A Theology of Rest: Matthew 11:20-30

Join me please in your copy of God's Word, which I hope you have with you in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 11.

Last week we talked about working diligently to the glory of God.

And as promised, and to set some balance to last week, this morning we're going to talk about rest.

And as I was preparing this week, both to preach today and to go on this sabbatical,

it was a very fitting topic for me, as this is probably one of the busiest weeks I've had.

And I've been suffering from a vicious head cold, as I know many of you all are.

I've got a cough drop resting in the side.

I've got a cough in my mouth right now, just in case I need it today.

It's been a fairly unrestful week, pushing for the hope of rest in a temporal sense.

So it's been a good thing for me to stop and to consider this week.

I hope it'll serve you as well.

I discovered in my studying this week that I find poetry rather restful.

And so we'll see today there's quite a bit of poetry in my sermon notes.

But the text for today is Matthew chapter 11, verses 20 through 30.

Matthew 11:20–30

And before I read that for our benefit, let me remind you, beloved, that this is God's word to us.

It was written for his glory and for our good.

We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.

Beginning in verse 20 of Matthew chapter 11.

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

Then Jesus began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent.

Woe to you, Chorazin.

Woe to you, Bethsaida.

For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven?

You will be brought down to Hades.

For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.

At that time, Jesus declared,

I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.

Yes, Father, for such was 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 the Son chooses to reveal Him.

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 in heart.

And you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy.

And my burden is light.

In verse 28, Jesus extends to you and I a great invitation.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden.

And I will give you rest.

And this is such a great invitation for those who are weary.

I don't know if any of you feel that way this morning.

Feel beat down by the world around you.

This is such a good invitation for us for at least two reasons.

Firstly, Jesus' invitation is a great invitation because He offers us rest from our greatest problem.

Jesus speaks such comforting words in the conclusion of our text.

But not all of His words in this text are comforting.

Recall how it began with denouncement and woes.

Jesus publicly declared the wickedness of the unrepentant people of the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum.

These were all Jewish cities in which, as Matthew here records for us,

most of Jesus' miracles had been performed.

Jesus' miracles accompanied His preaching to give validity to them.

Jesus coming onto the scene, speaking new things with authority,

used signs to give validity to what it was He was saying.

And Jesus here juxtaposes their unbelief

against how the Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon

and the ancient city of Sodom would have responded.

Had such miracles been performed amongst them.

Now, lest we lose sight of what is most important here.

The point that Jesus is making,

it is He came with power and He preached a message.

A message that these denounced cities did not respond to.

Many in our day are seeking new signs,

wanting some taste of the metaphysical in order to believe.

But God has given us His Son.

We have, as miracles before us,

the incarnation,

and we have the resurrection.

We need nothing further.

Look at what Jesus says just a chapter later in Matthew's Gospel.

In Matthew chapter 12, beginning in verse 38.

Matthew 12 · chapter mention

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him saying,

Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.

They're saying,

Do something miraculous for us so that we will believe.

But He answered them,

An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign,

but no sign will be given to you except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish,

so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it.

For they repented at the preaching of Jonah,

and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

So we see in this little brief passage in Matthew chapter 12,

Matthew 12 · chapter mention

of the incarnation, Jesus saying,

Hello, I am here, I am before you.

The Son of Man, which is taken from Daniel,

this was an Old Testament reference,

He was understood in calling Himself this to be the Messiah,

God made flesh, come to deliver His people.

Behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

The people of Nineveh listened to Jonah's preaching.

They had no sign to accompany it.

They simply heard the call of the Lord and they repented and believed.

We see also in this text the resurrection.

So will the Son of Man, so will Christ be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

And then what?

He was raised three days later.

So, what was the message that Jesus came to preach?

The message that He preached accompanied by signs?

The message that He preached without signs?

The message that He preaches to us today?

Matthew chapter 4, verse 17.

Matthew 4:17

Chapter 4, Jesus begins His ministry.

In verse 17, Matthew records,

This is the summary of what it is that Jesus taught.

Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

So He preached repentance.

But what is repentance?

Repentance is recognizing one's offense against a most holy God.

Feeling remorse for that offense.

Not merely recognizing that it is an offense,

but recognizing that we must feel something.

We have a remorse for offending such a holy God.

And seeking to satisfy the consequence of that offense.

Apart from Christ, I am not okay, and you are not okay.

Romans 3, Paul says famously in verses 10-12.

Here's the crux.

The Lord wants us to sink in.

Here we go.

Romans chapter 3, verses 10-12.

Romans 3:10–12

Paul says,

None is righteous, no, not one.

No one understands.

No one seeks for God.

All have turned aside.

Together, they have become worthless.

No one does good.

Not even one.

And then later in chapter 3, verse 23.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

All of us have not lived up to this high expectation of us, of holiness.

Right?

God intended for us to be His image bearers,

to reflect Him in the world around us by keeping His good commands.

And each and every one of us, right?

From our federal head, Adam, all the way through to the babies being held in mom's arms this morning,

have sinned against a most holy God.

And we are in need of repentance.

Repentance begins with humility.

Turn with me to Luke chapter 18.

Luke 18 · chapter mention

Beginning in verse 9 and following.

I like it when the biblical writers tell us why Jesus told the parable.

Verse 9,

Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.

And don't we have so many around us in this day?

You might find yourself in this place thinking that somehow,

if there is a God and if there is an afterlife,

that you can find the way to please Him on your own.

You can believe that you're good enough.

Jesus speaks this parable to you.

These that find themselves to be righteous and treat others with contempt.

In verse 10,

Two men went up into the temple to pray.

One a Pharisee and the other a tax collector or publican,

some of your translations may say.

The Pharisee would have been an outwardly righteous man,

a practicer of all of the Jewish law.

The tax collector or publican would have been seen as the most vile traitor to Israel,

to God's people.

One who submitted himself to the Roman government and collected taxes on their behalf.

Verse 11,

The Pharisee standing by himself prayed thus,

God, I thank you that I am not like other men,

extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

I fast twice a week.

I give tithes of all that I get.

But the tax collector standing far off would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,

but beat his breast saying,

God, be merciful to me, a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,

but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

And so repentance begins with this kind of humility, right?

A man not even willing to approach the temple,

not willing to lift his eyes to heaven

because he knew the offense he had given to God.

Isaac Watts, who was a late 17th, early 18th century hymnist,

rather popular hymnist,

wrote the following poem.

I don't actually think there's music to this.

Hint, hint, musicians.

He wrote this,

Saints, at your heavenly Father's word,

give up your comforts to the Lord.

Behold how sinners disagree,

the publican and Pharisee.

One doth his righteousness proclaim,

the other owns his guilt and shame.

This man at humble distance stands

and cries for grace with lifted hands

that boldly rises near the throne

and talks of duties he has done.

The Lord, their different language knows

and different answers he bestows.

The humble soul with grace he crowns,

whilst on the proud his anger frowns.

Dear Father,

let me never be joined with the boasting Pharisee.

I have no merits of my own,

but plead the sufferings of thy son.

Now we have sinned against an infinite God

whose holiness is infinite,

and therefore our offense against him is infinite,

which is why we need the infinite sacrifice

of Jesus Christ to satisfy the consequence

of the offense.

We must humbly recognize our offense against God,

feel remorse for it,

but then find the remedy in Jesus.

You see, friends,

God expects perfection from us,

but he extends to us that perfection

in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Upon humble admission of our offense against God

and our placing our faith

in the saving work of Christ,

God not only forgives us our sins,

but also gives us Jesus' righteousness.

We take on his perfect life

as he takes away our sin.

This is a glorious truth

that we can rest in.

John Bunyan,

if you're not familiar with,

was a 17th century English pastor and writer.

He was a preacher who preached without a license,

which was necessary in those days,

and therefore was imprisoned.

And in prison,

with a copy of Fox's Book of Martyrs

and his Bible,

he wrote a wonderful work called Pilgrim's Progress.

And if you are a follower of Jesus Christ,

you must read your scripture first

and Pilgrim's Progress second.

It will be nourishing to your soul

to read this work.

There are abridged versions,

there are modern English versions.

It is a work that you should pick up

as it will serve you well.

The work is an allegory,

and it begins with the writer,

the narrator,

I'm assuming Bunyan,

falling asleep and having a dream.

And he follows in this dream

the main character named Christian.

And it's about his journey

and then later his wife's journey

to the celestial city.

And Christian,

at the beginning of this dream,

finds himself with a heavy burden

laid upon his back.

If you find this illustrated,

it's usually a big, ugly,

bulging backpack

strapped onto his back.

And we come to understand

that this is the weight of his sin.

Right?

He comes to have this burden

because he's picked up a book.

And he's read from the book

about this good king

who has a high standard

which he has not met.

And so he sets off

to find himself

loosed of this burden.

I'm going to read just a brief bit

to you

from Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.

Now I saw in my dream

that the highway

which Christian was to go

was fenced on either side

with a wall.

And that wall was called salvation.

Up this way, therefore,

did burdened Christian run,

but not without great difficulty

because of the load on his back.

He ran thus

till he came to a place

somewhat ascending,

and upon that place

stood a cross,

and a little below

in the bottom

a sepulcher.

That's a grave.

So I saw in my dream

that just as Christian

came up to the cross,

his burden

loosed from off his shoulders

and fell from off his back

and began to tumble.

And so continued to do

until it came to the mouth

of the sepulcher

where it fell in

and I saw it no more.

Then was Christian glad

and lightsome

and said with a merry heart,

he hath given me rest

by his sorrow

and life

by his death.

And then he burst into a song,

another poem for you

this morning.

Christian says,

Thus far did I come laden

with my sin,

nor could aught ease

the grief that I was in.

Till I came hither,

what a place is this?

Must here be the beginning

of my bliss?

Must here be the burden

fall off my back?

Must hear the strings

that bound it to me crack?

Blessed cross,

blessed sepulchal,

blessed rather be

the man that there

was put to shame

for me.

So,

Jesus extends to us

a great invitation

because he offers us

rest

from our greatest

problem.

And because we can rest

eternally,

we can rest

temporally.

Because our greatest

problem has been

alleviated.

All the light

and momentary

problems

we can rest

from.

You and I

do not have to labor

to find ourselves

approved

before God.

If you have placed

saving faith

in Jesus Christ,

you

are

approved.

And now,

any work

that we do

comes as a

grateful outflow

of what he

has done

for us.

Becomes the

natural thing

we do

because of

who

we

are.

If God

is pleased

with you,

you can

and you

should

rest.

Psalm

127

2

says this,

It is in vain

that you

rise up

early

and go

late to

rest,

eating the

bread

of anxious

toil,

for he

gives to

his beloved

sleep.

God is

not

unaware

of your

human

frailty

and he

intends

rest

for you

in the very

way that he

created the

world.

He intended

to set forth

for us

a pattern

of six

days of

working

and then

what?

A day

of rest,

that we

would see

that as

created

beings,

we need

to rest

in our

eternal

security,

that we

can lay

our heads

down at

night and

know that

we have

satisfied

our God.

The Puritans

famously

talked about

recreating

versus

recreating,

which is the

actual root

of that

word,

to take

time to

step back

away from

in order

to be

rejuvenated,

for service

to the

Lord.

And I'll

close this

point out

with the

quote from

Spurgeon

that's on

your bulletin.

He said,

rest time

is not

waste time.

It is

economy to

gather

fresh strength.

It is

wisdom to

take

occasional

furlough.

In the

long run,

we shall

do more

by sometimes

doing

less,

by doing

those things

that bring

rejuvenation

to us.

rest.

So,

Jesus'

invitation

is a

great

invitation

because

he's

offering

to us

rest

from our

greatest

problem.

Secondly,

Jesus'

invitation

is a

great

invitation

because

he offers

us

rest

in the

greatest

person.

Jesus

invites

us

to

come

to

him,

all who

labor and

are heavy

laden,

and he

will

give us

rest.

Jesus

makes

some

astounding

claims

about

himself

in this

text.

If you

look at

verse

27,

Jesus

claims

that he

is the

Son of

God.

This is

not a

new

claim

in

Matthew's

Gospel,

but it

is still

an

astounding

one,

all the

same.

He

says,

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.

He

claims

that he

himself

is

the

Son

of

God.

Secondly,

he

claims

that he

possesses

all

authority.

Verse 27,

all things

have been

handed

over to

me by

my

Father.

He

says this

elsewhere

in

Matthew

as well.

Chapter

28,

verse 18,

this is the

beginning of

what we

call the

Great

Commission.

Jesus

says,

all authority

in

heaven and

on earth

has been

given

to me.

He

also

claims

that he

has

the

power

to

save.

He

says,

no one

knows

the

Father

except

the

Son

and

anyone

to whom

the

Son

chooses

to reveal

him.

Previously,

in the book

of Matthew

Matthew 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9,

beginning in

verse 1,

we read,

getting into

a boat,

he crossed

over and

came to

his own

city.

And behold,

some people

brought to

him a

paralytic

lying on

a bed.

And when

Jesus saw

their faith,

he said to

the paralytic,

take heart,

my son,

your sins

are forgiven.

And behold,

some of the

scribes said

to themselves,

this man is

blaspheming.

This man is

saying that

he's God

able to

forgive

sins.

Yes,

this is what

Jesus was

saying.

Verse 4,

but Jesus,

knowing their

thoughts,

said,

why do

you think

evil in

your hearts?

For which

is easier

to say

your sins

are forgiven

or to

say rise

and walk?

But that

you may

know the

Son of

Man has

authority on

earth to

forgive sins.

He then

said to

the paralytic,

rise,

pick up

your bed

and go

home.

And he

rose and

went home.

When the

crowd sought,

they were

afraid and

they glorified

God who

had given

such authority

to men.

It's the

astounding

thing that

Jesus is

saying that

he has

the power

to forgive

sin,

that no

one makes

it to the

Father.

No one

can know

the Father

except by

knowing the

Son.

John 14,

6.

John records

Jesus said,

I am the

way and the

truth and the

life.

No one comes

to the Father

except through

me.

Jesus makes

some incredible

claims in the

Scripture.

Peter, in

a 1950 essay

entitled,

What Are We

To Make

of Jesus?

by C.S.

Lewis, he

said the

following,

In my

opinion, the

only person

who can say

that sort of

thing, that

he's the

Son of God,

is either

God or a

complete lunatic

suffering from

that form of

delusion which

undermines the

whole mind

of man.

If you think

you are a

poached egg,

when you are

not looking for

a piece of

toast to suit

you, you may

be sane.

But if you

think you are

God, there is

no chance for

you.

You catch that?

Like, you'd be

more sane to

think that you're

a poached

egg.

But if you

think you are

God, there is

no chance for

you.

We may note

in passing that

he was never

regarded as a

mere moral

teacher.

He did not

produce that

effect on any

of the people

who actually

met him.

He produced

mainly three

effects.

You have to

find yourself

in one of

these three

places.

You're honest

with the

Jesus of

the Bible.

He produced

mainly three

effects.

Hatred,

terror,

or adoration.

There is no

trace in the

Bible of

people expressing

mild

approval.

Jesus made

astounding

claims about

himself.

The son of

God.

People could

only come to

the father

through him.

He had the

power to

forgive sins.

In fact,

power over

all things.

But Jesus

makes a

further and

possibly more

astounding

claim in

verse 29.

He says,

I am

gentle and

lowly in

heart.

As we think

about coming

to Jesus for

rest, this is

incredible.

Jesus is not

unable to

sympathize with

us in our

weakness.

Having become

fully men,

he experienced

your pain and

he experienced

your exhaustion.

Jesus grew

tired, John

4, 6, and got

thirsty, John

19, 28, and

hungry, Matthew

4, 2.

He became

physically weak,

Matthew 4, 11,

Luke 23, 26,

Hebrews 4, 15.

He suffered

just as we

suffer and

more so to

the point of

the cross.

The writer of

Hebrews says

in Hebrews 4, 15,

For we do not

have a high

priest who is

unable to

sympathize with

our weaknesses,

but one who in

every respect has

been tempted as

we are, yet

without sin.

beloved, you

can go to

Jesus with all

of your hurts

and all of

your struggles,

and you will

find with

Jesus Christ

no condemnation,

you don't have

to bear guilt

before him.

He says,

come to me,

you who are

weary and

heavy laden,

and I will

give you

rest.

Even as we

work to see

the kingdom of

God fully

realized,

Jesus promises.

And this was

such a good

meditation for

my soul this

week as I'm

thinking about

taking my

hands off of

this church for

a month,

which is

something I've

never done

before,

just fully

removing myself

from my

involvement in

it.

And some of

you who know

me well know

that I can be

a bit controlling.

Jesus says in

Luke 12, 32,

fear not,

little flock,

flock, for

it is your

father's good

pleasure to

give you the

kingdom.

I think wrongly

I have this

idea that the

kingdom, I

must go take

it, right?

That I have to

get out and I

have to work so

hard that I

gain the kingdom,

right?

That without me

the kingdom

doesn't come.

But here,

Jesus speaks so

very clearly to

that frailty in

my heart.

Fear not,

and I love

little flock,

little sheep,

for it is your

father's good

pleasure to

give to you

the kingdom.

Brother, we

have so much

room for rest

in the good

shepherd.

So Jesus'

invitation is a

great invitation

because he offers

us rest in

himself.

The Bible also

uses the metaphor

of thirst to

express our

need of rest

in God.

In Jeremiah

Jeremiah 2:12

chapter 2,

verse 12 and

13, the

prophet Jeremiah

writes,

Be appalled,

O heavens,

at this.

Be shocked,

be utterly

desolate,

declares the

Lord.

For my people

have committed

two evils.

They have

forsaken me

the fountain

of living

waters.

They have

not come to

me for rest,

is what he is

saying.

And instead,

they have

hewed out

cisterns for

themselves,

broken cisterns

that can hold

no water.

Going to

things,

pursuing things

to meet our

needs,

to find us

satisfied,

to give us

rest that

cannot give

us rest.

When we have

access to

the Lord God

Almighty,

His Son,

Jesus Christ,

the fountain

of living

waters.

John records

in chapter 7,

verse 37

and 38,

Jesus is in

Jerusalem at the

feast of booths.

In verse 37,

John records,

on the last

day of the

feast,

the great

day,

Jesus stood

up and

cried out,

if anyone

thirsts,

let him

come to

me and

drink.

Whoever

believes in

me as the

scripture has

said,

out of his

heart will

flow rivers

of living

water.

What a

blessed

rest we

can have

in Christ.

And in

closing,

I have one

more poem

for you.

This is

actually a

hymn.

It has

music written

to accompany

it.

It's called,

O Christ

in thee

my soul

hath found

by Francis

Bevan.

She was a

19th century

hymnist.

O Christ

in thee

my soul

hath found

and found

in thee

alone

the peace,

the joy

I sought

so long,

the bliss

till now

unknown.

I sighed

for rest

and happiness.

I yearned

for them,

not thee.

But while

I passed

my Savior

by,

his love

laid hold

on me.

I tried

the broken

cisterns,

ah,

but how

the waters

failed.

Even as

I stooped

to drink,

they fled

and mocked

me as

I wailed.

The pleasures

lost I

sadly mourned,

but never

wept for

thee,

till grace

the sightless

eyes received

thy

loveliness

to see.

Now

none

but Christ

can satisfy

none other

name for

me.

There's

love

and life

and lasting

joy,

Christ

Jesus

found.

Let's pray

together.

Let's pray

together.

Let's pray

together.

Let's pray

together.

Let's pray

together.

Let's pray

together.

Let's pray

together.

Let's pray

together.

Let's pray