The Savior’s Rest

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  The Savior’s Rest

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  It is a joy always to be at our one service summer series, isn't it? Being here, fellowshipping and worshiping the Lord and listening to the preached word, and just the sweet fellowship that comes from being with the saints. I want to reiterate that what Justin brought up, you know, we're able to do this because there are many other saints who have made the decision to serve in the various ministries in our church, and so we're thankful for that. So if you if you know somebody who is serving so that we can all be in here together please thank them for that. But I think most importantly, thank the Lord for their service. I just want to reiterate that this morning. As I thought and prayed about what texts to preach on out of the Gospels in our summer series, Joy in the Life of Jesus, I was given a sign. Well, not a literal sign. Really. If you've been to our home, you know that when you come in, we've got a family room and up high in a prominent place on the main wall is a yoke. And above that yoke is some scripture, I think that will come up, that my wife wanted hung. So she bought the scripture to put it up. And then she sent me on a wild goose chase through the back roads of Virginia to pick up a yoke that she bought off of eBay that was down one of the scariest roads at one of the creepiest houses, with a dude that I just did not know if I would make it out of there or not. I felt like I was entering into a bad movie. But we got it hung and I got it secure, and I got it to where it's level and did everything she wanted me to do. And really, there's this morning I left my study, really praying, Lord, what in the world should I preach on out of the Gospels? And I stared at this verse, and I stared at this yoke, and I wondered if I had reduced this well-known and often quoted text down to a mere proof text for something that I wanted it to mean without knowing what it actually means. Kind of like Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Obviously, you know, means I can throw the football and win the game, right? Or maybe even where it says, uh, in Matthew 18:20, for where 2 or 3 have gathered in my name, I am in their midst, means that if 2 or 3 people together, they are having church, right? The old adage goes, a text taken out of context is a pretext for a proof text. Meaning a text taken out of context and isolated purposely or as in the case with usually I can do all things and where two or more are gathered out of ignorance to make it mean what you want it to. And as I opened my Bible that morning and I studied the text in its proper context, I had an 'oh, my' moment. I never knew the verses hanging on the wall in my home encompassed all that they do. 
So open your copy of God's Word this morning to Matthew chapter 11, where we will shortly be reading in verses 25 through 30. Just go ahead and get there and put your finger there and just hold that place. As is typical for our pulpit, I'll be preaching out of the NASB 95. Before we get going, let me pray. 
Father, we thank you this morning. What a joy it is to have the opportunity to preach, Lord, after there's been baptisms. Lord, after we have seen your sovereign will displayed in salvation so clearly through the testimony of the young man, this young woman this morning. Lord. Thank you for the worship that we have sung to you, Lord. I pray that you have been glorified. Lord Jesus, I pray that you have been magnified as we have sung to you. O Lord, I pray this morning for every soul here that does not know you, Lord, that you will by your sovereign will save them. Lord, that you would extend grace and that you would extend mercy. Father, I pray for those of us here this morning that know you, Lord, that you have in your kindness saved us, Lord, that we would feel and sense and know the rest that comes to the believer because of you, Lord Jesus. So I pray for concision of speech. And Lord, I pray for discernment and wisdom to the hearers, Lord. Let everyone search your word to know the truth in Jesus name. Amen. 
So before we jump right into the middle of Matthew's gospel this morning, I think it's helpful to establish context as to where we are in the earthly ministry of Jesus. You see, at this point, Jesus has begun his earthly ministry in chapter four with these words, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Did you realize that? That is the first words that Christ spoke when he started his earthly ministry. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. By this time in our Scripture, he has called all his disciples, and he has all of them. So by the time we get to our text this morning in chapters five through seven, Jesus preaches the sermon on the Mount, and by the time we get to our focal verses, people have now witnessed the following. We have seen lepers cleansed. They have seen the centurion's servant healed without even Christ having to go to the house to do it. They have seen Peter's mother in law, Hilde. They've learned about the cost of following Christ. Jesus has calmed the storm. He has cast out demons. He has healed a paralytic and actually forgave the man his sins. He has taught on fasting, and in chapter ten, Christ summons the 12 disciples, sends them out to the Jews, preaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and he gave them the authority to cast out unclean spirits, cast out demons, cleanse lepers, and heal every kind of sickness, telling them, whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly, it will be more tolerable in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city. He has promised persecution. He has explained the true meaning of discipleship and the rewards of service. And at the beginning of chapter 11, where we're going to dive in, Jesus answers, John the Baptist disciples, when they come to him and say, whether or not is he Jesus? Is he the one? Christ answers, tell John this. The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead have been raised. And the poor have the gospel preached to them. And that leads us to verse 22-24, where after all the signs and wonders, after all the miracles that Christ has done and his disciples have done, and after the gospel proclamations that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and they're told to repent, he's revealed himself as Messiah. He's forgiven sins. Christ then pronounces judgments or woes on unrepentant cities where so many signs and wonders were worked. He says it will be more tolerable in the day of Sodom, in the Day of Judgment then for those cities. And thereby those people who did not respond in faith to the message of the good news. Right then, right after these woes, we come to our text where Jesus makes declarations concerning the sovereignty of God in salvation. Christ's authority over salvation. And then Jesus proceeds to give an offer of salvation. So please read along with me in Matthew chapter 11. We'll start in verse 25 and read through 30. Our text says this. 
"At that time Jesus said." This is Jesus praying and praising to the Father. "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."
For our first point of consideration this morning in verses 25 and 26, we want to look at God's sovereignty in salvation. Jesus says right here in our text, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Let's stop right there for just a moment to get two things firmly established in our minds before we go any further. First, I want us to understand that God is Father. Christ is talking to his Father. He is Father to Jesus, and he is father to all of us that know him as our Heavenly Father: a perfect father, a loving father, a tender father, a kind father. And if you are in Christ, you have been given the right by Christ to approach his Abba, his Father as your Abba and your Father. Amen. We have that right in Christ. Secondly, we see in our text that God is quote, Lord of heaven and earth. I want it to be set firmly in our minds what this means. It is critical that we understand this before we move forward this morning. We use this quote of Tozer often from this pulpit. And it most certainly applies here, that what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. And before we move on, we must set our minds on the fact that God is omnipotent. He is omniscient. He is omnipresent. He is omni sapient. He is incomprehensible. He is triune. He is self-existent. He is self-sufficient. He is eternal. He is immutable. He is wise. He is transcendent. He is faithful. He is good. He is just. He is merciful. He is gracious, loving, holy, and he is sovereign. As R.C. Sproul said, there is not a maverick molecule in the universe. Or back to how the Lord Jesus Christ said it...Lord of Heaven and of earth. Too often in our modern evangelical man-centered minds, we think of God as a sweet, loving father, which he is...without failing to think of him as Lord of all...everything. He created everything ex nihilo out of nothing, out of nothing for his glory. He created everything. And we must have this frame of reference in our hearts and minds as we examine verse 25, where Jesus, speaking to God the Father says, you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. It is clear from our text that there is some concealing and revealing going on related to something called these things, isn't it? It's also clear from our text that God is the one doing the concealing and the revealing. So it begs three questions. First, what are these things? And then who are the wise and intelligent? Or as the ESV says, wise and understanding, and then who are the infants? Or the ESV translates that “little children”. And it's appropriate to examine these questions, because in verse 26 Christ says that this hiding and this revealing to these two groups of people was well pleasing in your sight. Or as the ESV says, for such was your gracious will. You see, it was God's will that these things be hidden, and that these things be revealed. Plainly put, these things are the glorious mysteries of the gospel and all the gospel's beauty and power to save sinners. As one theologian said, all other things are nothing compared to these things. You get that? All other things are nothing compared to these things. Romans 1:16 says about the gospel, it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. So who are these wise and intelligent? Well, we're not being told that mere intelligence keeps one from understanding gospel truths. Some of the most intelligent people to ever live were followers of Christ and amazed at the glory of God: the Apostle Paul, Augustine, Calvin, Edwards. Spurgeon. Sproul. Mohler. There are great scientists like Sir Francis Bacon, the father of the scientific method. Robert Boyle, the father of modern chemistry, Sir Isaac Newton, the father of modern science, Louis Pasteur, a biologist. And everybody knows the biologist George Washington Carver that made the peanut great. Sorry. I grew up on hip hop. Kurtis caught that. He knows where that's coming from. Yet, as one commentator stated, the fact is that being wise and intelligent does not necessarily give insight to the mysteries of the gospel. This clearly demonstrates that these things being revealed must be divinely bestowed and cannot be achieved at the merely human level. The intelligent and wise of Jesus' day were the scribes, the Pharisees, priests, Jewish elders. These were men all wise in their own eyes, men full of pride and blinded to the fact that Jesus the Messiah, was standing before them, doing, testifying miracles, and speaking as no man had ever done before. Yet they were not able to see or hear the truth because of their self-righteous pride. JC Ryle, who is right there with Spurgeon in my mind's eye as my favorite, commented this. Nothing is so likely to keep a man out of heaven and prevent him from seeing Christ as pride. So long as we think we are something, we shall never be saved. A simple working definition of pride is this...an exaggerated self-esteem. And oh, how rampant was the self-exaggerated, self-esteem and the arrogance in Jesus day. And oh, how rampant is the self-righteous self-exaggerated esteem in our day. I mean, we're in the midst of an entire month labeled Pride Month that is celebrating absolute rebellion against God's created and natural order. I mean, there's just no clearer picture of exaggerated self-esteem in our day. Mark 7:21-23 says this. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man. 1 John 2:16 says, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father but from the world. For clarity's sake...Christ is not saying God has hidden the gospel from smart people. But the gospel is hidden from those who trust in their own intelligence. Or as Matthew Henry stated so well, "God is not the author of their ignorance or error. But he leaves them to themselves and their sin becomes their punishment and the Lord is righteous in it. Some of the greatest scholars and statesmen have been the greatest strangers to the gospel ministries." So who is he describing in our day? The intellectual, self-righteous pride of both the religious and the atheist is what keeps them out of heaven. These are the people described in Isaiah 5:20-21, where the Word says, woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. Well, now that we understand who the wise and the intelligent are, who are the infants? The term infants here really just means simple. And these were the types of people that were predominantly coming to faith and to Christ and receiving the gospel in that day. They were receiving the good news of salvation. These were the fishermen, the publicans, the poor and the needy, the unlearned, those who in humility knew they needed a savior. The very first beatitude of Matthew five is verse three. And Christ says, quote, blessed are the poor in spirit. Literally those who are not spiritually arrogant is what that means, for theirs is the Kingdom of God. James 4:6 says, God gives grace to the humble. And in the fourth chapter, verse ten, it says that humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and he will exalt you. And here's the truth this morning, albeit a hard truth to comprehend. Nonetheless, it is truth. This way of hiding the mysteries of the gospel from the wise and the intelligent, from the proud, from the haughty and the arrogant and revealing those same mysteries to the babes, the humble and the contrite are well pleasing in God's sight. They are well pleasing in the Father's sight. Regarding verse 26, Matthew Henry is so helpful when he writes the following. I believe we'll have this up for you. "We have Christ looking up to heaven with thanksgiving to His Father for the sovereignty and security of the covenant of redemption. And looking upon this earth with an offer to all the children of men to whom these presents shall come, of the privileges and benefits of the covenant of grace, God will effectually secure the interests of his own glory." You see, God is sovereign over salvation. He has predetermined the way of salvation, and he is well pleased to hide it from the wise and intelligent and reveal it to infants. Put your fingers in your Bibles right there at chapter 11 and turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians 1. Don't make me sing the song. But if you go from Matthew and start going to the right when you hit Acts...Romans and Acts start slowing up a little bit. You get to 1 Corinthians 1. And I'm going to read 18 through 31. So it's a solid chunk of scripture, but I want you to follow along with me. One thing I love about our church is Bibles. Uh, years ago...this isn't in my notes. Years ago, we visited a Bible church when we were living in a different town, and the only people in there that had Bibles was my wife and I and our kids. A Bible church needs to have Bibles. So praise the Lord for all the pages in the Bibles. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, follow along with me. "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the cleverness of the clever, i will set aside. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God. God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified...to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness. But to those who are the called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, 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 these things that are not, so that he may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God, 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." Amen? 
I mean, that's my whole sermon, really. I could have just got up and read that portion of Scripture and said, go home and study that for the next week. And so at this point in verse 27, we look back there that, Christ makes a declaration. And I love what HB Charles Jr says here. He says, quote, this is the declaration of the sovereign grace of God in salvation. This is the declaration of the sovereign grace of God in salvation, where Christ says, 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. See, Christ is declaring four facts here, that all things that belong to the Father have in fact been handed over to him by his Father. Do you see that in the text? Yeah. And this makes perfect sense, because we know from Colossians 1:15-20 that it says in him that's in Christ, through him and for him were all things made. You get that? So in Christ, through Christ, for Christ all things were made. And rest assured, all things also means salvation. Look back at our text in verse 27. Here we see the perfect union between God the Father and God the Son. Where Christ says, no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son. So who knows the Son? The Father, thank you. Vicky. I knew you were going to be there for me this morning. Who knows the Father, the Son? And who else knows the Father? Anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal him. That word wills there means wishes, intends, plans, to desire. One commentator pointed out about this verse, that "it is the ultimate significance is the will of the Son is being set on par with that of the will of the Father." They both have the same wills. Luther is helpful here when he says this. "Here the bottom falls out of all merit, all powers and abilities of reason, or the free will men dream of, and it counts nothing before God. Christ must give everything." John 17:2 even as you gave him authority over all flesh, that says God gave Christ authority over all flesh, that to all whom you have given him, he may give eternal life. This is the same will the same plan of redemption laid out in eternity past. And it points to Christ's sovereignty in salvation, his authority over salvation. And we clearly see that Christ has both the authority and the ability for his undertaking. So who are these that know the Father through the Son's revealing him? Well, that's the redeemed. That's the believers. That's everyone sitting here this morning who Christ has saved by his sovereign grace, mercy and will. And what grace, what mercy, and what kindness of God it is that has led us to repentance and faith in him. Who has Christ, not revealed the Father to?...unbelievers. Those who, because of their unbelief and pride, have not repented and believed on Christ. And we must pray for them to turn to Christ. That should be on our hearts and on our minds at all times. And I assure you, out of this pulpit, especially when Adam preaches, it's always on his heart and mind. We are to love the souls of men and beg the Lord to save all the more. In John 14:6 Christ says, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. John 5:21-24, For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so, the Son also gives life to whom he wishes for not even the Father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my Word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. 
So thus far, we've examined God's sovereign grace in salvation. We've examined Christ's authority over salvation, and we now come to Christ’s open invitation for salvation in verses 28 through 30, where Christ utters some of the sweetest words in all of Scripture. Christ says, come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Come to me. This is the gospel call to come. And the beauty of this is that anyone can come. All coming requires is that you leave where you are and the direction you're heading and you come. Yet it's not merely just our coming that saves us, is it? Because he says, what? Come to me. You see, it's who we come to that saves us. It's who we put our faith in that saves us. And to whom must me come?...Jesus. We must come to Christ. This shows the exclusivity of Christ because he says to me. Acts 4:12 tells us, and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. Come to the one of whom it is said in Acts 10:43 of him all the prophets bear witness that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins. Or just succinctly, as John 3:15 says, so that whoever believes will in him have eternal life. And here in repentance is implied in our turning from one direction and turning and coming to Christ from the direction of sin and self-righteousness to Christ for salvation. Yet, the unfortunate truth for many is this. Calvin wrote this. "Though he is ready to reveal the Father to all, yet the greater part are careless about coming to him because they are not affected by a conviction of their necessities. Hypocrites give no concern about Christ because they are intoxicated with their own righteousness, and neither hunger nor thirst for his grace. Those who are devoted to the world set no value on a heavenly life." Here's the truth this morning. Your religion will not save you. Your good works will not save you. Your parents will not save you. And though they are wonderful means of grace that the believer's given, going to church will not save you, and reading the Bible will not save you. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save you. And that's why, unbeliever, you must come to him. He says come. And to whom is this gospel call being made? We see it in our text. It says to all, ALL. No one is excluded from the gospel call from Christ, and Christ is the only one able to give this invitation. You see, Christ alone took on flesh being made in the likeness of man. He alone lived a sinless life. He alone walked in perfect obedience to the Father's will. He alone was crucified and crushed on a cross on Calvary's hill as a substitutionary sacrifice and debt payment for the sin of all who will belong to him. And then he was buried in a borrowed tomb. But glory to God, he had the power to raise himself from the dead three days later, conquering sin and death, thus securing salvation for all who will come to him by faith. Come. John 3:37-40 so wonderfully, states this. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me, I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of him who sent me, that of all that he has given me, I lose nothing but will raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of the Father, my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him will have eternal life. And I myself will raise him up on the last day. So believe me this morning, when I tell you, based on the authority of Scripture, that no one has ever come, nor will ever come to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and been cast out. All that come to him will be received. And if you come to him by faith, you will be saved. Well, you may ask, what are the descriptors of those that are called to come? Well, our text says all who are weary and heavy laden. All who are weary and heavy laden. Weary here is a present active participle. It literally means to labor, one who works to exhaust. And it's just this constant. It's a constant working, a constant weariness. The word heavy laden is a perfect passive participle. It means that at some time in the past, a great load was dumped on that person. And they're just carrying this load. Macarthur is very helpful when he writes this about weary and heavy laden. "Whereas weary refers to the internal exhaustion caused by seeking divine truth through some human wisdom. Heavy laden suggests the external burdens caused by the futile efforts of works righteousness." So we have to remember in context, Christ was speaking to Jews who had the law given to them, and then they had been weighed down with all the additional laws and the ceremonial laws of the Pharisees that were concocted, and it was law upon law and burden upon burden. In the midst of all this, Christ comes and proclaims good news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And they were to repent from believing they could earn salvation, repent from thinking they could be good enough, and come to him. And in the midst of your world, unbeliever, your striving, your weariness and your burden of sin and separation from a loving heavenly Father, Christ tells you the same thing...come to me. And it is only Christ who can say, if you come to me, I will give you rest. That is the promise of salvation...Salvific rest. This is the first rest Christ promises in our text to all who come to him. Our rest, our relief that comes from the free pardon of sin. And this is what gives us rest. So I must ask you, unbeliever. Why don't you come to Christ today? Why would you continue to go one more moment, relying on your works, thinking you can be good enough, striving full of weariness of sin and carrying a burden you cannot carry? Come to Christ by faith. He bids you come. And next in our text, Christ promises a sanctifying rest in verse 29. Here he gives direction for the practical sanctification of the believer. Read with me in 29. He says, 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. We were told to take. Take my yoke. See, we have a responsibility in our Christian walk. Our walk is to be active, not passive. We must take. And what are we to take? The text says my yoke. That's Christ's yoke. The NET translator's notes is helpful when it says this about the yoke quote. It's figuratively of restrictions that a teacher or rabbi would place on a follower. So that's the yoke that we're talking about here. Thereby meaning when we come to Christ in faith, he most certainly gives us the rest and salvation that we've examined in verse 28. And yet he calls us to put on his yoke. His restrictions, his rules to live under his leadership, which produces sanctification in us. Sanctification is just that process that we go through to look more and more like Christ. Some call it progressive sanctification, and that's why we love life groups in our church as one of our means of discipleship. You're doing life together, helping each other look more like Christ. You see, contrary to the false theologies of easy believism that are so prevalent in churches today where people are told if you merely walk down an aisle, repeat a prayer after somebody, and get baptized, you can live the rest of your life as you would like. Because you're supposedly saved. See, we have to take Christ's yoke upon us. God's grace does not mean that we are free to sin and live as we like. But that we're to put on his yoke...the yoke of obedience to Christ. We are to walk under the yoke of Christ's leading, because it is loving. Under the yoke of his Word, because it is true and it is good. As Spurgeon so clearly preached. "Now, Jesus Christ never sent me or any other minister to preach to you and say, only believe, and you may live as you like and yet be saved. Such preaching would be a lie. Jesus has not promised to save you in your sins, but from your sins. Beware of a liars faith, and that is a liars faith which you pretend to get at a revival meeting if you then go and just live as you did before." Because we are to take and our text says we are to learn from him. We're called to be learners. What's another term for learner?...disciple. We're called to be a disciple, and this is a lifelong study. You see, it's God's design as his very spirit works in us, causing us to will and work for his good pleasure to form us into the image of His Son. You see, our flesh, our sin nature leads us to shrink from this yoke. But as we learn more and more about Jesus and come to know him more and more, oh, how we will grow for our love for his yoke. Calvin said, so long as the flesh kicks, we rebel. And those who refuse the yoke of Christ and endeavor to appease God in any other manner, distress and waste themselves in vain. And what are we to learn from Christ?...Him. We're to learn Christ himself. And what is the first thing from our text that we learn about Christ? We learn about his heart. This is the only place in Scripture where Christ gives us words about his heart. He says what?...He is gentle and humble in heart. The word gentle here means meek or mild. You see, Christ is not harsh. He is not cruel. He is not hateful, and he is not unkind. And he is humble. He is lowly. He walked in humility. See, Christ is not arrogant and he is not prideful. So the first thing we need to learn is to be gentle and to be humble. How contrary is the heart of Christ compared to the Jewish leaders of his day? And how contrary is his heart to the world's idea of strong leadership in our world today. What else can we learn? This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but some thoughts to give direction to our thinking. We can learn obedience to the Father. Christ was obedient. We can learn to be servants. Christ served. We can learn to be loving because Christ loved. We can learn to be kind. Because Christ was kind, we can learn to be fun. Christ was at all the parties. And he was the life of the party. And people were always around Christ, weren't they? So don't be one of them sourpuss Christians that don't draw people in. We have the joy of the Lord. That is our strength. We should be prayerful. How often through Scripture does it say Christ drew away to be with the Father in prayer? We should pray. You get the point? So how do we learn from him? How do we know him?...through daily spiritual disciplines, through spending time with him. And how will we know that we are coming to know him, that we are learning from him?...by our walking in obedience. 1 John 2:6 says, by this we know that we have come to know him, see, the Bible answers the question, if we keep his commandments. The one who says, I have come to know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word in him, the love of God has been truly perfected. By this we know that we are in him. The one who says he abides in him ought himself to walk in the same manner as he walked. We are to learn Christ. We are to walk in Christ, and we're to walk like Christ. In closing out verse 29, what is it that Christ promises us if we will take his yoke upon us and learn from him? Now this is to believers...rest. Rest for your souls. This is sanctifying rest. This is the rest that comes from walking in obedience to the yoke of Christ. This is the rest that comes from repenting and forsaking our sin. This is the rest that comes from following our Savior. You will find rest for your souls. Here Christ is quoting from Jeremiah 6:16. And if you read Jeremiah, I went back and read it. I mean, it is in the midst of gut wrenching pronouncement of God's judgment upon Judah and upon Israel for turning from him. He says, thus says the Lord, 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. We find rest for our souls, rest for our conscience, rest for our mind, rest for our hearts, rest for our energies, and rest for our fears as we stand firm in the Lord and seek and learn his truth and walk in it. We are not to seek after all, manner of so-called new truths and false promises the world makes. But the text said the ancient paths. Now you know I love Spurgeon, you all know that. Spurgeon says, that which is new is not true. It is the old that is true. For truth is as old as God himself. That's right. All that is true is not new. Aren't we thankful to have a Lord whose heart is gentle and humble towards his children, and who promises us rest for our souls, and then tells us this. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Amen? For my yoke is easy and my burden light. You see, Christ's yoke is easy. The word there means comfortable or pleasant. It can also mean superior for a particular purpose or use. The yoke that Christ has, is superior and is fashioned for a particular purpose or use. Do you know why his yoke is easy? Why it's comfortable and why it's pleasant? Because it's a custom made yoke. It's not a one size fits all yoke. It's not a yoke fashioned as the yoke hanging on my wall. I mean, that right there looks painful, quite frankly. And that's bigger than you think, by the way. His yoke is a yoke that is lined with love and laced with liberty, because his yoke was purchased by his blood. How do I know this? Because the Bible tells me so. I hope you all teach that song to the VBS kids, because the Bible tells me so. Hebrews 10:14, for by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 4:14-16, therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in time of need. And get this one about his yoke. Hebrews 7:25, therefore, He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through him. Since he always lives to make intercession for them. The Christ who says, come, the Christ who says take my yoke is at the right hand of the Father, where our Bible says he always lives to make intercession for us as his children. What a glorious truth. Oh. You see, when we put on the yoke of Christ, we are then yoked to Christ. And when the trials of life seem too many, and when the burdens of life seem too much. And when the pain of life seems unbearable, our rest comes from being yoked to Christ. Believer, you are not wearing a yoke of one who does not know you. But it is the yolk of one that sympathizes with all your weaknesses, who knows all your burdens, who has walked and lived and breathed on this earth, who was tempted in all ways, even as you are, and yet without sin. Christ is right now seated in heaven at the right hand of the father, making intercession for you at all times. He always lives to make intercession for you, believer. His mercies are new every morning. He instructs your mind in the night. Wearing his yoke causes you to have what the Bible calls sweetness of sleep when your head hits your pillow. He leads you beside still waters. He makes you lie down in green pastures. He restores your soul. He quenches your thirst and satisfies your hunger because you have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, and he has fashioned a yoke just for you. And not only is his yoke easy. The Bible says his burden is light. Literally...not burdensome. 1 John 5:3, for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. We don't keep his commandments to be saved. But we keep his commandments because we are saved. And his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Amen? So I just want to close out with a couple of thoughts. First, if you are here this morning and you have not come to Christ by faith, why would you delay? I pray that you come to Christ. Myself and other elders will be down front after the service, and we would love to talk to you about the Lord Jesus Christ. And for those of us in Christ, our bookstore is full of elder approved resources that will aid you as you seek to learn from the Lord. We need to make sure that we're forming daily spiritual habits and disciplines. And I said, habits. We have to work to do that. I highly recommend the book called Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney, came out in the early 90s. That's the book that impacted me greatly. And lastly, I would tell you this. We must take his yoke upon us and learn from him daily. Our bodies need physical food daily, don't they? How much more do we need our spiritual food. 
Let me close in prayer. Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you for your truth. Lord Jesus, thank you that you have saved us. Thank you that you bid us come. Thank you that you give us rest. Oh Lord Jesus, thank you that your yoke is fashioned just for us. That your yoke is easy and your burden is light. Lord, I lift up every person here that does not know you. Holy Spirit, I pray that you would convict them and convert them for your glory. In Christ's name. Amen.