[0:00] I ask you to turn back with me to Matthew chapter 11 verse 28 Matthew chapter 11 verse 28 Jesus speaking to his disciples speaking to the people there and speaking to us and say, come to me, all you who labour are heavy laden and I will give you rest and so on when I first preached on this text it's a well known text, it's a great text it's one that, certainly when I was in Sunday school it was one of the texts that we learned by hurricanes, it was the KJB then that we used but it's a great text and that particular time we had Fahy Renick preaching back at Camille and he preached he didn't preach on the text at all but he mentioned it four times over the weekend and that was what prompted me to try to put something together very simple you know, you're not used to having simple preaching
[1:21] Mr. Cole but this is nothing more than a simple message and seeking God's blessing upon us as we read these words and take even a simple message from them and I want to do this under four headings first of all, the invitation come unto me and then the inviter come unto me and then the invited those who are addressed all all that labour and are heavy laden and lastly the promise I will give you rest and then we've got a little application hopefully but I want to change the order so first of all before the invitation who is actually inviting who's issuing the invitation who's issuing these who's speaking these words the speaker the inviter the host we can use different terms for the person who's speaking of course it's the it's the Lord Jesus who's speaking here isn't it it is God the Son who's speaking maybe you could say he's speaking on behalf of the whole Godhead so it's God who's speaking why is it important well it's important because an invitation is only as good only as strong only as valid as the authority of the person who issues it
[3:00] I could ask you all to come round to Trillies for lunch today and I have no authority to do that and he and his wife would be quite horrified to have to cater to twenty other people without any warning unless of course that's what's been arranged and you're going there anyway but just say you're not I have no authority to issue that invitation I'm issuing it without authority God doesn't speak without authority God speaks with authority and everything he says he's entitled to say and he's entitled to issue this this invitation and he does it in sincerity everything he does in sincerity so he's able to issue the the invitation he's willing to do it he's doing it he's almighty he's loving he knows us he knows what we're like he's trustworthy so we know these things if someone asks you to do something you might think well that's
[4:04] Alison Critchie asking I'm not sure about that don't really know him very well I'll ask somebody that knows him one's like is he a man of his word is he someone that might be a bit tricky we don't have to say that with God do we or maybe we do because we're not satisfied yet as to God's trustworthiness I'm not saying we shouldn't be we shouldn't be but maybe we're not yet but God from everything in his word God is trustworthy he's honest all he says is true all he says is right so we can take it that it's a valid invitation he's got the authority to issue it he has got the ability to fulfill whatever he says if he says come to me and we'll talk about the promise later then he means it so he's the speaker he's the inviter he's the one who invites us to come so back to the invitation and what is the invitation about it it's come come to me isn't that simple isn't that clear isn't that unequivocal what's the first kind of invitation you give a child you know a child who just started to crawl and then when the child says it's come come to me you know just take this couple of steps and then he falls flat in his face but he's trying to come he's trying to do what you're saying it's the easiest thing it's one of the first invitations you'd hear as a child to come to your parent or your grandparent or whoever it is it's simple it's uncomplicated it's not it's not a difficult invitation to accept is it to receive it's not a task he doesn't say go and work he doesn't say pay me what you're due to pay me he doesn't say wait and see what I'll do he says come come to me it's simple it's straightforward we have to come as we are and he doesn't say come to church it's good to come to church but that's not what he says he doesn't say come to the prayer meeting it's good to go to the prayer meeting but that's not what he says he doesn't say come to the Lord's table it's good if we're in the Lord to be at the Lord's table he doesn't say that he doesn't say come to hear ministers he doesn't say come to hear late preachers he doesn't say come to know about Jesus he's trying to find out something about me he doesn't say any of these things he says come to me we know we get to know about Jesus as we come to him but we don't want to just know about him we want to know him and coming to him is the way to know him so we have to how can we come we have to come believing in him if someone says come to me and you're not sure of that person it might not be safe but it's safe it's safe if we believe in him we have to exercise simple faith very simple faith that's all it is we have to believe in him come to him believing in him we have to trust in him and depend on him if we're going to come to him like the bronze snake in the wilderness that was lifted up by Moses remember the people who had been bitten by the snakes and the commander's going to make the bronze snake hold it up and those who look on the snake will be healed there's nothing special about the snake it was an act of faith that was required that's a very simple act of faith not a difficult one to lift up your eyes and look but no doubt there were some that would not just as there's some who will not come there's a bit of caution to say here not about the invitation but about us accepting the invitation because the invitation is to come to me and not come half way and stop so don't stop come all the way we can't hesitate and we may have come we may have come many many years ago suddenly here but we have to keep on coming don't we come to Jesus because those who carry on to the end will be saved so we mustn't just say oh well that's fine
[8:39] I've done all that what's next well there are many other steps yes that we will take but we still need to come to him don't we we need to come to him daily we need to come to him regularly we need to come to him often we need to come to him and look to him and trust to him and how do we come do we come proudly do we come strutting do we come thinking well I'm going to ask to come I'm something special you know I've done an invitation to the Queen's Garden Party that kind of thing no no here we come humbly we've got to come humbly because we're not we're not entitled to be there are we it's he that enables us to come it's he that gives us the invitation he doesn't have to ask us it's part of his grace isn't it he's graciously inviting us so we have to regard it as a gift it's a gift of God the invitation is a gift of God just as the ability to receive it is a gift of God so there's nothing to be proud about there never is in the gospel anything to be proud about because pride is the very antithesis of all that a Christian needs to be we need to be humble because we have much to be humble about a lady asked or someone said it but Herbert asked a humble little man with much to be humble about spoken by a proud politician about someone else but we have much to be humble about and we mustn't be proud of our humility either okay so that's the invitation come to me very simply isn't it very simply put and very simply
[10:20] I hope I explain and then those who are addressed the invitees the recipients of the invitations those who are to be the guests who are those persons it says all who labour not some of you not those of you on this side of the church not those who are male not those who are of free church stock nothing like that not you who are from scalping or you who are from back or wherever it is it's all and all who do what all who labour and are heavy laden labour and heavy laden or weary and burdened or carrying heavy burdens or tired of carrying heavy loads or troubled and weighed down with care the toiling and burdened was these are all different translations modern translations of scripture in English but they all mean pretty much the same thing don't they not exactly if you're a professor of English you'd be able to put all sorts of nuances in there so there's differences of course there are differences but it's all the same idea we get the message don't we it's those who are struggling and those who need help so who does that disqualify then well
[11:43] I suppose it disqualifies those who don't regard themselves as needing anything that they disqualify themselves but they're thinking that God doesn't disqualify anyone because God knows all of us are laboring heavy laden really even if we don't know it even if we don't accept it even if we don't see it even if we cannot understand that even if we think I am the captain of my salvation I am the master of my faith if that's the kind of view we have of ourselves we're not going to think we're laboring heavy laden if we're a proud person if we're a person who thinks we've got it together we're not going to be thinking we're laboring heavy laden that's for other people that's for people who can't make it that's for people who haven't got my moral reserves and my resourcefulness whatever it is that's for those who haven't got money in the bank or haven't got family and friends maybe all sorts of things we can be proud of all sorts of things but ultimately when Jesus is speaking here he's not just picking out a section of the crowd saying right okay just you three up front you're the ones that's for people who haven't got money forgive all that all then this is just a secret message
[12:51] Jesus doesn't speak like that Jesus speaks to the crowd there were thousands of people there probably well we don't know how many people there were a lot of people there and there were a lot here and they're passing the message along because even Jesus his voice is only so loud isn't it as a man you don't need so far but people are up on the hillside listening to this just like the ceremony not so many people heard it and they heard it and then they heard it and it just passed them on what do you say and then it was passed on and then of course it was written down for us so we have the benefit of it and we can study it we didn't just hear it once we didn't just hear it once in the hillside somewhere we've heard it many times perhaps have we answered it maybe we have maybe we haven't that's for you to know not me about yourself it's for me to know about myself so who who is the question who are the invited ones well I would say you could say it's everyone really everywhere everyone that hears it but many as I said won't accept that it's for them you can lead a horse to the water you can't make him drink you can lay out what the gospel says you cannot make a person believe it only the Holy Spirit can do that and he does do that thankfully thankfully for all of us who do believe so that's everyone an innumerable number of people millions billions of people what classes is it is it is it is it a social gospel no it's not he's not talking to just the poor he's not just talking to those who are being oppressed by others those who are under the cosh those who are being dumbed down those who are the laboring masses you know like a Marxist philosophy of life or something like that those who are losing the battle yeah those who are losing the battle but sin that's the ones he's talking about is it God's fault no it's not God's fault is it the government's fault no it's not the government's fault it's iniquity it's sin so do you qualify are you putting yourself in the frame for yes this is for me yes it has been for me it's still for me it will always be for me is that what you're thinking or you're thinking it's never been for me for a mile but maybe maybe just now maybe it is or you're thinking no he's got it wrong it's not actually for me it's for those pure souls down the road that aren't so well those people that don't know where the next meal is coming from those people that haven't got it all together like I have because I'm here in church and that's fine no that's not the answer the answer is yes you do qualify unless you just qualify yourself and you mustn't do that well unless you mustn't do that you ought not to do that you can do it if you want because God does not provide us to any man's will but pray that you do qualify because if you do qualify then it's for you the invitation is here and it's always here it's here you can open your Bible every day of the week and read it it's there
[16:09] Matthew 11 28 it's one of the best known texts in the New Testament what could disqualify you really too big a sinner no doesn't apply no one's too big a sinner to be saved no one's too big a sinner for God to deal with them no one's too big a sinner for Jesus' blood to come from that iniquity not yet converted well this is it this is the gospel it's right here it's right here to be received and what is what is it what is the gospel it's the good news it's the good news for all of us it's the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners is it can you say I'm not elect you can't say that because God knows the elect none of us do and it's not a doctrine that should be valued about in any way that would be that would inhibit anybody coming that's not the purpose of it it's not for that reason the only person that can disqualify you from treating this as to be relating to you is yourself the person sitting beside you can't the minister can't the eldest can't your wife can't your husband can't whoever it is nobody can say no that's not for you it is for you but what do we do with it that's the question what have you done with it what are you doing with it now
[17:44] I'm not going to say what are you going to do with it but in the future because we don't know if that's ever going to happen so what are you going to do with it now if you haven't done it yet so the invitation it came from from God the Holy One trustworthy issuer invitation the invitation is a simple one it's come come to me and it's all the way and it's to all us it's to all us let's just say it doesn't matter put anybody outside these walls right now it's for them too but right now it's for us because this is God speaking to us through his word whatever I say doesn't really matter very much it's what is in the it's what's in the text and what the spirit does with whatever's said and there's a promise isn't there it's not just come to me and that's it come to me and we'll see no no it's not it's and I will give you rest not just rest from your labour not just
[18:52] I'm really tired I'm working seven days a week I need the rest not that sort of rest I'm really hard pressed I need a holiday all these things can be true but it's peace peace of soul rest in that sense rest of conscience peace of mind not a casual sort of thing it's a really important thing it's an important rest it's a rest that covers all of us an awareness of sin forgiven that's the peace of conscience if we know our sins are covered in Christ's blood if we believe what that means we don't think of it in a carnal fashion we don't think it's blood poured over sin it's Christ's righteousness covers us the life is in the blood he gave his life for us he gave it so that we would receive his righteousness so that would be imputed to us it's not our righteousness it never has been but it's made our righteousness that's what the scripture tells us it's not the way the world could ever think or would ever devise so he bore your sins my sins everybody's sins he bore the sins of the world on the cross that's what the scripture says and it also says that all who believe in him will be saved so although he has died for the sins of all only those that come to him will get the benefit of that for themselves for their own souls that's a scripture that's not a spin that's what the scripture says but this is a great privilege isn't it that we have the gospel that we have the promise we have religions in the world that are basically
[21:01] I mean some people talk in our way of doom and gloom the gospel is not doom and gloom the gospel is there is a saviour and he's Jesus Christ the righteous one the doom is for those who won't receive them and the doom is for other religions hard religions religions of law such as Islam for example when nobody there can ever say they know they're going to be saved in their view of saved they don't know because Allah is capricious he might do anything he's got complete control he'll do whatever he wants to do well we believe God can do whatever but he will never be untrue to himself he will never be untrue to his words he will never go back to the promise so the promise is cast iron it's blue chip it's you know we think of things of bad times of bad times of bad times of bad times of bad times of bad times of bad times of bad times of bad times time as far as I know what's carne going to do about it it's a global crisis what are we going to do
[22:09] Fort Knox and all the blue reserves the federal reserve that could all disappear but God God will never disappear and God's promises are yay and amen God's promises are good you know we say you can take it to the bank well it's a lot better than taking it to the bank because you can only take it to the bank because it might close and the bank may come off with your money but we can take this to heaven if we have it in our hearts if we have it for our souls this promise is good against all comers it's far better than a promise to pay the bearer which we see you look at in the bank I promise to pay the bearer obviously the sum of whatever it is five pounds whatever it has to be but this is greater than that this is a promise that will never be reneged on this is a promise that is true and honest and good that you can take and receive and accept and if you have accepted yourself that you will want everybody else to accept not just the people in here not just your own families you want everyone because isn't it the case when we when we know the Lord when we love the Lord when we have the blessings of the gospel that we want everybody to have them whoever they are so as they wronged us it doesn't matter you know people say
[23:37] I would wish this on my worst enemy well I would wish this on my worst enemy and wish it on my best friend if he's not a believer so is this promise for you well if the invitation's for you the promise must be also because he doesn't say come to me and some of you I will give rest you might be in that you know you know that kind of thing you got a minute to win it with a lottery and all that stuff go for it you can't win unless you pay your money but all of us in the company except one person are going to lose basically we're going to lose a quid or whatever it is but then one guy is going to get everything that's not the kind of invitation you've got it's not be in it and you might have a chance it's not a prize draw it's not a talent show it's not the Olympic games where all you have to enter in order to win gold medal you've got to be there and you've got to start and you've got to finish you know some ACC did not start someone that's false started or was injured or something or someone that's injured in the race did not finish
[24:45] DNA but the guy that finishes if he doesn't finish first he doesn't get the gold but everybody gets gold here if they accept the invitation if they enter it's an invitation have you heard the invitation have you heard it before today I'm sure you have many times have you responded that's for you that's not hands up answer it's for you to know it's for you to answer in your own soul it's for you to talk to God about God the invite do you know him do you know him to speak to can you talk to him can you ask him look God I haven't yet accepted the invitation will you now will you now receive me can I come to you yes the answer is yes come out that's what he says if you fear him if you love him if you're willing to come to him that's it that's all you have to do if you're one of the invited if you're one of those addressed if you're sitting here thinking no I'm still not convinced well don't look to me to convince you look to the word of God look to the simple meaning of the words and see if you can't find yourself there do you believe the promise do you want the promise do you seek the promise oh it doesn't mean anything to you you're thinking well you know actually
[26:19] I could do with some things but that's actually not what I don't really need rest well I think friend you do need rest we all need rest of our souls all of us whether we've already come to him or whether we haven't yet but we will need rest for eternity for our souls the invitation is still open it's always been open ever since it was addressed it's still open now and it will continue to be open as long as we have ears to hear as long as we're here as long as our mercy is found but there will come a time when we're not here it'll be an invitation maybe for others then for the next generations and so on maybe people in different parts of the world maybe the gospel kind of will go out in our area we don't know but now it's here it's for us so still I'm going to finish with this quote which is one of my favourite quotes from any any Christian person I've ever read it's very simple and it's very well known Christian missionary who was martyred for his faith in
[27:21] South America Jim Elliot and Jim Elliot famously said he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose well giving up what you can't keep is giving up to your old ways giving up the right to be labouring heavy laden and receiving gaining eternal life the promise rest for your souls that's what was offered in the gospel the gospel is there it's for us let's all receive together how much greater that is than anything else we could do pray that God will bless this to us all as we need to be blessed and blessed and blessed and blessed and blessed and blessed and blessed and blessed and