May 7, 2015 – Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all 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.  Matthew 11:28-30In every age, man has longed for rest from whatever enslaves him.  Whether it be an outer force or an inner force.  The constant struggle to survive, to be someone of stature, to have physical freedom consumes mankind.Jesus is offering to exchange a yoke for freedom.  At first glance, watching a pair of oxen yoked together, pulling and working, there appears to be no freedom, just added slavery.  What kind of rest is Jesus talking about?  Rest for souls.  Yes, freedom from the weight and the shackles of sin, for we are sinful creatures.  Freedom through the Grace when Jesus died on the cross and rose triumphantly from the grave.What does this freedom cost?  It cost Jesus his life!  It cost Jesus the soul deep pain of sacrifice, and that is how our Grace was born.  What does it cost us?  Our hearts and our lives lived for Him in belief and faith.  We are adopted into the family of God, joint-heirs with Christ Jesus.We share the great faith of Abraham and we will receive the riches of living for an eternity with our Father God who is Love.  Faith in our Lord and Master here on earth leads us to the New Jerusalem, the city not made with hands, God’s City.On our journey as strangers on this earth, we are assured of rest and given strength each day to persevere.  And we lift our hands in praise to our Father in Heaven for His Goodness, Faithfulness and Grace.That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.Romans 4:16-17