Will You Come?

TEXT:

‘Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light”’ (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)

THOUGHT:

“Come to Me” is one of the most wonderful promises in the Bible. God has provided these blessings, but it is up to each individual whether they will receive them. As the slogan says, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me!”

How many times do we miss out on God’s best because of what others have wrongly told us or because we think we know better than God? The Queen of Sheba came to see for herself whether what she had been told about Solomon’s kingdom was true or just another exaggeration¹. She discovered it was much better than she had been informed or had even imagined.

Two days before I became a Christian, I told the person witnessing to me that I did not need God and there were things wrong in the Bible. Yet just two days later when I saw for myself the reality of those Christians’ faith, something I had never seen before in church, I found myself praying, “Lord I want what they have got”.

As we study this promise there are four things I want to highlight in Today’s Teaching.

1. Intercession – ‘I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth’ (Matthew 11:25)

As Jesus was praising and praying to His Father, He reached out to everyone with this amazing promise. The Apostle Paul did the same. Immediately after thanking God that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord²,he revealed his deep sorrow for the spiritual blindness of the Jews³ and cried out to God that they may be saved.⁴

If you find yourself growing cold concerning evangelism, start praising and praying, and ask the Spirit of God to stir you into action. When the labourers are few, Jesus instructed His disciples to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out more labourers⁵. It’s unthinkable to ask for workers but not want to be part of the answer. After all, to pray, “Here am I Lord, send someone else” really is hypocritical.

2. Invitation

I love getting invitations (unless it’s to the dentist!). The excitement and anticipation builds as the day draws nearer.

• Those Invited – ‘all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens’

On another occasion it was to those who were thirsty.⁶ Note the word “all”. God’s invitation is to everyone. To those who are struggling, straining and thirsty, the invitation is “Come!”

• The One Inviting – ‘Come to Me’

Stop looking in the wrong direction. Religion leads to death, so come to the One who is alive and offers life, eternal life! Billions of people in the world follow the social media sites of celebrities. It’s time to turn to the One who really is worth following.

3. Intention – ‘I will give you rest’

Take note of the three key words in this promise. “Come, Take, Find”. To rest means to stop doing and start receiving. Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden light. He castigated the Pharisees because, ‘They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders’ (Matthew 23:4). Religion brings people into bondage, trying to keep impossible rules and regulations. Jesus brings rest because it’s not a question of doing but of faith in what He has done.

4. Instruction – ‘Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me’

• The Teacher – ‘For I am gentle and lowly in heart’

Simon the Sorcerer claimed he was great, until he was confronted by someone greater – Jesus⁷. It was the same for the false prophet Elymas also called Bar-Jesus⁸. When he tried to prevent the Roman governor from hearing the gospel, he was struck with blindness until he realised the error of his ways. Man loves to promote himself and take the highest position, but Jesus, who is Lord and Master, was willing to wash His disciples’ feet⁹.

• The Teaching – ‘You will find rest’

When you read your Bible do you think it is just a history book full of religious laws or God’s love story? Do you feel its commandments will be binding and repressive or understand that knowing the truth will set you free? Will you find restriction or release? The Bible says, ‘So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free’ (John 8:36 NLT).

James urged his readers to be doers not hearers only. ‘He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does’ (James 1:25).

The same Bible that tells me I am guilty, shows me how to be forgiven; that tells me I am sinful, shows me how to become righteous; that tells me I am lost, shows me how to be saved; that tells me I am poor, shows me how to become rich.

It is not enough to believe in the Teacher, we must accept His teaching, for only then will we find the rest He has promised.

One of the saddest verses in the Bible is, ‘But you do not want to come to Me so you might have life’ (John 5:40 NLT).

Will you come?

Endnotes:

¹ 1 Kings 10:1-13         ² Romans 8:39             ³ Romans 9:2               ⁴ Romans 10:1

⁵ Matthew 9:38           ⁶ John 7:27                   ⁷ Acts 8:9-25                ⁸ Acts 13:6-11

⁹ John 13:13-15