Get Some Rest, Part 2

Trying to earn God's favor is exhausting.

The Greek reads, Come to me, all the laboring, having been burdened. It's a perfect description of those still working for their salvation, knowing nothing of grace, only knowing there's more and more and more you must do, you must earn, you must achieve, to win God's favor. Trying to earn our salvation or to improve our stature before God is exhausting, and in fact, it's impossible. Impressing God with our good behavior is a noble gesture, but it represents a gross misunderstanding of His grace and our role in spiritual redemption.

How much better to submit to God's plan. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll is teaching from Matthew 11, where we read these calming words of Jesus, Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Chuck titled today's message, Get Some Rest, and we begin with prayer. Our dear Father, we come to you today as we would to our own Father on this earth. We know you care about us, we know before we ever utter a word, you know it completely. Even before we attempt to spell out our need, you're aware of it all.

The most intimate secret, you know all about it. The deepest hurt, you're fully aware. Thank you for the absence of shame, for the willingness on your part for us to come just as we are. And so our Father, we come, warts and all, scars and all, failures and all. All of the things that have dogged our steps over these years, and some of them very current, we worry over them, they keep us awake at night. So we come to release the burden and to take the yoke.

May we in the process, our Father, transfer all the heavy things on our hearts and receive from you hope, encouragement, affirmation, strength to go on. Before I finish, Lord, I have to bring before you our nation. We are light years away from where you would want us to be.

And the way we're moving, it looks as though we are going farther and farther away. Only you can stop us, only you can turn it around, only you can bring the leaders we need and the decisions that must be made and stop the nonsense and bring about purpose and meaning and clarity and redirection. We bring before you, our Father, those who make decisions, those who fight for us on the battlefields, those who serve our country in whatever capacity.

Thank you for each one. We pray that you will protect us from invasion, guard us from a terrorist attack, put your arms about us and shield us, we pray, though we do not deserve it. We come in your grace, our Father, and we count on you to meet our deepest needs. That's why we turn to you with confidence. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Everyone said, Amen. You're listening to Insight for Living.

To study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scriptures studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies. And now the message from Chuck about get some rest. There are in these verses 28, 29, and 30 words that invite. There are words that expose, and then there are words that promise, followed by words that relieve. And among them, there are words even that describe. So let's pick those words out. What are the inviting words? Look at verse 28. Come would be one of them. Next verse, take, that's a word inviting us to do something, take something from him.

And then learn, learn from me. See it right here in verse 29. So come and take and learn would be words that invite. How about words that expose? And by this, I mean, expose our condition.

Where would they be? Well, look again at verse 28. Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, you who carry heavy burdens. Here he tells us things about ourselves that we may not have told him.

We don't need to, he already knows it. And certainly those in that crowd were weary, heavy laden, some of them because of sin that had not been dealt with through salvation, others because they had lived under the thumb of legalistic rabbis who were demanding and severe. We'll get to that a little later. These are followed by words that describe.

Look at this statement. I am gentle and humble in heart. And then there are words that promise.

You've already seen them. I will give you rest and later you will find rest. And finally there are words that relieve.

My yoke is easy, my burden is light. First there are words that invite. Come.

Verse 28 begins, Jesus said, come. I can almost see him with his arms open, the gesture of open arms is an inviting gesture. Come on, come on. Please observe that we are not obligated, it's an invitation. Some of you have not come, many in that crowd had not come and so it's a genuine offer, a genuine invitation.

Come on, come to me. When we come we're confident that he'll take us, that he'll accept us. And so once we have come, please observe there's something we take and he invites us to do it. Take my yoke upon you. Interesting, the term was widely used in ancient days as a metaphor for submission. When you took a yoke you willingly submitted and that fits for with oxen the yoke was a major part of a harness that was used to pull a heavy cart or plow hard soil.

It was essential for the animal to be kept under control and guided correctly. I came across an interesting legend I had not read before. It's only a legend, may or may not have been true. Legend has it that in ancient Galilee the best yokes were made by a young carpenter in Nazareth. He went on to say that there hung a sign above the door of his shop, my yokes fit well. In those 30 silent years of Jesus work in the carpenter's shop, who knows how many yokes he made, how many oxen he fitted.

Those that fit well would not irritate the animal and he could wear it. And as we take his yoke, notice it's take my yoke upon you, it's the one I've fitted for you, we're able to pull whatever he asked us to pull or carry whatever we're to carry including our cross, whatever it may be. Interesting, in ancient days the word slipped into the world of education. A student was often spoken of as being under the yoke of his mentor. In ancient Jewish writing there is this advice, put your neck under the yoke and let your soul receive instruction.

Take his yoke, I would even use the colloquialism yoke up, put it on, it's yours to bear, don't fight it. When you have come to him, be ready to be fitted for the yoke. And that leads me to the third word of invitation and that is learn from me.

Don't miss the whole statement, learn from me. Accepting Jesus's invitation to come and then having him fit us with a tailor-made yoke invites us to begin a lifetime of learning from him and growing in him. I say this without hesitation and in all honesty, I know more now than I knew when I was in my 20s and 30s. Having submitted myself more and more to Christ, so many things I don't know, so many things I'm learning over again, but you could say the same thing. He has many things to teach you and I would add some things only he can teach, no one else. These are ancient words that were true, changing me and changing you. Just one more thought while I'm on the subject. I've learned over the years to stop asking why.

Have you learned that yet? Don't answer out loud. I remember sitting in the classroom where Dr. Bruce Walke taught. He taught Hebrew at Dallas Seminary when I was a student there and I'll never forget, he would hold the kiddel, this is what we call the Hebrew Bible, like this in his arms, like you'd be cradling a baby, and he would begin by reading it in Hebrew.

And I'm trying to figure out how to do that. And occasionally he would weep. I would often weep for other reasons, but he would weep, having been so moved by what he was reading. I'll never forget the day he looked up through tears and he said to us, at that time it was all men, ladies, thankfully were brought to the seminary in the 70s, but back when I was there, there were none, and he said, men, men, listen to me.

He paused just like I paused. I have learned that God rarely explains himself. So stop asking why. Maybe that's the whole reason you came today. Maybe that's the only reason, the main reason God had you hear these words, because you're a why questioner. And I will tell you, it is futile.

You know, not only will you not know, you don't need to know, you know, not only will you not know, you don't need to know. What you need to do is learn from him. You will not learn why, the answer to that, but you will learn much, much more deeply what he has to teach you. And now he knows us so well.

You notice how he exposes who they were and the condition they were in. When we learn from Jesus, we learn about ourselves. He says, all who are weary and heavy laden, those carrying heavy burdens. I think that would first describe those who have never met Christ and they're living under the weight of sin. The feeling of being unforgiven, the disappointment in oneself, the inability to accomplish what one desires, the sense of satisfaction that's never gained, and the weight that brings to us.

But there's more there, I think. In our case, and certainly in the case of the crowds, would be those who had to cut their teeth under teaching that was laborious and demanding. The Greek reads, come to me all the laboring having been burdened. Come to me all the laboring having been burdened. It's a perfect description of those still working for their salvation, still laboring under the legalistic demands of the law, knowing nothing of grace, only knowing there's more and more and more you must do, you must earn, you must achieve to win God's favor. I love the way one man wrote it, do this and live the law demands, but gives me neither feet nor hands.

A better word God's grace does bring, it bids me fly and gives me wings. To all who are overburdened, who are weighed down, I've made a list. To you who are broken and bruised, outcasts and offensive. To all who are failures and have fallen, to all who are ashamed and rejected, all who are brutal and bullies, all who are victims and offenders, get into my yoke, submit to me my plan, obey my instructions, follow my lead, feel the rains across your back as I'm leading you in the direction I would have you go.

Walk with me, all of you who would learn new ways to live and to relate to others. Ancient words, ever true, changing me, changing you. Then there are words that describe, I love these especially, I am gentle and I am humble in heart. As in a marriage, you really need to know about the one you're committing your life to.

That's why engagement should go on for a period of time, that you get to know each other. One of the qualities you look for if you're going to yoke up with another in a marriage is gentleness. What does it mean to be gentle?

It's not wimpy or weak. It's not soft or easily pushed around, that's not gentle. Gentle is strength under control, it was used for breaking a wild horse, bringing it under control.

There's no loss of strength in a broken horse, but he no longer bucks you off his back, he lets you ride him. He's become gentle. The word includes fair-minded, careful, thoughtful, considerate, unassuming. Kind. Come to me and when you come, you will find that I'm not demanding, I'm not oppressive, and don't let any of those who claim to speak for me try to convince you of that. I'm gentle. Furthermore, I am humble in heart. We see so little of that.

The word means unpretentious and modest, not self-serving. I'll tell you, if I have to sit through many more debates, I'm going to throw something at the television. I have never seen such arrogance. I've never heard such childish behavior. If they were children, they'd get a spanking. But they're adults. We live in a narcissistic age.

Our kids are growing up in a world, a culture, that's teaching them, it's all about you, how much you make, how significant you are, how important your role is. There's no humility of heart. I rarely make statements that have a political bent to them, but I couldn't hold it back.

I've been talking about this to Cynthia forever, so it's your turn to listen to some of it. That's it. That's enough.

That's enough. But there's heart deep in the heart of the world. But there's heart deep humility in Jesus. I will never be shocked by something arrogant that he would say or do. There isn't a hint of that. There isn't a brief blush of that. It's disarming how gracious he was and is. Those people's mouths must have been gaping.

They've never heard things like this from their teachers. Real gentleness, heart deep, humility. Fourth, words that promise, I'll give you rest. In fact, interestingly, verse 28, rest is a verb. It's been added, I will give you, but literally, the verse reads, I will rest you. In other words, the ability to rest is in him, and he will cause that to occur in us. We'll gain an ability to live our lives at rest, not striving, not neurotically connected to the demands of life. We can rest through life.

It doesn't mean we spend our lives leaning back, doing nothing, or sitting alone and contemplating in front of us. It's not this kind of rest. It's a rest that is free of worry, tension. The synonym would be to refresh and revive. I will refresh you.

I will revive you. Chuck Swindoll is teaching from Matthew chapter 11. He titled today's message, Get Some Rest, and this is Insight for Living.

We've set aside several minutes to hear some closing comments from Chuck, so please stay with us. And to learn more about this ministry, please visit us online at insightworld.org. In light of the complicated issues facing our country and world today, it's possible you've come to a place of discouragement, perhaps fear, and quite candidly, your trust and confidence in God's sovereignty is waning.

These are natural responses when our world seems to be spinning out of control. Well, let me recommend a helpful book Chuck's written that will bolster your confidence. It's a tremendous resource for yourself or perhaps someone you love who's going through a challenging time. It's a devotional book called Perfect Trust. If you're ready to let go of the things you can't control, we believe you'll find the biblical insight in this book a game changer. And you'll find all the details about Chuck's devotional book called Perfect Trust at insight.org slash offer. Or if you prefer, call us.

If you're listening in the US, dial 1-800-772-8888. Insight for Living Ministries is a nonprofit organization made possible not by the purchase of books and resources, but through the voluntary donations of faithful supporters. The pandemic has collided with a variety of cultural issues that are pressing us into unfamiliar territory. And we're grateful for the loyal friends who've come alongside us with their generous donations, especially during this complicated season. Not long ago, we received a touching letter from Tammy. She wrote this, Chuck, lately I've been spiritually dry.

In fact, desert dry. Your messages were exactly what I needed to hear and I've been inspired to persevere no matter what. Well, Tammy, let me say this to you.

You are not alone. We've all been to those parched places of discouragement. Nothing satisfies more deeply than taking a sip of living water from the Word of God. Reminds me of Jeremiah's reassuring words, those who trust in the Lord are like trees planted along a riverbank with roots that reach deep into the water.

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And here's how to respond. The most convenient way to give is to go to insight.org slash donate or use our convenient mobile app. You can also speak with someone about giving a donation by calling us. If you're listening in the U.S., dial 1-800-772-8888 or go online to insight.org. I'm Dave Spiker. You're invited to listen again tomorrow when Chuck Swindoll talks about the importance of getting rest. Tune in for Insight for Living. The preceding message, Get Some Rest, was copyrighted in 2016 and 2021, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.