Matthew

[0:00] As the Lord may be pleased to help me, I would direct you to Matthew 11, verse 28. Matthew 11, verse 28.

[0:16] Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

[0:30] Matthew 11, verse 28. Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

[0:51] Friends, this must be one of the most well-known verses in the Word of God. But it is a word, I believe, that will be made very sweet to his children when they are cast down and heavy laden.

[1:17] There will be such a sweetness, such a drawing in those words.

[1:28] Come unto me. It is the Lord Jesus Christ that speaks.

[1:40] He knows the needs of his children. He knows when they need someone to lean on.

[1:54] He knows when they need strength. He knows when they are helpless. He knows when they are shut up.

[2:10] He knows when they are helpless. He knows when they are helpless. And can only cry out, Lord, help me. He sees them.

[2:25] He says, come unto me. Come unto me. My friends, I would that the Lord might enable us to look a little at to whom we are to come.

[2:49] Come unto me. My friends, we know that Jesus is the Son of God.

[3:06] We know he is holy. But the dear Lord Jesus Christ came here upon this earth.

[3:23] He dwelt here below. He passed through many things. He passed through many things that you and I will taste of.

[3:46] If we are his children, we shall follow him. And my friends, there will be blessed things.

[4:03] There will be painful things. That we have to pass through. We will have to learn.

[4:17] That we are wholly dependent upon him. We will have to learn that we have no might.

[4:29] No strength. No wisdom. They are painful lessons to learn. But this word, is a word to them that passed that way.

[4:51] I hope the word is a word in season to some of us. Many of us, I hope, this afternoon.

[5:06] He knows how we have come in the house of God. He knows He knows He knows He knows He knows He knows He knows He knows when we are heavily laden that the Lord speaks to them.

[5:28] He speaks to you and me. If this word describes us as we have come in as we have come into the house of God.

[5:43] Have we come in heavy laden? Have we come in feeling that we have nothing?

[5:54] the Lord says come unto me. Come unto me. My friends, it may say it seems strange or sounds strange but to come in with nothing in a way is heavy laden.

[6:26] My friends, we come, we hope into the house of God with a desire that we might see Jesus that we might hear His voice that we might be strengthened that we might be encouraged that we might be led forth by the right way.

[6:55] And my friends, when we are exercised in these things oftentimes it's heavy.

[7:10] We're heavy laden. we don't know how to carry on. We want the Lord to appear.

[7:26] We want Him to make it plain. We want Him to speak to us. We want Him to strengthen us. The Lord says come unto me.

[7:42] come unto me. Oh my friends, how good, how sweet, how blessed to hear His voice.

[8:01] I would that we might be enabled to venture unto Him, to come unto Him.

[8:18] And my friends, if we are able to come unto Him, we'll fall at His feet.

[8:28] and what will we do? We'll pry. We'll plead with Him.

[8:41] We'll look up to Him. We may be shorter words. We may sigh.

[8:54] We may groan. But the Lord says, come unto me. Come unto me, all ye that labour and I be laden, and I will give you rest.

[9:15] That's what we want. Rest. My friends, when we are left to ourself, we're struggling.

[9:30] We're struggling to measure, to manage our own affairs. we're struggling to plan.

[9:49] We're looking at many things. Time things, business things, family things, church things.

[10:01] and we often get confused, tied up, as it were, don't know what to do for the best.

[10:21] Come unto me. Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden. Oh, what a mercy, my friends, these words are written.

[10:39] Because, my friends, I know this, that the Lord's children will be heavy laden. Time and time again, they'll be heavy laden.

[10:49] My friends, we're such independent creatures that it is often needful to make us heavy laden before we will come to the Lord.

[11:13] but, my friends, the Lord knows.

[11:25] He knows what to do with you and I. He knows how to bring us to his footstool.

[11:38] He knows how to squeeze prayer out of our hearts. Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden.

[11:54] My friends, there'll be many times when you and I feel to have no strength as regards carrying on in daily things.

[12:16] Daily things. There's so much involved in daily things. Not only natural things, but, my friends, it will not stop there.

[12:30] It will include, it will include our religion. burden. And it will be a great burden.

[12:47] There will be many, there are, there are many crooked things that we come up against in our lives. Especially in the day that we live in.

[13:00] there are terrible days, dreadful days.

[13:15] Man rebels, he refuses to bow before the Lord. He is trying with all his power to undermine the Lord's die.

[13:36] Or many things might be said about the subtleness of the enemy, men and devils.

[13:49] All my friends, it will be at times a burden.

[14:04] Because we realise how helpless we are. We see various things suggested and various things they try to bring about.

[14:20] come unto me. Oh my friends, there isn't anything that the Lord would bar us from bringing.

[14:44] Come unto me. What a mercy. that we can take everything. Providential things, religious things, church things.

[15:03] Come unto me. If that is your burden, if that is what you're heavy laden with, then come unto me, the Lord says.

[15:17] And the Lord will hear it. he will hear it. Are you saying, but he doesn't act?

[15:36] Friends, many of us have things we've taken to the Lord. some of those things are crooked things.

[15:55] Some of those things follow us about year after year. What are we to say?

[16:06] the Lord makes no mistakes. The Lord hears. There is a judgment day.

[16:22] There is a time when the Lord comes and he overturns. in the meantime, my friends, we are to leave these things in the Lord's hands.

[16:44] The Lord says the battle is not yours, but mine. I know we do not understand it, but you see, Paul, he had to have a thorn in the flesh.

[17:02] He had to carry it along many years. The Lord wouldn't remove it. Perhaps the Lord has refused until now to remove your thorn in the flesh.

[17:20] your heavy burden. Some of us have got heavy burdens we've carried for years.

[17:34] The Lord says come unto me. He doesn't say he'll take it away. He does say he'll give you rest.

[17:50] My friends, when we are submissive to the Lord's will, there'll be rest. When we are rebellious, there'll be no rest.

[18:07] It will get heavier. we need grace, God given grace to say thy will be done.

[18:21] When we have a burden, when we're heavy laden, when there are crooked things, the Lord makes no mistakes.

[18:34] grace, there are many things recorded in the word of God where the enemy has been permitted to do many things against the Lord's children.

[18:47] We need to remember it. They're there for a purpose. They're there for our help. They're there for our instruction. The Lord, my friends, permits the enemy to go so far.

[19:12] But here we have his word. Yes, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden.

[19:31] My friends, when we're heavy laden, it will cause us to labor. Yes, there'll be a laboring under it.

[19:48] Oh, it reminds me of the disciples toiling in rowing. They were laboring.

[20:00] they were laboring against those powers, the powers of the sea. They could make no head wine.

[20:13] That's how it is so often with the Lord's children. They're laboring. They're heavy laden. men, they make no head wine.

[20:28] They're not to give up. They're not to turn back. Come unto me, the Lord says.

[20:39] Come unto me. Tell me all about it. Trust in me. I'll give you rest.

[20:54] Oh, my friends, when we are enabled to come unto the Lord, when we are submissive, when we are enabled to say thy will be done, there'll be rest.

[21:12] There'll be rest. Because we shall then commit our time into his hands.

[21:23] We shall then acknowledge that he is God, that he is almighty, that he has a right to do as he please.

[21:35] We shall believe that he does all things well, all things for the best. We shall believe that it will be for our good, God.

[21:48] All my friends, how we need grace to bow before the Lord, to come unto him.

[22:09] Come unto me. Come him. Oh, my friends, the Lord comforts his children, them that come unto him.

[22:26] Do I hear one say, but he hasn't comforted me, I come unto him, friend?

[22:38] Have you come to the Lord with the answer in your hand, demanding what he should do?

[22:59] There will be no rest if we come like that. We're not submissive to the Lord. We've got to be submissive.

[23:12] the burden is put on. It is of the Lord's permission that it's put on.

[23:28] We'll have to carry it until it's his will to remove it. And my friends, we shall only find rest and help as we come to the Lord with submission.

[23:52] Oh, we need the Spirit of Christ that we might be enabled to come to him and say I will be done.

[24:08] You see our blessed master has gone before us. He's walked these things out. So, we have one, one to come to, one who invites us to come to him, who knows all about the pathway.

[24:32] He knows our needs, he knows our weakness. the Lord Jesus had strength enough and none to spare.

[24:46] The angels came at times, ministered unto him, strengthened him. And my friends, the Lord knows when you and I need help and strengthening.

[25:06] Come unto me and I will give you rest. My friends, there will be times as we are unable to come to the Lord when he will give us rest.

[25:21] Oh, how sweet it is when we sometimes come to his word or to the house of God and the word or the hymn or the word spoken touches our heart, touches our case, comes right where we are.

[25:44] Then, ah, then we're able and we can believe then that the Lord knows all about us.

[25:55] we're then able to come to him because he has come to us. He's come where we were. There's rest.

[26:08] There's a little sweet rest. We can go a little further. There are blessed moments when a poor sinner finds him.

[26:30] Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Are you laboring with a heavy load of sin?

[26:45] are you battling with yourself and Satan? Are you trying to make yourself better so that you might feel you'll be acceptable to the Lord and be able to merit his favor?

[27:08] better? My friends, you're fighting a losing battle. Come.

[27:19] Come unto me. Don't wait till you're better or as you think you might be better. Come unto me. Come now.

[27:30] my friends, the flesh and the devil will have us to believe the Lord will not hear us.

[27:47] We're too vile. We're too black. Too filthy. Come unto me. Come as you are.

[28:00] my friends, it's the present. The flesh and the devil will put it off. The devil will do his utmost to keep us from Christ.

[28:18] He will use any means, any suggestion that the Lord says come unto me.

[28:30] Oh, my friends, there's no better time than the immediate, the immediate. And I will give you rest.

[28:49] My friends, how the Lord sees. He sees. he knows how we struggle.

[29:05] He knows how we are weighed down. He knows what we have to fight against. He knows our failings.

[29:16] He knows our weakness. The flesh says, what's the use of going? Look at me. I'm an utter failure.

[29:28] Nothing but sin and unclean. I sin and sin against God. I yield to temptations again and again.

[29:46] What's the use? Does the Lord say, what's the use? Does the Lord say, only certain ones can come? no.

[30:00] No, the Lord says, come unto me. The hymn writer says it very plain somewhere, come unto me, just as thou art, just as thou art.

[30:21] me. Ah, my friends, it may well be very humbling, but the Lord says, come.

[30:37] and that's all that matters. It doesn't matter what the flesh says, doesn't matter what the devil says, come unto me, come unto the Lord.

[30:55] The Lord is able to forgive sins. He pardons poor sinners. He has satisfied justice.

[31:13] Yes, he has given his own life for sinners, for his friends. Now he says unto them, come unto me.

[31:30] All my friends, don't resist it. Don't listen to the adversary.

[31:44] There's no better time than when you feel your need, when you're low, when you're cast down, when you're guilty, when you feel black, unclean, when you know you've been rebellious.

[32:12] Come unto me. Tell me. I do like that word of John's disciples.

[32:24] disciples, I believe after John the Baptist was beheaded in the prison by Herod, John's disciples went to Jesus and they told him all.

[32:47] They told him all. God's love. Ah, my friends, oh, that you and I might be enabled so to come to the Lord and tell him all.

[33:04] why there are many things that disturb us and trouble us daily in the world, in our lives, in our families, in our children, in the business, in the church of God, many things that trouble us.

[33:48] These are the things that weigh us down day after day. we look for the Lord to come.

[34:01] We look for deliverance. We look for him to make a way. Perhaps we've been looking for months and years.

[34:18] Come on to me. Bring it to me. Tell the Lord all about it. my friends, what I like about real religion is it's simple.

[34:41] It's plain, it's simple. Religion, my friends, will never be something that you and I don't understand.

[34:53] God is the interpreter of his word. God teaches his own children through the Spirit, by the power of the Spirit.

[35:12] Spirit. Do we know the power of the Spirit? Do we know the drawing power?

[35:25] Are we compelled to come to the Lord with our burdens? things? It might be an affliction that we have.

[35:41] It might be hard to face sometimes, especially perhaps as the winter draws on, which in some cases seems to aggravate the affliction.

[36:01] It might be the other way round, it might be the summer, but my friends, as we are faced with these things, there's one place we might, we will, we can find relief, come unto me, come unto me, tell the Lord about it, commit it into his hand, the Lord knows all about it.

[36:40] Afflictions do not come by chance. We often sing that hymn 64, is it, about the times and the seasons that we pass through, the events, the events that we come into, they're all in the Lord's hands.

[37:05] Do we believe it? We don't half believe it, or we are rebellious, we're not submissive to his holy will, we'll come unto me.

[37:25] My friends, we'll not be able to come unto the Lord while we're rebellious, while we're fighting against those things.

[37:41] when the Lord enables us to bow before him and come unto him, then I say, there'll be rest, I will give you rest.

[37:59] I say again, the Lord doesn't say he'll take it away, I'll give you rest.

[38:11] How good it is sometimes to have a rest when we're heavy laden, perhaps journeying, carrying a heavy burden, I say how good it is to have a rest for a few moments.

[38:28] that's how it is with these things that we come into spiritually, spiritually and practically we'll bring them to the Lord.

[38:51] Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

[39:05] Oh my friends, oh it is worth a lot. It is to know that the Lord is with us, to be submissive to his holy will.

[39:21] Things are so much easier, so much lighter when we are submissive when we are unable to bow before him and know no will but his, when we are able to come unto him.

[39:41] Oh, the Lord knows your need and mine, he knows our pathways, he knows how we have come into the house of God this afternoon.

[39:58] My friends, I hope this word was of the Lord. I felt it to be very suitable as I came in the house of God because I hadn't had a minute to think about this afternoon today.

[40:26] But I believe the Lord gave me this word last evening. I had nothing else.

[40:39] Well, there was one other word but this outweighed it. In my heart, I felt this was the Lord's word.

[40:55] Well, he knows, he knows our needs. Come unto me. Ah, my friends, I feel there is a blessed sweetness in this invitation.

[41:22] Don't get it mixed up with free will, friends. This is the Lord's word. It is a word to sinners. It is a word to those that are heavy laden.

[41:36] not a word to free willers. It is a word to those that know not what to do, how to carry on.

[41:56] Come unto me and I will give you rest. my friends, there are many things that might be your burden that's weighing you down.

[42:13] It might be an exercise. It might be in connection with the ordinances of his house. It might be in connection with office in the church of God.

[42:27] it might be in connection with the prayer meeting. It might be something else altogether different.

[42:40] But it's a burden to you. You're heavy laden. You're tried. You're tempted. The adversary may be saying all day to you.

[42:56] It's no good you going tonight. You won't be able to pray. Look at your heart.

[43:08] Look how rebellious you are. You're filled with time things. There's no room in your heart for the Lord.

[43:20] All these things go on in the heart of God's children. They don't know what to do.

[43:35] They don't want to go. They're afraid to go. But they have to go. They go trembling. They feel if only I could hide under the seat.

[43:56] The Lord says, come unto me. You say, surely the Lord's children don't go through all these things.

[44:06] I know they do. I know they do, my friends. I hope I'm one of his children.

[44:23] I very tried about it many times. But my friends, I know these pathways. But the Lord says, come, come unto me.

[44:39] And I'll give you rest. Oh, my friends, have you ever proved it? Have you proved there's been a little comfort, a little rest?

[44:56] Have you come into the house of God trembling and fearing and perhaps praying, yes, praying in your heart to the Lord that he would not let you be called upon to pray.

[45:17] And yet, you was, you was called upon, you had to stand up and attempt to call upon the Lord.

[45:33] Have you proved sometimes the Lord has come, he has shut the lion's mouth, he's turned out all the buyers and the sellers, and you were found at his feet.

[45:52] You were able to come unto him with your heavy laden burden. there was a little sweet realization as you sat down in your seat that the Lord had heard.

[46:20] Ah, rest. He gave you rest. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

[46:40] They're sweet, they're precious moments when a poor sinner proves the truth of God's word when there is rest.

[46:56] We can go a little further. But all my friends, how soon our doubts and fears return.

[47:10] The next time, it's time for the house of God. It all seems to come back again, again, and again, and again.

[47:24] Is it not, friends, to bring us to his footstool, to rely upon him, to depend upon him, to show us what we are, and how helpless we are, and how unfit we are, that we have nothing, only what the Lord gives us.

[47:48] God gives us, why he is able to give a spirit of prayer, come unto me.

[48:03] Ah, my friends, the Lord speaks these words, come, unto me, and my friends, if we are unable to come, he'll read our hearts.

[48:30] It won't depend on our telling him, in our pouring out our heart to him, because sometimes, friends, we wouldn't know where to begin.

[48:45] It's a mountain, but there's a coming, and sometimes it might be this, Lord, thou knowest, thou knowest, come unto me, the Lord knows, my friends, our motive, he knows what we've come for, whether we're able to tell him in detail or not, doesn't really matter.

[49:28] What does matter is whether we've come, whether we have come with our load, whether we are seeking for rest, for help, for strength.

[49:47] Well, friends, I hope the Lord will enable us each as we come into these various paths and spots and places where we are heavy laden, oh, that we might hear his voice and be able to come unto him then, immediately, just as we are.

[50:18] May the Lord bless his word to us. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[50:29] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.