Title: True Rest
Contents
true rest
Matthew 11:28-30
(28) Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (29) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and your hearts will be at rest (30) For my yoke is easy and my It is said that the burden is light.
It has been the longest Chuseok holiday since the founding of the Republic of Korea. Those who said they could take 9 days off and those who said they could only get 3 days off were different, but as the weekends, public holidays, and Chuseok holidays continued, it felt like summer vacation was over.
However, I thought that everything would be fine if the vacation was long, but after experiencing it, I think that is not the case. This is because the rhythm of life is broken, and the life of faith toward God does not improve, but feels backward.
And although it was called ‘holiday’ because it was actually possible to take a continuous rest, in reality, people did not get a proper rest. The holiday syndrome among women, men's fatigue from traffic jams and long-distance driving, and meeting many people is not only happy and enjoyable, but also has difficulties in its own way. So even though it was a holiday, our bodies and minds could not find true rest.
This holiday season set the record for the single highest number of people traveling abroad via airlines. Also, more than 30 million people moved in Korea, and what surprised me was the report that the number of people moving to the United States for Thanksgiving was similar to the number of people moving to Korea for the Chuseok holiday. Clearly, despite the large differences in population, we have moved relatively more.
As I was so busy with various things, such as visiting my hometown and traveling, the calendar marked a day off in red, but in reality, there were many people who couldn't get more rest than on weekdays. Today, I was worried about what to do if many people do not come to worship.
The most necessary thing for modern people is rest. In the old days, our ancestors worked during the day and had to rest in the dark at night. I had to work hard in the spring, summer, and fall, but I had to rest in the winter. If you live with nature, it is God's providence that you can rest naturally without having to apply for a vacation.
However, the development of civilization has destroyed the order God has created. People work day and night, and they work the same in all seasons. According to the Bible, God placed a sabbatical on the agricultural land and commanded that if the crops were grown for 6 years, even the land would rest in the 7th year. A lot of fertilizers are poured into the soil that has become worn out. Even the soil that seems strong enough to be incomparable to humans gets sick and becomes polluted when the order is destroyed, not to mention humans. Diseases that did not exist before are emerging, and even if you do not have a specific disease, various stresses in your life have long taken away the vitality and joy of your daily life. Constant aches and nervous reactions from stress are all closely related to the loss of rest.
If you are asked to choose between a job where God is the manager and a job where a great person is the manager, the person who works at the job where God is the owner can enjoy healthier and happier lives. The job that God first created man and entrusted to him was to manage the Garden of Eden. The principle of weak and strong food was not applied, and there was abundant food even without sweaty labor.
But today, millions of people still have to live with all their might for food. Even if it is not just to eat and live, we are living without enjoying the rest that God created and allowed. Therefore, true rest can only be restored by entering the kingdom of God with the qualifications of the people of heaven.
You can truly enjoy rest when your mind is at ease. If you do not feel comfortable after visiting your hometown, meeting your family, traveling and doing many things that you would not normally do, it cannot be a true rest.
There is a saying, “When the mind is at ease, the body is at ease”, but there is no saying, “When the body is at ease, the mind is at ease.” On the contrary, if you are comfortable with your body, other thoughts keep coming to your mind and you will gradually lose your comfort. The blessing you really need when you come to the Lord because you are weak in body and mind is to enjoy true rest.
The last part of Matthew 11 that we read today contains the invitation to true rest. This verse begins with the fact that there are those who enjoy true rest and those who do not. There are those who reject the gospel and come to judgment, and there are those who accepted the gospel with a humble and innocent heart like a child. Those who accepted the gospel are invited to rest.
This is because God has given everything to Jesus, and no one can know God except those who have received a revelation through Jesus. Only those who know God can enjoy the rest that God gives, so those who have accepted the Gospel can enjoy rest.
If we look at it according to these words, those who believe in Jesus are people who live with lighter burdens than those who do not believe, and they must enjoy rest. This is because the people of the world are people who live with heavy burdens in their hard work, and those who believe are people who live with the light and easy burdens that Jesus gives them.
But somehow, these days, believers and unbelievers alike are regarded as people carrying heavy burdens. There is no rest that you can enjoy just because you believe in Jesus. On the contrary, some people say that when they come to church on Sundays and participate in various events and volunteer work, they feel even stronger on Mondays.
Today's believers are not able to enjoy true rest and are tired. The reason can be found in the failure to receive the desired holy water on Sundays. If we can keep Sunday as a Sunday, the saints can enjoy rest no matter what they do in the world. Even if it is not necessary to keep the Lord's Day, as shown in today's Word, you can enjoy true rest when you come to the Lord.
Verse 27 says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden.” From these words, we can know what a place to enjoy rest is. It is neither a mountain nor an ocean. That is Jesus. In 12:8, the very next chapter of today's sermon, it says, "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." Just like asking for bread from the owner of a bakery and getting clothes from the owner of a clothing store, if you want to enjoy true rest, you must come to Jesus, who is the owner of rest.
Verse 28 tells us what true rest is from Jesus, the Lord of rest. Jesus said, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, and you will find rest in your hearts. Jesus referred to “meekness and humility” as “my yoke” and in verse 30, “a light burden.” Meekness and humility are good virtues, but putting them into practice is not an easy task. It is like a yoke and like a burden.
The first step to true rest is coming to the Lord, but the next is important. It is to resemble the heart of the Lord. This is a blessing given through proper worship.
Many people go to church on Sundays to worship. We also offer donations. Worship is also giving time and devotion. A lot of people do this before God on Sundays to give offerings, but they are not used to the act of receiving blessings. I go home after worship, but I do not think that I am receiving something precious from God.
As a result, it seems as if we are going to lose money for nothing, and our heart will become distant and we will lose our faith. However, it is said that Sunday is a special blessing day by God. It is natural that blessings are given to the saints who worship God on this day. If God seeks and gives blessings to those who are entangled in their work or who are immersed in their enjoyment in the world, worshipers will find it unfair, but God gives blessings to those who worship.
Romans 8 says, “28 We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose.” And in Hebrews 11, it says, “6 Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Those who come out to worship on Sunday should not only think about what to give to God, but also realize what kind of blessing God gives to us. We must learn the Lord's meekness and humility through worship. Then our hearts can find rest. You can enjoy true rest.
Being meek does not just seek inner peace of mind. Because Jesus promised in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The blessing of meekness is to receive blessings in your heart first and then to enjoy the blessings of the world.
The same goes for humility. Through the parable of a child, Jesus said that only those who are humble and like a child can enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, meekness and humility are the blessings of gaining the earth and heaven.
The last verse in today's message is to choose. We are comparing whether we will choose the heavy burden or the light burden that the Lord gives us.
Aesop's fable tells the story of a foolish donkey who suffers a lot while trying to lighten his burden. At first, because it was a bag of salt, it dissolved in water and became lighter, but later it was difficult to even get up because it contained cotton.
In our busy daily life, doing our best in the world and serving God sometimes seems like a difficult and difficult burden. So, we try to be neglectful of one thing, and then there are times when we are loyal to life-related world affairs, but we are not loyal to God. Because it seems to add to the burden of life.
But coming to the Lord is not going out to add to the burden. Rather, it is going out to lighten the load. Philippians 4 says, “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” You said.
When the peace of God guards our hearts and minds, the heavy burden of anxiety is turned into a light and easy burden. Those who come to church to worship and then die must change their burdens and go. You cannot enjoy rest if you carry the burdens you have brought from the world as they are.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,” Jesus calls. The first thing to do is to come before the Lord. And the next thing is to put down your burdens and change into the gentleness and humility that the Lord gives you. And I hope that you and I will go into the world and receive blessings and live a peaceful life.
The rest the world gives, the peace the world gives is not true. No matter how long the holidays are, visit hometowns, meet loved ones, and have a good trip, you won't get it. I hope that you will come to the Lord and find rest, strength, and blessings.
Finally, I will listen to the word of the Lord who promises peace.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).