Part 2...."Come Unto Me..."

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The first three words of this passage make up a message that is repeated throughout Jesus’ ministry:

• In Matthew 9:9, Jesus invited Matthew to leave his government job and follow Him.

• In Matthew 22, the message of the Wedding Feast Parable was “Come”.

• In Mark 1:16-17, Jesus invited Andrew and Simon to leave their fishing business and follow Him.

• In Luke 18:19, Jesus invited the rich young ruler to sell all he had and follow Him.

• In John 7:37, Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come unto me and drink”.

• In John 11:43, Jesus commanded Lazarus, though dead, to “Come forth” out of the grave.

It’s the message of the church. Jesus said, “Come unto Me”. Jesus has not invited us to a committee or delegation that represents Him. Nor has He invited us to a virtual meeting with Him. Because of what Jesus did on the Cross, we can go directly to Him. We do not have to get security clearance to go to Him. And, by the way… no mask required…we go just as we are.

Jesus is the focal point of all we do. And so, it was with the disciples. Andrew told Simon, “We have found the Messiah”. Philip found Nathaniel and said, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets wrote - Jesus of Nazareth...” The message of the woman at the well was, “Come see a Man...”. Our message is not come hear our music, see our lights or look at our amazing campus... our message is: Come See A Man…Jesus!

Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye…”. This message is not for a select group of people. It includes all and excludes none. This message is for those that might be shunned by the religious crowd. This message is for those bound by drugs or drink, ensnared in gambling or those enslaved by porn, prostitution or promiscuity. Aren’t you glad God’s mercy knows no limits and has no boundaries or borders?

There are at least three reasons our response to Jesus’ invitation is extremely urgent. First of all, there is a very real danger of developing a hardened heart towards God, every time we say “No” to the Holy Spirit. Genesis 6:3 says, “My spirit shall not always strive with man”. The second reason is Death: “It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgement”. There are no second chances…no altar calls in eternity. The third reason is The Rapture which is the appointed time in which God’s Church will be caught up to meet the Lord. The Rapture of God’s Church is imminent. Before Homeland Security knows what has happened, we’ll be out of here!

Therein, lies the importance and urgency of what we do. Many students of prophecy believe we are living in the last of the last days. The time is short… we are working against the clock. What we do, we must do quickly. The people in our churches must pray for and witness to unsaved and unchurched friends. God’s end-time message is found in the last words of the last chapter of the last book in the Bible: The Spirit and the Bride... the Church… say, “Come”.