The Story Of Us
(Come to Me, Come to us)
Matt 11:28-30 NIV
“Come to me all who are weary and burdened, 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
God wants us to come to Jesus for our rest. When we come to Jesus we get Him and His family, in this order. The last two letters of “Jesus” is “Us.”
It’s no longer about “I,” but it is about “us.” It’s no longer “me,” but “we.”
Come to Me
“Come to me”
This an invitation to be with Jesus, the savior. This is the call that all our hearts are longing for. Just to hear the voice of Jesus is the beginning of restoration, the beginning of knowing that your maker desires you, wants to be with you, loves you, and is present.
This is a command to be with Jesus, the Lord of all, as there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved.
When Jesus invites us to come to Him, we go to where He is, and partake in what He is doing. It may not be what you expect, but He is God and He is good, knowing what you need more than you do.
What if I don’t hear Jesus’ invitation?
You seeing or hearing Jesus isn’t as important as whether He sees and hears you. So start yelling! Help! What if I am not sure where Jesus is? Yell some more! Send out a homing beacon, a flare, raise your voice! You can do what Peter did and ask Jesus to call you, if you think you might see or hear Him.
Matthew 14:28-33
“Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.””
Jesus’ call is also to those whom you may not think deserve it, such as little children.
Matthew 19:13-14 NIV
“Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.””
“All who are weary and burdened”
Who is the invitation for?
All people! All places! All times!
Acts 17:26-28 NIV
“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”
All who are weary and heavy burdened!
The context of this invitation to the weary and heavy burdened is those who are like the Pharisees and are trying to gain a right relationship with God through obeying the law. This also applies to those of us who have done what the Bible says in Romans and have “become a law unto ourselves,” meaning we don’t believe in God but yet we have a system of morality we have constructed or adhered to.
Why “all” people? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We were made in God’s image, but we’ve blown it. Only Jesus has perfectly been the image of God on the earth.
“And I will give you rest (for your souls)”
Jesus is the rest giver for your soul.
Jesus addresses the greatest need that underlies and is the foundation of all other needs. In the case of rest, He knows we need rest for our souls. When we have rest for our souls, the foundation has been laid for your body and mind to rest.
What is rest for your soul? It is righteousness, being back in relationship with your heavenly Father.
Jesus is the only person, the only thing, that can give us rest for our souls.
Jesus’ way of living can give you rest for your body and mind, but without Jesus being the one you go to for “rest for your soul,” all these good things that help us rest just become a bandaid or distraction from real rest.
2 Timothy 3:5 NIV
“having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me”
The great exchange: trading the yoke of the Law or a yoke we’ve made ourselves, for the yoke of Jesus. The context of the previous parts of Matthew 11 are rebuking people and cities that experienced many miracles of God but never repented. They experienced partial temporary salvation for their bodies, not for their souls because they continued on in their sinful lifestyles. All who sin are a slave to sin, or are yoked to Satan, but Jesus wants us to be free from sin, but the only way to be free from sin is to be a slave to righteousness.
The call to discipleship is the taking on of Jesus' yoke and learning from Him.
“For I am gentle and humble in heart”
Because of God’s character we can come to Jesus, take on His yoke, all without fear of abuse, fear of rejection, or fear of failure because He is gentle and humble in heart.
The authority structures on earth that require you to make a commitment may have abused you: your boss, your spouse, your parent, the police, etc., but Jesus will never abuse you. On the contrary, everything He does, allows, and commands is for our good. He is humble, so we can humble ourselves and cast all our anxiety on Him because He cares for us.
1 Peter 5:6-11 NIV
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
“and you will find rest for your souls”
Rest for our souls is a promise.
Jesus has authority of all things and, unlike people, has the power to back up His words.
Matthew 11:27 NIV
““All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
It’s still a yoke, but it’s Jesus’ yoke.
Being attached to Jesus is not a pass from serving God, but the way to fulfill our destiny in God.
Come to us
The way that Jesus gives us what we need to walk with Him, to rest in Him, is usually through His Body (the Church). He gave Himself for our salvation, His Spirit for our sanctification, and His body (our brothers and sisters in Christ) for our edification.
His Spirit and His Body
When the people of God come together this is what it looks like:
The Holy Spirit
Acts 2:1-4 NIV
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
The Body of Christ
Acts 2:40-47 NIV
“With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
The Benefits of Christ’s Body
Companionship
“It is not good for man to be alone…even in the garden of Eden; paradise!”
Signs and wonders
“Where two or three are gathered together there in my name I am among them”
Healing
“Call the elders of the church to anoint them with oil if they’re sick”
Encouragement
“Build one another up in love”
Accountability
We “walk in the light” because as long as we live in these current bodies we will be buffeted by temptation.
My favorite benefit:
We hasten the coming of Jesus and His kingdom through sharing the gospel.
Application
The next time you feel weariness or burdens come on, go to Jesus and His body (your family) for rest. Take His yoke upon you and surrender to His will. Rest will come.
Second City Church: Guest Speaker - Cole Parleir 2017