WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.819 their sin exposed before all. So what happens? 00:00:03.859 --> 00:00:06.879 They hide. Because here's what people fear. They 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:09.000 fear that if people really knew me, they would 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:13.179 not want me. I would be rejected. And it's to 00:00:13.179 --> 00:00:17.059 these weary people that Jesus speaks words of 00:00:17.059 --> 00:00:20.219 comfort and he says, come to me, you who labor 00:00:20.219 --> 00:00:23.519 and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.100 In our text this morning, it's very easy to see, 00:00:26.339 --> 00:00:28.820 Jesus makes an offer of rest to those carrying 00:00:28.820 --> 00:00:31.719 this heavy burden from which they cannot free 00:00:31.719 --> 00:00:35.780 themselves. They must come to Christ. Jesus' 00:00:35.780 --> 00:00:38.119 offer of rest, it is good news. And what is good 00:00:38.119 --> 00:00:42.020 news? It's the gospel. And we see here this morning, 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:45.119 the gospel of Christ does not demand that we 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:49.420 come and try harder, that we come and do more. 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:53.439 Rather, there's a promise. The Son of the Living 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:57.700 God offers to remove the crushing burden and 00:00:57.700 --> 00:01:02.240 give people true and lasting rest to any weary 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:06.120 soul who will come to Him. This is the promise. 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:08.319 Now we've been in Matthew 11 for several weeks 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:11.480 now and this chapter really is all about differing 00:01:11.480 --> 00:01:13.719 responses of the ways in which people responded 00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:16.319 to Jesus. Some, we see at the very beginning, 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:19.599 were confused by Him. Some flat out rejected 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:23.700 Him and some embraced Him. Matthew 11 begins 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:25.840 with John the Baptist. Remember John the Baptist 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:27.939 is sitting in prison and it begins to have some 00:01:27.939 --> 00:01:32.780 doubts. He's confused. Is Jesus truly the Messiah 00:01:32.780 --> 00:01:35.459 or should we look for someone else? And of course 00:01:35.459 --> 00:01:38.540 Jesus sends back objective testimony. Go and 00:01:38.540 --> 00:01:41.079 tell John all that you've seen and heard and 00:01:41.079 --> 00:01:43.819 he lists all the miracles. But then we move from 00:01:43.819 --> 00:01:46.620 John the Baptist to three cities that are mentioned. 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:48.980 We talked about these last week. They're there 00:01:48.980 --> 00:01:52.659 in Galilee, northern Israel, Chorazin, Bethsaida, 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:55.719 and Capernaum. And these cities were the ones 00:01:55.719 --> 00:01:59.280 in which Jesus did most of his miracles. Yet 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:02.500 despite the incontrovertible evidence of his 00:02:02.500 --> 00:02:06.959 miracles, by and large these cities rejected 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:10.460 him. And today this chapter will end with a group 00:02:10.460 --> 00:02:14.879 who receives Jesus and his offer of rest. Last 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:17.780 week was all about judgment. Jesus pronounced 00:02:17.780 --> 00:02:20.400 judgment upon those who had seen His miracles, 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:25.860 had first -hand access to His ministry, but they 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:28.780 didn't repent. They didn't change their lives 00:02:28.780 --> 00:02:32.000 in light of His coming. And immediately the Lord 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:34.719 then announces a woe, an impending judgment upon 00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:39.139 these people. But after He does so, after pronouncing 00:02:39.139 --> 00:02:43.099 judgment, He prays. He prays to His Father, thanking 00:02:43.099 --> 00:02:46.639 Him for the wisdom of His plan. And you see that 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:50.639 in verses 25 and 26. Jesus said, I thank you, 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:53.180 Father, Lord of heaven and earth, he's the only 00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:55.460 Lord, that you have hidden these things from 00:02:55.460 --> 00:02:58.080 the wise and prudent, and you have revealed them 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:02.639 to babes, even so, Father, for so it seemed good 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:07.199 in your sight. Some were confused by Jesus, some 00:03:07.199 --> 00:03:12.280 rejected Jesus, and some received Jesus. Why? 00:03:13.789 --> 00:03:15.909 What made the difference between the three groups? 00:03:17.069 --> 00:03:19.449 We don't have to wonder our Lord clearly lays 00:03:19.449 --> 00:03:22.949 out the answer to that question Jesus said to 00:03:22.949 --> 00:03:25.610 his father You have hidden these things from 00:03:25.610 --> 00:03:28.949 the wise and prudent and you have revealed them 00:03:28.949 --> 00:03:34.349 to babes. What made the difference? God God made 00:03:34.349 --> 00:03:36.629 the difference Now this is just what the text 00:03:36.629 --> 00:03:39.030 says to some he revealed the truth about Christ 00:03:39.030 --> 00:03:41.650 and For others he allowed that truth to remain 00:03:41.650 --> 00:03:46.050 hidden Very clear what he's saying there. Jesus, 00:03:46.050 --> 00:03:49.469 in fact, says God the Father had hidden these 00:03:49.469 --> 00:03:53.449 things. What are the these things to which Jesus 00:03:53.449 --> 00:03:57.030 is referring that were hidden? It refers to the 00:03:57.030 --> 00:04:00.689 truth of Jesus and his identity as Messiah and 00:04:00.689 --> 00:04:05.030 Savior. Some were given eyes to see Jesus as 00:04:05.030 --> 00:04:10.770 Messiah. Others were not. And Jesus said that 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:14.930 was God's good plan. Even so, Father, so it seems 00:04:14.930 --> 00:04:20.709 good in your sight. Human initiative and natural 00:04:20.709 --> 00:04:25.170 human understanding can never discern the truth 00:04:25.170 --> 00:04:29.709 of Jesus that is only ever given as a gift from 00:04:29.709 --> 00:04:34.129 God. Paul wrote about this in the second chapter 00:04:34.129 --> 00:04:37.250 of 1 Corinthians, verse 14. The natural man, 00:04:37.250 --> 00:04:39.209 that's the man that's born of Adam, that's all 00:04:39.209 --> 00:04:41.819 of us before coming to Christ. The natural man 00:04:41.819 --> 00:04:43.699 does not receive the things of the Spirit of 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:47.500 God. He doesn't receive them for their foolishness 00:04:47.500 --> 00:04:51.639 to him, nor can he know them. It's impossible 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:54.839 because they are spiritually discerned. What 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:57.180 does it mean to be spiritually discerned? They 00:04:57.180 --> 00:05:01.480 are revealed by the Holy Spirit of God. That 00:05:01.480 --> 00:05:04.300 means man, without God's grace or unaided by 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:09.519 grace, is incapable of understanding and discerning 00:05:09.529 --> 00:05:13.110 spiritual truth. Or we could say it this way, 00:05:13.430 --> 00:05:16.589 man cannot see unless God grants him grace to 00:05:16.589 --> 00:05:21.310 see. He will remain blind. The only way you or 00:05:21.310 --> 00:05:23.870 I or anyone else living on this planet can understand 00:05:23.870 --> 00:05:27.569 the truth of God is if God opens the heart and 00:05:27.569 --> 00:05:31.230 the eyes of that man or woman to see and understand 00:05:31.230 --> 00:05:34.910 the truth of the Son. That's it. Now this is 00:05:34.910 --> 00:05:36.970 easily seen in Peter's confession. Remember the 00:05:36.970 --> 00:05:40.129 Apostle Peter. He is the leader of the apostolic 00:05:40.129 --> 00:05:42.389 band. He's the one that rose to the top. When 00:05:42.389 --> 00:05:44.350 they're all mentioned, Peter's always the first. 00:05:45.589 --> 00:05:49.129 Now, in Matthew 16, Peter makes that great confession. 00:05:50.089 --> 00:05:52.990 When Jesus came into the region, Caesarea Philippi, 00:05:53.569 --> 00:05:56.870 he asked his disciples, who do men say that I 00:05:56.870 --> 00:05:59.310 am? Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? 00:05:59.870 --> 00:06:01.629 So they began answering. Well, some say you're 00:06:01.629 --> 00:06:04.290 John the Baptist. Some say you're Elijah, and 00:06:04.290 --> 00:06:08.680 others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. And 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:11.399 he said, well, who do you say that I am? He's 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:13.220 asking plural. Who do you all say that I am? 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:17.579 Peter, the leader, answered and said, you are 00:06:17.579 --> 00:06:20.740 the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are 00:06:20.740 --> 00:06:24.000 Messiah. You are the promised seed to come, in 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:26.839 other words. Jesus, not denying it at all, but 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:28.959 affirming it, he answered and said to him, blessed 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:32.279 are you, blessed, favored by God are you, Simon 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:36.199 bar Jonah, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and 00:06:36.199 --> 00:06:38.839 blood, humanity, your own natural inclination 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:42.779 has not revealed this to you, that my Father 00:06:42.779 --> 00:06:46.339 who's in heaven. The reason, Peter, you understand 00:06:46.339 --> 00:06:48.399 that is because my Father, the one in heaven, 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:51.019 revealed it to you. And this gives us incredible 00:06:51.019 --> 00:06:54.980 insight. Jesus said that the fact that the Apostle 00:06:54.980 --> 00:06:58.540 Peter had come to know and understand that he, 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:01.100 Jesus, was the Messiah was because the Father 00:07:01.100 --> 00:07:03.860 had chosen in his good pleasure to reveal that 00:07:03.860 --> 00:07:06.550 to Peter. That means the confession that he just 00:07:06.550 --> 00:07:09.149 made did not come through his own insight, nor 00:07:09.149 --> 00:07:11.509 did it come through his own reason. Now keep 00:07:11.509 --> 00:07:14.529 in mind all that Peter had seen. Peter had been 00:07:14.529 --> 00:07:17.110 with Jesus from the beginning. He had seen Jesus 00:07:17.110 --> 00:07:19.769 do extraordinary miracles. He was there at the 00:07:19.769 --> 00:07:21.689 Sherman on the Mount when Jesus taught with such 00:07:21.689 --> 00:07:23.990 authority that no other scribe or Pharisee had 00:07:23.990 --> 00:07:28.110 ever done. He saw with his own eyes the Lord 00:07:28.110 --> 00:07:30.490 heal the sick, including his own mother -in -law. 00:07:30.569 --> 00:07:32.649 Remember, she had a fever and the Lord raises 00:07:32.649 --> 00:07:36.000 her up in Peter's house. He saw Jesus cleanse 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:39.319 lepers by touching them. There were blind men 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:42.279 that were given sight. He granted hearing to 00:07:42.279 --> 00:07:44.920 those who could no longer hear. He granted speech 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:48.959 to the mute. Lame men from all from birth were 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:52.120 made to walk. And he had even witnessed Jesus 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:54.360 raise the dead. He was there when Lazarus was 00:07:54.360 --> 00:07:58.259 raised. Peter had seen Jesus multiply bread and 00:07:58.259 --> 00:08:01.980 fish from his own hands. He was there when Jesus 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:05.180 turned water into wine. Peter was the one who 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:08.819 saw Jesus walk on water. And he was there when 00:08:08.819 --> 00:08:11.279 the wind and sea were made to be calm by the 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:15.040 word of Jesus himself. And Jesus said, in spite 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:20.259 of all that, none of that was sufficient to allow 00:08:20.259 --> 00:08:24.100 Peter to see who Jesus really was. God the Father 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:28.019 had to reveal it to him. That is how blind mankind 00:08:28.019 --> 00:08:31.699 truly is. Jesus said, Peter, you have been blessed. 00:08:32.429 --> 00:08:35.690 You have been favored by God. Because to you 00:08:35.690 --> 00:08:38.190 is granted understanding of who I really am. 00:08:38.370 --> 00:08:41.289 You see me not merely as the son of Mary and 00:08:41.289 --> 00:08:43.610 Joseph, but rather as the son of the living God. 00:08:45.169 --> 00:08:47.049 And that's something only my father can reveal 00:08:47.049 --> 00:08:49.809 to you. Now we think, well, come on pastor, come 00:08:49.809 --> 00:08:52.789 on. Of course Peter came to see who Jesus was. 00:08:52.990 --> 00:08:55.789 I mean, look at all the intel. Look at all the 00:08:55.789 --> 00:08:59.490 information he enjoyed. Yeah, but Jesus said 00:08:59.490 --> 00:09:01.730 that wouldn't have been enough. That's not why 00:09:01.730 --> 00:09:03.789 Peter saw Jesus as the Son of the Living God, 00:09:03.909 --> 00:09:08.190 the Messiah. See, divine revelation is a gift. 00:09:08.429 --> 00:09:12.269 It's not a product of human achievement nor intelligence. 00:09:13.730 --> 00:09:17.549 And we may not like this, but God chooses when, 00:09:17.830 --> 00:09:22.269 how, and to whom His truth is revealed. It's 00:09:22.269 --> 00:09:25.009 what the text says. We must understand something 00:09:25.009 --> 00:09:28.629 though. God is not obligated to reveal himself 00:09:28.629 --> 00:09:33.169 to anyone at any time. God's indebted to no one. 00:09:33.269 --> 00:09:38.769 He owes no man anything at all, ever. Which means 00:09:38.769 --> 00:09:43.110 if he reveals something, it is always a gift 00:09:43.110 --> 00:09:47.710 of divine grace. Grace means it is not owed. 00:09:48.370 --> 00:09:51.879 Grace means it is not earned. Grace means it 00:09:51.879 --> 00:09:56.940 is a gift. Now having said that, that does not 00:09:56.940 --> 00:10:01.360 mean God's revelation is arbitrarily or capriciously 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:06.320 given. What do I mean by that? Jesus said that 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:08.779 God hid the truth from the wise and prudent. 00:10:09.860 --> 00:10:11.940 Now, why would you hide it from the wise and 00:10:11.940 --> 00:10:15.440 prudent? Jesus is using sarcasm here. Those who 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:18.659 are wise and prudent in their own eyes. See, 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:20.980 this comes on the heels of those cities who should 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:24.620 have repented and didn't. Believing they were 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:29.100 wise, they were actually unwise. And this was 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:32.240 especially true of Israel's leaders. This was 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.480 especially true of the scribes and Pharisees. 00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:37.700 They were arrogant. They were proud people who 00:10:37.700 --> 00:10:41.639 thought they can understand God by their own 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:46.200 wisdom. God does not reveal the truth of a son 00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:48.440 to those who think they already know better. 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:52.419 It's not the way he works. James 4 tells us God 00:10:52.419 --> 00:10:58.039 resists the proud. So those who are proud cannot 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:03.759 discern their own spiritual blindness because 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:06.789 they think they already can see. See, they're 00:11:06.789 --> 00:11:09.669 deceived, but it's a self -deception. They assume 00:11:09.669 --> 00:11:13.009 they see fine. So unless God, in His grace, removes 00:11:13.009 --> 00:11:15.250 that blindness from them, they will never see. 00:11:15.509 --> 00:11:18.909 So He resists the proud, but James 4 verse 6 00:11:18.909 --> 00:11:23.350 tells us He gives grace to the humble. And notice 00:11:23.350 --> 00:11:26.850 the text. You have hidden them, Father, these 00:11:26.850 --> 00:11:28.769 things from the wise and prudent, but you have 00:11:28.769 --> 00:11:32.549 revealed them to babes. The word babes is the 00:11:32.549 --> 00:11:36.049 word Greek word nepeos. An infant can mean someone 00:11:36.049 --> 00:11:39.309 like a suckling child, a minor. It's really used 00:11:39.309 --> 00:11:42.710 as someone who's dependent upon another. So Jesus 00:11:42.710 --> 00:11:45.250 is not using this to refer to chronological age 00:11:45.250 --> 00:11:47.629 at all. It's rather referring to those who are 00:11:47.629 --> 00:11:51.230 humble of heart. They know they don't have what 00:11:51.230 --> 00:11:54.830 it takes. They have a heart disposition that 00:11:54.830 --> 00:11:57.789 makes them open to the truth. They're humble. 00:11:58.850 --> 00:12:02.240 They did not come and come with their own preconceived 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:05.539 notions of what the Messiah should be or even 00:12:05.539 --> 00:12:08.799 presuming of how God should work. See, that's 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:11.879 where Israel's leaders tripped over Jesus. They 00:12:11.879 --> 00:12:14.019 had a preconceived notion of what the Messiah 00:12:14.019 --> 00:12:16.639 would be like. Jesus didn't fit the bill. Regardless 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:19.080 of how many miracles he did, they rejected him. 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:23.019 But these babes, these humble ones, they didn't 00:12:23.019 --> 00:12:25.539 come like that. They were open. They weren't 00:12:25.539 --> 00:12:28.419 presuming to know how God would work. And as 00:12:28.419 --> 00:12:31.759 a result, the humble were granted, because God 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:35.659 revealed it to them, the ability to receive truth, 00:12:36.279 --> 00:12:39.179 and yet that same truth remained hidden to those 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:43.039 who were proud. And this is why God works. And 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:45.279 it's not just here in Matthew. I've said this 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:47.620 so many times. If you look at the kingdom of 00:12:47.620 --> 00:12:50.639 God, it's as though God takes the values of man's 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:53.500 kingdom, turns them upside down in his kingdom. 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:55.980 It's almost like you can shift it on its head, 00:12:55.980 --> 00:12:59.690 if you will. In man's kingdom, Strong and mighty 00:12:59.690 --> 00:13:02.450 ones are chosen. But in God's, he says, it's 00:13:02.450 --> 00:13:05.809 the weak who are chosen. In man's kingdom, it's 00:13:05.809 --> 00:13:08.429 the wise, the humanly wise are chosen. But in 00:13:08.429 --> 00:13:09.830 God's kingdom, he says, I choose the foolish 00:13:09.830 --> 00:13:13.289 man. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul wrote about 00:13:13.289 --> 00:13:17.669 this. But God has chosen the foolish things of 00:13:17.669 --> 00:13:20.909 the world to put to shame the wise. Again, these 00:13:20.909 --> 00:13:23.350 are people wise in their own eyes. And God has 00:13:23.350 --> 00:13:26.110 chosen the weak things of the world to put to 00:13:26.110 --> 00:13:29.360 shame those things which are mighty. and the 00:13:29.360 --> 00:13:31.559 basings of the world, and the things which are 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:34.879 despised, God has chosen, and the things which 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:38.500 are not, to bring to nothing the things that 00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:41.500 are. And why is God doing any of that? Why is 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:44.700 he working in such a manner as that? So that 00:13:44.700 --> 00:13:48.600 no flesh should glory in his presence. You ever 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:53.039 wonder why so many men with tenure in universities 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:59.440 and earned PhDs reject Christ? The mighty, the 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:02.820 noble, the powerful, the elite, most of them 00:14:02.820 --> 00:14:05.500 aren't Christians. They scoff at this faith. 00:14:06.840 --> 00:14:10.139 It's backwards, it's backwoods. Sure, it's good 00:14:10.139 --> 00:14:11.919 for his people of Appalachia, but not for the 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:16.659 sophisticated halls of academia. God has chosen 00:14:16.659 --> 00:14:19.779 the weak things. Doesn't flatter our ego, does 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:23.879 it? But boy, it gives God glory. What Christ 00:14:23.879 --> 00:14:26.399 is clearly telling us is that man by his own 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:29.450 natural faculties cannot discern, nor can he 00:14:29.450 --> 00:14:32.309 understand God's wisdom. It must be revealed 00:14:32.309 --> 00:14:37.629 by grace. The knowledge of the Son is revealed 00:14:37.629 --> 00:14:41.230 by the Father. But look at verse 7. There's a 00:14:41.230 --> 00:14:44.269 converse here now. The knowledge of the Father 00:14:44.269 --> 00:14:47.590 must be revealed by the Son. Look at verse 27 00:14:47.590 --> 00:14:51.029 of Matthew 11. All things have been delivered 00:14:51.029 --> 00:14:54.769 to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except 00:14:54.769 --> 00:14:57.679 the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except 00:14:57.679 --> 00:15:02.000 the Son, and notice the addendum here, and the 00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:07.179 one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him, wills, 00:15:07.179 --> 00:15:10.940 chooses to reveal Him. Now Jesus said, all things 00:15:10.940 --> 00:15:14.460 have been delivered to me by my Father. What 00:15:14.460 --> 00:15:17.980 are the all things? It's a good question. All 00:15:17.980 --> 00:15:21.309 things include all authority. All authority has 00:15:21.309 --> 00:15:24.610 been given to Christ. Matthew 28, 18, Jesus came 00:15:24.610 --> 00:15:26.850 speaking to his disciples. He said, all authority 00:15:26.850 --> 00:15:29.370 has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 00:15:29.529 --> 00:15:31.889 There is no authority that exists that hasn't 00:15:31.889 --> 00:15:34.629 already been delegated and given to Christ. He 00:15:34.629 --> 00:15:38.470 reigns as the supreme potentate. All things include 00:15:38.470 --> 00:15:42.370 all judgment. John 5. For the Father judges no 00:15:42.370 --> 00:15:46.669 one, but he's committed all judgment to the Son. 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:50.639 authority has been given, all judgment has been 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:54.360 granted. In other words, Jesus is the Father's 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:56.720 one and only, and here's a big word you don't 00:15:56.720 --> 00:16:00.460 even know, plenipotentiary. Okay, now what's 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:02.639 that? I just learned this word and so I'm using 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:05.840 it and it's like a $10 ,000 word, but it actually 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:08.559 fit really well here, okay? A plenipotentiary, 00:16:08.580 --> 00:16:10.580 I'd never heard the word before, but a plenipotentiary 00:16:10.580 --> 00:16:14.519 is a diplomat who is invested with the full power 00:16:14.669 --> 00:16:17.450 of independent action on behalf of a government. 00:16:17.529 --> 00:16:19.470 Now let me explain because this is really kind 00:16:19.470 --> 00:16:21.990 of neat. So we have ambassadors. We're familiar 00:16:21.990 --> 00:16:23.769 with ambassadors. Those who are representatives, 00:16:24.029 --> 00:16:25.850 you have an ambassador to Denmark, an ambassador 00:16:25.850 --> 00:16:28.789 to Greenland or Mexico, whatever. An ambassador 00:16:28.789 --> 00:16:31.389 acts in the absence of the king or the president. 00:16:32.269 --> 00:16:35.009 But he still must get the approval of the king 00:16:35.009 --> 00:16:39.409 because he only serves as a representative. But 00:16:39.409 --> 00:16:43.649 a plenipotentiary has the full power of independent 00:16:43.649 --> 00:16:47.720 action. So if he could independently sign treaties, 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:50.700 he acts with the full power of the King himself. 00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:53.860 So meaning if the plenipotentiary is present, 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:57.179 there is no need to even talk with the King because 00:16:57.179 --> 00:17:00.059 that plenipotentiary has been given the same 00:17:00.059 --> 00:17:04.640 authority as the King. So Jesus is not merely 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:06.680 an ambassador. He's not like a delegate sent 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:09.920 from heaven. No, he comes with the full authority 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:15.309 of God in his own person. As Colossians would 00:17:15.309 --> 00:17:19.609 tell us, he is the fullness of the Godhead in 00:17:19.609 --> 00:17:23.470 bodily form. Jesus said, if you've seen me, well, 00:17:23.509 --> 00:17:25.670 you've seen the Father. It's not that he and 00:17:25.670 --> 00:17:29.829 the Father are the same person, but they are 00:17:29.829 --> 00:17:32.730 one God, eternally existing in three distinct 00:17:32.730 --> 00:17:35.470 persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. If you know 00:17:35.470 --> 00:17:36.750 me, you know the Father. If you know the Father, 00:17:36.769 --> 00:17:38.809 you know me. instead of one seeing the other. 00:17:39.190 --> 00:17:41.910 In fact, Jesus said here in Matthew 11, no one 00:17:41.910 --> 00:17:44.289 actually knows the Father except the Son, and 00:17:44.289 --> 00:17:46.509 no one actually knows the Son except the Father. 00:17:48.150 --> 00:17:50.190 Okay, what's Jesus? Is that not double speak? 00:17:50.890 --> 00:17:54.690 No. The Father and Son, the Father, God, the 00:17:54.690 --> 00:17:57.710 Father, God, the Son, know each other in a mutually 00:17:57.710 --> 00:18:01.150 exhaustive and intimate way like no one else 00:18:01.150 --> 00:18:05.809 could ever know them. But, although Jesus knows 00:18:05.809 --> 00:18:09.170 the Father, He's not the only one who knows the 00:18:09.170 --> 00:18:15.230 Father. So do all those whom Jesus wills to reveal 00:18:15.230 --> 00:18:18.450 him. Look at verse 27. It's very, very clear 00:18:18.450 --> 00:18:21.769 there. Jesus said, if you're going to know the 00:18:21.769 --> 00:18:24.369 Father, no is a relational term, not talking 00:18:24.369 --> 00:18:26.369 about cognitive ability. If you're going to know 00:18:26.369 --> 00:18:30.089 the Father relationally, That depends on Jesus's 00:18:30.089 --> 00:18:33.170 willingness to reveal Him to you. This means, 00:18:33.210 --> 00:18:36.250 again, knowledge of the Father, knowledge of 00:18:36.250 --> 00:18:41.829 God, is a special gift of God. In other words, 00:18:41.829 --> 00:18:44.390 let me just say it this way. The triune God cannot 00:18:44.390 --> 00:18:48.369 be figured out. It's an impossibility. He must 00:18:48.369 --> 00:18:51.910 be revealed. And our Lord says that He is the 00:18:51.910 --> 00:18:55.349 mediator of that knowledge. If you know Him, 00:18:55.849 --> 00:18:59.490 you know the Father. John 17 verse 3, Jesus said, 00:18:59.690 --> 00:19:01.950 and this is eternal life. What is it? That they 00:19:01.950 --> 00:19:04.970 may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ 00:19:04.970 --> 00:19:08.609 whom you have sent. Eternal life is not merely 00:19:08.609 --> 00:19:11.970 life that never ends. It's a participation in 00:19:11.970 --> 00:19:14.890 the very life of God. Peter would say we are 00:19:14.890 --> 00:19:19.049 partakers of the divine nature. But to participate 00:19:19.049 --> 00:19:22.910 in the life of God, you must come through faith 00:19:22.910 --> 00:19:26.680 in Jesus Christ. So the Father must reveal the 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:29.559 Son, the Son must reveal the Father, and if neither 00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:31.160 one of them does that, that knowledge remains 00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:32.920 hidden, and it particularly remains hidden to 00:19:32.920 --> 00:19:35.740 those who are wise in their own eyes. Because 00:19:35.740 --> 00:19:37.859 only the grace of God makes that knowledge known. 00:19:38.700 --> 00:19:41.500 Now Jesus, according to Hebrews 1, is the express 00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:45.180 image of His person. Jesus is the express image 00:19:45.180 --> 00:19:50.059 of the Father. He alone can reveal the Father. 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:53.160 And this is the gospel. This is the good news. 00:19:53.979 --> 00:19:58.720 He invites weary sinners to come to Him and find 00:19:58.720 --> 00:20:01.339 that knowledge that will bring true rest and 00:20:01.339 --> 00:20:06.920 salvation. Look at verse 28. Come to me, all 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:10.420 you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will 00:20:10.420 --> 00:20:14.940 give you rest. To whom does Jesus reveal the 00:20:14.940 --> 00:20:19.039 Father? To the people who are crushed and weighed 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:23.089 down by their sin. He reveals the Father to those 00:20:23.089 --> 00:20:26.569 who know they need Him. To those who understand, 00:20:26.650 --> 00:20:29.970 I cannot do it. Throughout scripture, there is 00:20:29.970 --> 00:20:32.970 a beautiful, mysterious pattern that emerges. 00:20:34.390 --> 00:20:36.390 We will see God's sovereignty, and you do. You 00:20:36.390 --> 00:20:38.950 can't deny it. Matthew 11, verses 25, 26, and 00:20:38.950 --> 00:20:41.849 27. God's sovereignty is there, but it's always 00:20:41.849 --> 00:20:43.950 going to be juxtaposed with man's responsibility. 00:20:45.150 --> 00:20:47.190 Almost always they're juxtaposed. They're side 00:20:47.190 --> 00:20:50.509 by side. So if you would look at this. You see 00:20:50.509 --> 00:20:52.849 God's sovereignty because God must open the eyes 00:20:52.849 --> 00:20:55.930 and reveal Christ. It's His prerogative. But 00:20:55.930 --> 00:20:58.849 we see man's responsibility in that anyone, anyone 00:20:58.849 --> 00:21:00.890 who's weighed down and wants relief from their 00:21:00.890 --> 00:21:03.589 sin, you're invited to come to Christ. Come to 00:21:03.589 --> 00:21:08.549 me, all who are weary. Do you see it? They're 00:21:08.549 --> 00:21:11.650 friends. God is sovereign. Man is responsible. 00:21:12.069 --> 00:21:17.250 Jesus gives a true invitation. Come to me. Let 00:21:17.250 --> 00:21:19.250 me just say that would be a terribly audacious 00:21:19.250 --> 00:21:23.049 statement if Jesus were not God. But He is God. 00:21:23.569 --> 00:21:26.150 And as such, He's the only one who can offer 00:21:26.150 --> 00:21:31.349 your soul satisfaction. So go to Him. Run to 00:21:31.349 --> 00:21:34.410 Him. And He says, Jesus made a glorious promise 00:21:34.410 --> 00:21:39.490 here, that whoever comes to Him in faith, He 00:21:39.490 --> 00:21:41.170 said, I will grant you rest. I will give you 00:21:41.170 --> 00:21:45.230 rest. What kind of rest? You need a nap? No. 00:21:45.529 --> 00:21:49.730 You will find rest for your souls. I love that 00:21:49.730 --> 00:21:54.009 phrase. Rest for your soul. Your soul disturbed. 00:21:54.109 --> 00:21:58.950 Is it noisy? Or is that peace? Soul rest. This 00:21:58.950 --> 00:22:01.509 is a rest in which Jesus removes from you that 00:22:01.509 --> 00:22:04.069 guilt, that shame and burden of your sin, that 00:22:04.069 --> 00:22:06.809 soul -crushing weight that hangs over the human 00:22:06.809 --> 00:22:10.109 conscience. The alienation, the separation that 00:22:10.109 --> 00:22:12.470 we experience from God because of our sin, it 00:22:12.470 --> 00:22:15.819 is removed in Christ. So Jesus is saying, come. 00:22:16.539 --> 00:22:19.519 Does that sound good to you? Jesus is the one 00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:21.940 that brings us home. He brings us home to the 00:22:21.940 --> 00:22:25.579 Father. See, the invitation is open to all, but 00:22:25.579 --> 00:22:30.279 not all will come. It's open to all. It's universal. 00:22:30.900 --> 00:22:34.539 Come. You want, you can come. Jesus is willing 00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:36.940 to reveal the Father to all who know they need 00:22:36.940 --> 00:22:39.950 him. and are willing to accept accept his yoke 00:22:39.950 --> 00:22:42.029 and learn from him look at verse 29 the first 00:22:42.029 --> 00:22:45.049 part of it take my yoke upon you and learn from 00:22:45.049 --> 00:22:47.710 me for i'm gentle and lowly in heart then go 00:22:47.710 --> 00:22:50.369 down to verse 30 for my yoke is easy and my burden 00:22:50.369 --> 00:22:54.490 is light now we don't typically think of a yoke 00:22:54.490 --> 00:22:57.589 as a light thing before studying for this particular 00:22:57.589 --> 00:23:00.140 sermon I learned the word plenipotentiary this 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:02.180 week, and I also learned what I think this yoke 00:23:02.180 --> 00:23:04.759 is. Now when I had seen this, I always had assumed, 00:23:04.759 --> 00:23:06.920 and I'd always heard, that the yoke that Jesus 00:23:06.920 --> 00:23:09.660 is referring to was an animal yoke that harnessed 00:23:09.660 --> 00:23:12.660 two animals together to plow a field or pull 00:23:12.660 --> 00:23:16.180 a cart. However, most scholars, many scholars, 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:18.079 I don't know about most, I haven't read all the 00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:21.119 scholars, many scholars say no, the yoke that 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:24.160 Jesus is referring to is actually a human yoke. 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:26.099 You see behind me, you see the animal yoke, you 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:29.460 see the human yoke. So this human yoke was born 00:23:29.460 --> 00:23:32.500 by a single person, which would evenly distribute 00:23:32.500 --> 00:23:36.220 the weight across your shoulders to make a burden 00:23:36.220 --> 00:23:38.980 easier to carry. For example, if you're carrying 00:23:38.980 --> 00:23:42.099 pails of water, it would be easier to carry with 00:23:42.099 --> 00:23:45.420 a yoke than without it. And this is what Jesus 00:23:45.420 --> 00:23:49.319 is saying. This is the word picture. Many were 00:23:49.319 --> 00:23:52.500 carrying heavy burdens. Now those heavy burdens 00:23:52.500 --> 00:23:55.140 probably refer to the strict and unreasonable 00:23:55.140 --> 00:23:57.740 demands that the religious leaders had placed 00:23:57.740 --> 00:23:59.920 upon the people. The scribes and Pharisees had 00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:02.859 added a lot to the law. So they had added hundreds 00:24:02.859 --> 00:24:05.900 and hundreds of detailed laws and scrupulous 00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:08.579 traditions which came with constant pressure 00:24:08.579 --> 00:24:11.539 to prove you're righteous. No one could live 00:24:11.539 --> 00:24:14.200 up to it. No one. They didn't even live up to 00:24:14.200 --> 00:24:16.180 it themselves. Now the reason we think that the 00:24:16.180 --> 00:24:18.380 burdens Jesus is referring to are these demands 00:24:18.380 --> 00:24:20.599 of the religious leaders because in Matthew 23 00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:23.920 Jesus said that. Verse 4, for they, scribes and 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:28.319 Pharisees, bind heavy burdens hard to bear, hard 00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:32.319 to carry, and lay them on men's shoulders, but 00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:33.920 they themselves will not move them with one of 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:37.059 their fingers. Do you see what's happening here? 00:24:37.099 --> 00:24:39.079 The religious leaders placed a heavy weight upon 00:24:39.079 --> 00:24:41.859 the people. There's a weight it was impossible 00:24:41.859 --> 00:24:44.579 to bear. Constantly have to improve yourself. 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:46.299 Constantly have to try to earn righteousness, 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:49.039 prove you're righteous. And Jesus said, no, take 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:51.660 off that yoke and put on mine. Well, they didn't 00:24:51.660 --> 00:24:53.160 have a yoke. They were just carrying it themselves. 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:56.559 He said, put on my yoke. For you who are carrying 00:24:56.559 --> 00:25:00.180 burdens that are too heavy, Jesus offers a yoke 00:25:00.180 --> 00:25:03.700 which would make life easier rather than harder. 00:25:05.019 --> 00:25:07.599 Now, what do I mean by that? His yoke would not 00:25:07.599 --> 00:25:10.839 bring further hardship. It brings relief. It 00:25:10.839 --> 00:25:14.799 brings rest. In his commentary, R .T. France 00:25:14.799 --> 00:25:18.200 said, we should remember that the rest Jesus 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:21.720 offers is not a relaxation of the demands of 00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:23.480 righteousness. No, go back and read the Sermon 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:26.279 on the Mount. The Sermon, not in the mouth, the 00:25:26.279 --> 00:25:28.900 Sermon on the Mount. He says, you have heard, 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:32.579 but I say to you, he lifted, he elevated righteousness. 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:35.480 So that's not why he's not relaxing the standards 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:38.059 so that we can now jump through the hoop. No, 00:25:38.059 --> 00:25:40.960 he elevates it. But here's what he is doing. 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:45.200 There's a new relationship with God which now 00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:47.650 makes it possible to fulfill them. Christ has 00:25:47.650 --> 00:25:51.430 done it for us. It's not the removal of any yoke, 00:25:51.490 --> 00:25:54.869 but a new and kind yoke which makes the burden 00:25:54.869 --> 00:25:58.910 slide. Okay, so that means Jesus does not set 00:25:58.910 --> 00:26:01.130 you free. He does not liberate people so that 00:26:01.130 --> 00:26:03.410 you can go on and live life any way you want. 00:26:03.710 --> 00:26:06.349 That's not the freedom. That's not the freedom 00:26:06.349 --> 00:26:09.109 Christ promises. Because, but, here's what he 00:26:09.109 --> 00:26:11.369 is saying, when one is in fellowship with him, 00:26:11.529 --> 00:26:14.230 when you are in fellowship with Christ, you will 00:26:14.230 --> 00:26:18.470 see that the burden of Jesus is not a heavy burden. 00:26:19.109 --> 00:26:23.009 He doesn't remove the need for our obedience. 00:26:24.069 --> 00:26:27.329 If you love Him, keep His commandments. He's 00:26:27.329 --> 00:26:29.509 not removing the need for obedience, but He changes 00:26:29.509 --> 00:26:31.789 the weight and gives you a new source of strength. 00:26:32.750 --> 00:26:37.769 His burden is light. Why? This is the key. His 00:26:37.769 --> 00:26:41.390 burden is light because life with Him is how 00:26:41.390 --> 00:26:45.720 life was meant to be lived. It's what you were 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:49.220 created for. To walk with His yoke is to live 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:51.460 life the way the God has intended. It's to live 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:53.259 life for the very purpose for which you were 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:56.759 created. So that means the weight of sin that 00:26:56.759 --> 00:27:01.920 would have crushed us is removed in Christ. See, 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:05.039 salvation, it's a gift. It's a gift to be received. 00:27:05.079 --> 00:27:09.000 It's not a goal that you achieve. That is such 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:11.819 a huge difference. But aren't we still called 00:27:11.819 --> 00:27:14.680 to obey? Yes, you are. But our obedience now 00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:16.880 stems from the love for the Lord and because 00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:20.599 we have a relationship with God in Christ. Yes, 00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:22.960 you're still called. Deny yourself. Take up your 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:25.259 cross. Those commands are still there, but you 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:29.299 no longer fear, well, if I'm not perfect, then 00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:32.539 God's going to reject me. You are no longer trying 00:27:32.539 --> 00:27:34.579 to earn God's love because love has been given 00:27:34.579 --> 00:27:39.019 to you in Christ fully and completely. So the 00:27:39.019 --> 00:27:40.900 work that God calls us to, church, it still may 00:27:40.900 --> 00:27:46.430 be difficult. But we work as our souls at rest. 00:27:48.190 --> 00:27:50.609 There is peace in our soul because there is peace 00:27:50.609 --> 00:27:53.890 with God. See, Jesus, the truth is before he 00:27:53.890 --> 00:27:56.630 ever asked you to follow him or do anything for 00:27:56.630 --> 00:28:00.549 him, he first invites you to come and rest in 00:28:00.549 --> 00:28:05.170 him. That's what you have to see. So Matthew 00:28:05.170 --> 00:28:08.309 11, it gave us different ways that people responded. 00:28:09.230 --> 00:28:13.069 Some rejected, others received. And we're reminded, 00:28:13.109 --> 00:28:14.569 this is the thing that we're reminded of in this 00:28:14.569 --> 00:28:17.569 chapter, Christianity is not about what you must 00:28:17.569 --> 00:28:20.650 do for God. The true Christian faith is what 00:28:20.650 --> 00:28:24.430 God has done for you in Christ. Come, receive 00:28:24.430 --> 00:28:29.309 it. Before you work, you rest. So are you tired? 00:28:31.390 --> 00:28:34.930 Are you tired this morning? Are you weary? You 00:28:34.930 --> 00:28:38.970 feel crushed. There's that constant cloud. Jesus 00:28:38.970 --> 00:28:42.200 invites you to come. But he doesn't say, come 00:28:42.200 --> 00:28:46.140 and do more, come and try harder. He says, come 00:28:46.140 --> 00:28:49.599 and find rest. It's a heavy thing to carry the 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:53.339 burden of your sin. I wonder, are you tired of 00:28:53.339 --> 00:28:59.339 shame? Tired of the guilt? You don't have to 00:28:59.339 --> 00:29:02.140 labor that way. Jesus has come today, find rest 00:29:02.140 --> 00:29:05.579 in him, because he's gentle, and he's lowly in 00:29:05.579 --> 00:29:10.079 heart, and he promises something. There will 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:13.480 be rest for your soul. So if you're willing to 00:29:13.480 --> 00:29:16.880 come, He is willing to receive you. Now church, 00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:18.380 we're getting ready to commune with the Lord. 00:29:19.480 --> 00:29:21.259 We're getting ready to come to the special table 00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:23.500 and fellowship with God in the way that He has 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:26.619 prescribed. As the elements are being distributed, 00:29:26.740 --> 00:29:29.759 praise God. Thank God for the revelation that 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:32.559 He has given to you of His Son. And thank Him 00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:35.440 for the rest that He gives to your soul. Let's 00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:38.380 pray. Father, Lord, you are very kind to us. 00:29:39.109 --> 00:29:42.650 Lord, you are very gracious and merciful to us, 00:29:43.769 --> 00:29:47.309 Lord. Lord, we must remember the depth of our 00:29:47.309 --> 00:29:50.349 depravity and sin. There was nothing in us that 00:29:50.349 --> 00:29:52.210 would commend us, Lord. It's not as though that 00:29:52.210 --> 00:29:54.609 we were stellar candidates, and Lord God, you 00:29:54.609 --> 00:29:57.390 chose us because Lord, we have been so kind, 00:29:57.410 --> 00:30:00.910 so good, and such morally upright, exemplary 00:30:00.910 --> 00:30:04.470 people. Father, your word tells us that you choose 00:30:04.470 --> 00:30:09.359 the weak, the base, the foolish. That's what 00:30:09.359 --> 00:30:10.980 we are Lord if we would understand in light of 00:30:10.980 --> 00:30:13.200 who you are Lord God Yes, there's nobility in 00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:14.940 the humanity Lord because we're creating your 00:30:14.940 --> 00:30:17.900 image that Lord we have defaced that Lord God 00:30:17.900 --> 00:30:22.759 we have we have marred the image of God Deserving 00:30:22.759 --> 00:30:25.579 judgments real righteous judgment from your throne 00:30:25.579 --> 00:30:28.420 yet instead of giving us judgment You gave us 00:30:28.420 --> 00:30:31.160 clemency you gave us mercy Lord you pardoned 00:30:31.160 --> 00:30:34.619 us in Christ Our soul is set free Lord. We're 00:30:34.619 --> 00:30:37.299 no longer trying to earn your favor We're not 00:30:37.299 --> 00:30:39.440 trying to get in your good graces. We receive 00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:41.700 what you offer as a gift, which is salvation 00:30:41.700 --> 00:30:45.759 in your son, the one who as a son has life. Lord, 00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:47.819 thank you for the gift of Jesus. Lord, thank 00:30:47.819 --> 00:30:51.140 you that our soul finds satisfaction in him. 00:30:51.700 --> 00:30:53.819 Lord, as we now enter in the time of communion, 00:30:54.519 --> 00:30:56.960 Lord, we pray for the spirit of God to make this 00:30:56.960 --> 00:30:58.900 effectual for your people. Strengthen our faith, 00:30:59.259 --> 00:31:01.359 Lord, as we partake of the elements. We ask this 00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:04.279 in Jesus' name, amen. Beacons, if you would come 00:31:04.279 --> 00:31:05.039 and prepare the table.