“Come To Me…” – I

Matthew 11:28-30

All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

Jesus said,

     “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, 
     and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and 
     learn from Me, for I am gentle, and lowly in heart, 
     and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke 
     is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28 
     through 30).

To whom is this directed? Jesus is inviting everyone! But this particular invitation will greatly limit the number of those who come. For the one who responds comes to the Lord because he or she realizes that they are belabored and burdened with a heavy load!

But there are reasons that keep people from responding:

  • Some think they have no (or few) burdens, that everything is going pretty well at this point in their lives.
  • Some feel like they can carry their burdens and solve their problems themselves.
  • Some are laboring and heavy laden, but don’t know what to do with their burdens.
  • Some have never heard this invitation.
  • Some have heard it, maybe multiple times, but they don’t believe it is true.
  • Some don’t feel worthy enough to come.

Let’s look at these six conditions that keep people from responding to Jesus’ invitation:

Some think they have no (or few) burdens, that everything is going pretty well at this point in their lives.

  • Things may be going pretty well at this point in their lives.
     ➔   They may not be facing any serious medical is-
          sues.

     ➔   Their financial situation may not be presenting 
          a strain on their enjoyment of life. 

     ➔   They may feel that family and other relation-
          ships are good.

…and the future looks bright!

  • But…
...they don’t realize there is a life threatening 
          condition presently at work in their lives!

 It is called sin! And everyone has this dead-
             ly disease! 

     For all have sinned and fall short of 
                 the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23).

             The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 
                 18:4, 20).

             Jesus will say to them at the judgment, 
                 “Depart from Me, you cursed, into ever-
                 lasting fire prepared for the devil and 
                 his angels....” (Matthew 25:41).

         ...all [sinners]...shall have their part in 
             the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, 
             which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8).

     ➔   ...they are not aware of the temporary nature of 
          wealth!

         ✡   Proverbs 23:5 (Easy-to-Read Version.) – “In 
              the blink of an eye, money can disappear, 
              as if it grew wings and flew away like a 
              bird.Matthew 6:19, 21 – “Do not lay up for your-
             selves treasures on earth, where moth and 
             rust destroy and where thieves break in and 
             steal....For where your treasure is, there 
             your heart will be also.I Timothy 6:17 – “...those who are rich in 
             this present age [must] not...trust in un-
             certain riches....” 

     ➔   ...they don’t think close relationships will ever 
          crumble!

         ✡   Deuteronomy 21:18 – “...a man has a stub-
              born and rebellious son who will not obey
              ...his father or...mother, and when they 
              have chastened him, [he] will not heed 
              them....”

         ✡   Deuteronomy 24:1 – “...a man takes a wife 
              and...he has found some uncleanness in her
              ...he writes her a certificate of divorce
              ...and sends her out of his house.John 7:5 – “For even [Jesus’]...brothers did 
            not believe in Him.Matthew 26:14 – “Then one of the twelve, 
            called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief 
            priests and said, ‘What are you willing to 
            give me if I deliver...[Jesus] to you?’

Some feel like they can carry their burdens and solve their problems themselves!

  • But…
Job, the richest man and most blest man of the 
          Middle East, lost everything in a matter of hours 
          (or days at the most).

         ✡   His wealth! (see Job 1:14-17).

         ✡   His family!

                 ...all his children! (see Job 1:18, 
                  19).

                ...the support of his wife! (see Job 
                 2:9).

         ✡   His health! (see Job 2:7, 8; 30:16-19).

         ✡   His respect! (see Job 19:13-20; 30:1-15).

         ✡   His friends! (see Job 12:4; 16:1-4; 19:
              1-5, 14).

     Yes, he was eventually doubly-blest by God at the 
     end of the book, but it took weeks, or even months 
     for Job to recover!Moses was physically, spiritually, mentally, and 
          socially powerful! But he became overwhelmed and 
          needed help!

         ✡   Apparently Moses had a speech impediment 
              (see Exodus 4:10). So God gave him his 
              brother Aaron who spoke well. “...he shall 
              be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to 
              him as God.” (Exodus 4:16).

         ✡   He tried to be a judge who decided matters 
              for every Israelite – and there were about 
              two to three million of them! Moses’ fa-
              ther-in-law came to the rescue with sound 
              advice to appoint under-judges (see Exodus 
              18:17-23).

         ✡   God supplied manna when the Israelites com-
              plained that they would starve to death in 
              the desert, and all Israel ate manna for 
              forty years! (see Exodus 16:35).

       Numbers 11:4-6 – But after awhile, they 
                 wept and longed for the food of Egypt! 
                 They cried, “Who will give us meat to 
                 eat? We remember the fish...cucumbers...
                 melons...leeks...onions and...garlic...
                 we ate freely in Egypt...now...there is
                 nothing...except this manna...Numbers 11:14, 15 – Moses had a melt-
                 down before God! He thought he had to 
                 supply all the people with meat. “I am 
                 not able to bear all these people along, 
                 because the burden is too heavy for me.  
                 If You treat me like this, please kill 
                 me here and now...!” 

         ✡   Moses even required physical help!  

                Amalek, a Canaanite tribe who was an 
                 enemy of Israel for centuries, attacked 
                 Israel! 

           As Joshua led the troops in the valley, 
                 Aaron and Hur accompanied Moses up a hill 
                 overlooking the battle. Moses took the rod 
                 by which God had done previous miracles 
                 (see Exodus 9:23, 24; 14:16; 17:5, 6). As 
                 he held the rod high, the Israelite sol-
                 diers prevailed! If his arms got tired 
                 and drooped, the Amalekites started win-
                 ning!

       Exodus 17:12, 13 – So Aaron and Hur “...
                 took a stone and put it under him, and he 
                 sat on it. And [they] supported his hands
                 ...until the going down of the sun. So 
                 Joshua defeated Amalek...”


         ✡   Deuteronomy 1:9, 12 (Lexham English Bible) – 
              Just before the Israelites entered the Prom-
              ised Land, Moses again pleaded with God for 
              help: I am not able to bear [the Israelites]
              ...alone? ...How can I bear you by myself, 
              your burden and your load and your strife?”

     So if Moses, this mighty man of God needed help, what 
     about us?
  • Americans are an independent people! Individualism is pronounced and promoted in this country more than just about any other nation. But that old saying is still true: “No man is an island!We all need help at different times, and Jesus offers that help…
...to those who are...burdened and heavy laden
          ...! They are invited to come to Him for help!  

      And if the burdens we carry are not per-
             ceived to be that heavy, the sin that we 
             all carry is the heaviest burden of all! 

     For about a year David ignored his sin of 
             adultery with Bathsheba (see II Samuel 11:
             4, 5), and the  murder of her husband Uriah 
             (see II Samuel 11:14-17). But, when Nathan, 
             his advisor challenged him about his terri-
             ble actions, and when the reality of all 
             his iniquity broke upon him, this is what 
             David wrote in Psalm 38:1 through 4:

                 “O LORD...Your arrows pierce me deep-
                 ly, and Your hand presses me down. 
                 There is no soundness in my flesh be-
                 cause of Your anger, nor is there any 
                 health in my bones because of my sin. 
                 For my iniquities have gone over my 
                 head; like a heavy burden they are 
                 too heavy for me.” 

     ➔   David finally repented. But if we ignore the 
          burden of sin life-long like David did for a 
          year, we are in for a terrible end!  We are 
          told in Proverbs 14:12, and repeated in 16:25 
          (King James Version): “There is a way that 
          seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof 
          are the ways of death.
  • By the way, the burdens that we try to carry have a surprising description in Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you…. The burden you cast upon Him turns out to be YOU!
But God has been in thecarrying business for 
          a long time!  For He said to the Israelites in 
          Isaiah 46:3 and 4 (Easy-to-Read Version), and 
          it surely applies to us as believers today: 

             “Family of Jacob, listen to me! You who 
             are left from the family of Israel, lis-
             ten! I have carried you since you left 
             your mother's womb. I carried you when 
             you were born, and I will still be carry-
             ing you when you are old. Your hair will 
             turn gray, and I will still carry you. I 
             made you, and I will carry you to safety.”We...are the body of Christ...” (I Corinthians 
          12:27), guided by...the mind of Christ...” 
          (I Corinthians 2:16). As many of the Old Testa-
          ment Scriptures have application to New Testament 
          Christians, so Ecclesiastes 4:9 and 10 apply to 
          us: 

             Two are better than one, because they have 
             a good reward for their labor. For if they 
             fall, one will lift up his companion. But 
             woe to him who is alone when he falls, for 
             he has no one to help him up.

     ➔   As this is applied to Galatians 6:1 and 2, it 
          turns out we are to help carry one another!  

             ...if a man is overtaken in any trespass 
             [burden], you who are spiritual restore 
             such a one in a spirit of gentleness, con-
             sidering yourself lest you also be tempted. 
             Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill 
             the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1, 2) 

          The law of Crist is loving one another as He 
          has loved us! (see John 13:34, 35).

So when in Matthew 11:28 Jesus invites us to

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, 
     and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and 
     learn from Me, for I am gentle, and lowly in heart, 
     and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke 
     is easy and My burden is light.”

     ➔   His invitation is valid, and...We are involved...

         ✞   ...both in experiencing His rest 

         ✞   ...and restoring His rest to others!

More on this in the next Gem.