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DON’T RUN THAT BODY DOWN!

JESUS OUR REST

Redhill. 12 November 2017. Presented by Gordon Green

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (ESV)

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (NLT)

“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me.^[a] I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. (TPT)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. (MSG)

 

We find a shadow pointing to Jesus on almost every page of the Old Testament. They can also be called signposts pointing to him. Charles Spurgeon once said; “From every town, village, and little hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London… and so from every text in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ. Your business is, when you get to a text, to say, ‘Now, what is the road to Christ?’”

Let’s focus on just one characteristic of Jesus – which is actually a key to living our Christian lives. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 that we should come to him and he will give us rest. Jesus is our rest and we see this often in picture form in the Old Testament.

Canaan (the Promised Land) is one of the richest pictures of Jesus and the riches and the rest he gives us. God promises the Israelites rest in Canaan: “But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around....” (Deuteronomy 12:10).The Sabbath day was another shadow pointing to Jesus. In Genesis we read that by the 7^th day God had finished his work – he rested. Was God tired? No the word rest is not the same as resting in bed. But it is one of, for example, a painter exhilarated by what he has just painted. He stands back and he is totally satisfied. His painting does not need one more brush stroke. It is complete. He can’t add or subtract from it.

Ever thought about this: Everything was created and finished by God so man began in God’s rest. Man was not created until all had been done. Life began in the Sabbath rest of God. When God was finished man began. But from the beginning of the creation of human beings God said “it is all there for you - take” (Gen 1:29, 30). God had provided. There was nothing to add. All they had to do was say “thank you”! The Fall of  Man was humans refusing to be dependent on God and taking from God but living their lives out of themselves. Man preferred not to take from God – instead become the centre and source himself. He said I am not helpless I can do it on my own. Man was created to rest in rest in God. When he refused God’s offers restlessness became his signature (Isaiah 48:22, 57:20). “Thou hast made us for thyself, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”

In Leviticus 25 we read of the Agricultural rest and the Year of Jubilee: “The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. ³ For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. ⁴ But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. ⁵ Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.”

Once again God was saying; “I will take care of you, I will provide. I give - you take. Rest in my perfect provision. We read a similar story when God supplied the Israelites with manna in the wilderness.

But all these were shadows or signposts pointing to Jesus (Hebrews 4). Now Jesus says “Come to me for rest.” Jesus has brought us into a sabbath rest. All these were shadows arrows pointing to Jesus. We (in GCI/WCG) didn’t really see this for many years – could almost say we worshipped the day and not Jesus. Jesus has brought us into the true principles of the sabbath day. It’s very comforting to know and Jesus wants us to rest. He invites us to come to him. This is an invitation and a command – “Draw close to me, trust me.” God is an inviting God. For example; “Come to the wedding feast. Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” “Come, let us talk about these things. Though your sins are like scarlet, they can be as white as snow.” He was saying come and participate in the abundant life. Come and share my riches. Come and share the relationship of have with my Father by the Holy Spirit.” “Come” is also in the present tense – come now, don’t wait. And just as you are. Do you feel you have committed the worst sin? – come. Are you discouraged, uneasy, worried? – come. Struggling? – come. Tired, exhausted? – come. Not “come” when you have overcome your sins, done lots of good works, when you have prayed and studied your bible every day.

It is a very personal invitation. “Draw near to me, be in my presence. Grow into deeper relationship with me - be in communion with me.” He is inviting us to have a growing fellowship with him—to get to know him in deeper ways where we enjoy knowing him and trusting him for who he is.

He also gives us a promise - if you come to Jesus you will find rest. He is actually saying keep on coming to me. Continue to come to me and rest. Don’t miss what he is saying here.  “Come to me” he says. Doesn’t say come to church, come to your bible, come to your pastor, your ministry etc, (all these are good and right) but come to me. And he will not reject you. “I will not send away anyone who comes to me.” Jn 6:37

Do you feel weary and heavily burdened?

Are your burdens weighing your down and causing you to feel drained, exhausted? The word “weary” in Matthew 11 means to work, mentally, physically, emotionally etc until you are worn out. Have you come to the end of your resources and realize the limits of what you can accomplish on your own? Do you feel worn down because of concerns, challenging, circumstances, past hurts, sins, difficult relationships etc?

 

How are we freed from our burdens?  Yield your life totally to God. Come to Jesus in fellowship, communion, solitude – continually come to him. Search the scriptures – he is there on every page. Learn from him  - be teachable. He has provided you with everything you need for life and godliness. Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! (2Peter 1:3- Msg)

 

Prayer: Holy Spirit open up my eyes to see this. Father, let this be engraved in my heart and worked in my lifestyle so I may rest in the Lord and unto the Lord so that all my works flow from rest. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we receive it. Amen.

 

SAYING COME AND PARTICIPATE IN THE ABUNDANT LIFE

PRESENT TENSE – COME NOW, DON’T WAIT

JUST AS YOU ARE

• DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE COMMITTED THE WORST SIN – COME
• DISCOURAGED, UNEASY, WORRIED – COME
• STRUGGLING – COME
• TIRED, EXHAUSTED – COME

NOT “COME”

• WHEN YOU HAVE OVERCOME YOUR SINS
• DONE LOTS OF GOOD WORKS
• WHEN YOU HAVE PRAYED AND BS FOR HOUR A DAY

 

VERY PERSONAL

• DRAW NEAR TO ME, BE IN MY PRESENCE – THAT’S THE INVITATION
• grow into deeper relationship with ME
• Be in communion with ME. He is inviting us to have a growing fellowship with him—to get to know him in deeper ways where we enjoy knowing him and trusting him for who he is.
• A PROMISE TO YOU

CONTINUING .

HE IS ACTUALLY SAYING KEEP ON COMING TO ME. CONTINUE TO COME TO ME AND REST.

WHY?   BECAUSE WE ARE TEMPTED

• OVER AND OVER, TO PICK UP OLD BURDENS OR FIND NEW ONES TO CARRY.
• AS NEW CHALLENGES AND SITUATIONS ARISE, TO THINK THAT THIS SITUATION, THIS RELATIONSHIP, THIS TRIAL, IS THE DEEPEST REALITY, AND IS TOO BIG OR PRESSING FOR US TO LET GO OF, SO THAT WE CAN LIVE OUT OF BEING YOKED TO JESUS INSTEAD.
• AFTER I HAVE SOLVED THIS PROBLEM, WHEN THINGS HAVE CALMED DOWN A BIT THEN I WILL COME TO JESUS.

COME TO ME

 

TO YOUR BIBLE – ALTHOUGH THAT’S VERY GOOD

TO YOUR PASTOR – ALTHOUGH THAT’S VERY GOOD

 

TO ME, TO ME TO ME

• HE WILL NOT REJECT YOU
• “I WILL NOT SEND AWAY ANYONE WHO COMES TO ME.” JN 6:37

 

 

 

DO YOU FEEL WEARY AND HEAVILY BURDENED?

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,

 

ARE YOUR BURDENS WEIGHING YOUR DOWN AND CAUSING YOU TO FEEL DRAINED, EXHAUSTED?

 

“WEARY” = TO WORK, MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY ETC UNTIL YOU ARE WORN OUT.

HAVE COME TO THE END OF YOUR RESOURCES AND REALIZE THE LIMITS OF WHAT YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH ON YOUR OWN. I JUST CAN’T REST!

 

DO YOU FEEL WORN DOWN BECAUSE OF

• CONCERNS
• CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES
• PAST HURTS OR SINS
• DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS

 

 

 

WILL SAY MORE ABOUT THAT LATER.

²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

SO JESUS DOESNT ONLY SAY COME TO ME BUT HE HAS MORE TO SAY....

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,

 

 

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