Learning To Rest

Temple Baptist Church - 2-7-2010

Matthew 11:28

Introduction:

A. What a wonderful couple of verses of Scripture have been read tonight. The compassion and caring of the Lord are manifested in these verses.

1. He does care about us! I know life is hard and there things that we do not understand, but He does care!

2. He does have compassion on us! He is touched with the feeling of our infirmity. He knows what and how we feel. He wants the best for us!

B. As a general rule, we use these verses in relation to the Lord calling the lost to come to Him for salvation. In the context, He is talking to the multitudes of lost that followed Him. I am glad that the Lord loves sinners and is still calling them today.

1. If you are lost, He says, “Come unto me!” Human Responsibility is found in these verses. He would not tell you to come if you could not come. You are invited to come to Him and find eternal life and rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ on Calvary. He loves you! He died for you! He pleads with you! “Come unto me!”

2. If you are weary of your sin, He says, “And I will give you rest!” He will give you rest from the bondage and restlessness of sin. He will give you a blessed relief and newness of life in Christ. “Oh, what a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart!”

C. Now that we have made a proper interpretation, I want to make an application. We have been teaching through the Book of Hebrews in Sunday School and chapters 3-4 deal with several “rests” found in the Bible.

1. There Is Salvation Rest. This takes place at the moment of salvation. Resting in the precious blood of Christ. Resting in eternal life.

2. There Is Service Rest. We often call this Canaan’s Rest. Though we battle, the battle is the Lord’s and the victory has already been won at Calvary!

2. There Is Soul Rest. Simply trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to help and care for you in the ups and downs of this life.

D. We become disappointed when things do not go right. Disappointment turns to discouragement when the way is long and Satan seems to have the upper hand. Discouragement turns into disquietedness of soul. Disquietedness of soul turns into defeat.

E. We live in tough spiritual times as Satan seemingly throws more and more at us. I believe that he knows that time is short and is pulling out all of the stops in his effort to destroy, defile, discourage, deter, and defame God’s children and sound churches. We have become the enemy as evil is called good and good evil. An old song says, “Troublesome times are here; filling men’s hearts with fear.”

F. I get tired sometimes. Bone tired! It becomes easy to fret and hard to rest. Why? The answered is simple, I do not come to Jesus Christ. It is in Christ Jesus that we find the rest that we both need and desire.

WHERE YOU WILL NOT FIND REST

1. You Will Not Find Rest In Your Circumstances - Luke 12:16-20 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: (17) And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? (18) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. (20) But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? (Though they may improve temporarily, they will continue to change.)

2. You Will Not Find Rest In Human Reasoning - Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (The world has no spiritual answers for God’s children.)

3. You Will Not Find Rest In Self-Pity - 1 Kings 19:13-14 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. (This will only cause the valley to deepen.)

4. You Will Not Find Rest In Sinfulness - Isaiah 57:20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. (God will not allow His children to enjoy sinfulness.)

5. You Will Not Find Rest In The Things Of The World - John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (They do not satisfy the inner longings of the saved.)

6. You Can Only Find Rest In The Things Of God!

WHERE CAN WE FIND REST?

1. We Can Find Rest In Our Salvation - Isaiah 32:16 -18 Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. 17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. 18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; (If the whole world sinks, you are still saved and Heaven bound!)

2. We Can Find Rest In The Scriptures - 2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

3. We Can Find Rest In Our Sleep - Psalms 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalms 37:40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

4. We Can Find Rest In Our Service – 2 Corinthians 7:5 For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

John 6:19-20 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

5. We Can Find Rest In Our Spirit – 2 Corinthians 2:13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

Psalms 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

6. We Can Find Rest In Our Sanctuary - Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

Psalms 84:1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

7. We Can Find Rest In The Holy Spirit - John 14:16-18 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Romans 8:26-28 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.

8. We Can Find Rest In Our Saviour - Matthew 11:28-29 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 unto your souls.

2 Timothy 4:17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

Psalms 91:1-7 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall over thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.