Finding Rest for the Soul
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Intro
Intro
Text - Matthew 11.27-30
27 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 determines to reveal Him.
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 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.
30 For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”
Title - Finding Rest for the Soul
Background
Background
The time accounted in Matthew 11 was a significant one in the life and ministry of Jesus on earth.
John the Baptist’s ministry is ending - he in prison and was soon to be beheaded by King Herod
up until this time, Jesus was already preaching, performing miracles, and gathering disciples to train for ministry
From this time, Jesus offers Himself to the public -
He was the One to whom the responsibility of saving and caring for the souls of men was handed over by the Father - Matt 11.27
27 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 determines to reveal Him.
He is the One who knows the Father and who can reveal the Father
He is the One who can give rest to their souls - Matt 11.29
29 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.
The burden of the soul
The burden of the soul
There is no question that God loved the world (the lost souls).
But the real question is why did He send a Savior who will die on the cross, and not someone who can address our practical needs in life (engineer; scientist; mathematician; etc.)?
God sees man’s real need, a solution to the root of all our human problems - the sinfulness of man and bodage to son, and the impeding judgment of God for sin
man can produce highly skilled and talented men and women, but only God can provide a Savior for the soul
The heaviest burdens in life are those carried by the soul!
The heaviest burdens in life are those carried by the soul!
people do not commit suicide because they have too much work
people commit suicide because of guilt, or emotional stress, or a feeling of loss and hopelessness
Examples
Judas hanged himself because of guilt - Matthew 27.3-5
3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You shall see to it yourself!”
5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and left; and he went away and hanged himself.
the Jews were pierced in their heart when Peter preached and asked, “what must we do?” - Acts 2.37
37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?”
As the body needs rest, so does the human soul
As the body needs rest, so does the human soul
The human body can always stop and rest when the burden is too heavy, or when it is tired
but the human soul’s burden of guilt from sin cannot be unloaded so easily
even after a confession, the soul is not relieved from the guilt
Those who commit suicide think that it will relieve them of their guilt and shame
The offer of rest for the soul
The offer of rest for the soul
Jesus invites people to come to Him - Matt 11.28
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
The Jews have not found for their soul in their religion or sect.
The Jews have not found for their soul in their religion or sect.
The Jews are “weary” and “burdened” in their souls
weary - tired
burdened - carrying heavy load
they had the Word of God; they believed they are serving/worshiping the true God; they had the laws of God to guide them;
They Jews are tired and burdened with rules and regulation that were imposed by their spiritual leaders
the Law was given to give people rest and peace in life
their teachers of the law made burdensome to obey the laws of God
the Jews were not relieved of their sins
Why do people need to “come” to Jesus?
“Come to Me...” means people need to recognize who Jesus is and what is God’s purpose in sending Him
“Come to Me...” means people need to recognize who Jesus is and what is God’s purpose in sending Him
Jesus is the One appointed to save and care for the souls of men
27 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 determines to reveal Him.
Jesus is the One appointed to reveal the Father’s will
the jews have been under so many rabbis and “lawyers” but they never really knew God
18 No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him.
“Come to Me...” means people must submit to His commands and teaching
“Come to Me...” means people must submit to His commands and teaching
29 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.
take my yoke - submit to my authority, obey my commands
learn from me - submit to my teaching
True rest is found in the Lordship of Christ
He is Lord of the sabbath - Mark 2.27-28
27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath.”
He is Lord of the harvest - Matt 9.38
38 Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
He is the Lord of glory - 1 Cor 2.8
8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
True rest is found in the teachings of Christ
16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not My own, but His who sent Me.
17 If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is of God, or I am speaking from Myself.
His teaching is from God
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’ ?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
35 Now the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.
his teachingsets people free
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life.
his teaching gives life
“Come to Me...” because His yoke is comfortable and light
“Come to Me...” because His yoke is comfortable and light
30 For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”
compared to other rabbis in his time, whose yokes and teachings became a burden to the Jews
God’s word is delight to the true believers
Conclusion
Conclusion
We have the rest that Jesus offers to us?
Are we now resting in Christ?
free from the guilt of our past sins and sinful lifestyle
free from the burden of trying to be good and accepted before God
free from the impending wrath of God
24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
If not yet - there is still time
why don’t we surrender our lives to him today
why don’t we unload all our burdens at His feet today