the past nine years or so, since 2016.

And most recently, I've been at Cedarville University, getting my MDiv there. I'm kind of in my fourth

year of the MDiv out of a five-year program. And this summer, I've also been able to work here as

the intern, and I'm going to be been able to work alongside the pastors, which has just been really

cool just to see God's faithfulness in their lives and just the way that they love the church and have

been serving them. And just learning from and growing from their example has been just a blessing

to me. And even just being able to preach this morning is also just an encouragement.

So, if you have a copy of God's Word, would you just please turn with me to Matthew 11, 25 through 30?

You can also find this in your pew Bibles in front of you on page 816. But before we begin,

let's go ahead and just open with another word of prayer.

God, we come to you as little children who need help. We recognize that you are a great God

who is Lord of heaven and earth, and we can depend on you, as we just sang.

And so, God, I just ask that you would help us to come and understand. Open our eyes that we may

behold wondrous things from your law. Please help turn our eyes away from looking at worthless things

and give us life in your Word. Help us to come to you and to enjoy you, to be satisfied in you,

and to seek to glorify you in all that we do. May we worship you together as I preach the Word,

and may we be an encouragement to one another as we are gathered together. In your name I pray. Amen.

So, I titled this message this morning, Rest for Your Souls, because as we read through this passage,

it mentions rest two times. And I believe that rest is the culmination of this passage. And it's also

seen in the rest of Scripture, this call to rest. In the beginning of the Bible, we see that God rested

from his work on the seventh day, and that he even called his people to rest on the Sabbath and to keep

it holy. And even at the very end of the Bible, in Revelation, we see the promise for eternal rest,

a rest in God's presence. And I know normally when I think about the idea of rest, it's easy to

associate it with just sleeping in or taking a nap, watching my favorite show or movie, or just doing

the things that I enjoy, or hanging out with my friends. But when we think about what the Bible calls

rest, sure, it involves being able to rest physically, but it goes deeper than that. And it points out

that true rest, a rest for your souls, is resting in and coming in the presence of God. And so, not only do

we, to those who believe in God, have a hope in a future rest, eternal rest with God, but there's also

a call to have a present rest. A rest in the presence of our God, our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his

spirit that he gives to all who come. So again, we're going to be reading from Matthew 11, 25 through 30,

which says,

So today I just want to hone in on and focus on the call to come and

take, and how coming to Jesus and taking his yoke and learning from him leads to true rest for your

souls. If you have a bulletin or are taking notes, I'm just going to be walking through these five

points. Come to the king. Come as children. Come with your burdens. Come and take. And finally,

we'll end with take and rest. So again, my first point is, come to the king. This passage opens in

verse 25 with Jesus praying,

I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and

understanding, but have revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for such is your gracious will.

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 he chooses to reveal him.

So I want to point out to begin with that Jesus claims to be equal with the Father. We see this in a

couple ways. One, both the Father and the Son are active in revealing. We see the Father in verse 25

active in revealing the teachings of the kingdom to little children. And then in verse 27, the Son is

active in revealing the Father to those whom he chooses to reveal. Then you also see that the Father

is Lord of heaven and earth, and the Son has been given all things from his Father.

And so you may wonder, okay, so why is it important that the Son claims to be equal with the Father?

Why is that significant? Because it is from this equal authority with the Father that Jesus says,

come to me. It's astonishing that the Son who is equal with the Lord of heaven and earth would take an

interest in us and call us to come. Isaiah 40 kind of paints a picture of who we are as people.

He says that in earlier in the passage that all flesh is like grass and they'll fade away like the flower,

but God's word remains forever. But then it says later how we must behold our God and our creator.

And even in verse 25 and 26, it says,

To whom then will you compare me? That I should be like him, says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and see

who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them by name, by the greatness of his

might. And because he is strong in power, not one is missing. Our God is a glorious creator.

He is the Lord of heaven and earth. All that we can see in creation is his. The mountains, the oceans,

the sunrise and sunsets are all due to God's creation and his power as Lord. But then he also,

with his power and authority, handed over all things to his son. And as Paul writes in Philippians 2,

it says that,

Therefore, God highly exalted him, Jesus, and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Jesus rightly claims

to be equal with the Father because all things have been handed over to him.

It is to his name that every knee should bow and every tongue confess.

Just thinking about who he is as king should be enough reason for us to come to him.

But not only is he king, he actually calls us. It's shocking that the one with authority over all

things, instead of commanding us to come, he actually willingly and openly invites us.

He pleads with us. He pleads with us. He's equal with the Father, and yet he invites and pleads with us to come to him.

Throughout Matthew's gospel, he'll actually argue that Jesus is king. And so at the very end of his gospel,

he ends with the great commission, which begins by saying,

He has all authority, but he is also gentle and lowly of heart.

Again, the invitation is open to all. Not as just one of the ways that we can find rest,

but Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

He will say,

Come to me and find rest. Take my yoke and find rest for your souls.

If you are looking for rest, if you are seeking to be satisfied, look to Jesus.

What does it mean to come to Jesus?

Well, the times that I recognize that I'm in need and that I have nothing are the times that I go to places for help.

So when I'm hungry, I'll go to places that have food.

When I'm thirsty, I'll go to places that have water.

Or if I'm tired, I'll go to my bed to sleep.

If I need to get a lot done, I'll go to a quiet place to work productively.

But God, the Lord of heaven and earth, has the authority and power to meet every need.

There is no need that we have that he cannot meet.

And I've heard it said that we aren't to give God just part of our lives.

Instead, we're supposed to give him all of our lives, which I think is true.

But I think it can also be hard to understand, okay, what does it mean to give God all of my life?

What does it mean to come to him with all of my life?

But when I understand that I have a need,

and I need to go somewhere to meet that need,

and God is able to meet every need,

I think it helps us understand, okay, then I can come to him with my whole life,

because my whole life is in need of him.

And so when I wake up in the morning,

my first thought and prayer should be,

God, I need you today.

Help me as I face various temptations and doubts and worries today.

Help me complete the tasks that I have on my list,

or talk with my coworkers and give grace

to be patient with my kids,

or to enjoy your presence.

God, help me.

And then we go to his word,

recognizing that he is able to satisfy us,

that we can enjoy it.

And when we get to the end of our days,

we can also, before going to bed,

thank him for his presence and his help and his comfort,

that he's come alongside of us,

and he's given us what we needed to sustain us

and to give us faith each day.

As I've been studying this passage,

I realize that I have nothing.

I am desperately in need,

and I am extremely weak on my own.

And so when I come,

I come to him with my whole life,

because my whole life is in need of him.

There's not a single part of me

that I do not need God and his sustaining help.

So have you come to a point of recognizing

you are completely in need of God?

You must submit yourself daily to your King Jesus.

Coming to Jesus as our King

and submitting to the Father is necessary

if we want to find true rest for our souls.

And if you turn back in your Bibles,

one page or so,

to Matthew 9, 11 through 13,

it says,

we come to him with our righteousness,

seeking to impress him.

We come with our burdens,

seeking his help.

We come with our sin,

our fears,

our pain,

and our need.

And he is able to meet those needs.

I come to Jesus because I am sick

and in need of healing.

I am blind and I need sight.

I am lame and I need to walk.

I am unclean,

but Jesus can make me clean.

I am a sinner,

but he can give me

and offer me forgiveness.

No one else can meet these needs.

No one else can give us rest.

So come to the King.

Second,

we are to come as children.

Now,

when I think of times

when my authorities have called me to come,

my first thought is normally,

okay,

what did I do wrong?

But I think our image of authority

has been tainted by culture

and it kind of has negative connotations.

We see authorities sometimes

as distant or insensitive or selfish,

but our God is none of these.

So instead,

we are also to come as children.

There's a difference between the way

I come to a boss

and the way that I come to a father

or someone that I know genuinely loves me.

The father has hidden these things

from the wise and understanding,

but has revealed them to little children.

I don't remember this being true

about myself per se,

but I can think of a moment

where I saw a little child

go to the top of this playground.

You know,

they made the treacherous trek

up the playground

to the highest slide,

but when they got there,

they were paralyzed by fear.

And when they looked down,

they were unable to go down.

So their father

patiently came to the bottom of their slide,

looked up to their kid,

and said,

come on,

you can do it.

In that moment,

the child is freed from their fear.

It may still take a couple moments

of contemplation,

but they're finally able

to go to their father.

They weren't afraid

of their father's call,

but they are empowered by it.

As a child,

it was the authority of my dad

that brought comfort and peace.

I knew that when I came to my dad,

I knew everything would be okay.

I could come to him with my burdens,

my questions,

my doubts,

and it didn't matter what it was.

It didn't matter the fears I faced.

I knew that my dad

was willing to help me

because of his love for me.

I knew that he cared for my good

and that he could do something

about my problems.

What did I do

to deserve his love for me?

Nothing.

As a child,

I never did anything

that could earn my dad's love.

As a child,

I had nothing to lose

but everything to gain

when I came to

and listened to my father.

Our heavenly father

is Lord of heaven and earth

and he has chosen

to graciously reveal himself

to little children.

He reveals himself

to those who have

nothing to lose,

but everything

to gain.

The son will show

us the glory

of God

if we come to the cross

as needy children.

What a privilege

it is to know

the father

and the son.

I get to participate

in knowing God.

Not because I'm

a great person,

not because of my wisdom,

but because

I am a child

to whom God

has graciously

revealed himself to.

I am nothing,

but God

is my everything.

The invitation

to be called

children of God

is open to all.

Paul even writes

in Romans 8,

14 through 16,

it says,

for all who are led

by the spirit

of God

are sons of God.

For you did not

receive the spirit

of slavery

to fall back

into fear,

but you received

the spirit

of adoption

as sons

by whom we cry,

Abba,

Father.

The spirit himself

bears witness

with our spirit

that we are children

of God.

And third,

we're going to

talk about

coming with

your burdens.

come with

your burdens.

Are you burdened

by the weight

of your sin?

Are you

constantly

controlled

by anxiety?

Are you

relentlessly

ruled by fear?

Have you

surrendered yourself

to sorrow?

Are you

burdened

by thoughts

that you are

worthless

or without value?

Are you

struggling

with thoughts

about how

you're going

to make it?

Maybe it's

financial

stresses

or things

at work,

frustrations

with family

or friends

or medical

issues.

Are you

exhausted

by your

pursuit

of just

doing

the right

things?

Well,

Jesus says

to you,

come to

me.

Come to

me,

all who

labor

and are

heavy laden

and I,

I will

give you

rest.

Take my

yoke upon

you and

learn from

me for

I am

gentle and

lowly of

heart and

you will

find rest

for your

souls.

Repent,

turn away

from your

sins,

confess

them and

come to

Christ.

If you are

burdened by

fear and

sorrow,

bring them

honestly to

Jesus because

he will

listen and

he cares.

he offers

peace and

hope and

rest.

The

father doesn't

reveal them to

little children

expecting us to

bring anything to

the table.

Jesus calls us

to come with

our burdens.

He doesn't

call people

have everything

figured out.

Jesus calls

the weary

and burdened

and he calls

us to come

and find

rest.

Throughout

Jesus'

earthly ministry,

people came

to him

with many

burdens.

If you

even look

at chapter

11,

verse 2,

it says,

Now when

John heard

in prison

about the

deeds of

Christ,

he sent

word by

his

disciples

and said

to them,

Are you

the one

who is

to come

or shall

we look

for another?

And Jesus

answered them,

Go and

tell John

what you

hear and

see.

The blind

receive their

sight,

the lame

walk,

lepers

are cleansed,

the deaf

hear,

the dead

are raised

up,

and the

poor have

good news

preached to

them.

Jesus'

ministry was

defined by

compassion.

He showed

compassion to

the tax

collectors,

compassion to

the sinners.

He demonstrated

compassion to

the outcasts,

to the sick,

to the deaf,

to the lame,

and he will

show compassion

to you too.

This compassion

is founded in

Jesus'

character.

Father,

he is gentle

and lowly

of heart.

He is a

merciful and

sympathetic

high priest

who intercedes

for us with

the Father,

and he

offers us

rest for

our souls.

He says

that my

yoke is

easy and

my burden

is light.

Soon after

Jesus rose

from the

grave,

false teachers

came into

the church

and preached

that faith

alone was

not enough

and that

they had to

add works

and good

deeds in

order to

earn God's

favor,

in order to

free themselves

from these

burdens that

they bore.

But this is

not the

gospel.

Paul writes

in Galatians

3.10,

he says,

for all who

rely on

works of

the law

are under

a curse.

And then

again in

5.1,

he explains

the purpose

of why

we are

saved.

He says

that Christ

has freed

us.

For freedom

Christ has

set us

free.

Stand

firm

therefore

and do

not submit

again to

a yoke

of slavery.

Christ has

called us

to lay

down our

burdens

and legalism.

Laying

down our

good works,

trying to

earn God's

favor,

and actually

just trusting

in God

who can

provide for

us in our

need.

Where do

you find

yourself going

with your

burdens?

Do you

just find

yourself trying

to escape?

Do you

find yourself

trying to

keep yourself

busy?

Or do you

go to

Jesus?

Do you

come to

his word

and prayer?

Do you

seek

encouragement

and counsel

from the

church

and from

your

leaders?

God

offers

forgiveness

for your

sins.

He offers

hope amidst

your trials.

He offers

peace

through his

word and

through his

spirit.

Which doesn't

necessarily mean

that everything

is going to

become easier.

He may not

change your

circumstances,

but he

does offer

hope.

He's offered

his word.

He's offered

a relationship

with him.

So we

must not

turn to

just

busyness

or

escape

as a

means for

rest.

We must

come to

Jesus.

John

describes in

his gospel

that many

of his

disciples

turned back

and no

longer

walked

with him.

And so

Jesus

asked the

twelve,

do you

want to

go away

as well?

And Peter

answered him,

Lord, to

whom shall

we go?

You have

the words

of eternal

life.

And we

have believed

and we

have come

to know

that you

are the

Holy One

of God.

We must

not turn to

anyone or

anything else.

It is only

in Jesus

that we

can find

rest from

our burdens.

Come as

you are.

Charles

Spurgeon

says,

without

money,

come.

without

merit,

come.

Without

preparation,

come.

It is

just.

Come.

Come now.

Come as

you are.

Come with

your burdens.

Come with

your yoke.

Though the

yoke be

the yoke

of the

devil and

the burden

be the

burden

of sin,

yet come

as you

are and

the promise

shall be

fulfilled

to you.

I will

give

you rest.

The rest

is not

earned.

It is

a gift

freely

given

to those

who

come.

If we

had to

come on

our own,

we would

stand in

fearful

judgment.

But we

come with

the hope

of the

cross

and the

kingdom of

Christ

in view.

We

come

because

Christ

called.

Fourth,

we are to

come and

take.

again,

let me

read verses

28-30

again.

Come to

me,

all who

labor and

are heavy

laden,

and I

will give

you rest.

Take

my yoke

upon you

and learn

from me,

for I

am gentle

and lowly

of heart,

and you

will find

rest for

your souls.

For my

yoke is

easy and

my burden

is light.

First,

Jesus calls

us to

come.

But what

are we to

do when

we come?

We are to

take his

yoke and

learn from

him.

For those

of you who

don't know,

a yoke is

a tool used

in farming

to sync

up two

animals,

whether donkeys

or oxen

or horses,

to plow a

field or

even to

move a

wagon.

And

there is

actually a

law written

in Deuteronomy

20-10

that says

that an

oxen and

a donkey

should not

be yoked

together.

Well,

this law

was put

in place

as practical

wisdom

because

you don't

want to

have just

one animal

who's pulling

the whole

load,

whereas the

other one

is not

able to

keep up.

You know,

we can

kind of see

this in

three-legged

races.

You don't

want to

pair two

people who

are like

one person

being significantly

stronger and

taller and

faster than

the other,

because if

you do,

it's going to

actually slow

them down

and hinder

them from

being able

to run,

because they'll

be slowed

down by the

shorter and

slower and

weaker person,

and they'll be

pulling along

their partner

the whole way.

And so,

similarly,

when you're

in yoking

up an oxen,

you want to

have him

yoked to

another oxen

so they can

work together

and plow

together so

that one is

not more

exhausted than

the other.

I bring

this up

because when

I think

about the

call to

take the

yoke of

Jesus,

it's shocking

that our

God would

ask us

and call

us to

take his

yoke,

to share

a yoke

with Jesus.

It's

shocking that

the creator

would yoke

himself to

his creature.

It doesn't

even make

sense.

So when we

come with

our burdens,

we come

with our

trials,

we come

with the

things that

are weighing

us down,

and we

recognize we

have nothing

to offer

him,

and we

take his

yoke,

it's actually

a promise

because he'll

pull us

along.

We'll be

the smaller

and shorter

and weaker

person in

that three-legged

race.

He's just

going to

carry us

along the

whole way.

He has

also given

us his

spirit so

that we

may walk

according to

his ways

as well

in his

word.

All the

burdens that

I have

are his,

and all

that he

has is

mine.

He has

unveiled our

hearts so

we may

behold his

glory,

being

transformed in

the same

image as

him,

and so

that we

may be

transformed

into the

next degree

of glory

to another

through the

Lord who

is the

spirit.

We are

to look

to the

life of

Christ and

imitate him.

We are

not alone

in our

pursuit of

imitating

him as

well.

He has

given us

again his

spirit so

that he

may empower

us to do

this work.

So this

is different

than legalism

because it's

not based

on our

own merit

or our

own ability.

It's actually

God himself

who empowers

us.

God himself

who draws

us and

guides us

and gives

us life

and gives

us rest.

So finally,

we are to

take and

rest.

Again, I

titled this

message,

Rest for

Your Souls,

because as

I've been

studying through

this passage,

I saw that

rest is the

culmination

of this

whole passage.

We cannot

find rest

unless we

come to

our king.

We cannot

find rest

unless we

come as

children.

We cannot

find rest

if we don't

come with

our burdens.

We cannot

find rest

if we do

not take

his yoke

and learn

from him.

True rest

for your

souls

is resting

in the

presence

of God.

The idea

of rest

is not

just

equivalent

again to

getting a

little bit

of extra

sleep,

taking a

break from

work,

being able

to watch

your favorite

TV show,

watch a

movie.

True rest

is coming

to God,

enjoying

his presence,

inviting him

in to all

of your

life,

seeking his

help in

your need.

True rest

is rest

for your

soul.

It is a

peace that

surpasses

all

understanding,

the freedom

that we have

from sin

and death.

It is the

hope that we

have that

God is with

us and that

he will never

leave us

nor forsake

us.

It is the

assurance that

we have

nothing to

fear.

We have

nothing to

lose but

everything to

gain.

Jesus says,

Christ is

true rest

because he

is true

joy,

true

assurance,

true

fulfillment.

There is

no shame

when we

come to

him,

no guilt

because Jesus

has taken

that upon

himself on

the cross.

When we

encounter

various

troubles,

we can

come to

Jesus and

take his

yoke,

subjecting

ourselves to

him.

This is a

joyous

thing because

our God

has graciously

invited us to

take his

yoke,

to pull us

along,

to help us

on our

journey,

and through

faith may we

endure.

My

circumstances

again may

not change.

My

feelings may

not go

away.

The

thoughts I'm

wrestling with

may continue

to play

over and

over again,

but I

have an

enduring and

lasting

trust,

something that

will never

change,

and I

will never

fade.

But rest

for my

soul is

found in

the promise

of the

gospel.

that is

the

enduring

and

lasting

and

eternal

message.

Again,

we may

be burdened

by many

different

things.

It may

be personal

sin,

feelings of

hopelessness

and worthlessness,

or worry

or stress,

medical issues,

frustrations with

family and

friends,

financial

struggles,

doubt.

doubt.

But when we

look at what

Christ did on

the cross,

we can have

assurance.

We can rest

assured knowing

the length and

depth of his

love.

The fact that

the son was

willing to go

to such far

lengths in

order to save

us and offer

forgiveness to

us.

The yoke was

made possible

through the

cross and

resurrection.

What is

keeping us

from coming to

him with our

burdens?

Are we

satisfied with

our temporary

and hollow

solutions?

Just putting

off the

things that

are burdening

us?

Or are we

actually seeking

to find a

solution?

Because Christ

can meet our

needs.

He is the

solution to

all of our

needs.

God can

provide for

you if you

turn to

him and

come to

him.

And that

is when we

find a

lasting rest.

Paul even

admits in

2 Corinthians

over and

over again.

He has

faced many

persecutions

and he

gets to

this point

of saying

that while

we're on

this earth

in the

bodies that

we have

right now

we groan.

But even

though we

groan we

are looking

forward to

the day

when there

would be

no more

tears

and no

more pain

and that

we'll be

with God

and see

him as

he is.

are you

willing to

surrender

your

circumstances

to the

Savior

and

commit

your

burdens

to

him?

Bring

your

burdens

and bear

his yoke

for he

is gentle

and lowly

of heart.

You will

find rest

for your

souls.

Thank you

all for

coming.

It's been a

pleasure of

being able to

preach God's

word and

just even

seeing all

the faces

who are here

this morning.

So again

thanks for

coming.

Let me

go ahead

and just

close this

in a

word of

prayer.

God

thank you

so much

for this

promise

that you

have given.

You will

provide us

rest.

Thank you

for your

son who

came to

live as

a human

to suffer

to be

mocked

and persecuted

and ultimately

to die on

the cross.

Thank you

for his

example of

humility

to us

and that

he is

our

God

and our

Savior.

And that

you have

bestowed

on him

the name

that is

above

every

other

name.

It's

that the

name of

Jesus

every knee

should bow

in heaven

and on

earth

and under

the earth

and every

tongue

confess that

Jesus Christ

is Lord

and the glory

of God

the Father.

May we live

in light of

these truths

this week.

Help us to

come to you

with the

various things

we encounter

this week

and just

give us a

heart

of humility

to come

before you

and to

seek your

help in

our time

of need.

In your

name I

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.