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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to Matthew chapter 11, a 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 liken 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 had been done, because they did 
not repent. Woe to you, Chorazin! 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 and 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 in Vernon. 
We thank you for that work, Thank you for the fact that they have 
men each week preaching the word. We pray that you'd set apart 
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 laborer 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 leave 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 opposition 
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 winebibber, 
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 I mentioned, the incorrigible children in verses 16 to 19. 
Those who had rejected both the ministry of the Baptist and the 
ministry of the Savior. 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 manifest 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. Romans 
9 and Ephesians 1 and John 6, and we find great comfort for 
our souls because we recognize that if God and His sovereignty 
didn't make us 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. 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 is acknowledging that there 
are persons who think 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 are persons that are dead. in their trespasses 
and sins, and for God to hide these things, which in context 
is gospel truth, is not 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 
unto 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 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. J. Gresham Machen 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 
and our lives, we embrace it and we praise God that it was 
pleasing in his sight to reveal unto us The 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, no, it wouldn't be 
that bad. But the point is, or the function is, or 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 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 man. In fact, the apostle Paul, 
in 1 Timothy 2, verses five and six, 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 Lord Jesus highlights his 
power as mediator. And as Calvin says, having formally 
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 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 serve. Let us remind ourselves 
of the Savior that has conquered us. Let this be an instigator 
to provoke from us daily praise, daily gratitude, daily thanksgiving. That pattern in the Heidelberg 
Catechism is great. You've got 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 helpful 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 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. 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 
was 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 three. The children 
of Israel whined, 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 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 are terms 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 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 
works? Why not just works? Because in 
Adam all die. There's no works that you and 
I can do that are perfect, 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 nature 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 
and 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 Machen says. That's probably what you'd hear, 
you know, from Furtick or you'd hear from some of these others. 
Everybody reads their Bible in that narcissistic manner. They 
see themselves in the text of Scripture. That's not what Machen 
goes on to say. The center of the Bible and 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 sinners 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, elect, 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 person's addressed. This is amazing. Come to me all you who labor 
and are heavy laden. Come to me all you who are labor. Excuse me, the vestiges or the 
remnants of this cough. 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 labors. It's 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 men. And they themselves don't do 
it. They themselves don't ever assist them in doing it. 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 and 
His law, those of us who are heavy-laden with guilt and with 
shame 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 
are real sinners. And I think we forget that as 
Bible readers today. You know, we talk about sin, 
we talk about how sinful we are, and then 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 addresses 
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. You're a sinner 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 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 deal with our sin. 
And then I can go to Jesus. It never dawns on us 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 describes in Psalm 38, 4-6. He 
says in verse 18 in Psalm 38, For I will declare my iniquity, 
I will be in anguish over my sin. Psalm 130, I know I quote 
it a lot because it's a very important passage of scripture. 
Verses three and four. If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, 
O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with 
you that you may be feared. But in verses one to three, or 
verse one and two, 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 could 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 
tarry. 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 comes 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-ness, the weariness that sin produces. You see, there's 
this mindset that sin is cool, sin is fun, sin is great, sin 
is 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 receive 
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 presidential, 
the Democrat party in America 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 blessed 
ownership, that blessed connection with the Savior. The word yoke, 
according to Davies and Allison, came to be a metaphor for obedience, 
subordination, servitude. The Lord Christ obviously uses 
it here for discipleship. 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 
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. Chamberlain 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 if you remember that, the 
old Banner of Truth edition of Pilgrim's 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. So you've got Christian and he's got this burden 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 he's got 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 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, he invites 
us to learn from him. 29b, or 29, take my yoke upon 
you and learn from me. C.H. 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 meek and lowly in heart. He goes on with this 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 lack 
of stability and security that we have because we're sinners 
against the holy God of heaven and earth. But Christ says, learn 
from me. And again, I'm going to nag a 
little bit more 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. You know, at the end 
of a Sunday, he goes home and he checks off 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 going to, 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 narcissists that 
like to lord it over the people. 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 means 
of grace as a Christian, there's not going to be joy in your life. 
There's always going to be this aching sense that you know that 
you're not doing what you should be doing. Again, 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 a 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 in an increasingly secular society. 
We have to function in this capacity. And if we are not learning from 
Christ, we are 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, for 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 law condemned. Now that we're 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. Francis Turretin 
highlights the relationship. He says, before, it, the law, 
was an instrument of the spirit of bondage to throw down and 
bruise man. But afterwards, it becomes the 
instrument of the spirit of adoption to promote sanctification. Thus, 
the law leads to 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 with 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 to plug your ears at this point. 
I don't know if you're sheep, I don't know if you're goat, 
I don't know if you're reprobate, I don't know if you're lexo. 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 listen, 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 blasphemed. 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 gossiped. 
We have been bitter. That sort of stuff is a Sixth 
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 or wife. It's in the thoughts. Christ 
says, if you look upon a woman to lust, you've broken the commandment. 
We have stolen things from God. We have stolen good benefits 
and not returned thanks and praise and adoration to Him. 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, I mentioned it earlier, 
most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave 
of sin. Secondly, we see the gospel, 
the foundation of gospel rest. It's grounded firmly in the sovereign 
will of the father, and in the mediatorial office of Christ. 
Spurgeon says, come unto me, is thus a divine prescription, 
curing our ills by the pardon of sin through our Lord's sacrifice 
and causing us the greatest peace 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, I'm very thankful that we don't 
have resistance, and I'm sure Pastor Mike doesn't have this 
either. You know, if we preach that Jesus 
is the alone way of salvation, that bothers people. That really 
offends people today. It shouldn't offend us. 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 churchly realms 
as well, to suggest that Christianity is intolerant to the core. I 
can already, you know, see Christians going, you shouldn't say that. 
That doesn't sound politically correct. They didn't like that, 
that won't win them, that won't woo 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 Machen, the Christian 
religion is intolerant to the core. There lies the whole offense 
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 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 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 and 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 scriptures 
on a Wednesday night in the Old Testament, if 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 not fatalism, it's not a 
machine, it's not a monster, it's not that there's this impersonal 
fate up there sort of pulling the strings. No, God is gracious 
in electing some unto salvation. God 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 are 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 unto adoption as sons. See, for the 
Apostle Paul, the sovereignty of God did not create in him 
this upset attitude, 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. It's 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 acknowledgement 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 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 express that gratitude to the grace of God each and 
every day. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Father, thank you for your Word. Thank you for 
this time that we can survey, 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 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 
your 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, amen. Well, you can take your 
hymn book and turn to 568. 568, we'll stand as we sing together. praise him A little benediction. from the book of 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 full heart. It's a joy and a privilege to 
have our two churches together. It's a joy and 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 in the provision 
of a pastor there in Syria, a good and faithful young man. And it's 
good to see people coming into that church, people being instructed 
and taught good reform theology and hopefully being grounded 
in the faith and hopefully producing good works and love to God and 
love to men. So in 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 in the 
planting of the church in Surrey. And we thank you for your provision 
and the 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 in 
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 eastward, we look southward. We see the need for gospel churches 
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 in your grace and in your mercy and in your sovereignty 
that you would be well pleased to reveal these truths on debates 
and establish more churches for the glory of God Almighty. And 
thank you for that sure 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 cause 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.