Spiritual Rest

Trevor S. Ferguson


August 23, 2010
Matthew 11:16-19 (KJV)
¹⁶ But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
¹⁷ And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.
¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
¹⁹ The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)
²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.


INTRODUCTION
Rest is a vital part of human life. The proper functioning of our body depends on adequate rest. Most of us will remember popular sayings which seeks to underscore the importance of rest to a successful life, such as "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise". The bible also underscores the importance of rest: After God completed his creative work he rested; God later enshrined the principle of rest in Sabbath command.

The world today however scoffs at the principle of rest. Numerous industries now offer 24-hour, 7-days per week work schedule. People are often forced to work overtime and on weekends or risk losing their jobs. The entertainment industry has no ends of late night parties and events, while at home we have 24 hour television with hundreds of channels. People therefore find themselves pulled by this incessant activity and end up sleep deprived, stressed, weary and heavy laden. In addition to physical stress and weariness many people find themselves spiritually malnourished as they can find no time for the things of God. The stress of sin beats up on them leaving them spiritually worn and weary while spiritual weariness often leads to hopelessness, depression and even suicide.


While the world is still trying to recover from the effects of the worldwide economic recession, many nations are trying to deal with the ravages of crime, terrorism, political turmoil and natural disasters. People are becoming increasingly hopeless! The passage read today however brings a word of hope to those who are worn, weary and heavy laden. In this passage that Jesus extends an offer for rest to the weary. Let's take a closer look at this passage to discover how we can find spiritual rest.

EXPOSITION
Matthew 11 begins with the story of John the Baptist being in prison and sending his disciples to ask of Jesus if he was the Messiah or if they should look for another. Jesus responds to them by healing several persons and then instructed them to tell John what they had seen and heard as evidence that he was indeed the Messiah. Jesus went on to pay a tribute to John the Baptist, describing him as being more than a prophet, as being among the greatest of humanity and that he was the promised Elijah which was to come. Jesus then went on to describe the unbelief of the generation of his time.

"How can I describe the people who are living now? They are like children who sit in the marketplaces and shout to other children, 'We played music for you, but you didn't dance. We sang a funeral song, but you didn't show any sadness.' "John came neither eating nor drinking, and people say, 'There's a demon in him!' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and people say, 'Look at him! He's a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' "Yet, wisdom is proved right by its actions." Matthew 11:16-19 (GW)

People today are still very much like those in the days when Jesus spoke. In a similar way we can say unto many today – What will it take to convince you to surrender to Jesus? Some of our fathers came preaching brimstone and fire – they were accused of using fear tactics! Many today preach the love and mercy of God - we are often accused of being ineffective and powerless. I would however like to remind us that that it is foolish to believe that we can ignore God and get away with it. God will bring every work into judgment! It is better for you if you were never born or never heard the message of salvation than for you to repeatedly hear the word and reject God!

The focus today however is on the opportunity to find spiritual rest. Despite the fact that the people of Jesus' day repeatedly rejected the word of God, Jesus was willing to offer them another chance. The door of mercy still remained open. He saw that many were weary and worn out by sin. Many were being held captive against their will by the power of Satan. In loving kindness and tender mercies he reached out to them again: Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light!


The rest Jesus offers here is not physical rest but spiritual rest. Notice he quotes from Jeremiah 6:16 as he declares – you shall find rest for your souls. This is a spiritual rest; it is a rest from sin and a refreshing in the Holy Ghost. It has a present component and a future component. In Isaiah 28:11-12 we are told – "For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people …this is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest and this is the refreshing: yet they will not hear. Note that Paul ascribes this prophecy to speaking in tongues in 1^st Cor. 14:21, further supporting the fact that the baptism of the Holy Ghost brings us into a present spiritual rest. Spiritual rest however is not only for the present time. Hebrews 4 tells us of a future rest, this is an eternal rest: "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." Hebrews 4:9-11 (KJV).


Let us look at some of the features of this eternal rest as described by John in Revelation 21:
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Revelation 21:2-4 (NKJV)


Application & Conclusion
We have seen how many today are worn weary and stressed by the cares of this life. The devil desires to use us, abuse us and then discard us. Jesus however offers us an opportunity to enter into His rest.

Today God invites you to lay your burdens at His feet and receive rest for your soul. He promises that his yoke will be easy and his burden light. Don't let the devil wear you out. Surrender your all to Jesus today and find his eternal rest. He will give you peace in your soul, joy in your heart and strength to make it though life's difficult paths. Embrace this opportunity, find spiritual rest today.