Failed But Not Finished - 9
Burdens or Blessings? - Matthew 11 Verses 28 to 30
Over these past weeks we’ve been looking at Bible characters who failed, but were not finished. This time it will be a little different, although the message will be the same…you may have failed but God hasn’t finished with you yet! As I have prayed about this talk, God has led me to look at the last three verses of the eleventh chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. Just listen as I read the words of Jesus to you, and let them sink deep into your mind and heart: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light". We’re going to look at these verses under three headings, Problems, Promises and Partnership.
Problems
As the Lord Jesus Christ spoke these powerful words He knew that there were many problems deep in the hearts of those people who were listening to Him. There were men and women all around Him who had failed! Some had tried their best to please God, but over and over again they had discovered that they didn’t have the strength to resist the temptations which were pressing in upon them. No doubt there were some who had made a personal commitment, and seemed to go on well for a little while, then they had fallen into disobedience and sin. There were many who were longing to enjoy a better quality of life, but each time they turned over a new leaf they didn’t have the inner power to keep it up. All around Jesus that day there were people with problems.
As I talk to you right now, the scene hasn’t changed; I am speaking to men and women and young people whose hearts are heavy. You, too, have problems and burdens weighing you down, and there doesn’t seem to be anything you can do about it. Many of you have made a personal commitment to Christ, but your Christian life has been one of failure and disappointment.
You feel as though each day is a struggle and you don’t know which way to turn. Perhaps you have a guilty conscience; many of your friends think that you are going on with God, but in your heart you know the truth. There’s no peace and joy in your life because of sin. Perhaps your sin has to do with sexual desires which you can’t control, or strong drink which is getting the better of you. Perhaps you are playing with harmful drugs which you know should not form part of your behaviour; maybe its pornography which is fouling your mind, or it may be a temper you can’t control. For some of you its marital strife which makes you feel a complete hypocrite in view of your profession as a Christian. For others, its a deep hatred against someone who has done you harm in your past, and you just don’t feel able to forgive them.
Whatever it is that is pressing in upon your heart and mind, it’s a problem too big for you to handle; a burden too heavy for you to bear. Well, I’ve great news for you! You may have failed, but you’re not finished! The same Lord Jesus Christ who looked into the faces of all the people around Him that day, is God’s Son, and He looks into our faces, and indeed right into our hearts, today. He knows the problems we’re facing and the burdens we’re bearing even better than we know them ourselves, and He comes to us with His glorious …
Promises
Listen again to His words: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest"!
And as I have just reminded you, the One who says these words is God’s Son, with all the power and authority of heaven at His command. There is no-one whose problem is too great for Him to solve, no-one who is beyond His love, no-one whose burden is too heavy for Him to lift.
Perhaps your heart cries out with the hymn-writer:
My Saviour Thou hast promised rest, O give it then to me,
The rest of ceasing from myself, to find my all in Thee.
Well, just what is Christ promising to the burdened heart in the verse we are considering? Rest! That is a peace of heart and mind which will give us calm in the midst of storm, a quiet and inner strength in the face of oppression and persecution, and the sure knowledge of His Presence with us, just when we need Him the most!
Now, all this sounds too good to be true! We may well ask "Are there any conditions attached to this wonderful promise?", and the answer is "Yes". The condition is that we must "Come to Him". You may say "Well, that sounds very easy", but please don’t forget that the Bible message is clear; when we come to Christ we must come in repentance and faith. There must be a genuine desire on our part to turn from our sin and failure. The words of the Apostle Peter are as true now as when they were first spoken: "Repent then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" (Acts 3 verse 19). Confession of sin involves repentance; a real hatred of our sin and a determination to forsake it. If we come to Him in that state of heart and mind, then the promise is for us! He will forgive, He will purify, He will lift our burden, He will give us rest.
Perhaps you are not a Christian; you have never made that all-important first step of confession of sin, repentance and faith. Well, the promise is for you, too. In John 6 verse 37 the Lord Jesus Himself said: "Whoever comes to Me I will never drive away". There is wonderful acceptance with Him. There may be others who are saying "Well, I’m only too ready to come, but I could never ‘keep it up’. I would fall to the first temptation"!
Thank God, these verses have a message that will meet this problem, too, for finally we will look at …
Partnership
The last part of this text is very important. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me". The picture is of the Eastern oxen, yoked to each other so that they can work together. Once we’ve been cleansed from our sin, Jesus is inviting us to be yoked with Him in a wonderful partnership. He is the One who has lived down here, facing temptation, opposition and finally death upon a cross. He knows our difficulties, sympathises with us in our problems and is able to share our disappointments. He knows what it is like to be tired, hungry and homeless. He has experienced the heartache of seeing His own family turn against Him. Even His disciples, His close friends, all forsook Him and fled, just when He needed them the most! You can depend upon the Lord Jesus, but He does look for our trust and obedience.
Will you come to Him today, and experience His rest? Will you take His yoke of Partnership and walk in step with Him? Will you know His Friendship every day, as you trust Him to do what He has promised? May God bless you richly.