WWUTT 2002 Come to Me All Who Are Weary (Matthew 11:25-30)

Matthew 11 28 is a famous verse come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. This is more than just relaxation of the body, but it is an eternal promise. When we understand the text.

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Here's your teacher pastor Gabe. Thank you Becky. And our study of Matthew 11. We're finishing up the chapter today with what is perhaps the most famous section in this particular chapter Jesus saying come to me All who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.

Let's look at Matthew 11 verses 25 to 30 out of the Legacy Standard Bible. Hear the word of the Lord at At that time Jesus said I Praise you father Lord of heaven and earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.

Yes father for this way was well pleasing in your sight. All things have been handed over to me by my father and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him.

Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Jesus Praises the Father for Revealing Truth to the Lowly

Consider what we've read as we've been studying in this particular chapter going back to last week where Jesus Preaches about John the Baptist that was in verses 1 through 19. And it was in that particular section that Jesus rebuked those who would not receive John nor do they receive Christ?

We considered that again yesterday verses 16 to 19. Then you had those woes to the unrepentant cities to tour to Chorazin to Bethsaida and to Capernaum. It would it will be better on the Day of Judgment for Sodom that it would be for them because they saw the miracles and yet they did not repent and Put their trust in Christ as the Savior whom the Father had sent.

It was back where Jesus was preaching about John the Baptist. He said truly I say to you among those born of women. There is not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

And Here it sounds as if Jesus is praising the Father. For those least in the kingdom of heaven that have been given to him. Revealing these secrets even to infants in this prayer that we read in verses 25 to 26.

I praise you you've hidden these things from the wise and intelligent those Pharisees that Jesus had rebuked earlier and You have revealed them to infants. Yes father for this way was well pleasing in your sight.

Now this conclusion to Matthew 11. We have this prayer in verses 25 to 26. You have a general address in verse 27 where Jesus says that all things have been handed over to me by my father. And then he makes an appeal in verses 28 to 30.

So that's how this particular section is broken up now verse 28 in particular. Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. That's the verse that probably sticks out the most in this section.

It's the one that gets quoted the most often. You find this verse often grouped with other Verses telling you that you can trust the Lord with all your cares and with your heartache and when you're just tired and you need To find rest you find it in Christ.

You just do a Google search for Bible verses when I feel down and I found this verse in one article that was titled 21 comforting verses about worry. Another one was titled for Bible verses for comfort during physical illness and one of those was Matthew 11 28.

Another article gave 18 Bible verses for depression that will help you through your darkest hours and Then there was another one that presented five Bible verses to read when you're depressed. Matthew 11 28 is one of those that falls in with those Cheer me up kind of verses now.

These are good simple reminders for tough times my wife used to have on the welcome screen on her or on her smartphone. This three-word reminder God feeds birds. I had talked about that when we were back in the Sermon on the Mount.

So she liked to remind herself daily of what Jesus said in Matthew 6 and in Luke 12 as God cares for the birds of the Air, how much more will he care for you? But beware of singling out special Bible verses like therapy pills for whenever you feel down.

Rather be feasting on God's Word all the time. This verse is a good reminder, but see everything else that's around it. There's there's more to it. It is fuller than just come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.

The Prayer of Thanksgiving in Matthew 11:25-26

It's important to see that this prayer also follows a warning. So let's consider the very start of it again verse 25 at that time. So after issuing these woes Jesus says I praise you father Lord of heaven and earth and what a great address.

This is Jesus modeling with his prayer exactly the way that he taught his disciples to pray. Remember back to Matthew 6. Pray then like this our father who art in heaven. So such high and lofty praise that Jesus has for his own father if Jesus prayed in this way.

How much more should we pray in this way? I praise you father. He says Lord of heaven and earth ruler of Seen and unseen of that which is above and that which is below. You have hidden these things the things that Jesus has talked about throughout this chapter the Talking about John the Baptist who comes preaching the kingdom Christ who's preaching the kingdom the woe to unrepentant cities.

You you saw the miracles and yet you did not believe but who does believe the disciples that are there with Jesus? You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent the people who think they're so wise and intelligent because they think they know better than these miracles that have been performed and Yet you have revealed them to infants.

Jesus says remembering back to What Jesus said about John the Baptist. John came neither eating or drinking and they say he has a demon. Did John the Baptist have a demon? Of course not. He was preaching in the Holy Spirit doing what God the Father had told him to do as The forerunner to the Messiah that was to come yet those who ignored him who did not see that this was from God said that John had a demon.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say behold a gluttonous man and a drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But we know that Jesus is the Son of God the incarnate Son of God. God who put on flesh and dwelt among us it has been hidden from the wise and the intelligent.

But the truth of this has been revealed to infants. It's not far from here. We'll get to chapter 16 with Jesus asking his disciples. Who do you say that I am. And Peter says you are the Christ the Son of the Living God and Jesus says blessed.

Are you Simon Barjona for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you? But my father who is in heaven, so here a Recognition that it is the father has revealed these things to his disciples and all who would call upon Christ is Lord You you know Christ, you know Jesus because it has been revealed to you by the father.

This is also John 6 44. No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day. Verse 26. Jesus says yes father for this way was well Pleasing in your sight or as it's worded in the English Standard Version Yes father for such was your gracious Will it was well pleasing in the sight of God reveal these things to the the the more humble those who are lowly the meek and to hide it from the proud as Paul was seeking to humble the Corinthians.

He said in 1st Corinthians 1 26 consider your calling brothers that there were not many wise according to the flesh not many Mighty not many noble. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world.

To shame the things which are strong and the base things of the world and the despised. God has chosen the things that are not so that he may abolish the things that are so that no flesh may boast before God and.

Then this verse just one of my favorites 1st Corinthians 1 30, but by his doing You are in Christ Jesus Who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that just as it is written Let him who boasts boast in the Lord this Was well pleasing in the sight of God.

So this is the prayer that we have in verses 25 and 26. Then it's in verse 27 where Jesus gives this general statement. All things have been handed over to me by my father now notice that Jesus says this here.

We're not even halfway through Matthew yet. It's in Matthew 28 at the start of the Great Commission where Jesus says all Authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. That's not something that God did after the resurrection.

God had given all things to the Son even before He is the the firstborn of all creation as said in Colossians 1 meaning that all the rights of the firstborn have been given to the Son by the Father and No one knows the Son except the Father.

Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son? Wills to reveal him, you know the Father and you know the Son. Because the Father has revealed the Son and the Son has revealed the Father and has said in 1st John 5 It is the Holy Spirit who testifies to both.

So, you know God, you know him Intimately enough to recognize him as triune one God three persons because God has revealed this to you. It is only those who have this relationship with God that know God in such a way and it is pleasing to God to reveal this.

So that's Jesus general statement there in verse 27. It's in verse 28 that he says this famous line come to me all who are weary and heavy laden. And I will give you rest. Now it is often said that the false teaching of the Pharisees has made the people weak and loaded with burdens.

That's certainly true. But in this context Jesus has not confronted their false teaching immediately before this Jesus issued the woes to the cities Who did not believe that would certainly include the Pharisees, but it's not exclusively Mentioning the Pharisees rather this reference to all who are weak and heavy laden.

Is an invitation to those who have been weighed down by many things not just the false teaching of the Pharisees. But the slavery of sin and the schemes of Satan that never seemed to relent the cares and the things of this world that never seemed to restore and the burden of false religion and man-made ordinances certainly that that never seemed to relieve in Christ we find rest.

From all of those snares all of that work all of these false Assurances come all who are weary and heavy laden and by the way Who can respond to this invitation. The ones who respond to this invitation are the ones?

To whom the father has revealed the son. That they may know that Jesus is the one that can relieve us From our weary and heavy laden burdens. Also consider the warnings that Jesus had just given to those cities who did not believe they will go down to hell He said and the judgment for them will be worse than it was even for Sodom.

By faith in Jesus the wrath of God is satisfied and that's what it means to have peace with God. We have no fear of his judgment only the promise of his rest. So Jesus finishes this prayer by saying take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and You will you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light and By the way, the word that gets translated there for gentle same word We had in the Beatitudes back in Matthew 5 for meek blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.

So you could also translate this as That I am meek and humble in heart. In Jeremiah 6 16 Yahweh says. Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths Where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls.

So it's that verse Jeremiah 6 16 that's quoted here at the end of verse 29. You will find rest for your souls, but Jeremiah 6 16 goes on to say. But they said we will not walk in it. So Jesus was quoting this word of God from the Prophet Jeremiah the people who would not walk in the way God directed them to walk did not rest.

But they came into judgment. So it said in Psalm 95 11 and repeated in Hebrews 3 11. So I swore in my wrath they will not enter my rest and so if we if we take Jesus yoke upon us we will find rest for our souls.

The Easy Yoke of Christ and Rest for Our Souls

And Jesus says For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. You understand this reference to yoke, right? It's not it's not like yoke in an egg but the wooden frame joining to plow animals usually oxen this was called a yoke and To be yoked was a metaphor among the Jews for a person's relationship.

To someone or something else whatever you are yoked to then whatever that thing or person is wherever it goes. That's where you go. So, what are you yoked to? Are you yoked to Christ? Or are you yoked to the flesh?

Are you yoked to the spirit or are you yoked to something else in this world? Maybe you're yoked to a particular person that keeps leading you into sin as We read in 2nd Corinthians 6 14. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

For what partnership does righteousness have with lawlessness or what? Fellowship has light with darkness. What is heavier than the yoke of Christ is any other yoke but Christ's. He will never unnecessarily burden you with things that never satisfy.

Everything we receive from Jesus is good. His gospel his grace his fellowship even his commandments. His righteousness that has been imputed to us his rule his love his care. All of these things we receive from Christ all.

Very very good and cannot compare to anything else. We are fully satisfied in Christ. You remember the words of Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He gives us all good things that we need even more than we think we need.

We get more than enough in Christ take my yoke upon you learn from me. Jesus says that's what you're doing right now, right? It's why you listen to this podcast so you can learn from God to hear the Word of God spoken and taught.

Jesus says I am gentle and humble in heart and You will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Jesus delivers us from our sin relieves us of our burdens. He delivers us from the judgment that is coming against all the ways of the world.

The things that would weigh upon us and weary us instead of satisfy and comfort in Christ. You will find rest for your souls in this life and In the life to come forever. There is a rest that we have in Christ even now.

He is our Sabbath rest. And by the way That connection is made even here in the Gospel of Matthew because we go from this. Into chapter 12, which we'll look at tomorrow with Jesus proclaiming that he is the Lord of the Sabbath.

So we go right from this statement that you will find rest for your souls to Jesus making the statement that he is The Lord of the Sabbath he is our Sabbath rest. We rest from our works. Which could never save us anyway.

We rest knowing that our sins have been forgiven. We rest in Christ knowing our Eternity is secure. You will find rest for your souls in Christ. And when we have that kind of rest, I do believe my friends.

You'll you'll feel that physically, too. What goes on in our souls even affects us physically if you are? Constantly burdened and stressed by the things that are going on in this world that vexes your soul.

You'll feel it in your body. But if you can feel at ease and at peace with Christ that I believe you feel in your bones as well. Now that's not to say that you won't feel the gradual wear and tear of your body as it decays and is falling apart but it certainly won't be as hard as If you were to put yourself through Unnecessary stresses that we can rest in Christ and know he has relieved us of these burdens.

Doesn't mean that our life will be stress-free. Jeremiah, which I quoted from a moment ago after all he was referred to as the weeping prophet and Jesus is even called a man of sorrows in Isaiah 53. We read back in the Beatitudes blessed are they who mourn so we will still go through very stressful times.

But we can rest easy in Christ knowing That though this world is not our final home. We will be forever with the Lord in glory. Where all the stresses and concerns that we are burdened with in this life will be no more in Eternity and that even makes this journey a little bit easier.

A Prayer for Rest in Christ

Heavenly Father we thank you for what we've read here and I pray it is something we continue to think about and meditate on. What it means to find rest in Christ what it means that our? Burdens have been lifted.

We we do have a burden take my yoke upon you learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart. There there is still a burden that we carry, but it's light. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. Jesus said we are yoked with Christ.

He leads us on the way. We are burdened, but it is our pleasure to bear it for it is not something that Leads us to destruction or death as our sin did. Rather it is to be clothed in his righteousness that leads to everlasting life.

And so Lord I I pray that you continue to guide us in these truths today. Help us to seek Christ in all things with all that we are. That we may know this rest that he has promised us. It's in Jesus name.

We pray amen.

Pastor gave is the author of several books and Bible studies available in paperback or for your e-reader. For titles and more information visit our website at Wwt .com. Join us again tomorrow as we grow together in God's Word when we understand the text.