A NEW BEGINNING
NEED SOME REAL REST THIS CHRISTMAS?
Exclusive: Greg Laurie explains Christ's call to the 'weary and heavily burdened'
If you were to think back to the last two Christmases, could you remember what you received? Quite possibly you don’t even remember what you received for Christmas last year. However, you may remember what you gave for Christmas because you might still be making payments on it.
Really, what we’ll treasure from Christmas are those moments with family and friends. That is what will become precious. And when a loved one is no longer with you, those moments become really precious.
With all the pressures of Christmas, we want to keep our focus. Christmas is not about receiving presents; it is about God’s presence in our lives. That is the message of Christmas: God is with us.
In Matthew, chapter 11, we find some words of Jesus that are relevant for any time of year, but even more so right now: “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavily 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” (verses 28–30 NIV).
These words of Jesus are for any person who is stressed out, any person who is under pressure, and any person who is carrying a burden of any kind.
Another version of this statement of Jesus goes as follows: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest” (The Message).
By the way, this is not an invitation to lazy people; it’s an invitation to weary people. And why are they weary? Presumably because they have been working hard. In fact, this carries the idea of someone who is at the point of utter exhaustion. They are not only exhausted, but they are loaded down with weight.
Is that a description of you today? Maybe you’re carrying a burden of some kind. Maybe it’s the burden of a sin that you’ve been struggling with. Maybe it’s the burden of physical pain or the burden of problems in your family. Maybe it’s the burden of grief. Jesus says, “Come to Me.”
And what will happen to the people who come to him? He will give them rest. The word rest means to be refreshed or revived.
First of all, this would be the kind of rest that comes with the assurance of salvation. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you should never doubt the fact that you are right with God and that you are going to heaven. The Bible says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 NIV). We need to rest in the finished work of Christ that he accomplished on the cross. He shed his blood for every sin that we’ve ever committed, and God’s righteous demands have been met by Christ.
The word rest as it’s used here also carries the idea of being released from any kind of bondage. The child of God should not be under any kind of legalism or any kind of vice. Jesus is saying, “I will give you rest and relief.”
It’s also a word used to describe rest from debt. When we put our faith in Christ, the Bible says we have been justified. The debt of our sins has been forgiven, and the righteousness of Christ has been placed into our account.
Finally, in Greek literature the word rest is used to describe a door that can’t quite be opened but then suddenly flies open. It’s like suddenly gaining access to something.
So Jesus was saying, “You that are exhausted, you that are weary, you that are burdened with weight, come to me, and I will give you rest. I will forgive you of the spiritual debt you have. I will put my righteousness into your account. I will break the chains off you, and I will give you free access into my presence.”
When we are burdened, when we are overwhelmed with worries, we need to come to Jesus with them. You know, there is really nowhere else to go. Jesus did not say, “All you who are weary and heavily burdened, go to counseling,” or “All you who are weary and heavily burdened, read a book,” or “All you who are weary and heavily burdened, listen to a sermon,” although those things are all good. Ultimately, the answer is to go to Jesus.
The psalmist cried out, “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe” (Psalm 61:2–3).
Modern culture would say something different, however. It would say, “If you can just get that promotion … if you can just get that house … if you can just take that vacation, then you will find rest.”
Materialism would say, “Build it up, and you will find rest.”
Pleasure seekers would say, “Live it up, and you will find rest.”
Religion would say, “Keep it up, and you will find rest.”
But Jesus is saying, “Come to me, and you will find rest.” Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.
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