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well good evening everyone it's good to see you all welcome to free grace Baptist Church and Surrey Reformed Baptist Church we're having our joint service together so we will have some time of fellowship afterwards so that's the only announce what I have the time of fellowship the three Grace and Surrey afterward but before then let's worship our God so you can turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 29 for our call to worship Psalm 29 will read the entire psalm for our call a psalm of David give unto the Lord O you mighty ones give unto the Lord glory and strength give unto the Lord the glory due his name worship the Lord in the beauty of his holiness the voice of the Lord is over the waters the god of glory thunders the Lord is over many waters the voice of the Lord is powerful the voice of the Lord is full of majesty the voice of the Lord breaks the cedars yes the Lord splinters the Cedars of Lebanon he makes them all so skip like a calf Lebanon and Syria like a young wild ox the voice of the Lord divides the flame of flames of fire the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh the voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forest bare and in his temple everyone says glory the Lord sat and throned at the flood and the Lord sits as king forever the Lord will give strength to his people the Lord will bless his his people with peace amen well for our first hymn you can turn with me in your treat at Trinity Salter hymnal to the hymn 148 B will stand and sing together him 148 B [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh [Music] amen you may be seated let's go to our God for a time of Prayer let's pray a great God we're thankful that we can come before you this Lord's Day evening we come into your house to sing your praises we're thankful God that we worship one God in Trinity and Trani and unity Father Son and Holy Spirit we're thankful God that you are holy holy holy we're thankful God that you're a god who does reveal yourself to us and we're thankful that you do so in creation we're thankful that you do so in redemption as well we're thankful O God for the Lord Jesus that perfect mediator that perfect sacrifice to whom we to whom he calls anyone who would come and find rest in him and we're thankful that there is such a lord and such a savior that we can call upon and so God we asked based on his merits based on the blood of Christ based on his work of redemption we ask Oh God and cling to your promises and we ask that you send forth your spirit that's Lord's Day evening we're thankful O God that you promise to send forth your spirit your spirit has been sent and your church has probably promised to have that spirit with us the sense of your presence with us even when we don't sense though God we know that you are near and we know that you are amongst us and we're thankful that we have such a God who does care and does love us and we see it in the cross of Christ and we see in the fact that you send forth your spirit so God we ask that you would open the heavens and come down we ask o God that you would speak to us this Lord's Day evening we know God that we come out of the world we are tired and weary we come out of the world with many trials and difficulties that we face many sins that we cannot shake you're a thankful God that we are in your house this Lord's Day evening oh god help us to turn our attention off ourselves and unto you the true and living God that we might give you glory and praise and honor for you've saved many you've called many out of darkness into marvelous light or thankful O God for the assurance that your people do have that we are called sons and daughters of the true and living God based upon the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and so God we asked you to be with us there a need to be comforted comfort comfort them O God any that need to be convicted convict them and if their Enda need to be saved we pray that you would save them O God and we're thankful that your word does go forth and does not return void or thankful God that your spirit does work with the word we know God that we are weak and feeble and we know that we need your spirit to help us O God for your voice truly is powerful your voice truly does thunder oh God we're thankful that you do so through preaching so God we ask that we would see you tonight we ask and wish that we would see Jesus this Thursday evening or thankful for the joyous occasion that we can gather together as two churches free grace and Surrey to be united together in this time that we might give you glory and praise and honor together or thankful O God for your work in advancing your church we'll give you glory and praise and honor for these things help us now as we sing your praises once again help us now to sing you about your glory and who you are we pray that you give us aid by your spirit we pray in the name of Christ amen well for our second ham you can turn with me once again in the Trinity Psalter hymnal to him 455 that's him 455 we'll stand and sing together in 455 [Music] amen you may be seated well you turn with me in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 16 Genesis 16 for our Old Testament scriptural reading it's a short chapter we will read the entire chapter this Lord's Day evening Genesis 16 began reading at verse 1 this is the word of the living and true God now Sarai Abrams wife had borne him no children and she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar so suraíh said to abram see now the Lord has restrained me from bearing children please go into my maid perhaps I shall obtain children by her and okay Abraham heeded the voice of Sarai then Sarai Abrams wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife after Abram had dwelt 10 years in the land of Canaan so he went into Hagar and she conceived and when she saw that she had conceived her mistress became despised in her eyes then Sarai said to Abram my wrong I'll be upon you I gave my maid into your embrace and when she saw that she had conceived I became despised in her eyes the Lord judge between you and me so Abraham said to Sarai indeed your maid is in your hand do to her as you please and when suraíh dealt harshly with her she fled from her presence now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness by the spring on the way - sure and he said - hey he said Hagar Sarai's maid where have you come from and where are you going she said I'm fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai the angel of the Lord said to her return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand then the angel of the Lord said to her I will multiply your descendants exceedingly so that they shall not be counted for multitude and the angel of the Lord said to her behold you are with child and you shall bear a son shall call his name Ishmael because the Lord has heard your affliction he shall be a wild man his hand shall be against every man at every hand man's hand against him and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her you are the God who sees for she said have I also here's seen him who sees me therefore the Wells has what's called beer-lahai-roi observe it is between Kadesh and bread so Hagar bore Abram a son and abraham named his son whom Hagar bore Ishmael the Abraham was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram amen let us pray the Great God of heaven and earth were thankful for the one who created all things or thanked for the one who redeems your people you know God we're also thankful that you were just not the God of the big things but the little things as well and we're thankful O God that you do see your people you do notice when we cry out you do hear our cries oh God and we're thankful that you do incline your ear to us there are times when we crowd to you and it seems to us as if you are not near as if you are not close you were thankful O God that that is just the opposite that you are in the earth that you haven't promised to never leave us nor forsake us so you promised to be with your people day by day or a thankful O God that you are with us through the good times and through the bad through the highs and through the lows and we're thankful that we have such a God as you who does not change who remains constant when we a band flow that we can lean upon you our great God and so god help us to be encouraged by the fact that you do see us and that you do hear us help us to be encouraged by the fact of God that you answer all our prayers according to your will even if we sometimes don't like the answer even if sometimes don't like the timing of the answer o God you are God and you know what is best for us and we confess this to you now and so god help us to see that you are near help us to see in your word and hold fast to your promises when we are forgetful of those promises so god help us to return to your word once again and to find encouragement and find strength in it you know God we all come out of the world tired and weary we all come of the world with many spiritual battles and trials that we go through here we're thankful of God that we can call upon you and we're thankful that we have such a high priest as the Lord Jesus who does care for us who is sympathetic to us who is like us in every way yet without sin we are thankful that mystery of the hypostatic Union the one person in the two natures and were thankful that Jesus is fully man body and soul and we're also thankful that he did not sin but we need such a savior as this that go-between between God and man and we're thankful that we have such a one in this Christ in the high priest in the prophet priest and King so god help us to run from our sins help us to die to our sins day by day help us to do so by your power and by your word show us when exposed once again those things that we love that are not right we pray O God that you do so in a kind and gentle way but do what is necessary in our lives to make us see our sin and see our need for you or thankful O God that you do so in a kind and gentle way we're thankful that you are the Lord the Lord the God who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and we can lean upon you as our great God I am Who I am who does not change and so God even helped us to we confess that we have sinned against you we can fast so God that we have transgressed your law we can fast so God that we have not done what was right in your sight so forgive us wash us in the blood of Christ strengthen us we do pray and we're thankful of God that we can call upon you you know God continue to provide for our daily needs we're thankful at the time of fellowship that we can have together for this opportunity we're thankful for all the daily needs that you do provide for us day by day food shelter clothing on our backs and many many luxuries these are temporal gifts that you do give to us O God so thank you for this and please continue to provide you know God help us in our spiritual battles we help us to love your word and apply the things we hear tonight into our hearts and lives that we might have a better understanding of you and who you are and what you've done you know God we also pray that you lead us not to temptation but deliver us from evil we pray and O God we also pray that you be with your church and the gates of Hades we know that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it so God we ask that you watch your church keep our church today our churches safe keep us close to the word keep us close to doctrine protect us we do pray or thankful God that we can lean upon you who does not change you will fulfill his promises and that the church shall prevail so god help us to love you help us to sing your praises help us to give you glory and praise and honor for who you are and what you've done help us now even though our minds are prone to wander help us to be focused on you the true and living God and we pray all these things in the name of Christ amen well for our final him before the preaching you can turn with me to him 431 in 431 we'll stand and sing together in 431 [Music] [Music] amen you may be seated you can turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 11 passage I have wanted to revisit for some time I was talking the other day with Pastor Mike and I asked him if he was going to preach a special sermon for Thanksgiving and he indicated that he's going through the Gospel of Mark he said we should just be thankful that Jesus is gracious or compassionate that was what he was highlighting and I thought that's a good theme for us tonight Thanksgiving Day ought to be every day in the Christian life and we as God's people ought to be thankful for the sovereign will of the Father the mediatorial office of the son and the publication of this gracious invitation that we find in Matthew's Gospel in Chapter 11 I want to begin reading in verse 16 and then our focus tonight will be on verses 25 to 30 but in verse 16 Jesus says but to what shall I like in this generation it is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions and saying we played the flute for you and you did not dance we mourn to you and you did not lament for John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he has a demon the Son of man came eating and drinking and they say look a glutton and a wine-bibber a friend of tax collectors and sinners but wisdom is justified by her children then he began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works have been done because they did not repent woe to you corazon woe to you bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes but I say to you it will be more tolerable for tyre and sidon in the day of judgment than for you and you Capernaum who are exalted to heaven will be brought down to Hades for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day but I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for you at that time jesus answered and said I thank you Father Lord of Heaven Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes even so father for so it seemed good in your sight all things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light amen let us pray father in heaven we thank you for this opportunity to gather together as the Churches of Christ we thank you for the work in Surrey we thank you for the faithfulness of this body we praise you God that you have planted this work that you are sustaining it and we pray that you would prosper them greatly that they would know that nearness of God as their good that they would be faithful in that community to hold forth the word of truth and that father you would be pleased to save sinners through the Ministry of the word there and to sanctify and strengthen your people we pray for the Brethren and Vernon we thank you for that work and we thank you for the fact that they have men each week preaching the word we pray that you've set apart up a man to labor in the word and doctrine there on a regular basis we know that you are sovereign over such things so we pray to you the lord of the harvest to send out a labor into that part of the field we also thank you God for your mercy and your grace to us here in Chilliwack we pray now that your Holy Spirit would guide us as we consider Holy Scripture we pray that you would forgive us for our sins and our unrighteousness and give us again a fresh view of the Blessed Savior who does grant us rest that one who is most excellent most glorious most wonderful most compassionate and most gracious to the needy ones and help us father to find great comfort from this passage and help us father to lead from this place further conformed unto the image of your beloved son and we pray these things in his most blessed name amen well in this section in Matthew specifically in chapters 11 and 12 we see rising up as to the Lord Jesus Christ you see it here in these cities that had seen or witnessed the mighty works of our Lord Jesus but they did not repent we see it in what Jesus says concerning the particular generation John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he has a demon the Son of man came eating and drinking and they say look a glutton and a wine-bibber a friend of tax collectors and sinners so Jesus acknowledges and recognizes there are multitudes that are not receiving him but as well there are those who are receiving him and that's what he highlights here in chapter 11 verses 25 to 30 we'll see that later we would see that later if we continued on into chapter 12 while there is this rising opposition there is nevertheless those who come by the grace of God to taste and see that the Lord Jesus is good and in this particular section those three things are three things we ought to appreciate in terms of Thanksgiving to God first we see highlighted the sovereign will of the Father in verses 25 and 26 secondly the mediatorial office of the son in verse 27 and then this gracious declaration of the Savior in verses 28 to 30 but let's look first at the sovereign will of the father Jesus according to verse 25 at that time he answered and said I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes as a Manship the incorrigible children of verses 16 to 19 those who had rejected both the Ministry of the Baptist and the ministry of the Saviour and then this condemnation of these cities in Galilee in verses 20 to 24 Christ recognizes that ultimately it is the sovereign will of God Almighty and when he praises the father here he praises the father for sovereignty this is a different response than many manifests to this doctrine of the sovereignty of God now here thankfully we embrace it here thankfully we welcome it here thankfully we meditate upon passages like these and Romans 9 and Ephesians 1 in John 6 and we find great comfort for our souls because we recognize that if God in His sovereignty didn't willing in the day of his power we would have most certainly died in our trespasses and sins so we highlight we celebrate we rejoice at the sovereignty of God but not everyone does but certainly the Lord Christ does and that is expressly what he says I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent now he's not identifying or suggesting that there are actually wise and prudent people there are those who are wise and prudent in their own eyes there were those contemporaries of our Lord Jesus Christ that mocked him that ridiculed him in Chapter 12 they'll plot to kill him they're wise and prudent in their own estimation similar to what Jesus says in Matthew 9 he says I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance he's not acknowledging that there are righteous persons he's acknowledging that there are persons who fake themselves to be righteous and so here he praises God for what we would call the doctrine of reprobation God hides these things from the wise and prudent now it's specifically here that people get a little shaky they get a little upset they get a little irritated they get a little bothered by what seems to be God's sovereignty working in a negative manner we need to remember that who Jesus is talking about are not innocent people who Jesus is talking about are sinners they're persons that are dead in their trespasses and sins and for God to hide these things which in context as gospel truth is not a wretched on his part but it's an act of justice it's an act of righteousness and Christ praises his father for that but he doesn't stop there he says I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and then he goes on to say and have revealed them to babes again he's not speaking about two year olds or five year olds he is speaking to those humbled by the grace of God those who see themselves before the God of absolute sovereignty those who by grace now believe on the Lord Jesus so the father is praised with reference to the doctrine of hiding these things from the wise and prudent but the father is praised for revealing them two babes and then verse 26 underscores the sovereignty of God he says even so father for so it seemed good in your sight I think the old new American Standard said even so or for thus it was well pleasing in your sight the the emphasis here is not on man's will the emphasis here is on God's will we considered that this morning at verses 21 and 24 in Acts chapter 11 the hand of God was with that and many believed and turned to the Lord the fact that God was present is the reason why there were those who came out of darkness into marvelous light and Jesus acknowledges the same thing here for even so father it was pleasing in your sight it was according to the good pleasure and purpose of Almighty God jeg resume Chet made the observation that predestination writes God entirely too large and man entirely too small to suit our human pride this is offensive to some but with reference to God's grace in our hearts in our life we embrace it and we praise God that it was pleasing in his sight to reveal unto us babes that we were the son of his love and the power of the gospel to save us from our sins now notice secondly Christ highlights his function or his role as mediator our confession of faith highlights the reality that Christ as mediator functions as prophet priest and King and that's the emphasis here in verse 27 he says all things have been delivered to me by my father again that's according to his role as a mediator as the second person of the Trinity Christ possesses all things all resources but he is speaking here according to that role that function that particular Office of mediator he says all things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him now there's a lot going on in verse 27 and this isn't just a preacher's tactic to say I don't want to deal with it but if I did deal with it in any amount of detail we wouldn't eat tonight we would be here by you know 10 or 11 actually you know it wouldn't bad but the the point is so the the function is or the the glory of it is is that it highlights the power of the Son of God as the mediator to reveal the father to sinners it highlights the power of the Son of God as the mediator to reveal the father to sinners all things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him he has the power he has the ability he has the capacity he has the function the offices suited for that very purpose as well it highlights the graciousness of the son in that he actually does do this if you and I know the father it's because of the mediator Jesus Christ if you and I have received the forgiveness of sins and the imputed righteousness of Christ it is owing not to our ingenuity it is owing not to our law keeping or merit it is owing to the grace of the son in the salvation of his people he is able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through him and this is the emphasis that he is highlighting in this particular situation and as well I think he's highlighting the highlighting the exclusivity of the son no one goes to the Father except through this mediator all roads do not lead to heaven all religions do not take us to the same place but it is alone the prerogative of Jesus Christ to function as the mediator between God and men in fact the Apostle Paul in first Timothy chapter 2 verses 5 and 6 says for there is one God and one mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself for all so jesus praises the father in his sovereignty the the Lord Jesus highlights his power as mediator this Calvin says having formerly asserted that the church proceeds from the secret source of God's free election he now shows in what manner the grace of salvation comes to men and that brings us thirdly to the gracious declaration of the savior and I want to spend a bit of time here not that we shouldn't be thankful for the the sovereign will of the Father not that we shouldn't muse upon the mediatorial office of the son but let us remind ourselves of the Savior that we that we serve let us remind ourselves of the Savior that has conquered us let this be an instigator to provoke from us daily prays daily gratitude daily Thanksgiving that pattern and the Heidelberg catechism is great you've got excuse-me guilt grace gratitude gratitude is man's response to the grace that has been given to us by our God purposed in his sovereignty flowing to us through the mediator I want to make six observations this isn't going to take as long as the suggestion may sound but six observations on verses 28 to 30 note in the first place his exhortation verse 28 he says come to me come to me I think before we unpack what he does say it's always hopeful to understand what he doesn't say he doesn't say do for me he doesn't say work with me he doesn't say add me to your already filled religious resume I think at times that's how persons interpret the Christian religion Christ will help you to deal with your issues Christ will benefit you in dealing with your issues Christ will supplement your doing that's not the Christian gospel in fact that's not gospel at all that is depressing and wretched news the glory of the gospel is Christ saying come to me come to me not add me not supplement me not do anything but rather come he comes to the man or rather the agency or the exclusive agency of the son does not come to the man who does who works or who merits such grace for none is able it is Christ alone who has the power to save us from our sins when he says come to me it is Christ alone who is the mediator between God and men that's what he says in verse 27 no one knows this except the father nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal it it is Christ alone who possesses this office of mediator that can indeed invite sinners to himself and thus save them and give them life eternal it is Christ alone who calls men out of darkness into marvelous light it is Christ alone who has lifted up in the lifted up on that cross like that serpent was lifted up in the wilderness I love that connection I love that analogy I love that the Savior points to that in John chapter 3 the children of Israel whine they grumbled they complained so God sent fiery serpents to bite them and the remedy was a brazen serpent lifted up in the wilderness and the admonition was to look look and live not crawl over there not suck the venom out not try to you know do a whole host of things but rather look and live that's the analogy that the Savior gives with reference to coming to him it is Christ alone who saves to the uttermost all who draw nigh to God through him and it is Christ alone by God's grace through faith that saves his people from their sins of course when he says come to me we on earth cannot ascend into the heavens physically and come to Christ it is faith in Jesus in fact John Gill makes the observation he explains that Jesus kindly invites and encourages souls to come unto Him but it is to be understood of believing in Christ the soul going of the going of the soul to him in the exercise of grace on him of desire after him love to him faith and hope in him believing in Christ and coming to him or term synonymous we've covered this material in our studies in the confession of faith chapter 11 paragraph 2 it is a resting upon it is a receiving that is the the metaphorical sort of look at what faith in the Savior is all about and if we were to ask the question why faith why not faith plus words why not just works because in Adam all died there's no works that you and I can do that are exact entire and perpetual obedient unto God and so we need the grace of God we need faith in the Lord Jesus Christ but in terms of faith I think matron hits the nail on the head he says the true reason why faith is given such an exclusive place by the New Testament so far as the attainment of salvation is concerned over against love and over against everything else in man except things that can be regarded as mere aspects of faith he says is that faith means receiving something not doing something or even being something that's a subtle distinction but a most important one he says the center of the Bible in the center of Christianity is found in what love to hear everybody's answer my happiness my completeness my wholeness my development my therapy my adjustment that's not what matron says that's probably what you'd hear you know from Furtick or you'd hear from some of these authors everybody reads their Bible in that narcissistic manner they they see themselves in the text of Scripture that's not what nation goes on to say the center of the Bible in the center of Christianity is found in the grace of God and the necessary corollary of the grace of God is salvation through faith alone I would say a hundredfold amen to that blessed statement and that's what Christ means come to me is what Jesus says isn't that a beautiful thing he doesn't say stay away from me he doesn't say there's never any hope for you he doesn't say continue in that hyper Calvinistic setting where there's no gospel call where there's no call to sinner's to respond in faith to the glory of the Savior that's not what Jesus does Jesus doesn't say to everybody in the audience lift up your shirt and see if there's an e on your back and if there's an e on your back Alette then you can come to me Jesus doesn't do that Jesus preaches the gospel Jesus preaches himself Jesus says come to me and then notice secondly the persons addressed this is amazing come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden come to me all you who are late scuse me I think the vestiges are the remnants of this coffe come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden now this does not mean the one who is physically tired because if you look at verse 29 he says you will find rest for your souls what Christ affords here is not physical rest your bed does a pretty good job with that a bit of vacation does a pretty good job with that a modest work schedule where you have a work-life balance does a good job at that the rest that Christ offers in the passage is not rest from your physical Labor's its soulish labor and if you look at the context in Matthew's Gospel certainly he is speaking against pharisaic religion he condemns later in Matthew chapter 23 these Pharisees who keep up these burdens upon man and they themselves don't don't do it they themselves don't ever assist and assist them in doing it he is he is saying to those who are weary and heavy-laden under the false oppressive religion of those Pharisees and scribes of his particular time but as well he's talking about sinners he's talking about those of us who are burdened with sin those of us who are weary over continually rejecting God in his law those of us who are heavy laden with guilt and was shamed and that knowledge of our depravity he's addressing those now God makes us sensible of this to be sure because sinners apart from the grace of God will never acknowledge this they'll never realize this I mean they may feel bad from time to time they may stop doing a particular bad habit because it has adverse effects upon their health but the ones that Christ is addressing a real sinners and I think we forget that has Bible readers today you know we talk about sin we talk about how sinful we are and then we we thank the Lord for the grace of God in Jesus Christ but we somehow forget that the people in the first century had the same sorts of sins as well when he says come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden I will give you rest he's talking to real sinners the Bible address the problem of real sin if you are heavy-laden over your sin the best place for you to be is in the bosom of the Son of God the best place for you to be is in the scripture the best place for you to be is at the lord's table the best place for you to be is as near to God as you can I know the devil's logic goes like this your Center and you haven't lived up to the light that you have in the gospel your conduct hasn't been worthy of the gospel so therefore stay away from Jesus and whine and pout and grovel and make yourself look miserable that's not what the scripture tells us if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us why do we think that's the entry-level sins and not the real bad sins it's all sin the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us not from some sin not from the respectable sins but from all sin this is who Christ is addressing he's addressing those who have broken the law those who have transgressed the law those who have rejected the law those who have lacked conformity to the law those who are heavy laden with sin the psalmist says for my iniquities have gone over my head like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me my wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long I suppose that some of us know this experientially what do we do when this overtakes us do we fly to the fountain or do we stay away why don't we come to the one who promises rest why don't we come to the one who affords forgiveness now I'm speaking to us here as believers to be sure because the gospel is necessary for believers as well we are not to tarry we're not to stay away we're not to try to fix ourselves up before we go to Jesus it's not a date you go out on a date with your bride or you go out on a date with your beloved you comb your hair and you make yourself look good you put a little Cologne on so that you'll smell good you you want to be attractive to your mate that's legit I'm not suggesting otherwise by all means especially to my bride go ahead and do that that's a good thing but we look at our relationship with Christ that way we think we have to fix ourselves we think we have to comb our hair we have to fix our tie we have to we have to deal with our sin and then I can go to Jesus it never dawns on us that that church and the supper and prayer and Bible reading are precisely what sinners need it's precisely the contact we get through faith with the blood of Jesus Christ His Son that is the remedy for what the psalmist described in Psalm 38 4 to 6 he says in verse 18 in Psalm 38 4 I will declare my iniquity I will be excuse me in anguish over my sin Psalm 130 I know I quote it a lot because it's a very important passage of scripture verses 3 & 4 if you Lord should mark iniquities O Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with you that you may be fear but in verses 1 to 3 our verse 1 and 2 he says out of the depths I have cried to you O Lord Lord hear my voice let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications what's the depths the depths there aren't he's running from Philistines the depths there aren't he's running from Saul the depths there are if you Lord should mark iniquities O Lord who can stand say one thing about David the man understood something about his sin except of course in the case of Bathsheba and Uriah took him a little while to get up to speed after the prophet nathan rebuked him and told him thou art the man but for the most part he had a sensitive conscience he had that recognition of what he was before a holy God but he always applies to the Lord Jesus Christ he doesn't stay away he doesn't carry he is in the presence of his Savior that's the purpose and the point of the Christian gospel it's not to come to try and help those who are pretty decent in and of themselves no it comes to those who are miserable it to those who are depraved it comes to those who are destitute it comes to those who are overwhelmed under sin and this is who Jesus addresses in this blessed invitation come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden and that brings us thirdly to the promise given notice what he says and I will give you rest I will give you rest the promise of rest at least on one level from pharisaical religion that hyper legalistic attitude of the Pharisees Jesus says I will rest you from that but at a more deeper level I will rest you from the sin the overwhelming burden the heavy laden s the weariness that sin produces you see there's this mindset that sin is cool sin is fun sin is great sin as me getting to express myself sin is my Declaration of Independence sin is Liberty it is just the opposite the Lord Christ told us in John chapter 8 whoever commits sin is what he's free he's happy he's filled with joy he is a slave of sin and so when Christ promises rest that ought to be welcome news to any sinner come to Christ and He will give you rest from the sinful condition that you have found yourself in in rebelling against God's holy law rest is going to come up later in Matthew chapter 12 over the Sabbath controversies it is Christ the Lord who is the one who gives this rest this Sabbath this blessing to his people so it's a wonderful progression that Christ does here he exhorts to come he highlights the persons he gives a promise and then he tells them fourthly to submit verse 29 take my yoke upon you take my yoke upon you you see when we come to Christ we lose the burden of sin but we received the yoke of Jesus Christ and as he goes on in the context we see that that yoke is good that burden is light he's delightful and wonderful but there is discipleship there is sanctification there's one of the sort of leaders or contenders for the the presidential the Democrat Party in America that that keeps you know lecturing Christians on how they you know need to receive the marginalized there's nothing wrong with receiving the marginalized but in Matthew 1:21 it doesn't say he will save his people from marginalization the issue is sin he saves us from our sin he doesn't save us to continue in sin but rather we are to take his yoke upon us we are to receive that blessing ownership that blessed connection with the Savior the word yoke according to Davies and Alison came to be a metaphor for obedience subordination servitude the Lord Christ obviously uses it here for discipleship and again the progress or the progression is clear it's not take my yoke upon you obey my law do what I say and then I will give you rest we take the yoke upon us after he has given us rest after he has justified us freely by His grace after we have come to him after we've received the forgiveness of sins after we have received this righteousness imputed to us and received by faith alone then sanctification happens you have to see that particular particular trajectory it's not obey me do for me perform for me and then I will rest you the yoke on the believer is a sign that he is Christ and that Christ is his that's a done deal the transaction has been transacted we are in him he is our Savior he has granted us this blessed rest and now it is our joy our privilege and our delight to take his yoke upon us Chamblin says it is a command to submit to God's rule as Jesus proclaims it and to God's law as Jesus expounds it so you remember that the old banner of truth Edition a pilgrims progress if anybody hasn't seen that you really should see it because there's some illustrations in there that are just beautiful you can probably google it you've got crashed he's got this burden on his on his back and he's you know laboring under this I think Psalm 38 is is probably in the mind of Bunyan there but but he's got this this great burden and it's not until he comes to the cross and then that burden is you know the straps are snapped and and and off it flies but it's not the case that once the believer loses that burden they are without a yoke they have the yoke of Jesus Christ they are disciples they are mastered by another they are owned by this mediator this Savior and this Lord and then notice fifthly invites us to learn from him 29 B or 29 take my yoke upon you and learn from me CH Spurgeon says we are to learn of Christ and also to learn Christ he is both teacher and lesson and in this he calls us to learn from me and then he tells us for I am gentle or meat and lowly in heart he goes on with his promise and says at the end of verse 29 and you will find rest for your souls you see the Christian gospel answers to that lack of rest the gospel answers to that chaos the gospel answers to that that lack of stability and security that we have because we're sinners against the holy God of heaven and earth but Christ has learned from me and again I'm gonna nag a little bit more from from this morning we need to be in our churches we need to be in our Bibles we need to be people that are serious about this I don't never have asked Pastor Mike if he has an attendance record and you know at the end of a Sunday he goes home and he checks off at the box and says well so-and-so wasn't here and so-and-so wasn't here that sort of thing I doubt that he does pastors aren't taking attendance because they're gonna you know get you we are concerned if you're not present in the house of God and I know some would say well you're just authoritarian narcissist but like to lord it over the people and that's really not my angle here brethren the Apostle Paul says we are workers with you for your joy and if you are not in Scripture if you are not in prayer if you are not attending the of grace as a Christian there's not gonna be joy in your life there's always gonna be this aching sense that you know that you're not doing what you should be doing yeah not doing what you should be doing in order to be saved but as one who has come one who has found rest one who wears that yoke one who is possessed by Christ you want to learn from the master you want to understand his law you want to understand the application of it you cry with Solomon when God says what is it that you want and Solomon says I want wisdom I have to administrate a kingdom here and I cannot do this without wisdom we have to administrate it Kingdom that's not quite Solomon's but our own we have to function in family we have to function in the context of church we have to function with a federal election coming up we have to function an increasingly secular society we have to function in this capacity and if we are not learning from Christ we're not going to be good representatives of him it is absolutely crucial brothers and sisters that we take seriously what Jesus says take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls and then finally he highlights the description of discipleship he says from my yoke is easy and my burden is light there is a yoke to be sure there is a burden to be sure but it's easy and it's light remember that whole sort of relationship that the believer has to the law of God prior to our salvation by grace that lock and dam now that were justified freely by grace that law instructs it informs it guides it is the means by which God sanctifies us John 17:17 sanctify them by thy truth thy Word is truth Frances turreted highlights the relationship he says before it the law was an instrument of the spirit of bondage to throw down in bruise man but afterwards it becomes the instrument of the spirit of adoption to promote sanctification thus the law leads Christ and Christ leads us back to the law it leads to Christ as the Redeemer and Christ leads to the law as the leader and director of life one of the things that we often highlight in this particular church is that the commandments of God are not burdensome they are not Grievous I think the people of God are burdened and grieved by their inability or perhaps lack of willingness to abide by that law as they ought but they never cry out against the law or they're certainly not supposed to they're supposed to say what David oh how I love your law it is my meditation all the day and night and this is Christ's emphasis he says my yoke is easy and my burden is light the New Testament highlights several instances how or why this is the case it is that blessed liberty of the sons of God that we enjoy and I think behind the scenes is Jeremiah 6:16 thus says Yahweh stand in the way and see and ask for the old paths where the good way is and walk in it then you will find rest for your souls brethren this is our Lord highlighting the absolute sovereignty of his father for thus it was well pleasing in your sight highlighting the fact that he alone is the mediator and he alone has the power but he is gracious to do so reveal the father to sinners and he issues this gracious invitation indiscriminately again he doesn't say to some in the audience I want you I want you to plug your ears at this point I don't know if your sheep I don't know if your goat I don't know if your reprobate I don't know if your like so you you just close your ears here no he issues this invitation in as far as we know a mixed crowd of persons he doesn't take the time to make sure certain persons shouldn't lift said but rather he simply says come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest it is the most gracious and most wonderful invitation that sinners could ever hear well in conclusion a few thoughts and then we'll go up and have some time to fellowship together first if you have not come to grips with the overwhelming burden of sin may I encourage you to study God's law the Heidelberg catechism asks how do you know your misery because the law of God tells me so when I peer into those Commandments I do not see well done good and faithful servant when I peer or you peer into those Commandments you should never congratulate yourself because I highly doubt you have perpetual personal exact and entire obedience of that law you've all and I have been guilty of idolatry we've all blaspheme we've all broken the Sabbath we've all been insubordinate to those over us we've all murdered if not physically to the point where we've actually ended somebody's life we have done so in the heart we have slandered we have gossip we have been bitter that sort of stuff is a six commandment violation and I would suggest it's probably rampant in churches today the seventh commandment again it doesn't demand that you actually defile yourself with somebody else's husband and wife it's in the thoughts Christ says if you look upon a woman to lust you broken the commandment we have we have stolen things from God we have stolen good benefits and not returned thanks and praise and adoration - and we have lied we have been covetous this is how you learn the overwhelming burden of sin and this is why the church today must preach the law of God in all of its pedagogical force so that sinners will see the problem we don't preach Jesus to make your life a little better we preach Jesus so that you might have everlasting life and if you have not come to grips with this overwhelming burden of sin you need to study God's law jesus said Peter I mentioned it earlier most assuredly I say to you whoever commits sin is a slave of sin secondly we see the gospel are the the foundation of gospel rest it's grounded firmly in the sovereign will of the Father and in the media tour office of Christ Spurgeon says come unto me is thus a divine prescription curing our ills by the pardon of sin through our Lord sacrifice and causing us the greatest piece by sanctifying us to his service it's a beautiful statement there thirdly I want to highlight and this is again preaching to the choir and to be honest and very thankful that we don't have resistance and sure Pastor Mike doesn't have this as either you know if we preach the Jesus is the alone way of salvation that bothers people that really offends people today it shouldn't offend us that that there is one way to the Father is absolutely amazing it is absolutely glorious that in light of our sin and in light of God's holiness there is a way of salvation but that way is Christ and Christ alone we must be intolerant at this particular point we must be exclusive at this particular point we must not renege on what the scripture says concerning the way of salvation machen again says the Christian religion is intolerant to the core imagine him saying this today in the public realm he would be shunned like tarred and feathered he says there lies the whole offense of not just in the public realm in many Church Lear Elms as well to suggest that Christianity is intolerant to the core I can already you know see Christians know you shouldn't say that that doesn't sound politically correct they don't like that that that won't win then that won't move them what are we trying to win them with lies compromise deceit some suggestion that Christ perhaps isn't the alone way of salvation the way we win sinners is to preach the truth of the gospel and trust in the one who Jesus says even so father thus it was well pleasing in your sight our task is to be faithful to the message and to trust in the power of God Almighty but back to Meijin the Christian religion is intolerant to the core there lies the whole of phantes of the cross and also the whole power of it always the gospel would have been received with favor by the world if it had been presented merely as one way of salvation right merely as one way of salvation the offense came because it was presented as the only way if we came on the scene and said oh your religion is fine and your religion is fine and your religion is fine we want to offer another way for you to consider and to think about but it's not the alone way it's not the exclusive way we'd be welcomed among the Panthea in the pantheon we would be welcomed and recognized as one of the approved sort of religions of the Empire he goes on to say the the offense came because it was presented as the only way and because it made relentless war upon all other ways that's why they don't like it when you preach John 14:6 or when you preach Matthew 11:27 in a pluralistic society where everything in anything goes you could just add Jesus to the pantheon but that's not what Jesus tells us in Scripture he alone is the way to the Father and then finally I want to suggest an appreciation for if we don't already have it the absolute sovereignty of God in election and in reprobation first of all we need to see the truthfulness of God's sovereignty one of the things I say typically when we're going through the the scriptures on a Wednesday night in the Old Testament anybody ever stumbles upon or has an issue with the sovereignty of God they should just start in Genesis they should just read how God works in the midst of chaos to bring about good and glorious things the Lord most high is sovereign he is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases secondly we need to appreciate the graciousness of God as seen in election it's it's not fatalism it's not a machine it's not a monster it's not that that there's this impersonal fade up there sort of pulling the strings no God is gracious in electing some unto salvation is expressing that grace when he reveals Christ to babes thirdly we ought to appreciate the Justice of God in reprobation now to hide gospel truth again is not mean-spirited it's not capricious it's not vile on the part of God it is an act of judgment you see these people were sinners and to hide something from them isn't an act of injustice on the part of God but rather it is an act of justice and then in light of the day Thanksgiving tomorrow the response on the part of the believer ought to be Thanksgiving and praise isn't it amazing this is what we read in verse 25 at that time jesus answered and said I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes so tomorrow when you're going around that Thanksgiving table and somebody says what do you thankful for the sovereignty of God Almighty is a perfectly legitimate thing to be thankful for John Murray said if the only begotten Son the Lord of glory drew consolation from the sovereign good pleasure of God the Father and made it the occasion for such Thanksgiving so let it be with you also Ephesians 1:3 blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places and then where does he begin he begins with Sovereign Grace just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world in love he predestined us on to adoption as sons see for the Apostle Paul the sovereignty of God did not create in him this this upset attitude this this not fair attitude but rather it elicited from him praise and worship and adoration brethren the proper response to God's grace that has overcome our guilt is gratitude not just tomorrow but each and every day let us live as a people that are thankful to the Lord Most High Colossians 1 12 to 14 the Apostle says giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints and the light the father who qualified us for that and that's why we express thankfulness Colossians 2:6 and 7 as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as you have been taught abounding in it with what with Thanksgiving brethren Thanksgiving is an acknowledgment of God's grace Thanksgiving is the sphere in which we ought to live Thanksgiving ought to be expressed to God on a regular basis for his so great a salvation to us and if you are going to end this day not knowing Jesus let me repeat to you the gracious invitation that he goes that he issues he says come to me that means believe on him receive him look to him the way that the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness they looked and they lived you look in faith to the Lord Christ and you will live and then you will hopefully be thankful and expressed that gratitude to the grace of God each and every day will let us close in the word of Prayer father thank you for your word thank you for this time that we can serve a look at the Holy Scripture and God we are humbled at the thought of your sovereignty the reality that you revealed these things unto us not for anything good in us not for any good that you foresaw in us but solely and alone because it was well pleasing in your sight we thank you for the mediator the Lord Jesus Christ that prophet priest and King and we thank you that he has revealed to us the father and God I pray that wherever the gospel is preached wherever this word goes forth sinners by grace would come to the Savior we know there is a whole multitude a whole a great mass of humanity that has no saving knowledge of the Lord God Most High we pray that gospel preaching would go forth that this gracious invitation would be published from sea to sea and that a multitude by her grace would come out of darkness into marvelous light and we know that rest that Jesus Christ gives and we pray these things in his most blessed name man well you can take your hymn book and turn to 568 568 we'll stand as we sing together [Music] [Applause] [Music] looking numbers and then pray and give thanks to God for the food that we will participate in upstairs but before that I just want to express my my full heart it's a joy and a privilege to have our two churches together to join a privilege to know that there are brethren gathering together under this common confession in Vernon and the hope and prayer ought to be that we see more churches like this planted not because it's us but because we have in that confession of faith a great compendium of Bible truth and persons need to hear this truth people need to hear the gospel of our salvation it is a great encouragement to see God's hand his mercy his kindness expressed and the provision of a pastor there in Surrey a good and faithful young man and it's good to see people coming into that church people being instructed and taught good reformed theology and hopefully being grounded in the faith and hopefully producing good works and love to God and love to men so the language of a brother that was influential in my life many many years ago brethren my heart is full it is a great encouragement to see each and every one of you here so let us now end with a good word from our God the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace father we acknowledge your hand in this meeting tonight we acknowledge your hand in the planting of the church here in Chilliwack father we know it didn't depend upon men it depended upon God Almighty we acknowledge that hand and the planting of the church and Surrey and we thank you for your provision in a pastor and Mike Kirkpatrick we thank you for the work that is going on in that church and pray that you would prosper it that you would bless it that you would use that ministry and the salvation of a multitude of sinners in that part of the world and God again we pray for the work in Vernon give them grace give them strength uphold them and cause them to be a blessed Church of the Lord God most high in that part of the world and we do appeal to you as the lord of the harvest to raise up more men to plant more churches we look westward we look northward we look east lord we look southward we see the need for gospel church all over the world we see the need for good confessional Christianity we see the need for sound doctrine and faithful preaching of the gospel and God we appeal to you and your grace and in your mercy and in your sovereignty that you would be well pleased to reveal these truths unto babes and establish more churches for the glory of God Almighty and thank you for that Shore promise of our blessed Redeemer who promised to build his church and the gates of Hell itself shall not prevail against it we thank you now that we can go have some food together and some fellowship thank you for your kind provision we pray that you would bless and nourish and strengthen us physically and God caused us to glorify and honor you as we eat and drink and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and then head upstairs you