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.
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.