MBC - 1/5/1998 - Pastor Doug Thompson



MBC - 4/28/2013 - Pastor Doug Thompson

"Come to Me"

Matthew 11:16-30

Last week we read about John the Baptist and Jesus. They had both clearly preached that people repent and believe in Jesus as the Messiah-King sent from God. And in our passage for this morning, it’s as though Jesus stops and gives the invitation:

“So what will you do about what you have heard and seen? – I’m talking to you – who do you say that I am? Judgment Day is coming and I’m extending an invitation to escape God’s wrath, but the RSVP isn’t optional. You have to get off the fence and make a decision. Will you come to Me? Will you come to Me?” Let’s read it—

➢ Matthew 11:16–30 16“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, 17“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

➢ 20Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

➢ 25At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

➢ 28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

(pray)

It’s one of the most amazing truths in the Bible that a holy God would call sinful, undeserving men and women who have willfully chosen to reject Him to come back to Him:

➢ Isaiah 1:18 18“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

➢ Isaiah 55:1 1“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

➢ Matthew 25:34 34Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

➢ John 6:35 35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

➢ John 7:37 37On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

➢ Revelation 22:17 17The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

And when anyone comes, how are they received? Is it like turning yourself into the police? You get ‘cuffed, read your rights, and pray for a light sentence? It’s the opposite—

➢ Luke 15:22–24 22But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

➢ Lk.15.10 Jesus said “I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Sinners are invited to come to Jesus and have all their sins washed away, to become a part of God’s family, to know love, joy, and peace that is beyond their imagination, and then to live in a new heaven and earth forever!

The only thing more amazing is that most people refuse the invitation! They won’t come.

They are either offended by it – maybe because it’s addressed to “Dark-hearted, hell-deserving sinner – or resident!” Or they ignore it like a piece of junk mail, or spam in their inbox. “Yada-yada, yeah, yeah, I hope this sermon is short. I’m bored already. . .” The invitation to come and have eternal life ends up in the trash. Amazing.

This invitation from Jesus is for you this morning. What have you done it? Jesus describes those who refuse it, and why. Then, then those who accept it – why they come to Him, how they come to Him. I have prayed that everyone of you here will accept Jesus’ invitation.

I. Those who refuse to come to Jesus.

This is right after John’s doubts about Jesus, and Jesus’ answer to John. Jesus says that as popular as He and John seemed to be, most people rejected their message and refused Jesus’ invitation because they were—

A. The critical.

➢ Matthew 11:16–19 16“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, 17“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

In those days, moms would gather at the marketplace to shop, and their kids would play games. Their two favorite games were weddings and funerals, because these were the two major social events.

When they played "wedding," some kids were musicians and dancers, bride and groom, and the other kids were supposed to play along. And when they played "funeral:” ‘OK, who wants to be the mourners? Who wants to the pallbearers? Who wants to be the corpse?’ And the other kids were supposed to cry and play along. They would get irritated with the kids wouldn't go along with their games.

This is the way most of the people saw John the Baptist and Jesus.

When John first appeared on the scene, he was a novelty. It was fun to go out to the Jordan, see the weird guy eating bugs, and preaching hellfire. But that was getting old now. They were getting tired of all the talk of judgment and repentance: "John, you keep playing funeral, and we've moved on to wedding. What’s wrong with you? Do you have a demon or something?" That’s a pretty harsh thing to say about the man Jesus says was the greatest man among them.

And with Jesus, it was, "Jesus, You don't act like holy men should act! We think You should fast more and not have so much fun. Now we're playing funeral, and you aren't playing right!"

These were self-righteous, religious people who looked down on Jesus because He didn’t keep their man-made rules and traditions. And He didn’t praise them and point out how holy they were for being such meticulous law-keepers. Instead, He called them hypocrites and white-washed tombs. So they accused Him of being a drunkard – that was a lie – although He sure made a lot of good wine! And yes, He went to weddings and parties with unsavory people and He was a friend to tax-collectors and sinners. And He still is, aren’t you glad? Those who were societies outcasts were drawn to Jesus because they knew they needed a Savior.

So why did these people refuse Jesus' invitation to come to Him? They were critical. They had set themselves up as judges of the word instead of allowing the Word to judge them. But they weren’t really interested in the truth: all of their criticisms were just an excuse not to repent of their sins.

➢ So they criticized John, said he was too hard-core and judgmental, but the truth is, they didn’t want to part with their favorite sins. Have you ever know people who stopped coming to church for that reason?

➢ And they criticized Jesus because He didn’t leave any room for their self-righteous good works and legalism. They didn’t want to hear that the kingdom of God was for sinners and losers and little children. They weren’t sinners. They were sons of Abraham!

Application:

A critical, faultfinding attitude can keep you from coming to Jesus. That’s a heart problem that will quench the Spirit’s illuminating work. Don’t leave church saying: “that sermon was too long, or too dis-organized, or the illustrations were weird.” Leave church saying, “What was Christ saying to me through His Word? Did I hear Jesus?” Remember what we saw last Lord’s Day: we are saved and sanctified only through “hearing with faith” (Gal.3.2).

And I’ll tell you, if you are critical when you listen to the preacher, you will be critical when you read your Bible too. “This doesn’t make sense. Why did Jesus say that? This sounds like it contradicts what I read yesterday.” Let me just read – and you just listen – to what James said about how we should hear the Word of God—

➢ James 1:18–21 18Of His own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

"Stop your arguing and criticizing. Just be quiet and listen to Jesus speak through His Word. Stop judging the Word, and let it judge you.”

Look at the next group of people who refused His invitation to come to Him—

B. The complacent

➢ Matthew 11:20 20Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you. . .” [Stop right there]

Why did Jesus denounces these cities? Because they did not – repent. How should people respond to the Gospel? They should repent. Turn around. You can’t come to Jesus for eternal life unless you repent of your sins. The Gospel invitation isn’t, “Would you like to go to heaven? Would you like to have Jesus live in your heart and be your BFF?” The Gospel invitation is what John and Jesus both preached: “Repent and believe the Gospel!” These cities heard this invitation and ignored it.

And what is Jesus’ pronouncement? “Woe to you.” = “Judgment! Damnation to you!” We haven’t heard Jesus speak like this yet in Matthew’s Gospel. But are you hearing Him? Or are you criticizing Him?—

➢ “That’s not being nice, Jesus. That’s being harsh. People need encouragement Jesus.”

I just remind you: Be quiet. Hear the Word with faith.

Jesus is such a preacher of mercy that when He speaks like this, we need to hear Him. It’s fascinating that Jesus never preached judgment to pagans – His hellfire and judgment preaching were always reserved for those who thought they were the privileged people of God; they thought that they were the insiders, not the outsiders. I.e., Jesus always preached judgment to those who thought they were saved and in no danger of judgment.

And that was these Galilean cities. This is where "most of His miracles were done." These people didn't lack proof or opportunity to respond to Jesus. They couldn't say that the invitation got lost in the mail! They had seen Him raise people from the dead! If any people had seen the works of the Messiah, these people had. They weren’t critical of Jesus. They just ignored Him.

➢ Maybe they thought that they could just put it off. That is the danger of having spiritual privilege; you’ve been in church for years, you know what to do when you’re ready. You can pick up that invitation and RSVP later. So what's the rush?”

Famous last words of multitudes in hell.

Beloved, the Scriptures are so clear: spiritual privileges and advantages do not place you one inch closer to God--unless you respond to these privileges. And if you don’t, then the more spiritual advantages you have had, the more you will suffer in hell. That’s exactly what Jesus says—

➢ Matthew 11:21–24 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

This is mind-blowing. Jesus is talking about what theologians would call the “contingent knowledge of God” – He even knows the “what-if’s.” We say there are no what-if’s with God, but Jesus says here that God gave light where He knew it would be rejected, and withheld it where He knows it would have been accepted. Amazing.

And those who never had the light will receive less judgment than those who had the light and rejected it. So what would others do with the privileges you have been given?

➢ When the Iron Curtain came down in Eastern Europe, Bible didn’t need to be smuggled in. They were brought in by the truckloads! And I remember hearing of people pushing and shoving to get their hands on the Word of God. Can you imagine that ever happening here in Middletown, or Santa Rosa? We are drowning in the light; so many churches and so much knowledge of the Scriptures available, and most people here couldn't care less about their souls. They don’t come to Jesus.

It’s so sobering to think about what Jesus is saying: Remember what God did to Sodom and Gomorrah--and the day of judgment for those people is still coming. But if you’ve ever been to this church, even once, you have heard more than those folks ever heard. And if you don’t repent and come to Jesus, Sodom and Gomorrah will fare better than you on judgment day.

For most of us, our mailbox is stuffed with invitations. If Jesus Himself has granted that you should not only hear, but hear again and again the invitation to come, and you refuse, not once, but over and over--what will you say in the day of judgment? You’ve just heard what Jesus will say to you, “Woe to you!”

In v.25, Jesus turns from speaking to men, to speaking to His Father--

II. The only reason anyone comes to Jesus.

➢ Matthew 11:25–27 25At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

What has been hidden from some and revealed to others? The Gospel, the message that must be heard, and believed to be saved.

➢ 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

In Luke’s version it says “In that same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank You, Father . . . for so it pleased you well.”

There are only two places in the Gospels where Jesus is said to rejoice, and this is one of them, and He is rejoicing along with the Holy Spirit, and the Father is well pleased. Over what? Why the joy in the Godhead?

➢ You have to get this: It’s because the Father, Son, and Spirit are so devoted to exalting God’s free, sovereign will that they rejoice when He has His own way in choosing and saving a people for Himself! He passes over those the world thinks would deserve heaven, and instead He chooses those the world thinks are like little helpless, naïve children. Losers. So human pride is humbled, God’s freedom and grace are exalted, and He gets all the glory. I.e., Jesus rejoices over God’s sovereignty in salvation, do you?

He’s giving us a pop quiz, isn’t He? “Are you going to rejoice over the way God saves people, or are you going to complain and criticize Him for it? Or are you going to be like so many complacent Christians who don’t want to think about things like election, it’s just too deep and complicated?” But it’s right here! Jesus is the One who brought it up, not pastor Doug! And if you care about God’s glory, then you should love this doctrine of God’s free sovereign grace as much as Jesus loved it! Don’t flunk the quiz this morning.

I ask myself why Jesus would bring this up – why not just cut to the invitation? But He did, and I’ll tell why:

➢ He is saying, "Those who come to Me need to understand why it is that they came: it’s only because of the grace of My Father. If He doesn't draw you, you will not come. And if you find yourself drawn, it is only because He has taken away your heart of stone and given you a heart of flesh. You didn’t just decide to come to me in your state of spiritual death. If your eyes were opened, God is the One who has opened them. And if you have sight, God has given you that sight. Thank Him that you are coming to Me. Give God the glory--Soli Deo Gloria!

This is what Jesus is saying: “To display the glory of God as having the only truly free will in the universe, He freely chooses to hide Himself to some and reveal Himself to others. Dustin preached up a storm the other night at RGM, and he read this passage—

➢ Matthew 16:13–17 Jesus . . . asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

If you know who Jesus is, oh, give thanks to God for revealing Him to you!

That’s God’s side, and then, in the very next verses, Jesus gives man’s side. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are placed side by side, and we need to believe and accept both. After telling us that God ultimately decides who will know His Son, and the Son is the sole revealer of the Father, Jesus offers an invitation that is for anyone and everyone who can hear it or read it. It’s for all of us this morning.

➢ Matthew 11:28–30 28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

III. The only way anyone comes.

A. As trusting children.

In verse 25, Jesus says that the ones to whom the Father reveals His Son are like little children. Turn over to—

➢ Matthew 18:2–4 2And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus meant that you will only come to Him, when you give up your pride and self-sufficiency, and independence – and come like a humble, needy, dependent, and trusting child.

➢ I remember my kids coming to me crying, after some accident: “Daddy, I need you!” No pride, no shame. They needed help, and they needed their dad. That’s the only way any one will come to Jesus.

He’s not talking about people who are unintelligent or weak. He is talking about people who, in spite of their intelligence or personal strengths, give it all up to trust in Jesus. His wisdom. His strength. His salvation. They’ve been down the road of trusting themselves and it was a dead end. But now they see the glory of God in the face of Christ, and they run to Him.

➢ You've seen rides that have the signs that say, "You must be at least this tall to ride this ride!" The sign above the narrow gate that leads to Jesus and eternal life says, "You must be this small to come through this gate." It's not just narrow, it's short. You can't get through it with your head held high. You have to get small.

B. Weary and worn-out.

➢ "all who labor and are heavy-laden,"

Tired and weighed down: “Are you weak and heavy laden? Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.”

Jesus is talking about people who have been trying to earn heaven. They heard it said that "God helps those who help themselves," and they rolled up their sleeves and went at it. What caused them to collapse and give up? God opened their eyes! They finally saw what His law required--absolute perfection. They weren't even making a dent. So they collapsed at the foot of the cross and cried out, "Jesus, I give up. I can't save myself. Unless you save me, I'm lost!"

➢ And Jesus promises anyone who comes to Him like that, He will give them rest. Don’t you love that word – rest! Why can we rest? Because Jesus finished the work! He took the burden of the Law on Himself, and finished it. In its place, He give us rest!

And there is another kind of people Jesus was talking about who are exhausted. Those who have tried to find happiness through sinful pleasures. They listened to the world’s lies and they know that’s a dead end too. Partying didn’t satisfy: it was like being in the middle of the ocean dying of thirst and drinking salt water and getting thirstier with every drink. Have you been exhausted by sin? Sin never gives rest, here or in eternity because there’s no rest for the wicked.

But if you’ve been worn out by your own self-effort and by your sins, and you are helpless, like a little child, what did Jesus say? “Come to Me!”

➢ John 7:37–38 “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

➢ John 6:35 35Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Did you hear it? In both of those statements coming to Jesus = believing in Jesus. Trusting in who He is, and what He has done for those who come to Him. That’s how you eat, that’s how you drink, that’s how you come – by believing Jesus and doing what He says, over and over.

Let me expand on this:

➢ 1.) You come to Jesus through His Word. You can’t believe Jesus unless you know what He has said, and all the Scriptures bring you to Jesus.

➢ 2.) You come to Jesus through confession. When you confess your sins, you are believing what Jesus says about your sins; that they deserve judgment, and that He has taken that judgment on Himself.

➢ 3.) You come to Jesus through prayer. He tells us, “ask, seek, knock!” When you are weary and need rest, pour your heart out to Him in prayer. When you are hungry and thirsty and nothing is filling the void, come to Him and ask Him to fill you.

➢ 4.) You come to Jesus when you witness for Him, and when you serve Him in His name because He promised His Holy Spirit’s power and presence when you go out in His name. It’s when we go out to all the world to make disciples that He promised, “I am with you always.”

➢ 5.) You come to Jesus when you suffer for bearing His name. Paul said that he would suffer for Jesus that he might know the fellowship, the communion of Jesus’ sufferings.

➢ 6.) You come to Jesus through coming to His table in faith. The Scriptures tell us that we have communion with Him when we come.

C. As disciples –

➢ 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

So how do we come to Jesus for rest and also take on His yoke? You know the answer: we find rest the more we believe Jesus and obey what He says. The more you submit to Him as your Teacher and Lord, the more rest you find for your souls. The truth is, He is the Teacher and He is the Lesson too! And He is “gentle, and lowly in heart.” Oh, come to Jesus and find out! And the harder you work at knowing Him and obeying His Word, the more rest you will find.

➢ 1 John 5:3 3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Sin is a burden. Amen? Self-righteousness is a huge burden. But obeying Jesus is what you were created for! So come to Jesus, and believe, drink, learn, obey, and find rest and peace beyond what you could ever imagine.

What will you do with Jesus' invitation to come to Him? Why would you refuse? Don’t wait, don’t put it off, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” Come unto Jesus and be saved. Come to Jesus and find rest. Come to Jesus and find eternal, abundant life.

Come, you weary, heavy laden, bruised and broken by the fall;

If you tarry ‘til you’re better, you will never come at all.

Not the righteous, not the righteous, sinners Jesus came to call,

Sinners Jesus came to call.

Let not conscience make you linger, nor of fitness fondly dream;

All the fitness He requires, is to feel your need of Him.

This He gives you, this He gives you, listen to the Spirit’s voice.

Listen to the Spirit’s voice.

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