WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.459 Good morning. I'm embarrassed. When you get to 63, birthdays don't really matter. 00:00:09.060 --> 00:00:14.700 My brother gave me a very funny card this morning that reflected that, for which I was grateful. 00:00:15.220 --> 00:00:18.300 I wasn't born in Edinburgh, but I was bred in Edinburgh. 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:24.500 Age seven, the family I was part of moved to Scotland. We lived in Morningside. 00:00:24.500 --> 00:00:31.560 I grew up in Morningside, went to Harriot's, went to Edinburgh University, worked as a solicitor in Edinburgh for nine years. 00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:42.340 Then in 1993, which does seem an age ago, we moved as a family to North London, where I was privileged to be a pastor for quite a long time. 00:00:42.740 --> 00:00:46.019 Sadly, I've now lived more of my life in England than Scotland. 00:00:46.379 --> 00:00:51.000 I kind of regret that, because coming back here, I feel at home. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:56.399 And yet, when we moved to London, we thought we'd only be there three years, and then we'd be back up this way. 00:00:56.600 --> 00:01:03.740 But the Lord had other ideas, and we're actually grateful that we've been privileged to serve the Lord Jesus in London. 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:08.060 But look, you don't want to know about me, and I don't like talking about me. 00:01:08.180 --> 00:01:10.180 I do like talking about the Lord Jesus. 00:01:10.960 --> 00:01:16.560 So would you have your Bible open with me, please, at Matthew chapter 11. 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:20.980 And particularly, we're going to look at verses 28 to 30. 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:30.040 Course 101 in an American university is the introductory level of learning. 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:39.859 And the words of Jesus we're going to look at this morning could be decided as Christianity or Discipleship 101. 00:01:39.859 --> 00:01:47.959 Because here, our Lord Jesus teaches us the basics of a true being, a true Christian. 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:54.739 The basics from which, if we're believers in the Lord Jesus, we never, ever graduate. 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:59.739 You may have heard of the famous golfer, Jack Nicklaus. 00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:04.480 He used to go to a golf professional every year and said, 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:08.640 Teach me as if I'd never held a golf club. 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:13.060 And to other golfers, this great world champion golfer, as it were, 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:17.659 he said, never be too proud to take a lesson. 00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:22.120 And to us this morning, our Lord Jesus says, 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:25.920 Look, here is what it means to be one of my disciples. 00:02:26.699 --> 00:02:29.280 Here is how you start being a disciple. 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:33.400 And here is how you continue being a disciple. 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:39.240 So it's to us this morning, the Lord Jesus says these famous words. 00:02:40.040 --> 00:02:46.860 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:50.860 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. 00:02:51.480 --> 00:02:56.620 For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 00:02:57.240 --> 00:03:01.659 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 00:03:01.659 --> 00:03:06.979 But none of us this morning would disagree that we need rest. 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:09.919 It's part of how God made us. 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:14.719 So after a long day, my body needs the rest of sleep. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:19.819 At the end of a working week, I value the rest of a day off. 00:03:20.219 --> 00:03:26.900 As a holiday approaches, I look forward to that opportunity for both physical and mental rest. 00:03:26.900 --> 00:03:30.599 But there is another kind of rest. 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:33.700 A kind of rest we each need. 00:03:33.860 --> 00:03:36.879 And actually, we were created to enjoy. 00:03:37.740 --> 00:03:43.140 It's what our Lord Jesus calls here, rest for our souls. 00:03:44.300 --> 00:03:45.520 You've got a soul. 00:03:46.460 --> 00:03:47.439 I've got a soul. 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:54.759 It's the real us, the real you, that unseen part that makes me, me, and you, you. 00:03:55.079 --> 00:03:59.319 That part, the Bible says, that sets you and I apart from the animals. 00:04:00.539 --> 00:04:03.759 The part of us, the Bible says, is eternal. 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:08.000 So what is rest of soul? 00:04:08.139 --> 00:04:10.120 Rest for our souls, according to the Bible. 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:14.740 It is the rest of a right relationship with God. 00:04:15.420 --> 00:04:17.879 The relationship we were created to enjoy. 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:20.379 The relationship lost by the fall. 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:23.699 There was an early Christian teacher called Augustine. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:25.199 You may have heard this quote. 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:28.879 And he said to God, you have made us for yourself. 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:35.399 And our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you. 00:04:36.340 --> 00:04:37.540 So here's the question. 00:04:37.540 --> 00:04:46.280 How can you and I live with this rest of soul that we were created to enjoy? 00:04:47.379 --> 00:04:51.540 And that's what our Lord Jesus wants us to know in these verses. 00:04:52.520 --> 00:04:57.620 My favourite man from history is a bloke called Charles Spurgeon. 00:04:58.620 --> 00:05:05.100 And he once said, this text is often preached from, but never too often. 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:10.080 Since the sorrows with which it deals always abound. 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:14.060 And the remedy is always effective. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:16.220 So I'm going to be very simple this morning. 00:05:17.020 --> 00:05:26.280 Because in this verse, we have a command to obey, a promise to trust, and a rest to enjoy. 00:05:26.400 --> 00:05:27.320 Will you follow with me? 00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:31.280 First of all then, a command to obey. 00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:34.619 Will you note actually that it is a command? 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:38.659 Sometimes these words are described as an invitation. 00:05:39.159 --> 00:05:42.099 And they are an invitation, but they're more than an invitation. 00:05:42.979 --> 00:05:49.799 Because this word come in the Bible is a command given with authority. 00:05:50.599 --> 00:05:55.179 It's the same word that Jesus used when he called his first disciples. 00:05:55.339 --> 00:05:55.959 Do you remember that? 00:05:55.959 --> 00:06:02.199 He said, come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people. 00:06:02.979 --> 00:06:07.079 Now why did those disciples drop everything and follow Jesus? 00:06:08.459 --> 00:06:10.319 Well, it was because he spoke with authority. 00:06:11.099 --> 00:06:13.679 The very authority of Almighty God. 00:06:14.539 --> 00:06:20.799 And you and I perhaps weaken these words when we reduce them to a mere invitation. 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:20.920 Invitation. 00:06:21.680 --> 00:06:27.720 Because when we hear the word invitation, we think of it as a kind of, I can take it or I can leave it. 00:06:27.819 --> 00:06:29.560 But like the choice with the children. 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:37.939 But actually, the Lord Jesus wants us to know this is a command we reject at our peril. 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:40.920 And now, I'm sure we've all been to weddings. 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:43.000 Two of our daughters have got married. 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:45.519 And we sent out invitations. 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:49.139 And those invitations were not commands, were they? 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:54.279 But people were free to accept our invitation to enjoy the wedding or reject it. 00:06:55.180 --> 00:06:57.279 But Jesus spoke of a wedding. 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:04.040 He told a parable about a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:09.779 He sent his servants to those invited to tell them to come. 00:07:10.920 --> 00:07:12.759 But they refused to obey. 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:17.480 And said the Lord Jesus, the king was enraged. 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:20.519 And rightly so, because he was the king. 00:07:21.060 --> 00:07:29.620 And he sent his soldiers to punish those who refused his invitation, his command to come. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:32.220 Now, why notice this? 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:42.060 Well, to refuse to obey the inviting command of our Lord Jesus is actually an aspect of sin. 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:45.060 It's to rebel against God. 00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:53.899 It's to refuse to treat the Lord Jesus as he ought to be treated, as God who is to obey, who commands us to do things. 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:54.279 Why? 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:57.360 Well, because he knows what's best for us. 00:07:57.360 --> 00:08:02.360 And as Jesus says these words to us, he gives this command to us. 00:08:02.360 --> 00:08:06.500 He's saying, look, this is best for you. 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:11.759 Because everything I tell you to do, it is best for you. 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:14.740 So let's just examine this command. 00:08:16.139 --> 00:08:18.500 Notice it's very simple. 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:20.439 Come. 00:08:22.139 --> 00:08:24.959 Is there any more simple word in our language? 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:30.740 There is a danger of making anything in life more complex than it ought to be. 00:08:31.139 --> 00:08:31.459 Come. 00:08:31.459 --> 00:08:36.500 It's a command a little child is able to understand. 00:08:36.759 --> 00:08:38.220 It's that simple. 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:41.659 Notice it's personal. 00:08:43.100 --> 00:08:44.799 Jesus calls us to himself. 00:08:44.980 --> 00:08:46.360 Come to me. 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:50.059 He says, come into a relationship with me. 00:08:50.059 --> 00:08:58.179 It's so easy to lose sight of the personal relational nature of the message of the Bible. 00:08:59.539 --> 00:09:08.639 Christianity, friends, is not a relationship with a set of rules or with a moral code or with a set of doctrines. 00:09:09.599 --> 00:09:16.919 No, it's a relationship with the living, risen, knowable Lord Jesus who says, come to me. 00:09:16.919 --> 00:09:19.799 And he drives none away. 00:09:20.579 --> 00:09:23.360 One of his favourite words is, come. 00:09:24.459 --> 00:09:26.079 And notice it's universal. 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:29.659 Come to me, all you. 00:09:30.519 --> 00:09:38.339 When Jesus spoke, Matthew tells us he was speaking both to the crowd and to his disciples, to insiders, 00:09:39.159 --> 00:09:43.039 and those who were then outsiders, not yet disciples. 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:49.740 And this morning, I don't know most of you, but his command is for all of us. 00:09:50.699 --> 00:09:56.500 Whatever our age, status, background, colour, bank balance, state of mind, intellectual ability. 00:09:57.559 --> 00:10:03.059 When I was a kid, like the children here, we were taught a little ditty about the word come. 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:08.899 C stands for children, though they're young and small. 00:10:08.899 --> 00:10:11.939 O stands for older folk. 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:14.039 Jesus calls them all. 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:16.720 M stands for middle-aged. 00:10:16.899 --> 00:10:18.799 They to Christ must bow. 00:10:19.899 --> 00:10:21.539 E stands for everyone. 00:10:22.740 --> 00:10:25.100 Come to Jesus now. 00:10:26.659 --> 00:10:32.360 And it's a universal command because it's a necessary command. 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:34.559 Look what Jesus says. 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:40.839 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened. 00:10:41.619 --> 00:10:46.739 To be weary and burdened is not an unusual state. 00:10:47.559 --> 00:10:52.419 It's actually the natural state of every human being in this fallen world. 00:10:52.579 --> 00:10:58.059 Before the fall, humanity knew nothing of being weary and burdened. 00:10:58.059 --> 00:11:07.819 But God wasn't lying in Genesis 3 when after the fall, he said that humanity would have to live a life of painful toil, 00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:11.500 symbolised by thorns and thistles. 00:11:13.099 --> 00:11:15.099 Being weary and burdened. 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:18.339 It comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:19.179 You know that. 00:11:20.319 --> 00:11:25.659 It can be physical, mental, emotional, relational, spiritual. 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:34.319 And the types of weariness and burdensomeness, they tend to arrive in a confused bundle of all those kind of things. 00:11:35.719 --> 00:11:42.879 All forms of weariness are a consequence of living in a fallen world. 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:47.679 Now with what kind of weariness is Jesus dealing here? 00:11:47.779 --> 00:11:56.539 Well, the context and the reference to rest of souls suggests that his first focus is our spiritual weariness. 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:02.659 The weariness brought about by our sinfulness, which cuts us off from God. 00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:10.379 The weariness experienced because of that chaos and disharmony sin brings in our experience and in our society. 00:12:10.379 --> 00:12:13.580 The weariness of despair. 00:12:14.580 --> 00:12:18.139 At the prospect of, well, will things ever change? 00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:23.860 And then there's that spiritual anxiety about the past. 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:25.960 About the present. 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:26.980 About the future. 00:12:27.179 --> 00:12:31.100 Including perhaps what will happen to us when we die. 00:12:32.759 --> 00:12:36.580 Friends, we mustn't limit the scope of this command by the Lord Jesus. 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:49.440 But we must never forget that every experience of being weary and burdened is connected in one way or another with the reality of living in a world out of harmony with our creator. 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:53.440 That's what makes his command necessary. 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:55.360 You need it. 00:12:56.340 --> 00:12:57.780 I need it. 00:12:57.779 --> 00:13:06.860 But please notice, and this is so important, that this is a gracious and warm command. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:09.279 You see, some of us may worry. 00:13:09.539 --> 00:13:10.139 A command? 00:13:10.299 --> 00:13:11.720 I don't like the idea of commands. 00:13:11.839 --> 00:13:12.399 No, listen. 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:15.759 The commands of Jesus are gracious. 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:20.279 Is there a warmer word than the word come? 00:13:21.159 --> 00:13:22.059 It's a word of welcome. 00:13:22.059 --> 00:13:28.379 My parents used to live in Collington Road in a block of retired people's flats called Perdrick's Now. 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:30.500 And it had an entry phone system. 00:13:31.059 --> 00:13:33.519 So you had to press the entry phone if you wanted to come up. 00:13:33.899 --> 00:13:37.399 And, you know, every time I ever pressed that entry phone system and said, 00:13:37.619 --> 00:13:37.979 Hi, Mum. 00:13:38.039 --> 00:13:38.399 Hi, Dad. 00:13:38.419 --> 00:13:39.099 It's Johnny here. 00:13:39.839 --> 00:13:41.000 Come up, son. 00:13:41.579 --> 00:13:42.539 That was always the word. 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:43.279 Come up. 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:44.119 Come on up. 00:13:44.619 --> 00:13:47.679 The word come, it was a kind of, we want you in our house. 00:13:47.819 --> 00:13:49.319 We want to welcome you. 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:53.080 To then see Mum or Dad at the front door at the end of their long corridor. 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:56.120 And they're opening the door and it's like, we're glad to see you. 00:13:57.040 --> 00:13:58.440 That's the idea here. 00:13:59.760 --> 00:14:01.600 Yes, it's a command, but it's gracious. 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:04.240 It's a command none of us deserve. 00:14:05.860 --> 00:14:09.800 As rebels against God, rest for our souls is not our right. 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:20.319 But the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, calls weary, burdened, messed up people like me to come to him. 00:14:21.439 --> 00:14:24.240 And it's a command that's meant to cheer us up. 00:14:25.199 --> 00:14:29.699 I love that story in the Gospels about blind Bartimaeus. 00:14:29.819 --> 00:14:30.719 You've read that story? 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:32.899 He's the blind man. 00:14:32.899 --> 00:14:38.079 And as Jesus enters Jericho, he shouts out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. 00:14:38.100 --> 00:14:39.980 And the crowd are going, shh, shh, don't bother him. 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:40.919 He won't be interested in you. 00:14:41.199 --> 00:14:42.299 He keeps shouting. 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:46.059 And Jesus says, tell him to come to me. 00:14:47.079 --> 00:14:48.419 And do you know what the crowds say? 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:50.980 They say, cheer up. 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:55.740 On your feet, he's calling you. 00:14:57.860 --> 00:14:58.799 You still with me? 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:10.679 This command's simple, personal, universal, necessary, gracious, warm, and it's present tense and ongoing. 00:15:10.819 --> 00:15:15.419 You see, the sense of the word come is come and keep on coming. 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:19.519 Again and again and again and again. 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:21.500 It's a command for right now. 00:15:21.500 --> 00:15:34.220 It's a command for this afternoon, for this evening, for tomorrow, for the day after that, and the days after that until we die. 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:40.500 It's a command from which those who come to Jesus never graduate. 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:43.460 It is Discipleship 101. 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:46.879 And it's moving. 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:48.500 What do I mean? 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:53.100 This command moves us from one place to another place. 00:15:54.059 --> 00:15:56.659 Literally, the word come means come hither. 00:15:57.600 --> 00:15:59.000 So it calls for movement. 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:06.100 Come, says the Lord Jesus, from where you are at the moment, come to me and then travel with me. 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.840 So it's actually a word that tells us about repentance. 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:20.660 Coming to Jesus means stopping going the direction I have been going, which by nature is away from God, away from the Lord Jesus. 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:28.220 And instead turning round towards him, putting the direction of our lives in his hands. 00:16:28.220 --> 00:16:32.019 It can also be thought of in terms of faith. 00:16:32.820 --> 00:16:43.560 Because coming to Jesus means moving away from trusting in me and instead trusting only in the Lord Jesus as the one who knows what's best for me. 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:46.000 So look down to verse 29. 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.840 Jesus uses a picture. 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:52.340 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:54.840 It's an image from historical agriculture. 00:16:55.940 --> 00:16:59.019 A yoke was a bit of wood placed on an oxen. 00:16:59.299 --> 00:17:02.860 It put the ox under the direction and control of the farmer. 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:08.839 And Jesus calls us to the rest of active submission. 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:20.980 So, these two verses, a command to obey, but secondly, a promise to trust. 00:17:21.199 --> 00:17:22.419 Look again at the words. 00:17:23.639 --> 00:17:31.839 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:34.659 Like the command, the promise is personal. 00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:38.000 Come to me, and I will give you rest. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:43.180 You see, as we come to Jesus, he doesn't say, oh, go away and do this, and then you'll have rest. 00:17:43.480 --> 00:17:45.700 Or go to that person, then you'll have rest. 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:48.539 No, he says, you get this rest from me. 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:54.099 In fact, this rest is found in me, says the Lord Jesus. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:57.720 And the promise is certain. 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:01.839 I will give you rest. 00:18:02.500 --> 00:18:04.940 There's no ifs, no buts, no maybes. 00:18:05.220 --> 00:18:07.140 There's no early closing. 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:11.960 There's no, well, I'll give you rest if you come at this time in the week, but not on this time of the week. 00:18:12.600 --> 00:18:15.900 It's not like the car wash I sometimes take my car to. 00:18:16.360 --> 00:18:19.660 Where, you know, you can get the £10 or the £12 or the £50. 00:18:20.140 --> 00:18:23.400 And it's like, well, how much you pay is the quality you'll get. 00:18:23.620 --> 00:18:24.180 No, no, no. 00:18:24.560 --> 00:18:30.640 Says the Lord Jesus, as often as you come to me, that often I will give you rest. 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:35.140 And the promise, like the command, is gracious. 00:18:35.140 --> 00:18:44.080 Friends, rest of soul is a gift. 00:18:44.080 --> 00:18:48.400 Rest of soul isn't something I deserve. 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:55.100 In fact, the Bible says, I deserve the eternal restlessness of hell. 00:18:56.100 --> 00:19:02.060 Where to quote our Lord Jesus, there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. 00:19:02.059 --> 00:19:08.759 But rest is the gift of the Lord Jesus because of his cross. 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:17.940 Jesus, who didn't deserve it, took upon himself the restless torment and pain of hell that I deserve. 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:26.240 In order that as I come to him, I might receive from him as a gift rest for my soul. 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:30.960 Which is why his promise is unique. 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:41.200 It is on the basis of his finished work on that cross that Jesus is the risen Lord of rest. 00:19:42.019 --> 00:19:44.940 He died bearing the burden of my sin. 00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:50.240 He rose then to be the risen Lord who can alone give the rest of forgiveness, 00:19:51.240 --> 00:19:56.079 of justification, of reconciliation to all who will come to him. 00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:02.240 And it's only Jesus, therefore, on the basis of his work on the cross, 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:05.359 who can bring us to know God as our Father. 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:12.640 And the rest and security that comes from being one of God's dearly loved children. 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:18.519 His work on the cross is the basis of all the rest he gives. 00:20:18.519 --> 00:20:25.779 Because it restores all who come to him to the position we are created to enjoy. 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:30.519 And look, no one else can give this rest. 00:20:31.639 --> 00:20:34.400 Because no one else has it to give us. 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:37.799 It can't be manufactured. 00:20:38.059 --> 00:20:40.519 You can't find a book that will give it you in Waterstones. 00:20:40.519 --> 00:20:42.759 It's not mass produced. 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:44.639 It cannot be self produced. 00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:50.740 But how foolish that all too often I seek rest apart from Jesus. 00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:56.019 In fact, I think that's one of my repeated failures in life. 00:20:56.879 --> 00:20:58.519 I desire rest. 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:01.500 And yet I seek it in the wrong place. 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:08.980 And would you notice that this is a rest religion can't give us? 00:21:09.140 --> 00:21:10.960 So that's the context of these verses. 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:14.180 That's why we read the verses around it. 00:21:14.819 --> 00:21:17.859 There was a big difference between what Jesus taught 00:21:17.859 --> 00:21:20.579 and what the religious leaders of the day taught. 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:25.299 So we read that incident in which the Pharisees, the religious leaders, 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:28.259 they were criticising the disciples of Jesus 00:21:28.259 --> 00:21:31.119 about what they did on the Sabbath, the day of rest. 00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:34.559 But these Pharisees, they knew no rest. 00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:36.339 They were worried. 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:38.660 They were anxious about keeping the rules. 00:21:39.900 --> 00:21:42.119 Theirs was a life without any rest 00:21:42.119 --> 00:21:45.579 because they could never be sure that they kept the rules enough 00:21:45.579 --> 00:21:46.940 for God to be pleased with them. 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:54.480 In contrast, the disciples were learning to experience the rest 00:21:54.480 --> 00:22:01.000 of being with Jesus, having come to him as he called them. 00:22:01.500 --> 00:22:05.440 So we read about this man with the shriveled hand. 00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:09.940 And he provides a picture of life without Jesus, 00:22:10.079 --> 00:22:12.299 a picture of the life of the Pharisees. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:15.059 They were living shriveled lives. 00:22:15.059 --> 00:22:20.019 Just as Jesus restored that man's hand, 00:22:20.019 --> 00:22:25.339 so he's able to restore all who come to him into a right relationship 00:22:25.339 --> 00:22:31.220 with our creator, giving us rest for our souls. 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:38.079 And so his promise, like the command, is present tense and ongoing, 00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:42.140 just as the command is for now and tomorrow, the next day, and so on, 00:22:42.140 --> 00:22:47.079 for every experience of weariness and every time we feel burdened. 00:22:47.079 --> 00:22:50.439 And it is a promise to be trusted. 00:22:51.379 --> 00:22:54.439 My wife and I, we've been married for 35 years. 00:22:55.339 --> 00:22:57.779 And we have an ongoing disagreement. 00:22:58.179 --> 00:23:01.519 It's very trivial, so it's not endangering our marriage. 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:03.519 But here's the disagreement, all right? 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:03.960 You're listening. 00:23:04.519 --> 00:23:05.939 We could maybe vote for this. 00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:08.200 I'd love you to prove me right. 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:12.920 Is it salt and pepper or pepper and salt? 00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:15.019 Which is the right way around? 00:23:16.059 --> 00:23:19.180 I won't ask you to vote, because I'll probably lose. 00:23:19.860 --> 00:23:22.960 The reality is, it doesn't matter, does it? 00:23:23.600 --> 00:23:27.080 Salt and pepper, pepper and salt, they go together. 00:23:27.080 --> 00:23:28.220 That's the point. 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:35.539 This command to come and this promise to rest, they go together. 00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:41.860 Obedience and faith in the Bible, faith and obedience, they're partners. 00:23:42.920 --> 00:23:44.200 They're never in conflict. 00:23:44.340 --> 00:23:46.360 They're like two sides of the same coin. 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:51.960 Every act of obedience is an act of faith, of trust in Jesus. 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:59.160 Every promise of Jesus calls for our obedience as we trust him to do what he says he'll do. 00:24:00.120 --> 00:24:03.080 So that old chorus, trust and obey, 00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:08.879 for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey. 00:24:09.059 --> 00:24:11.039 Jesus could have said this the other way around. 00:24:11.419 --> 00:24:15.599 He could have said, I will give you rest for your souls if you will come to me. 00:24:15.899 --> 00:24:16.779 Do you see the idea? 00:24:18.919 --> 00:24:21.299 The command and promise go together. 00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:29.680 And only as you and I trust and obey, obey and trust, will we enjoy the rest Jesus gives. 00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:34.859 But you may be saying, come on Johnny, what's this rest look like? 00:24:36.220 --> 00:24:39.659 Well let's look as we draw to a close at this rest to enjoy. 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:41.359 What is this rest of soul? 00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:46.079 Well it does start with being the rest of faith. 00:24:49.699 --> 00:24:53.199 I don't know what you think is the biggest battle of your life. 00:24:54.879 --> 00:24:57.059 But the longer I go on as a Christian, 00:24:57.059 --> 00:25:04.599 I think the biggest battle of my life is abandoning all confidence in Johnny 00:25:04.599 --> 00:25:10.559 and increasingly put in my trust in the Lord Jesus. 00:25:11.639 --> 00:25:16.599 In what he has done, in what he is doing and what he will do. 00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:21.359 It's only as I come to him and keep on coming to him, 00:25:21.859 --> 00:25:26.859 abandoning trust in me and saying, Lord Jesus, my confidence is only in you. 00:25:27.959 --> 00:25:29.779 It's only then I have rest. 00:25:29.779 --> 00:25:32.619 It's the rest of faith. 00:25:33.160 --> 00:25:34.700 And it is rest for soul. 00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:38.079 So please don't misunderstand what Jesus is saying here. 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:40.980 The promise is not rest of body. 00:25:42.779 --> 00:25:44.500 Now our bodies need rest. 00:25:44.680 --> 00:25:46.359 Daily sleep is pretty important. 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:49.700 Every night when I lie down in bed, it's good to say, 00:25:49.779 --> 00:25:53.319 God, as I lie down to sleep, it's a reminder that I'm human and you're not. 00:25:53.399 --> 00:25:54.240 You don't sleep. 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:55.420 I need sleep. 00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:57.279 You watch over me while I'm asleep. 00:25:57.420 --> 00:25:58.960 I'm not in control as I sleep. 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:00.900 Lord, I entrust myself to you again. 00:26:00.980 --> 00:26:03.200 That's a good way to go to bed every night, by the way. 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:06.960 We also were made to need weekly rest. 00:26:07.120 --> 00:26:08.960 The Sabbath principle is inbuilt. 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:11.900 We're created needing one day off in seven. 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:15.920 But day by day, we may receive rest of soul, 00:26:16.360 --> 00:26:17.759 however busy we are, 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:21.980 and whatever trials we may be facing. 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:27.880 The rest of soul is the inner rest which allows us to say, 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:30.099 it's well with my soul. 00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:34.500 It's the rest of soul that refreshes us, 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:37.220 that renews us, that gives us strength, 00:26:38.360 --> 00:26:41.960 even in the most difficult of circumstances. 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:45.799 And it is the rest of submission. 00:26:46.759 --> 00:26:49.840 So Jesus uses this image of a yoke. 00:26:52.279 --> 00:26:53.840 Just think about that image. 00:26:55.019 --> 00:26:58.160 In the relationship between a farmer and an oxen, 00:26:58.640 --> 00:26:59.680 who's in control? 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:02.279 Well, it's the farmer, isn't it? 00:27:02.279 --> 00:27:05.200 Now, we may think that sounds a bit harsh. 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:07.700 Jesus says, take my yoke upon you. 00:27:07.899 --> 00:27:09.839 But we look at what Jesus says. 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:14.119 He describes himself as gentle and humble in heart. 00:27:14.359 --> 00:27:16.720 And he says that his yoke is easy, 00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:18.619 and his burden is light. 00:27:21.180 --> 00:27:24.599 It's only by the Holy Spirit that we can understand this. 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:26.899 The yoke of the Lord Jesus, 00:27:27.339 --> 00:27:28.980 submitting ourselves to him, 00:27:28.980 --> 00:27:31.380 is actually the yoke of true freedom. 00:27:33.059 --> 00:27:37.779 It's a bit like the freedom of a train on its train tracks. 00:27:38.460 --> 00:27:39.940 A train off its tracks. 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:42.500 Oh, dear, that's a horrible thing, isn't it? 00:27:42.980 --> 00:27:45.660 That's our lives without the rest Jesus gives. 00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:47.960 But as we come to Jesus and say, 00:27:48.039 --> 00:27:51.200 Lord Jesus, I want to place myself in your hands. 00:27:51.339 --> 00:27:54.059 I want to take your yoke upon me, 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:56.420 because I know you're gentle and humble in heart. 00:27:56.519 --> 00:27:58.860 We're then like a train on the tracks. 00:27:58.980 --> 00:28:03.200 That's living as God made us to live. 00:28:04.700 --> 00:28:06.700 So much of the strain and stress 00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:09.480 comes from trying to be in control, 00:28:09.640 --> 00:28:12.120 and rest for our souls comes as we submit 00:28:12.120 --> 00:28:14.640 to the gracious rule of Jesus, 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:18.380 to his care, his wisdom, his timing, 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:20.980 his providential overruling of all things. 00:28:20.980 --> 00:28:24.940 Perfect submission, 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:27.220 an old hymn says. 00:28:28.140 --> 00:28:30.539 Perfect, all is at rest. 00:28:30.620 --> 00:28:32.519 Perfect submission, all is at rest. 00:28:33.079 --> 00:28:34.559 I am my saviour. 00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:37.200 I'm happy and blessed. 00:28:37.259 --> 00:28:39.700 Which means it is the rest of activity. 00:28:39.700 --> 00:28:40.299 Activity. 00:28:41.840 --> 00:28:44.259 This is not the rest of lying in a hammock 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:45.620 on a sun-kissed beach. 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:46.440 And I have to tell you, 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:47.759 that's never appealed to me. 00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:50.740 No, it's the rest that comes 00:28:50.740 --> 00:28:52.460 as we actively follow Jesus. 00:28:52.620 --> 00:28:53.840 So think of the Lord Jesus. 00:28:54.039 --> 00:28:56.720 If anyone knew rest for his soul, 00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:57.480 it was Jesus. 00:28:58.539 --> 00:29:00.420 And yet, what did he tell his disciples? 00:29:00.420 --> 00:29:02.100 He said that his food 00:29:02.100 --> 00:29:04.539 was to do the will of his father, 00:29:04.600 --> 00:29:05.480 who sent him. 00:29:06.800 --> 00:29:07.860 So work is good. 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:09.000 It's a gift from God. 00:29:09.100 --> 00:29:10.779 It's part of being made in his image. 00:29:11.220 --> 00:29:13.320 And when you become a disciple of Jesus, 00:29:13.539 --> 00:29:15.519 we rest from our work 00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:18.480 and discover there's rest in work. 00:29:19.880 --> 00:29:21.539 You see, when it comes to salvation, 00:29:21.840 --> 00:29:24.580 Jesus gives us rest from our own work. 00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:26.940 We come to him recognising 00:29:26.940 --> 00:29:28.480 we cannot save ourselves. 00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:30.320 We rely only on his work 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:31.919 on the cross for us. 00:29:32.019 --> 00:29:33.419 We rest from our work 00:29:33.419 --> 00:29:34.519 and rely on his. 00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:37.519 But as we come to him, 00:29:38.339 --> 00:29:40.759 we then discover rest in work. 00:29:41.319 --> 00:29:43.799 As we pursue the good works, 00:29:43.899 --> 00:29:45.859 we discover he has planned 00:29:45.859 --> 00:29:47.399 in advance for us to do, 00:29:48.139 --> 00:29:50.200 in which we experience 00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:51.599 the rest of learning. 00:29:51.779 --> 00:29:52.819 Look what Jesus says. 00:29:52.879 --> 00:29:54.339 He says, and learn from me. 00:29:54.519 --> 00:29:57.559 On my whiteboard in my office 00:29:57.559 --> 00:29:59.179 that I had until a couple of years ago, 00:29:59.180 --> 00:30:00.779 I had four letters. 00:30:01.820 --> 00:30:04.140 E-D-A-S. 00:30:05.720 --> 00:30:07.400 Every day is a school day. 00:30:08.140 --> 00:30:09.960 It's because the young woman 00:30:09.960 --> 00:30:12.380 who was my kind of PA, 00:30:13.539 --> 00:30:14.279 I'm a technoclote. 00:30:15.580 --> 00:30:16.740 So I'd often go and say, 00:30:16.880 --> 00:30:18.440 Becky, will you come and help me 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:20.080 do this or that or whatever? 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:21.519 And every time she came to my room 00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:22.060 on those occasions, 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:22.400 she'd say, 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:24.380 Johnny, every day is a school day. 00:30:24.380 --> 00:30:26.680 I learned a huge amount from her. 00:30:26.760 --> 00:30:27.500 Isn't that true? 00:30:29.060 --> 00:30:30.480 And look, that's what it means 00:30:30.480 --> 00:30:31.420 to be a disciple. 00:30:32.020 --> 00:30:32.800 We're learners. 00:30:33.820 --> 00:30:35.080 And we come to Jesus 00:30:35.080 --> 00:30:36.060 and we come to Jesus. 00:30:36.220 --> 00:30:37.760 We discover every day is a school day 00:30:37.760 --> 00:30:39.360 and he's the best of teachers, 00:30:39.520 --> 00:30:40.660 the wisest of teachers, 00:30:40.800 --> 00:30:42.480 the most patient of teachers, 00:30:42.620 --> 00:30:44.380 the most consistent of teachers, 00:30:44.380 --> 00:30:46.700 because he only ever calls us 00:30:46.700 --> 00:30:48.540 to do what he did. 00:30:48.539 --> 00:30:51.700 And we therefore experience 00:30:51.700 --> 00:30:53.119 the rest of relationship. 00:30:55.819 --> 00:30:57.599 I love being with my wife. 00:30:58.759 --> 00:30:59.659 If you said to me, 00:30:59.700 --> 00:31:00.799 Johnny, on your day off, 00:31:00.859 --> 00:31:02.319 what would you like to do most? 00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:04.680 I would say I'd like to go 00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:06.359 for a walk with my wife, 00:31:06.940 --> 00:31:08.940 because I find that as I walk 00:31:08.940 --> 00:31:09.659 with my wife, 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:10.559 we talk together, 00:31:10.680 --> 00:31:12.200 we enjoy each other's company. 00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:14.539 Do you know that's what 00:31:14.539 --> 00:31:15.659 Jesus is saying here? 00:31:15.660 --> 00:31:19.400 He said to those first disciples, 00:31:19.600 --> 00:31:20.820 come to me and walk with me. 00:31:22.080 --> 00:31:23.180 And as Jesus says, 00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:26.460 come to me for this rest, 00:31:26.540 --> 00:31:26.860 he's saying, 00:31:27.040 --> 00:31:28.040 just come and walk 00:31:28.040 --> 00:31:28.980 through life with me. 00:31:29.920 --> 00:31:31.420 When you get up every morning, 00:31:31.580 --> 00:31:32.540 come to me and say, 00:31:32.620 --> 00:31:34.480 Lord Jesus, today may I walk with you? 00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:35.759 And he'll always say yes, 00:31:36.759 --> 00:31:38.060 because he walks with me 00:31:38.060 --> 00:31:39.019 and he talks with me 00:31:39.019 --> 00:31:40.660 a long life's narrow way. 00:31:43.120 --> 00:31:43.920 And finally, 00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:46.740 it's the rest of hope. 00:31:49.779 --> 00:31:51.580 Jesus isn't saying here 00:31:51.580 --> 00:31:53.640 that there'll come a day 00:31:53.640 --> 00:31:54.400 in our lives 00:31:54.400 --> 00:31:55.759 when we don't experience 00:31:55.759 --> 00:31:57.080 being weary and burdened 00:31:57.080 --> 00:31:57.759 in some way. 00:31:58.320 --> 00:31:59.539 That's not what he's promising. 00:32:01.120 --> 00:32:02.660 Being weary and burdened 00:32:02.660 --> 00:32:04.019 will in various ways 00:32:04.019 --> 00:32:05.100 be our experience 00:32:05.100 --> 00:32:06.860 until the new creation, 00:32:07.259 --> 00:32:08.580 which our Lord Jesus 00:32:08.580 --> 00:32:10.279 will bring when he returns. 00:32:10.279 --> 00:32:14.200 every present experience 00:32:14.200 --> 00:32:15.519 of rest for our souls 00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:17.559 is like a little foretaste 00:32:17.559 --> 00:32:18.899 of the perfect rest 00:32:18.899 --> 00:32:19.980 of the new creation, 00:32:20.180 --> 00:32:21.619 because in the new creation, 00:32:21.759 --> 00:32:22.759 we'll never be weary, 00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:24.259 we'll never be burdened. 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:25.480 That will be gone forever. 00:32:26.759 --> 00:32:28.099 And it's hard to imagine. 00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:31.180 As the Messiah, 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:32.139 our Lord Jesus, 00:32:32.339 --> 00:32:34.240 puts us right with God now, 00:32:34.379 --> 00:32:36.440 and he promises us a new world 00:32:36.440 --> 00:32:37.879 in which everything wrong 00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:39.240 with the world 00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:41.280 will be put right. 00:32:47.160 --> 00:32:48.580 You've listened very patiently. 00:32:48.579 --> 00:32:53.159 What does Jesus say 00:32:53.159 --> 00:32:56.279 to each of us individually 00:32:56.279 --> 00:32:56.939 this morning? 00:32:58.579 --> 00:32:59.740 He does say, 00:32:59.939 --> 00:33:01.019 come to me, 00:33:02.079 --> 00:33:03.819 all you who are weary 00:33:03.819 --> 00:33:04.539 and burdened, 00:33:04.599 --> 00:33:07.139 and I will give you rest. 00:33:08.500 --> 00:33:10.339 Take my yoke upon you 00:33:10.339 --> 00:33:11.220 and learn from me, 00:33:11.299 --> 00:33:12.379 for I am gentle 00:33:12.379 --> 00:33:13.500 and humble in heart, 00:33:13.939 --> 00:33:16.039 and you will find 00:33:16.039 --> 00:33:16.819 rest for your soul. 00:33:16.919 --> 00:33:17.960 If you don't go to him, 00:33:17.960 --> 00:33:19.100 you won't find it. 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:22.220 For my yoke is easy 00:33:22.220 --> 00:33:25.759 and my burden is light. 00:33:25.840 --> 00:33:26.640 Is this simple? 00:33:28.160 --> 00:33:28.559 Absolutely. 00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:28.759 Absolutely. 00:33:31.960 --> 00:33:33.519 Is it important? 00:33:35.319 --> 00:33:37.500 More important than anything else 00:33:37.500 --> 00:33:38.440 that we'll ever hear. 00:33:40.920 --> 00:33:41.519 Necessary 00:33:41.519 --> 00:33:46.220 for every single one of us 00:33:46.220 --> 00:33:46.759 in this room 00:33:46.759 --> 00:33:47.980 and for every person 00:33:47.980 --> 00:33:49.059 who's walking the streets 00:33:49.059 --> 00:33:49.500 of Edinburgh 00:33:49.500 --> 00:33:50.180 at the moment. 00:33:53.079 --> 00:33:54.420 The simple question, 00:33:55.720 --> 00:33:57.639 what will you do? 00:33:59.319 --> 00:34:00.539 It's a bit like 00:34:00.539 --> 00:34:01.079 we were doing 00:34:01.079 --> 00:34:01.740 with the children. 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:04.200 There is a choice. 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:05.759 We either say, 00:34:06.279 --> 00:34:07.319 yes, Lord Jesus, 00:34:07.319 --> 00:34:10.179 I come to you. 00:34:12.079 --> 00:34:13.659 Not to say yes to him 00:34:13.659 --> 00:34:14.599 is actually say 00:34:14.599 --> 00:34:15.699 no to him. 00:34:17.779 --> 00:34:19.079 It's to actually say, 00:34:19.199 --> 00:34:19.759 oh, Lord Jesus, 00:34:19.840 --> 00:34:21.079 I can do life without you. 00:34:21.079 --> 00:34:24.559 And the Bible says, 00:34:25.039 --> 00:34:26.840 there is nothing 00:34:26.840 --> 00:34:28.139 more foolish 00:34:28.139 --> 00:34:30.299 than to stay 00:34:30.299 --> 00:34:31.400 at a distance 00:34:31.400 --> 00:34:32.880 from Jesus. 00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:35.460 Let's bow our heads 00:34:35.460 --> 00:34:37.420 and let's pray. 00:34:37.420 --> 00:34:42.500 Lord Jesus Christ, 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:47.720 we come to you 00:34:47.720 --> 00:34:51.440 not just as a figure 00:34:51.440 --> 00:34:52.340 from history, 00:34:53.619 --> 00:34:55.760 but as the risen 00:34:55.760 --> 00:34:57.159 Lord and Saviour 00:34:57.159 --> 00:35:01.159 whom even this morning 00:35:01.159 --> 00:35:03.099 says to each one of us, 00:35:04.000 --> 00:35:05.340 come to me, 00:35:05.340 --> 00:35:08.160 all you who are weary 00:35:08.160 --> 00:35:09.600 and burdened, 00:35:09.800 --> 00:35:13.280 and I will give you rest. 00:35:15.720 --> 00:35:16.600 Lord Jesus, 00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:18.660 you know us intimately. 00:35:20.579 --> 00:35:22.920 You know our circumstances. 00:35:24.620 --> 00:35:26.920 You know our experiences 00:35:26.920 --> 00:35:29.960 and even our present experience 00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:30.840 of being weary 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:32.059 and burdened. 00:35:32.059 --> 00:35:35.460 Lord Jesus, 00:35:35.739 --> 00:35:36.980 if we've never come, 00:35:38.360 --> 00:35:40.320 would you help us 00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:40.900 right now 00:35:40.900 --> 00:35:42.139 to come to you 00:35:42.139 --> 00:35:45.000 that we might experience 00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:46.199 for the first time 00:35:46.199 --> 00:35:47.059 the rest 00:35:47.059 --> 00:35:48.619 of a right relationship 00:35:48.619 --> 00:35:49.340 with you 00:35:49.340 --> 00:35:50.559 and with your Father 00:35:50.559 --> 00:35:53.579 as you take away 00:35:53.579 --> 00:35:54.440 our sins 00:35:54.440 --> 00:35:59.300 and become the Lord 00:35:59.300 --> 00:36:00.000 and Saviour 00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:01.420 who walks through life 00:36:01.420 --> 00:36:02.200 with us. 00:36:03.880 --> 00:36:04.780 Lord Jesus, 00:36:05.300 --> 00:36:07.420 if we've come to you 00:36:07.420 --> 00:36:08.280 already, 00:36:09.900 --> 00:36:12.519 may our life, 00:36:12.659 --> 00:36:13.119 Lord Jesus, 00:36:13.340 --> 00:36:14.119 please be 00:36:14.119 --> 00:36:17.780 a life of continually 00:36:17.780 --> 00:36:19.079 coming to you, 00:36:19.079 --> 00:36:23.139 of daily recognizing 00:36:23.139 --> 00:36:24.440 we can't do life 00:36:24.440 --> 00:36:25.119 without you. 00:36:26.159 --> 00:36:28.179 We can't face life 00:36:28.179 --> 00:36:28.860 without you. 00:36:30.500 --> 00:36:31.659 We thank you 00:36:31.659 --> 00:36:32.679 that every day 00:36:32.679 --> 00:36:33.239 you say, 00:36:33.480 --> 00:36:33.840 come, 00:36:34.340 --> 00:36:36.440 and every time 00:36:36.440 --> 00:36:36.980 we come 00:36:36.980 --> 00:36:38.179 you welcome us 00:36:38.179 --> 00:36:40.019 and you give us 00:36:40.019 --> 00:36:41.400 the rest of soul 00:36:41.400 --> 00:36:42.179 we need 00:36:42.179 --> 00:36:44.559 to live in this 00:36:44.559 --> 00:36:46.480 dark and fallen world. 00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:50.579 Lord Jesus, 00:36:50.760 --> 00:36:51.179 thank you 00:36:51.179 --> 00:36:52.199 that you are gentle 00:36:52.199 --> 00:36:55.039 and humble in heart. 00:36:55.240 --> 00:36:56.159 Search us, 00:36:56.920 --> 00:36:57.460 O God, 00:36:57.519 --> 00:36:58.679 and know our hearts. 00:36:59.960 --> 00:37:00.559 Test us 00:37:00.559 --> 00:37:02.539 and know our anxious thoughts. 00:37:03.960 --> 00:37:05.260 See if there is any 00:37:05.260 --> 00:37:07.659 offensive way in us 00:37:07.659 --> 00:37:09.820 and lead us 00:37:09.820 --> 00:37:11.199 in the way everlasting 00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:14.500 for your namesake. 00:37:16.480 --> 00:37:17.300 Amen. 00:37:17.300 --> 00:37:17.500 Amen.