Come and Learn: Rest for the Weary in Christ

Those are the that's the kind of attitude that Jesus is talking about when he mentions the word wise in this passage. The wise are the ones who trust in their own understanding. The the little children, on the other hand, that the truth is revealed to, the little children are the ones who know that they need to be taught. You see, so it's got nothing to do with IQ. The issue is posture. God is not discovered through human cleverness. He's revealed through divine mercy. [00:39:30] (43 seconds)  #HumilityNotIQ

All who are burdened. The word for burdened suggests a load being placed on someone's shoulders. Imagine for a minute the picture of of someone who is so bent down under a weight that they cannot remove. This is who Jesus is speaking to. He says, these are the people who should come. And that means that the only qualification for coming to Jesus Christ is need, not your strength, not your righteousness, holiness and and and righteousness and and and good works and living a good life, those things flow from grace that has been received. The qualification for coming to Christ is your neediness. [00:45:46] (61 seconds)  #NeedNotCredentials

Jesus offers no strategy or strategic plan for self improvement. He says, simply, I will give you rest. Deep rest. Rest for your soul. The kind of rest that comes when when when a burden of guilt is lifted from the shoulders of the burdened and the fear of judgment is removed. That's that's the rest he's talking about. And he's not he's not saying that that he's gonna show the way to do this thing called rest. He says he will give rest because rest is not a method. Rest is a gift that comes from a person. [00:49:14] (58 seconds)  #RestIsAGift

That means two things for us. Number one, it means that you, we, we can't reason our way into knowing God. Because left to ourselves, we are always gonna be reshaping God into our own image. That's the way the human heart works. Right? John Calvin, I think, says that the human heart is a factory of idols. We will take the information, take it into our own selves, and we will reshape it into our own image. Second, it means that if you do know God if you do know God, it's because Jesus has revealed him to you, which means that knowing God is always grace. [00:42:33] (52 seconds)  #GraceNotReason

Is it effortless? No. But it's light because Jesus carries his people. Life with Christ. Life with Christ. Eternal life as in now. Life with Christ is lighter than life without him because he shares the load of the burdens that we carry. That's the that's the great paradox of the gospel. Right? Jesus calls us to surrender. And somehow surrendering to Christ is freedom. Jesus calls us to submit to his yoke. Submit almost sounds like I'm I'm it's it's almost like a like a like a slavery of of of sort. Right? And somehow, ironically, submission to Christ is rest for our souls. Following Christ is abundant life. [00:56:11] (78 seconds)  #LightYoke

And he says the same thing to us now as he said then, come to me. And so in conclusion, this passage doesn't leave us with an idea. The passage leaves us with an invitation. Having heard the son of God tell us who knows God, not the self assured and not the self justified, but the dependent and needy sinner. He has told us who comes to him, not the impressive person, but the burdened person. [00:59:02] (45 seconds)  #ComeAllBurdened

And he has told us what he gives to such a person who comes to him. Not pressure and not performance, not uncertainty, but rest for your soul. And in just a moment, friends, we are going to see that promise in visible form. In a minute, the elders are gonna come down this aisle, and they're gonna pray place bread into your hands, and they're going to offer you a cup. And the question is a far cry away from whether or not you are worthy enough in and of yourself to receive it. The question is, are you willing to come to him in the real weariness that you have? [00:59:46] (55 seconds)  #BringYourWeariness

So when Jesus says that, he is inviting people to become his disciples. He's inviting people to come under his teaching, but he's also saying something deeper. He's saying that life with Jesus is not a burden that you're going to have to carry alone. Life with Jesus is not a burden that you have to carry alone. It is a burden that is carried with Jesus. And that's why he can say, learn from me. Learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart. [00:53:10] (48 seconds)  #CarriedWithChrist

he has told us what he gives to such a person who comes to him. Not pressure and not performance, not uncertainty, but rest for your soul. And in just a moment, friends, we are going to see that promise in visible form. In a minute, the elders are gonna come down this aisle, and they're gonna pray place bread into your hands, and they're going to offer you a cup. And the question is a far cry away from whether or not you are worthy enough in and of yourself to receive it. The question is, are you willing to come to him in the real weariness that you have? The question is not whether you have everything together. The question is whether or not you know that you don't have everything together. [00:59:47] (62 seconds)