Subject Sixty-three

COME TO THE REST

Scripture: Matt. 11:28

1. The labor of the human life
   1. Man’s whole life is a labor. Point out strongly the various kinds of man’s laborings. For example, how laborious it is from grade school to college! There are different kinds of laboring in all occupations: teachers, farmers, workers, and merchants.
   2. Not only is man’s laboring something laborious, but it is also a suffering. When there is laboring, there is also suffering. Point out the feeling of suffering: the laboring and suffering of students, businessmen, teachers and workers. Point out the suffering of man to touch people’s feeling.
2. The heavy burden of the human life
   1. Man’s laboring and suffering is his heavy burden. Laboring is a heavy burden, and so is suffering. Point out real examples of the heavy burden of those who are parents, children, husbands, wives, employers, managers, bosses, servants, employees, maids, rich, poor, students, learned, and unlearned.
   2. Besides the heavy burden of laboring and suffering, there is the heavy burden of sin. The heavy burden of laboring and suffering is physical, emotional, and psychological. The heavy burden of sin is a matter of the conscience.
      Touch the feeling of man’s conscience. When a man is committing sins and doing evil, his conscience is bearing a heavy burden. He feels bound up and condemned.
      The heavy burden of laboring and suffering is related to the matter of man’s living. The heavy burden of sin is related to the matter of morality. There is a heavy burden and demand in man’s daily living on his morality, on his emotions, on his physical body, on his psychological being, and on his conscience.
3. A resting place
   1. Man himself has no rest. No matter how he may try, he cannot find rest, nor can he put off the heavy burden of laboring, suffering, and sin.
   2. Man needs rest and salvation.
   3. All the philosophers and founders of religious movements only increase man’s heavy burden. They cannot reduce man’s suffering; therefore, they are not man’s salvation, because they cannot cause man to find rest.
   4. Only Christ can save man from his heavy burden of sin, laboring, and suffering. Therefore, He alone can give man rest. He is the place of rest. This is why He calls man to come to Him to find rest.
4. How Christ gives man rest
   1. He takes away man’s sin. Here, point out the redemption of the cross, how the Lord was crucified and shed His blood to cleanse man’s conscience and to take away man’s heavy burden of sin.
   2. He gives man His life to be man’s strength and to meet man’s need.
   3. His life saves man from inordinant living. Man thus finds rest. In others words: (1) His shed blood cleanses man’s conscience and washes away man’s sins; (2) His life gives us strength and meets our daily needs; and (3) His life also saves us from inordinant living.
5. How to receive the rest of Christ
   1. Come unto Me. Stress the word “Come.” “Come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Come unto Jesus. Come to where Jesus is.
   2. Surrender yourself, your sins, and all you have to Christ. Commit your life and all your being to Christ.
   3. Accept Christ and His salvation.