Sermon: Sunday, 31st August, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Mathew 11:28-30
What’s the best invitation you have ever had? It’s lovely to receive an invitation. Perhaps it was a wedding invitation to celebrate the ‘big day’ of close friends and to share in their joy. Or perhaps you were invited on holiday to a beautiful area to explore all kinds of new places with your friends. You might be invited to apply for a job and that feels like a great boost – people appreciate your efforts in the workplace. We are inviting people to come to Meal with a Message; they might accept or decline the invitation. You might receive a handwritten note from your spouse, inviting you for a special picnic and walk; sometimes these personal invitations are the most touching. Or it could be a surprise milestone birthday party you are asked to. Roger is inviting us all to a musical concert on the 1st of November. As we know, when invitations arrive then we have a decision to make, to accept or politely decline. A response is required. But the best and most important invitation you have ever received comes here in Matthew chapter 11. Make no mistake, you are invited and you are invited by Jesus himself. Let’s explore what it is exactly that Jesus is inviting us to and what the implications are if we accept or reject the invitation.
1. An astonishing invitation
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11:28)
What is astonishing about this invitation? It is staggering for one man, Jesus, to invite the whole world to come to him to receive all the things that they need most. Can Jesus really deliver that? Does he have the resources to meet all our needs? This is the kind of invitation that only God could extend. We read in the book of Isaiah; ‘Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.’ (Isaiah 45:22) God is saying that only he is qualified to rescue us. That would be arrogant were it not true. Likewise, Jesus’ claim to the only one in whom the deepest needs of the world can be satisfied is either some kind of foolish arrogance or it is the truth. We know that Jesus is far more than a human being; he both God and man in one person. That is why he is able to make this amazing invitation. Jesus is, in effect, inviting us to have a relationship with him. It is one where we trust and obey and follow him. And it is through this relationship alone that we can find rest for our souls. It is a relationship where we talk to him in prayer and listen to his voice as we read the Bible.
No politician can say to us, ‘Follow our party and we will meet the deepest needs of your soul.’ No scientist can point to a discovery which will give us peace, meaning and direction. No false prophet in other religions can accomplish this. Only Jesus can. And the good news is that he actually invites you to come to him to receive all you need and more. The question is, will you come?
But it’s also an astonishing invitation because it is an invitation made to those who have rejected him. Jesus has been denouncing the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida. They had seen his miracles and heard his teaching first-hand and yet still rejected him. The Apostle John was right when he wrote: ‘He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.’ (John ch 1 v11)
Today in Fife, the vast majority of people have no time for God or for the things of eternity. Even though these are the critical areas of life, we just focus on what we can see and touch instead. We conveniently forget about the big questions of life: what happens when we die? What will God do about all the wrong things I have done personally? What is the meaning of life? Does God love me? Even though the human race refuses to thank God for his goodness to us and to live our lives for him, Jesus still invites us into a relationship with him. Jesus is here opening his arms to receive the whole world, even a world which has ignored him. It is an invitation we really don’t deserve. Instead of condemnation, we receive an invitation.
2. Who specifically is invited?
We have already seen that the whole world is invited. But Jesus is more specific. He is inviting the ‘weary and the burdened’ He is inviting those who labour and are heavy laden. But does this not describe the whole world without Christ?
Augustine said: ‘You have made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in You.’
It’s hard for people to be satisfied without knowing life’s true purpose, even if their family and work circumstances are positive. And it’s no wonder people are weary in a world full of pain and suffering when that pain and suffering seems random and pointless. Is life really meaningless? Life is not a level playing field. Some carry more burdens than others. However, life is hard for everyone. Sometimes we are burdened by guilt weighing us down. We know we have hurt others, but we don’t really know what to do about that. Our consciences begin to bother us. Sometimes we’re crushed by rejection, or bad relationships or an addiction. We are just so worn down by life. Are you loaded down by your sin, or sorrow or regret this morning? You are invited to come to Jesus.
In Jesus’ day, many were weighed down trying to earn God’s favour keeping all kinds of rules. Not just rules in the Bible, but many man-made rules as well. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus describes the actions of the Pharisees: ‘They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.’ (Matthew 23:4) In other words, they falsely teach that people must earn their place in Heaven by ensuring that their good outweighs their bad. But we cannot earn our salvation. We cannot rescue ourselves. We cannot even keep God’s laws, but break them on a daily basis. What a massive burden to place on people – telling them they must, in their own strength, be good enough for God. And even if we do go down this false road, we would never know if what we have done has been enough. We would always be in a state of spiritual anxiety.
It’s not just back in Jesus’ day that people were over-burdened trying to earn God’s favour. This happens just as much today. In fact, every religion teaches this false path and in so doing places burden after burden on people. Jesus invites us to come to him and have this burden removed from our backs. He is able to keep the law on our behalf. And he is able to pay the price for the wrongs we have committed by dying on the cross for us.
3. What does Jesus promise those who come to him?
In a word, rest! There is rest for our souls and it is found in a relationship with Jesus. There is rest for our conscience as in Jesus our sins can be totally forgiven and we no longer carry the burden of shame and guilt. There is rest in our hearts because in Jesus we know who we are, why we are here, what our true purpose is and what will happen to us at death. There is rest in Jesus because our Creator specifically designed us to have a relationship with him.
Most of us know what it is like to be exhausted and burnt out but then to have a proper rest. We might just need time away from work, or a parent might need a break from the relentless task of watching young children. To those trying to earn God’s favour, Jesus tells us that he has done everything necessary for us to be saved and to enter Heaven. We can rest in what he has done. It is not restful to live life running away from God and just doing our own thing. How can we know spiritual rest doing that?
What does coming to Jesus for rest involve in practical terms? It means coming to him in prayer, and asking him for his forgiveness and his help. It means coming to him with empty hands and asking him for all that we need. It means giving up trying to go it alone and receiving his love and grace. It means entering into a relationship with King Jesus.
4. A life-long apprenticeship
But the rest Jesus offers us is not a life of idleness. We are not called to do nothing. And it’s not an easy life but one full of battles and difficulties and temptations. Can that still be restful? Yes, it can. He says: ‘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.’ (Matthew 11:29-30)
What does it mean to take Jesus’ yoke on us? We don’t often think about animal yokes in our culture. A yoke is a wooden collar that runs across the shoulders of a pair of oxen, helping them to pull huge weights. When we become Christians, giving our allegiance to Jesus, this is just the first day of a whole life of serving him. To take Jesus’ yoke on our shoulders means to follow him, serve him and learn from him. In other words, we become Jesus disciples, or apprentices. In the Bible, a yoke speaks of submission to authority. He is in charge of all areas of our lives. We submit to his authority about forgiving others, relationships, our use of money and time, and in terms of our attitudes and desires. Does that sound restful to you? Submitting to Jesus’ authority? The amazing thing is this- it actually is restful to give up trying to live any way we please. Doing as we please is not how we were designed and leads to frustration and hurt and emptiness. In contrast, living according to the ways of Jesus gives us true rest and freedom and peace.
In verse 29, Jesus says: ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…’ Christian disciples are to be life-long learners. We must always have our Bibles open so that we are learning from Jesus. When we are learning to drive, we display the red L-plates. When we pass our test we have the option of displaying a green P which stands for probationary. We still have a lot to learn. As Christians, I think it’s useful to think of ourselves as always keeping the L-plate on. We never reach a stage where we no longer have to follow Jesus. We need to be committed each day to the process of learning from Jesus.
If you learn a language from the app Duolingo, you aim to complete at least one lesson every day. The number of continuous days you have is called a streak. Keen language learners become quite obsessed with making their streak as long as possible. Christians must do the same with our Bibles. We need a healthy obsession to ensure each day we are learning from the attitudes of Jesus and the actions of Jesus and the commands of Jesus. And because Christians are now filled with the Holy Spirit and because we do so with gratitude in our hearts to the one who died for us, this should not be a burden. Following and obeying Jesus should bring us rest. ‘In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome…’ (1 John 5:3) Friends, is this your attitude?
5. Is there anyone better to follow?
I love the answer Peter gives to Jesus when Jesus asks if the twelve want to stop following him, as many from the large crowds had done. ‘Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’ (John 6:68-69) This is so true.
There’s another reason for following Jesus. ‘I am gentle and humble in heart…’ (Matthew 11:29) This is the only time in the whole Bible when Jesus describes his own heart. When Peter denied Jesus, eventually he was able to come to Jesus and what did he find? One who was gentle with him and humble and who would restore him to usefulness once again. For us who are Christians but have made a right mess of something or other, be assured that we can come to Jesus and he will be gentle with us. Is that not a precious truth? The religious leaders of Jesus day were uncaring and harsh and critical and proud. You wouldn’t want to have gone to them for help. But Jesus’ arms are always wide open to receive us and bless us. If you come to Jesus he will meet you with kindness and gentleness. So, come!
And if you are not yet a Christian, I would urge you to stop carrying the heavy load of sin and guilt and meaninglessness and rebellion. Instead, come to Jesus in prayer. Ask for forgiveness. Ask him to be in charge. Become his disciple. Learn from him. And you will know rest.