Finding rest

Video in two parts for this message

at which point you would have seen this clip

… and here is the rest

Preaching notes

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I wonder what you brought into church this morning?

We all bring different experiences to a church like this

some of us are going to be on cloud 9 – God’s just blessed you out of your socks
some relieved that you’ve got here in one piece (children been driving you bonkers and this 45 mins when they’re out doing something else is just bliss!)
You’ve often hear me pray that our children will hear about Jesus but you’re saying ‘I don’t care – just take ’em!’
Some have a challenging situation to face this week
Others like this character here …

[play video ‘Alien song’ see the link above]

You’re in survival mode!

Our text – Matt 11:28-30 applicable in different ways to all of us

28 ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

God rested

Bible begins with the story of creation – 7 days describing God’s creation of

Genesis 2:2-3

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Why did God rest? Because he’d run out of energy? His resources were depleted? He wanted a holiday? hardly!

God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,

Blessed => He stamped his approval on it

Holy => He set it apart from the days of work as being different.

By the time we get into Exodus, God is very aware that mankind was ignoring this

So in the ten commandment, only one of them is a command to ‘Remember’ something. You know all this – don’t forget it!

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Jesus and the Pharisees

He was being harried about keeping the Pharisees’ nit-picking rules about Sabbath. Jesus and his disciples had been walking through a field and picked a few grains of corn for a snack. Pharisees’ condemned hi “This isn’t lawful! This is harvesting on the Sabbath”

Jesus’ riposte was as withering as it was brief

“The Sabbath was made for man (for our benefit), not man for the Sabbath Mark 2:27

All I want to do today is to paint the backdrop to this verse

the back story

I want to set the context for you (because a verse without a context is a pretext)

This verse is set at a crucial time in Jesus’ ministry

John had been preaching and baptising, but had now been arrested and was in prison

Sit back and let me read you the story: Just be a fly on the wall …

Matthew 11

After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples,(B) he went on … to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.[a]

2 When John(C) heard from prison(D) what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come,(E) or should we expect someone else?”

John was well aware that his ministry was to prepare the way for the Messiah – so is this it?

4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy[b] are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.(F)

Look at the evidence, John – what is that telling you?

Is this what you’d expect the Messiah to be doing?
Take the hint!

6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”(G)

7 As John’s(H) disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd – about John:

We know that many of John’s followers were transferring their allegiance to Jesus at this time.

“What did you go out into the desert(I) to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.

Jesus contrasting two types of people

the weak and feeble – the rich and proud.

Neither group command respect!

Weak and feeble because – that’s what they are
the rich and proud because their position may have been obtained without personal discipline or on the basis of merit.

9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? [not arf!] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.

What is a prophet?

someone who hears God’ word and conveys it compellingly! – That’s what John was doing – That’s what made him unique!
When you or I listen to someone with a prophetic edge to their ministry, we hear God’s voice through their voice-box!

So Jesus carries on …

10 This is the one about whom it is written:

“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,(K)

who will prepare your way before you.’[c](L)

11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and strong men [like John] lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.(M) 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he, John, is the Elijah who was to come.(N)

[… if you’ve got ears, use ’em! Take the hint!]

15 He who has ears, let him hear.(O)

This is an implicit claim to deity – the people would know that an Elijah type figure would be sent by God to prepare the way for the messiah. – So if John is Elijah – who does that make Jesus?!

Having praised John for the power of his prophetic ministry, now Jesus turns his attention to the culture around him

the counter-cultural Christ.

16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

17 “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

[We tempted you and you didn’t give in] [We advertised to you and you didn’t buy!]

So [says Jesus] if you want to see how warped this culture is, consider this ..

18 For John came neither eating(P) nor drinking,(Q) and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’(R)

But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

The truth will out.

Woe on Unrepentant Cities(S)

20 Then Jesus began to denounce the very cities in which most of) his own miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.

[they’d followed the culture!]

21 “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!(T) If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon,(U) they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.(V) 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.(W) 23 And you, Capernaum,(X) will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.[d](Y) If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”(Z)

Rest for the Weary

25 At that [moment] Jesus said, “I praise you, Father,(AB) Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the [highbrow] wise and learned, and revealed them to [kids!] little children.(AC) 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

27 “All things have been committed to me(AD) by my Father.(AE) No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.(AF)

Many of these people had been following John up to this point, but now he was in prison

The weary and burdened had flocked to John –

but he had been taken away from them – so where would they go?
Jesus is offering them hope of recovery

Come to me – emphasis in this particular sentence and the context is not on the come, it’s on the ‘me’

Many of you have been following John up to now – and he’s in prison, So come to ME!
Come to me as opposed to coming to any of these other systems, or leaders, or ways of life. – it’s ME!
John has prepared the way and you followed him, now come to me.
The promise that John held out of meeting with God is being fulfilled right here! It’s me!

What a wonderful way to start our conference!

It’s the person of Christ that we want to see

He, and he alone, is the source, the originator, the creator, the sustainer of life
spiritual life is found only in Him.
The fact that you have put carved out time to be here means that you are putting yourself and your family in the firing line of God’s blessing.

One final comment

Jesus says ‘come to me for a rest’

some of us need to do just that – chill out,

BUT

the Hebrew concept of rest is rather different from ours

Rest is not the same as inactivity.

Mathematics – let me introduce you to the vorticity equations (special case of the Navier Stokes equations for fluid flow – I’m sure you know that!)

Vorticity equations tell you the velocity (speed) of a fluid within a vortex – like a hurricane
the closer you get to the middle, the higher the velocity – it just goes off the scale!
BUT if the fluid is viscous (syrupy) – even a tiny bit syrupy – the equations have a different solution.
At the very centre of the vortex v=0 – there is a point of total calm

That’s more like the Hebrew concept of rest.

A place of calm in the midst of frenetic activity

and from that place of clam we derive strength and determination and resilience.

My prayer is that you will see him afresh, be awed by his glory, captivated by his presence

and from that position of rest leave here to serve him with a brighter vision and a clearer insight and a deeper love for the one we serve

Jesus says – Come to ME

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