Welcome to Truth for Life, where today we begin a brand new series titled Come to Me. In this short study, Alistair Begg unpacks the greatest invitation any of us. could ever receive, one that comes from the Lord Jesus Himself. We'll find out why his invitation is unlike any other as we focus on Matthew chapter 11. Beginning at verse twenty eight.
Well, we are all familiar. With the privilege of both extending and receiving invitations. And I don't know how things operate in your house, but sometimes the mail is picked up by one of us and is seen before the other person. And so conversations unfold along these lines. Did you see we had an invitation?
From whom? For what? For when Is it R S V P? No, it's regrets only. And so that's the way it goes.
And the invitation has a deadline. And we have occasion to say you better hurry up and do something with that, because every invitation demands a decision. And I begin in that way because here at the end of Matthew 11, you have this amazing, gracious invitation. that comes from the lips of the Lord Jesus himself. Verse 28 to 30.
Just look at it again. Jesus extends this invitation, come to me. All 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. We're going to deal with this, or be dealt by this, by looking simply at the verbs. Come. Take Learn Find.
And we begin this morning. Paying our attention to the first part of this invitation with the verb. Come. Now, there are many ways that we could go ahead to expand this, to tackle it. I want to simply make three observations concerning this.
There are these. First of all, to recognize that this invitation is timeless. Secondly, that it is personal. And thirdly, that it is universal. First of all, then, it's timeless.
We could actually say it is eternal, for that would be true. Most invitations have a deadline. And so we have to make sure that within the time frame of the invitation and the actual event, we have made a decision as to whether we are participating, attending or not. But this invitation has no deadline in the sense that two thousand years on from the occasion on which this invitation was extended to his listeners, the invitation still stands. Here we are this morning, and we live in the 21st century, far, far away from the dress and the context and the lives of those who were the first listeners to this.
And yet It is timeless. You say, well, why is it timeless? On what basis can we say this? On the basis of two. Number one.
because of the identity of the one who extends the invitation. God who stands outside of time has stepped down into time in the person of the Lord Jesus. And Matthew has recorded for us here in chapter 11 the investigation that was taking place as a result of John the Baptist being in jail. Uh they want to know in verse uh three When John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, that is the Messiah, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? And Jesus says, Well, you should go back and tell John.
What you hear and see. What's he referring to? Were he referring to his preaching, his teaching? And he's referring to the impact that he has made on the lives of people, and he does so by making it clear. That, what the prophecy of Isaiah said concerning the Messiah who was to come.
Is actually fulfilled in him. That's why in verse 4 he says: Let John know that the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, and so on.
Now that is a remarkable claim, isn't it? Christ's life and Christ's preaching. are the true revelation of God the Father. That's what we discover here. How is it that God makes himself known?
finally and savingly in Jesus. Remember in John 14, in one of our passages, Jesus says quite categorically: whoever has seen me has seen the Father. And then Philip says, Show us the Father, and that will suffice us. I love Philip for that. Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
When Paul writes concerning Jesus in Colossians 2 and in verse 9, he says of Jesus, in him. The fullness of the Godhead Dwells. Bodily. In Jesus All that can be known of God in humanity is expressed in the Lord Jesus. Why is it that his invitation matters today, 2,000 years after he walked on the earth?
Because of who he is.
So Very well. The invitation is timeless on account of its source. And it is secondarily timeless, because it applies to the needs of the listeners. Who are these people that he is addressing?
Well, particularly he says, All of you who labor and are heavy laden. Again, the context has to do with all of the Laws and concerns that the scribes and the Pharisees were meticulous about. Um driving home. Adding to that their own little accretions and bits and pieces, so that it became a phenomenal burden for people. To try somehow or another to live the life that God intended.
And that's why people said, you know, we like the teaching of Jesus. He actually makes sense. And he speaks clearly. And he doesn't try and tie us up in knots the way some of these religious leaders do. He recognizes that as he looks out on the people to whom he is speaking, They have longings, they have burdens, they have needs, they have cares.
Where are they going to find relief? For the soul-crushing burdens and anxiety, for the sense of frustration. that lays down upon them. Oh you say that sounds very up-to-date. For we are people who know what it is.
to labor. and be burdened. And heavy laden? This would be a strange invitation if it was locked somewhere away in the past. But it doesn't.
When we preach from Sunday to Sunday, when we look upon one another, as we've said before, Whatever our external framework, Our lives are often marked by hidden fears deep-seated concerns. that we would be worried if even the people that know us best were to discover it.
So what Jesus is addressing here is not peculiar, as I say, to the first century. And many people today, and you may be one of them particularly. You find yourself on a Sunday morning like this hoping against hope that somewhere there is rest. That somewhere there is relief. If only we could find the key.
to obtaining it. And Jesus calls out from they're a long way away. calls into the culture of our world. in all of its institutional life. This addresses law, This addresses education.
This is addressing government. This addresses business. You go amongst people as you do. You live your life amongst people. Do you find that they're all so well adjusted?
that they're happily secure. That they're going about their business with a sort of tranquility that is almost unbelievable. No, I think you don't. I am a boomer. The most uh the oldest boomers at the present time are seventy-eight.
years of age. Thirteen years ago, Uh the boomers who were at that point the oldest sixty five were described as men and women. who knew that they were living longer. Nursing disappointments at how their lives had been turning out. They were self-aware.
Self-absorbed. Feeling somewhat self satisfied, and at the same time victims of self-pity. Because They were hanging on to the post-Enlightenment idea. that somehow or another We can dispense with any notion of revelation. any notion of God invading time.
Any idea that somehow or another he has spoken finally in his son and he speaks clearly in the scriptures, we can dispense with that. Instead, we can find in reason The answer to our Morality or immorality? And the Answer to the meaning. of our lives. But it all collapsed.
Fast forward through Gen X. Gen Y Gen Z And we've now arrived at the alpha generation. Born between 2010 and 2020.
So this is all they know. You tell them about price button A and price button B, they think you're a Neanderthal. And in some senses we are. And we're still to see what this generation is going to make of it. Whether the characteristics described of youth In the book by Myers and American Paradox.
will prove as true in this generation as it is proved in w X and Y and Z. In that book, Myers wrote. refers to these young people. And he's referring not to people who are from an impoverished context, but those who have come from secure backgrounds. but find themselves baffled by a sense of emptiness.
Their self-esteem is high. but their self is empty. They're told they can be anything they want to be. But they don't know what they want to be. They're unhappy.
but with no obvious cause for their unhappiness. They're connected to more people through social media. And yet they've never felt more alone. wanting to be accepted. And you had feeling Alienate it.
And from the Man in Black album by Johnny Cash. and the lonely voice of youth. Cries. What is truth? Still cries.
They were crying it in the first century. They've cried it in every century. sense. What an amazing weariness. To spend your life searching, searching, searching.
for that which will mean Relief Rest. Salvation. And at the same time. Not here in the invitation. as it comes.
All down through the corridor of time. Timeless. The invitation sounds. Secondly, It's not only timeless, but it also personal. That's straightforward, isn't it?
Come to me. Come to me. The invitation of Jesus, when he goes by the seaside, as we've seen, he says to the disciples, Follow me. Follow me. He says to those who become part of his band, trust me.
Trust me. It's not an invitation to religion. It's not an invitation to duty. It's not an invitation to embrace ordinances or a structure of existence. He is extending this invitation.
to all who have ears to hear.
Now, when we studied in in John Um we paid careful attention in John chapter 6. to the passage that Helps us with this. And then, as you go through the Gospel, Jesus is introducing Himself again and again. Not only am I the bread of life here in chapter 6, but I am the light of the world. In chapter 8, what does he say?
I am the light of the world. He doesn't say, I am a light in the world, he says, I am the light of the world. Do you remember how John begins? In him was life. And that life was the light of man.
He comes into the darkness. of the great quest for meaning. and for freedom from a guilty conscience. As the light of the world, He is the door. I am the door, chapter 10.
If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. And since we've been in Matthew and in Luke and in John. Let's give Mark just a little cry out. In chapter 10, because I was studying it this week, this little scene came to my mind. Mark chapter 10.
Verse 46. And they came to Jericho, and as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus.
Son of David, have mercy on me. And many rebuked him. Tell him to be silent. But he cried out all the more.
Son of David. Have mercy on me. And Jesus stopped. and said Call him. And they called the blind man, saying to him, Take heart.
Get up. He's calling you. That may be a word directly into your life this morning without me having any knowledge of it at all. You're sidelined. You've become aware of the fact that you're a blind man.
or a blind woman. And you're saying to yourself, How do I get out of this labyrinth in existence? How do I get out of this into the light? Take heart. Get up.
He's calling you. Personally. Personally, He knows your name. As you know, that usually triggers a song. Which he did.
Hi. I remembered it from my youth again. I didn't realize that it had been written by George Beverly Shea. And he picks up on the scene that we just considered in Mark chapter 10, and he wrote these words: one sat alone. beside the highway begging.
His eyes were blind. the light he couldn't see. He clutched his rags and shivered in the shadows. Then Jesus came. And bid his darkness flee.
And then he goes from there to the scene in the garden where the man is cutting himself with stones, the demoniac. And he writes, From home and friends. The evil spirits drove him. Among the tombs he dwelled in misery. He cut himself.
as demon powers possessed him. Then Jesus came. and set the captive free. When Jesus comes, The tempter's power is broken. When Jesus comes, The tears are wiped away.
He takes the bloom. and fills a life with glory. For all has changed. When Jesus comes to say, You see, that's the testimony. of someone who understands has responded to the invitation.
Realizing that it has reached down through the corridors of time right into your teenage life, right into your successful business career, right into your work in the lab. And this is your testimony.
Well, but somebody says, I don't think this testimony, I don't think this invitation is for me at all. Can I tell you you're wrong? This is our final observation. It's not only timeless or eternal and personal, it is also universal. You'll notice that the terminology is straightforward.
Come to me. All you who are weary and heavy laden. It goes out to all because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It comes to all who are made aware of their need. You know, when you go to the dentist, you think you're fine until he uses that implement.
And all of a sudden you're like, whoa, that what's that? He said, well, that is something that needs attention. You go to church, you want to feel good. And suddenly the Spirit of God uses the implement. Whoa!
What is that? That's something that needs attention. How gracious. to give the diagnosis. to prescribe The answer to the predicament.
The invitation comes to those who are burdened by religion. to those who are wearied by a search for significance. And Jesus receives men and women, not on the basis of merit, not on the basis of worthiness. When you go back and study this on your own, as I hope you will, you will see that the preceding verses, before we get to verse 28, make it perfectly clear. That in the plan of God The way in which God planned for men and women to embrace Jesus as a Savior.
was not on the strength of wisdom or on the strength of education. If You operated on that basis, then only certain one of us, by dint of our absence of intellect, would be able to come to trust Jesus. But Jesus is the one who says, unless you become as a little child, you will never enter it. There's the problem. Often in a congregation like this.
filled with human achievers. filled with university graduates. Filled with people with post-graduate qualifications, with secure jobs. Being able to give your CV out and explain to everybody that you, because of you, have been enabled to do all these things, and there's nothing wrong with that. But the trouble is That the wise and the clever bring with them a peculiar sense of self-sufficiency.
And that self-sufficiency will bar you. from trusting in Jesus. It is only when we recognize that in ourselves we have nothing to offer. save the sin from which we need to be forgiven. You say, well, are you suggesting somehow or another wise and clever people I don't rejoice in salvation.
No, not for a moment. There are many wise and clever people in this congregation who will tell you the same story. But the way they came to know the story was not on the strength of their intellect. It was on the basis of the fact that they bowed their knees before Christ. And he said, you know what, I am weary.
And I am burdened. And I'm not making a go of this at all. And suddenly, the penny is dropping. I realize that you're the one calling out to me. I've been reading these books.
I've been thinking. I've been listening to my friends. But now I hear your voice. The invitation calls. for the response.
Have you responded to the invitation of Jesus? Have you been able to say I I heard the voice of Jesus say, Come to me and rest. Are you able to say I came to Jesus as I was? Weary, worn. Sad.
I found in him a resting place. He's made me glad. And if not, Why not today? Why not just acknowledge the reality? That we're all in need of a Saviour.
That we're all fragile creatures. that we'd be made by him and for him, that we might love him and follow him and serve him. And despite our rebellious wills, Despite our indifference towards it. He calls out to us. It's an amazing invitation.
Don't miss the deadline. There is a deadline. disappointed unto man. wants to die. And after this, comes judgment.
How gracious of God. to send such an invitation.
So personal.
So universal in its appeal.
So timeless. You're listening to Truth for Life with Alastair Begg. Have you responded to Jesus' timeless personal Universal invitation. If you'd like to hear or read more about This, you can visit our website truthforlife.org slash learn more. Let me also mention that today is the last day.
We're offering a book called Grounded in Grace: Helping Kids Build Their Identity in Christ. The book is available by request when you give a donation. And if you've not yet received your copy, this is a book you'll want to read if you are a parent or a grandparent with a teenager, or if you're a school teacher or a youth pastor. Grounded in Grace takes a close-up look at how our culture encourages teens to find their identity based on their feelings or their emotions. That includes things like sexual orientation or moral boundaries.
And of course this is in sharp contrast to what the Bible teaches, which assures us our identity comes from God and is nurtured by God for our salvation and for His glory. Ask for your copy of the book Grounded in Grace today when you donate to Truth for Life online at truthforlife. org slash donate or call us at eight eight eight five eight eight seven eight eight four.
Now, we're glad you joined us to study God's Word today. Tomorrow, we'll find out how something completely unexpected. can be the means to true freedom. The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life. Where the Learning is for Living.
