The Great Invitation Given to This Generation

The Blindness of a Generation
Mathew 11: 25–30

Introduction:  Man’s Perversity

Every generation has its privileges. The privileges are used by some and ignored and abused by others. Since the coming of Christ, the greatest privilege in all the world has been the privilege of knowing Him personally, for it is Christ who makes us acceptable to God. And there is no greater privilege than the privilege of knowing God face to face. However, the vast majority have ignored and abused Christ; therefore, most do not know God, not personally.

When looking at His own generation, Jesus asked: “To what can I compare this generation?” And the most adequate illustration He could come up with was that of children (See Mt. 11:16­19). He was saying that His own generation was a childish generation. By childish He meant perverse. His generation was a perverse generation. They turned away from that which was right and good to that which was corruptible. They acted contrary to the evidence. They were opposed to that which was right, reasonable and acceptable; and they were obstinate in their opposition. They were just wrong-headed, mindless and contrary. They did not want the truth, so they made excuses for not receiving the truth.

Jesus had a message for such a childish and perverse generation. It is applicable to every generation.

I.   The childishness of this generation (vv. 16-19).

II.   The judgment of this generation (vv. 20-24).

III.   The blindness of this generation (vv. 25-27).

 Mathew 11: 25–27   The Blindness of This Generation

The blindness of this generation. The generation was blind to three things.

1.   The people were blind to God’s truth. Note the words, “these things,” that is, the truth of Christ that the cities missed (See Truth, Mt. 11:25-27).

2.   The people were blind to God’s will, to His purpose. God has purposed to save the world through His Son, Jesus Christ. He has also purposed that the wise (the wise in their own eyes, the self-sufficient) shall not see the truth, but the babe (the needful) will have the truth revealed to him.

2 Cor 3:14 “But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.”

2 Cor 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Eph 4:18 “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.”

3.   The people were blind to the Messiah. Note: man is blind to four facts about the Messiah:

a.   Man is blind to the fact that Jesus Christ is of God. But note: Christ declares emphatically that He is of God. He calls God “My Father.”

b.   Man is blind to the fact that Jesus Christ has received all things from God. But note: Christ declares emphatically that He has been given “all things” by God. All things have been delivered into the hands of Christ. He is to oversee and rule the universe. All things have been made for God’s Son.

Mat 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

John 5:37  “And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form.”

Eph 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.

Col 1:16-19 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the first-born from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.

Heb 1:1-3 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways. But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

c.   Man is blind to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Mediator. But note: Christ declares emphatically that He is the Mediator. He alone knows and is known by the Father.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Heb 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

d.   Man is blind to the fact that Jesus Christ alone can reveal the Father. But note: Christ declares emphatically that He alone reveals the Father. No man can know God apart from Christ. A person who wishes to see God and to see what God is like must come to Jesus Christ.

John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”

John 10:38 “But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

John 12:49 “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.”

John 14:9-10 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” ♣

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Mathew 11: 25–27    Truth, World of Wisdom

Spiritual truth is “hidden.” Where? In God. God has done the logical thing. He has taken spiritual truth and locked it up in Himself. The only access to truth is to come to Him. The only key to spiritual truth is faith and trust in God.

It is reasonable. The man who considers himself wise and intelligent and sufficient enough without God never comes to God. Therefore, a personal relationship with God is never known. The man does not come to know God nor the spiritual truth “hidden” in God (Rom. 1:18-22). God and His presence and His plan for the ages are foreign to the self-sufficient man. The “wise” just do not believe God, not enough to come to Him. Therefore, the things of the Spirit and of the gospel are hid from him. But God’s heart and truths are open to the person who comes in dependency and trust.

What Christ condemns is not intelligence and wisdom but intellectual pride and self-sufficiency. God made man to think, reason, seek and search in order to discover and build. But God expects man “not to think of himself more highly than he ought” (Rom. 12:3; cp. Phil. 2:3-4).  A man is to walk humbly during his short stay on earth, knowing from whom he has come and to whom he is going. He is to trust God, putting his time and destiny in God’s hands.

Phil 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ♠

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Mathew 11: 25   The Wise

Those who think of themselves as wise and intelligent; the self-sufficient; the rationalists; the wise of this world (1 Cor. 1:21, 25-29; 2:14). The wise are blind to the Lord of heaven and earth and to the truth. By their very nature, the proud and self-sufficient sense no need for help and refuse to receive help. They rest in their own ability and achievements. Therefore, God is helpless in revealing the truth to them. ♠

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The Great Invitation Given to This Generation
Mathew 11: 28–30

Introduction

Christ paints two pictures in this passage. One picture is of extreme weariness. This is the person who has gone as far as he can; he can go no farther — he cannot take another step. The other picture is of extreme pressure. This is the person who is about to explode; he cannot take anymore. Christ does not say what caused the weariness or pressure (heavy burdens). It does not matter, for His invitation is open to all. It is a simple invitation, requiring so little and offering so much.

I.   Come to Me (v. 28).

II.   Take my yoke — learn from Me (vv. 29-30).

I.   Mathew 11: 28   Call to the Weary and Burdened

The first great invitation to this generation is “Come to me.”

1.   Who is to come? The weary and the burdened — the person who is labouring and heavy laden, weary and burdened, exhausted and despairing, extremely tired and weighed down, ready to stop and collapse.

Thought 1. Some of the things that exhaust us are...

•   work; being overburdened with too much to do

•   worldliness and carnality (fleshly pleasure)

•   sin and guilt and the power of both

•   money and material possessions and the unsatisfying spirit of both

•   fame and the emptiness of it

•   power and the loneliness of it

•   the rituals and traditions of religion

•   rules and regulations

Note this: not knowing the truth of life is one of the major causes of exhaustion. Searching for truth but never coming to the truth discourages, exasperates, exhausts and burdens us. It causes us to whip ourselves in conscience, and it leaves us empty, uncertain and insecure about the future.

2.   Why should the weary and the heavy laden come to Christ? Very simply, Christ will give them rest. Christ will give rest to the struggling and despairing soul and to the empty and lonely soul — no matter how intense the struggle and despair or the emptiness and loneliness. No person has gone too far for Christ to inject His rest into him — if the person will only call upon Christ (See Christian Rest, Mt. 11:28­29; Heb. 4:1­13).

3.   What are the conditions for receiving this rest? There is only one condition: a person must simply come to Christ. Note that the answer to rest...

•   is not searching after truth through religion (as important as it is).

•   is not positive thinking (as important as it is).

•   is not seeking the counsel of true and reliable friends (as important as it is).

The answer to rest is coming to Jesus Christ. Rest is available, but we have to come to Jesus Christ in order to receive the rest of God.

Isa 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Isa 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

Rev 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

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Mathew 11: 28–29   Christian Rest

“Come to me, all you who are weary and 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.” Mathew 11:28–29

Note the difference between the two rests promised by Jesus Christ. They are the two greatest rests imaginable. (Also see, Heb. 4:1-13.)

1.   “I will give you rest.” (v. 28) First, there is the rest of salvation or justification. This is the rest of deliverance from the slavery and bondage of sin, the power of Christ to conquer the enslaving habits that damage the human body and destroy the human soul. It is the rest of conscience that comes to a person’s soul when he ceases his struggle in the wilderness of sin. It is the rest of conquest and triumph which a person experiences when he conquers the enemies of sin and evil through the power of Christ — day by day. It is the rest of victory through the daily storms of life (see Justification, Faith, Righteousness, Rom. 4:22; 5:1: see Rom. 4:5; 4:1-3; 4:1-25).

2.   “You will find rest for your souls.” (v. 29) Second, there is the rest of sanctification or of pleasure and satisfaction, of confidence and completeness. The rest is not a rest of inactivity, of no work, of an endless slumber of the right to laziness. It is a rest of three things.

a.   It is a rest of refreshment: a rest of refreshing one’s body, mind and spirit.

b.   It is a rest that fits one for life: a rest that infuses a person with true purpose, meaning and significance.

c.   It is a rest of encouragement and motivation of soul: a rest that stirs a person to live and undertake his God-given task with enthusiasm and vigour and endurance.

Mat 11:29 “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.”

2 Th 1:7 And give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

Rev 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them.”

Psa 116:7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

Isa 14:3 On the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage.

Isa 57:2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. ♠

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II.   Mathew 11: 29–30   Call to Learn from Jesus Christ

The second great invitation to this generation is, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.”

1.   Why should a person take up the yoke of Christ? Why should a person begin to learn from Christ? There are three reasons.

a.   Christ is gentle and humble. Some owners of oxen were mean and harsh both in their training and in their working of the oxen, but not Christ. He was gentle and humble, considerate and understanding, mild and gentle, long-suffering and encouraging to every person who came to Him.

b.   We will find rest (v. 29). (See Christian Rest, Mt. 11:28­29; Heb. 4:1­13.)

c.   Christ’s yoke is easy; His burden is light (v. 30). The yoke refers to an oxen’s yoke. The yoke was a wooden collar-like instrument placed on the neck and shoulders of the oxen. It was used for tying the ropes of a plough to the oxen or for tying whatever load he had to pull. It was extremely important that the yoke be fitted for the shoulders of the oxen to prevent rubbing the flesh raw and causing sores. At first the oxen might have rebelled against the yoke, but he soon learned that it eased the burden of pulling. The yoke refers to a man’s life and task while on earth. The word easy (chrestos) can also mean well-fitting. Christ is saying that His yoke, His life and task, are fitted to a person. It is just what a person needs, and it is easy, the easiest life and task the person could live and undertake.

Heb 2:17-18 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.

1 Pet 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Thought 1. Christ is gentle and humble. He cares and looks after us; He is concerned and compassionate knowing how far we can go and how capable we are.

Thought 2. God made us; therefore, He has the right yoke (life and task) for us.

2.   What are the conditions for finding this rest? There is only one condition. A person must simply take Christ’s yoke and begin to learn from Him. This simply means that we are to learn how to live and labour under His leadership, direction, guidance and care.

Every man has his yoke, that is, his life to live and his task to do while on earth. From birth, he learns from others how to live and how to do his task. Some teachers are hard taskmasters, and most courses in life lead to exhaustion and living under heavy burdens. The only taskmaster who can teach and assure true rest (of body, mind and spirit) is Christ, and the only yoke that really fits and proves to be easy is the yoke or life and task of Christ.

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

1 John 5:3-5 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome. For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Thought 1. This is a command. If we wish “rest,” we must take His yoke upon us. ♣

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