Come to Me: Jesus' Invitation for the Weary Soul

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 0:22

Hello everyone. It gives me such a joy to bring God's word to you, and I have a message that God has laid in my heart to share with each and every one of you. This devotion is taken from Gospel according to Matthew 11" 28 to 30. Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Let's pray, Father God, we want to thank you for your word. Your word is so comforting. We want to thank you because we can find so much of peace and comfort in your word. Lord, I pray that you would talk to us, touch our souls and touch our spirits. In Jesus' name, we ask this prayer, Amen.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 2:05

Well, this is a message. This is a message that Jesus is talking to probably a large multitude of people who are going through a very tough time. And in fact, if you will read the preceding passage, Jesus has some very strong words of judgment upon few towns of Galilee, and then also, he is being confronted by the Pharisees in relation to the observation of Sabbath. So this particular part of the passage, that is, Matthew 11: 28- 30, is kind of sandwiched between something which is very stressful and something that is very strong. And in midst of all these conflicts, Jesus is offering something that is very precious, that is, rest. And this morning the devotion is titled as come and rest. Come and rest.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 3:41

So it's there are few very fundamental things as far as rest is concerned. The first thing is that every one of us we long for rest, that state of mind or that state of being where we just want not to be bothered by anything. You know the worries of this world. There are so many things happening to us in relation to our health, relation to our career, situations in workplaces, things in relation to our marriages, our finances, things within family, village, community, nation at large. There are so many things happening around us that might bother us, but every one of us we need rest. We need rest because there are so many things that bother us, and so it's fundamental that all of us we need rest.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 4:55

And the second thing is, rest can be situational or rest could be a lifestyle need. Some of us, we might be going through a certain patch in our life, um, a season in our life where we need, uh, rest. You know just an example something happened to our child, you know, child got sick and you know. Or there are health situations that are kind of bothering us, you know so, so that we we are in a situation where we need rest. So it could be situational, but for some people it could be even lifestyle issue. You, we kind of get stressed with anything, everything that has kind of become so deep and innate for us that we get anxious for almost everything in our lives. So we need rest from you know. You know the lifestyle stress. It's not just situational but it's lifestyle stress.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 6:09

So rest can be situational, that we are looking for some rest, some peace, which is situational. And then there are some who might be seeking rest as a lifestyle need, and the third thing is that there are. That rest simply means to be at peace with your own self, be at peace with others, be at peace with others and be at peace with God, and when that happens that is called rest. You are at peace with yourself, who you are and how God has created you and you are at peace with what's happening to others and what's happening to your relationship with others, and also you are at peace with God in relation to how God is functioning. God is superior being and we cannot control himed. We are not in conflict. That's the state of rest that God is, that Jesus is inviting us this today. What is it that that's bothering you today? What is it that you're so much stressful about from the passage that we have read? I'm just going to quickly bring five things which can help us to find rest in Jesus, because he is the one who is inviting us to this rest.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 7:57

The first thing is we will find rest when we go to Jesus and be with Him. When you read Matthew 11: 28, he says come to me all you who are weary and burdened. I will be, give you rest. Underline that phrase Come to me, come to me. So there's an invitation. We will find rest when we take that step of going to him Because it's an invitation. We are asked to come to him.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 8:38

When you read Mark 3: 13- 14, it says Jesus went up on a mountainside, called to him those he wanted and they came to him. He appointed 12, that they might be with him, that he might send them out to preach, that they might be with him. He is calling us for a fellowship with him. We will find rest with him when we go to him. When we go to him, God wants to spend time with us. And when storms hit us or situations in life that kind of bothers us. Most often, you know, we are distracted. We are distracted. We just want to go after the world, we want to go after the things that bother us. And this moment of the time God is just inviting us to find rest in him, to be still and just to know him that he's in control. And he just wants us to have that fellowship, just to be with him, just to remain with him, so that we can enjoy his presence.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 10:06

Psalm 91" 1, says whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest, will rest. Underline that whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty, I will say of the Lord. He's my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. And then, in Psalm 27, verse 4, David's Psalm, one thing I asked of the Lord. This is what I desire to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his temple. So that's longing to have that fellowship with God, that desire, that strong urge to spend time with him. When he's openly inviting, he's saying come to me, he's giving that invitation. Why don't we go to him and be with him so that we can enjoy his company, enjoy this fellowship?

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 11:18

The second thing is, which is very important, rest is a fruit, an outcome of our relationship with God. So we get peace, we get rest. Our stress and anxiety comes down, goes down as a fruit, as an outcome of our relationship with God. Going back to that same scripture, Matthew 11: 28. Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Underline that phrase and I will give you rest. He will give. It's consequential, it's an outcome of come to me. I hope you're understanding. When we go to him, the fruit is that he gives us rest. It's just like we are in a storm, we are in a war and we want to be there. It's not possible to have rest there. We have to come out of that and be in the presence of God. Because he loves us and he wants to have our company. He wants to have our company. So rest and the peace we gain as an outcome of our relationship with him, the time that we spend with him.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 13:02

Romans 5" 1 to 5, says this is Paul writing Romans 5, 1 to 5. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him, we have also obtained access by faith into the grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, character, produces hope. Hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. So because of that relationship, because we have that peace with God, because we relate with him, because of that relationship, so much of God's love is poured into us and more of God's love gives us that rest and peace.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 14:16

And the third thing we will find rest when we have God's way as our way. We will find rest when we have God's way as our way. Going back to that same scripture, Matthew 11: 29- 30 take my yoke upon you. Underline that phrase. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I'm gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Underline that, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. We will find rest when we have God's way as our way. So this is very interesting and I told you that example. You know that if you are in a war zone, it's very hard to find rest there, because what we are leaning on are things that kindle the storm, kindle the war, kindle the battle. That kind of triggers more battle. We have to come out of that war zone and be at a place where we can fellowship with God, where we can spend a meaningful time with him. It's not easy, it's difficult, but that's what God wants us to. God wants to see that happen in our life.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 16:01

One of the best example is the example of the prodigal son, which is recorded in Luke 15: 17- 20. I'm going to read this for you. When he came to his senses he said how many of my father's hired servants have foot to spirit, and here I am starving to death. I will set out and go back to my father and say to him father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 16:42

So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Do you see this? He, when prodigal son, came to his senses. What is he realizing? He's realizing that I need to leave this place and be with my father. Even if my father would treat me as a servant, I would rather prefer to be with my father. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that amazing that when we are in relationship with God, we are in relationship with God, though God's ways are not that easy. We cannot probably agree with Him all the time, but even in that disagreement with God, when we trust Him as a creator, God as God who is sovereign, who can make a difference in our lives, and we make his way as our way, rather than asking him to follow us, if we follow him, I think we will find rest. We'll find rest Because we do not desire to be in conflict. And the fourth thing is we will find rest by learning from Jesus. We will find rest by learning from Jesus. Matthew 11" 29 take my yoke upon you and learn from me. Underline that phrase Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 19:08

Learning learning is amazing. The more we learn, there are different ways we can learn. We can learn by reading the Word of God. We can learn by listening to others, experiences not just. Sometimes we just think that our experiences only matter. Yes, yes, that matters a but we can learn a lot from the experiences of other people, what they go through, how they deal with situations, when they go through difficult times in our lives. And here he's saying learn from me, learn from me. Saying learn from me, learn from me. We can learn a lot from the life and teachings of Jesus as recorded in the scripture.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 20:05

Luke 10: 38- 41, says it's from the story of Mary and Martha. Luke 10: 38- 41. As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said, but Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me, Martha. Martha, the Lord answered you're worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, and upset about many things, but few things are needed, or indeed only one.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 20:57

Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her. Mary has chosen what is better. She has chosen to learn. Learn from Jesus, learn from Jesus, learn from Jesus. And I think learning should never cease. Learning should never come to an end. Can you take your situation, from what you are going through today, and take it to the Lord and ask him Lord, teach me your way, Lord, teach me, Lord, teach me, Lord, teach me. I want to learn, I want to learn from you, Lord, and the more we learn we will find that pain, that struggle, that difficulty that bothered us so much has actually, because of the learning has given us so much of rest, has given us so much of rest, and we all need rest. We all need rest. The fifth and the final thing is we will find rest when we know and accept the nature of God. We will find rest when we know and accept the nature of God. Going back to the same scripture, Matthew 11" 29. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart. Underline this phrase, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest. And you will find rest.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 22:50

One of the challenges that many of us we go through is having that picture of God that he's cruel, he's judgmental and he's out there to kill us. He's out there to give us trouble. I think many of us we need to come out of that understanding of God. He's a loving God, but understanding of God he's a loving God. If we, as parents, dad and mom, we are deeply hurt when our children are hurt, don't you think that creator God is more hurt when we go through difficulties and pain and struggle? That's what Jesus is saying about himself, for I am gentle and humble in heart.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 23:45

Psalm 34: 8, says taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. It's very, very important to know God, to know that he's a loving father, to know that he cares for us, to know that he loves us, he cares for us, to know that he loves us, he cares for us, to know that he is with me. Emmanuel, God with us, he is with us, he is with us.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 24:29

Yes, all of us, we need rest, every one of us. We need rest, and Jesus is inviting us to him that we spend time with him and find that rest. We will find rest when we go to Jesus and remain with him, fellowship with him. We will find rest as an outcome, as a fruit of our relationship with God. We will find rest when we have God's way as our way. Some of us, we need to make that choice, that decision, completely surrendering our own selves to God, and say that, God, I just want to rely on your way and just to trust in him that he has good plans for us. We will find rest by learning from Jesus, and we can learn through the word of God, through the experiences of people, through spending time reading the word and praying. We will find rest when we know and accept the nature of God, that God is a loving God. He cares for us.

Pastor Lephen Kumar: 26:00

Let's pray, Father God, we want to thank you so much for your grace upon our lives. We want to thank you because you're loving, you're caring, you're loving, you're caring. Lord, I pray if there is any listener today who is disappointed, discouraged, disheartened, going through so much anxiety and stress. Lord, I ask for your comforting peace. Lord, I ask for your strength. Lord, I ask you that you would hold their hand and lead them. I pray, Lord, that you comfort them. Lord, help us that we will grow in your love, grow in knowing you more and more. Be with every one of us. In Jesus name, we ask this prayer Amen, Amen. May God bless all.