CHRIST’S WORD WITH YOU – Charles Spurgeon

CHRIST’S WORD WITH YOU

“Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.

One is struck with the personality of this text. There are two persons in it, “you” and “Me”—that is to say, the laboring one and the tender Savior who entreats him to come that he may find rest. It is most important, if we wish to see the way of peace clearly, to understand that we must each one come personally to Jesus for rest—“Come unto Me, all you that labor,” and that coming on our part must be to a personal Christ. In effect He says, “Come, yourselves, to Me. Come not through sponsors, not through men whom you choose to call your priests, not through the petitions of ministers and teachers, but come yourselves, for yourselves.” Dear hearers, the quarrel is between you and God, and this quarrel can only be made up by your approaching the Lord through a Mediator. It would be folly for you to ask another to come to the Mediator for you; you must trust in Him yourself. Personal faith is indispensable to salvation. But the personality of Christ is equally clearly brought out in our text. Jesus says, “Come unto Me”—“not to anybody else, but to Me.” He does not say, “Come to hear a sermon about Me,” but, “come to Me.” He does not say, “Come to sacraments, which shall teach you something about Me,” but, “come to Me”—to My work and person. You will observe that no one is put between you and Christ. The text is, “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden”—not to somebody that will stand between you and Me, but “Come to Me at once, and without a go-between.” Come to Jesus directly, even to Jesus Himself. You do need a Mediator between yourselves and God, but you do not need a mediator between yourselves and Jesus. Christ Jesus is the Mediator between you and the Father, but you need no one to stand between you and Christ. To Him we may look at once, with unveiled face, guilty as we are. To Him we may come, just as we are, without anyone to recommend us, or plead for us, or make a bridge for us to Jesus. We are to come distinctly to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom God has ordained to be the way of access. I shall fail at this in setting forth the gospel if I shall lead anybody to think that he can get salvation by going to a church, or going to a meeting house, or going to a minister, or going into an inquiry-room, or going to a penitent form. No, we are to go nowhere but to Jesus. You, just as you are, are to come to Christ as He is, and the promise is that on your coming to Him, He will give you rest. That is the assurance of Jesus Himself, and there is no deception in it. He will give you rest as surely as you come to Him. What a blessing it will be if those who have no rest in themselves should find rest at once in Jesus while yet this sermon calls them. Why not? I hope many of you, my brothers and sisters, who have found rest already, will be praying while I am preaching that the unresting ones may come at this good hour and find rest in Jesus Christ the Savior. You see there are two persons. Let everybody else vanish, and let these two be left alone, to transact heavenly business with each other. Jesus says to you, “Come to Me.” Your answer to Him, if it is, “Yes, Lord, I come,” shall be the means of bringing peace to your heart from this time forth and forevermore.

I want at this time to set forth the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, who sends this pressing personal invitation to every laboring and heavy laden one in this place. I wish that I knew how to preach. I have tried to do so for 30 years or so, but I am only now beginning to learn the art. Oh, that one knew how to set forth Christ, so that men perceived His beauty, and fell in love with Him at first sight. Oh, Spirit of God, make it so now. If men knew the grandeur of His gospel—the joy, the peace, the happiness which comes of being a Christian, they would run to Him, as flies seek after sweet fruit, so would men seek after the Savior, if they did but know that sweeter than honey and the honeycomb is the word of His salvation.

I. The Value of the Gift

I first call your attention to the value of the gift which in this text is set before weary, laboring men, “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Rest of the heart is worth more than all California. To be at peace—to be no more tossed up and down in the soul—to be secure, peaceful, joyful, happy, is worth mountains of diamonds. A man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses, many a poor man is vastly happier than the possessor of large estates, for peace comes not with property, but with contentment. The music of peace is not the jingle of gold or silver. Sweeter bells sound in the pardoned heart than ever wealth can ring. The herb called heart’s-ease often grows in tiny gardens, and happy is the man who wears it in his bosom. It is this gift which, for value, outshines the pearls and rubies which deck an Indian queen, which Jesus promises to give to all that come to Him for it. Oh, rare peace which comes from the Prince of peace! This, if a man gets it, is practically helpful to him in all the affairs of life. I say that, other things being equal, there is nobody so fit to run the race of life as the man who is unloaded of his cares and enjoys peace of mind. The man who is happily restful towards God is the man to fight the battle of life. I have known a man losing money on the market step aside, and getting into a quiet place, breathe a prayer to God, and come back calm and composed, and whereas before, in his distraction, he was ready to make bad bargains, plunge into speculation, and lose terribly, he has come back rested and peaceful, and has been in a fit frame for dealing with his fellow men. I know this, brethren, having many cares resting upon myself, that when I can feel calmly restful and quiet before God, I am a match for anybody, but when once the spirits sink, and depression comes in, then the grasshopper becomes a burden, and a trifle frets the soul. Bring solid rest to the heart, and you have given the man a fulcrum upon which he may rest the lever with which he can lift the heaviest weight, but let him always be tossed up and down, and he has nothing to give him force. When a man is afraid to die, he may well be afraid to live. He who could not look death in the face—yes, that could not look God in the face, is a man who has a latent weakness about him that will rob him of force and courage in the heat of the battle. I commend to you, men and brethren, in this busy London, the precious gift of my text called, “rest,” because it is not only a preparation for the world to come, but for the life that now is. The peace of God will serve both as arms and armor; it is both battle-axe and breastplate. It will be your heart’s comfort and your hands’ strength. It will be good for day and night, for calm and storm. It has a thousand uses, and all of them are essential to spiritual well-being. This rest is not found anywhere else but in Christ.

Let me tell you what kind of rest it is, confessing that I now enjoy it and revel in it. It is rest to the man’s entire spiritual being. Conscience troubles us till Jesus speaks it into rest. Conscience looks back and cries, “Things are not right. You were wrong here, wrong there, and wrong altogether, there is no rest for you.” Conscience keeps a diary, and writes with heavy pen a gloomy record, which we read with alarm. “Tremble,” says conscience, “for you will see this record again at the judgment day, and find yourself condemned by it to eat the fruits of your doings.” Men laugh and say they do not believe it, but they do believe it. Deep in their hearts they must believe it, for God has a witness within which blurts out the truth. Conscience perpetually rouses some men, as a watchdog wakes a slumbering householder. “Down, sir,” they say, “Lie down, lie down,” but this watchdog of God in the heart will not always lie down, every now and then it begins to howl horribly, and the man cannot sleep as he needs to sleep. Even if you drug conscience, it will have fits of barking in its sleep.

Now, Jesus promises to those who come to Him a peaceful conscience, which He will give through pardoning all the past, through changing the current of the man’s ideas in the present, and through helping him to avoid in the future the faults into which he fell in the days that have now gone by— “Rest, weary soul! The penalty is borne, the ransom paid, For all your sins full satisfaction made. Strive not to do, yourself, what Christ has done: Claim the free gift, and make the joy your own. No more by pangs of guilt and fear distress, Rest, sweetly rest!”

II. The Largeness of the Savior’s Heart

It is a grand thing to have rest of conscience. But then we have minds, and minds are troublous things. In these days of doubt it is not easy for a mind to get an anchorage, and keep it. Many are searching for something to believe, or at least, they long to be quite sure that it would be the right thing not to believe. Minds are tossed about like ships at sea, or birds caught in a fierce gale. My mind was once in that state—drifted, carried along I knew not where, I for a while believed nothing, till at last it came to this—that I thought my own existence might be, after all, a mere thought. Having a practical vein in my character, I sat down and laughed at my own dreams of non-existence, for I felt that I did exist. Up from the depths of doubt and unbelief I rose to feel there must be something sure. I cast my soul at Jesus’ feet, and I rested, and I am now perfectly content in mind. Thousands of us can say, “We know whom we have believed, and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which we have committed to Him,” and therefore we cannot leave the gospel. No new doctrines, no novelties, no skepticisms, no fresh information, can disturb us now, at least they can but breathe a surface-ruffling, all is calm in the soul’s deeps. Having found rest of intellect in the doctrine of Jesus, there will we stay till death and heaven, or the Second Advent, solves all riddles. But then we have hearts. I hope we all have hearts, though some are harsh and almost heartless. Men that have great, all-embracing hearts need a rest for their love. What a cause of trouble this heart of ours is, for it often clings to that which is unworthy of it, and we are deceived and disappointed, and heartbreak crushes us. The tempting fruit, like the apple of Sodom, crumbles into ashes in our hand. Here then is rest and remedy for heart palpitations and the anguish of the breast. Let a man love Jesus and he will crave no other love, for this will fill his soul to the brim—

“Him on yonder cross I love; Nothing else on earth I count dear!” May He mine forever prove, Who is now so inwardly near!

Christ fills a man’s nature to the brim. The incarnate Son of God once known gives rest of conscience, rest of intellect, and rest of heart. In a word, He brings complete satisfaction to the spirit. Now, I do not know of any religion that offers perfect rest to the mind except the religion of Jesus Christ. Men go the world over to try and find this pearl of great price, but their quest is in vain. I often talk with religious people who have no idea of being saved now, and finding rest at once, because they do not understand that Christ came to give immediate salvation to those who trust Him. I spoke with one earnest soul a little while ago, and she said, “I have no rest.” I replied, “Have you believed in Jesus Christ?” She answered, “Yes.” “But,” I asked, “Do you not know that as soon as you believe in Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven you and you are saved?” “I did not grasp that,” she said. Yet that is the gospel—that whoever believes in Jesus is not condemned. He that believes in Him has everlasting life, and is saved the moment he believes—becomes changed from the power of sin and made into a new man, possessing a new life which can never die. This assurance is worth getting hold of, and he that has it, let him hold it fast, and rejoice in it. Yet it is not to be obtained anywhere except from the dear hands that were nailed to the wood. This rest can never come from any lips but those that prayed upon the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This then, is the gift which is presented by Christ Jesus at this moment to all that labor and are heavy laden, if they will come to Him for it, they shall have rest of soul.

Some in this place are panting for rest. In this great city there must be much trouble, sorrow, unrest, misery, and distraction. When I look on this congregation, I know that I could not bear to hear the tale of sorrow that would be unfolded if each man were to tell his inward anguish. We look cheerful, but many a cheerful face covers a sad heart. The weight of human misery is enough to make the axles of the earth to break. Oh, what a blessing it is that there is One who can lift us up—who can make the poorest to be better than if he were rich, and the sad to be happier than the merry, and the afflicted to be more blest than the prosperous. Jesus is here in our midst with hands loaded with mercy. May He prove His presence among us by giving rest to all those who came in here laboring and laden. Thus I have spoken upon the value of the gift. Oh, Spirit of God, teach men its value!

III. The Blessedness of His Power

Bear with me, in the second place, while I speak upon the largeness of the Savior’s heart. Oh, that I could stand aside, and that He would come here Himself and utter the words of my text with His own dear lips! “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden.” See the persons whom He invites to come to Him. None but a man of great soul would keep such company. If we would be merry, we choose merry company. Some folks I should be glad to be in heaven with, but I could dispense with their company here, for ten minutes with them on earth is enough to make one wretched. Only a generous spirit would say, “Come to Me, all you that are downcast—all you that are desponding—all you that are broken-hearted.” Yet that is exactly what the text says. Christ courts the company of the sorrowful, and invites those who are ill at ease to approach Him. What a heart of love He must have! No, He invites all such to come. You know two or three that are really cast down are quite enough at a time for most of us. It happened some months ago, when I was sitting here to see people, that I had four or five cases so sad—so deplorable—in which I could render such little help, that, after trying to pray with them, and encourage them, I said to a friend who was helping me, “I hope the next that comes to me will be cheerful, for I feel my head ache, and my heart too!” I tried as far as I could to enter into these poor people’s troubles till I became troubled myself. Now, the Savior has such a large heart that He does not forbid the sorrowing ones to come, all of them. “Come one,” He says, “come all. All of you that labor and are heavy laden may at this hour come to Me.” The love of my Master’s heart is so great, and the sympathy of His nature with man is so deep, that if all should come that ever labored or ever sorrowed, He would not be exhausted by the sympathy, but would still be able to give them rest in Himself. But what a large heart Jesus has that He comes only to do men good, and begins by doing good first to those that need it most. Oh, my lords and ladies, Jesus did not come to win your patronage that you might applaud Him. Oh, you frivolous and high-flying ones, Jesus did not come to win your approval. It would be a small thing to Him for you to think well of Him. But, O you despised and rejected, you oppressed and down-trod, you weary, you worn, you sad, you sick, you desponding, you despairing, the great Physician of souls comes after you, and it is to you He addresses the invitation at this time. “Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Come, such as you, and come all of you. And He says, come at once. He does not say, “Stop till you get your spirits raised, stop till you get some measure of relief,” but come just as you are. There is a notion in some people’s minds that they cannot believe in Christ till they are better. Christ does not need your betterness. Will you only go to the physician when you feel better? Then you are foolish indeed, for you do not need the physician when you are getting better. The best time to apply to a physician is when you are as bad as you can be, and the time to come to Jesus is when you are so bad that you cannot be worse. You had better come just as you are. He invites you to do so. “Come,” He says, “all you that now labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Stop not to improve yourselves, but come to Him for improvement. If you cannot come with a broken heart, come for a broken heart. If you cannot come with faith, come for faith. If you cannot come repenting, come and ask the Lord to give you repentance; come empty-handed, bankrupt, ruined, condemned, and you will find rest. Oh, you that have written out your own sentence, and have said, “I shall perish; there is no pardon for me,” come to Jesus, for—depths of mercy!—there is pardon even for you. Only come to the Savior, and He will give you rest. He promises this rest to all who come to Him. My Master stakes His credit upon every case that comes to Him. He has already given rest to thousands, to millions, and He promises to each one that comes to Him that He will give rest to him. If there is in this place, if there is in this country, if there is in this universe, a single person who ever did come to Jesus Christ and He did not give him rest, I would like to know of it, because it is my daily habit to declare that Jesus gives rest to all that come to Him, and I do not want to declare a lie! Let us know when Jesus fails. He says, “Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out.” The first one of you that comes, and He casts you out, let us know of it. We will post it up on the Royal Exchange—“A sinner came to Jesus, and He would not receive him.” Woe to the world in that dark day, for the sun of hope will be quenched and the night will miss her stars. Till then we beg you to remember that Jesus has said, “Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out.” Come and test my blessed Lord, and see if He does not accept you. We stake the veracity of Christ, we stake the truth of the gospel upon the case of everyone in this place who will come to Jesus Christ by faith, and trust Him. Each heavy-laden one must and shall find rest if he will come to Jesus, or else the Redeemer’s promise is not true.

IV. The Simplicity of This Invitation

Now, fourthly, and this is a very important point, I want you to notice the simplicity of this invitation. It only says, “Come to Me, come to Me, come to Me, and I will give you rest.” The call is, as we say, plain as a walking stick, it has not a fine word in it. What is the way of salvation? If any minister replies, “I should need a week or two to explain it to you,” he does not know the way of salvation, because the way of salvation which we need must suit a dying man, an illiterate man, and a guilty man, or else it will be unavailing in many cases. We need a way of grace which will answer all occasions—a mode of salvation suitable to all conditions. Our Lord Jesus Christ proves how willing He is to save sinners by making the method of grace so easy. He says, “Come to Me.” “Well,” asks one, “how am I to come?” Come any way. If you can run, come running; if you can walk, come walking; if you can creep, come creeping; if you can only limp, come limping—come any way so long as you come to Jesus. “But what is coming to Him?” asks one. “If He were at York, I would walk to York tonight to get at Him.” He is not at York any more than He is here. We are not to come to Him with our persons, or with our legs, and feet, by a visible motion. How, then, can we come to Him? Listen, you friends in the front gallery, how can I come to you, and yet stand here? Why, by thinking about you, knowing about you, and then confiding my thoughts to you, as I am doing now. If you over yonder are a business man, I resolve in my mind that I will commit my affairs into your hands, and in so doing I have mentally come to you. We are to do with our Lord Jesus just what we do with a physician. We are very ill, it is a bad case. We hear that a certain eminent doctor has great skill in one particular disease, so we go to him at once. Our physical going is not so much required as our mental resort to him, by putting our case into his hands. We say to him, “Sir, here is my afflicted person. I will tell you all about my state as far as I know it. Ask me any questions. I will make a clean breast of all. Whatever you prescribe for me I will take. Whatever regimen you lay down as to diet, I will follow. I place myself entirely in your hands because I have faith in your skill. You cured my mother of this disease, you cured my brother, and I believe you can cure me.” Such is faith in Christ. A man says, “Jesus, You have died to save men, and You have revealed Yourself as a Savior. I need saving. You have saved a great many like me, I now put myself into Your hands. I will do what You bid me, I will follow any directions You may lay down, I confide myself to You.” Now, if this is a genuine surrender, and a hearty confidence, you are already a healed man. Your power to trust Christ is evidence of spiritual sanity. You would not have been able to trust the blessed Jesus if a sound work of restoration had not already commenced in you.

V. The Unselfishness of the Lord Jesus Christ

“Oh,” says one, “do I understand, then, that if I trust Christ, I may do as I like?” Stop, stop. I never said that. Listen and learn! Here is a ship which cannot get into the haven. The pilot comes on board. The captain says, “Pilot, can you get her into harbor?” “Yes, Captain, I will guarantee it. I will guarantee that I will get the ship into harbor if you leave her with me.” The captain goes to the helm, or gives orders as to steering the vessel, and at once the pilot objects that they are not trusting to him. “Yes, I am,” says the captain, “and I expect you to get me into harbor, for you promised to do so.” “Of course I promised,” replies the pilot, “but then it was understood that I should take charge of the ship for the time being.” He orders the helm to be changed, and the captain declares that it shall not be done. Then, cries the pilot, “I cannot get you into the harbor, and I will not pretend to do so. Unless you trust me I can do nothing, and the proof that you trust me is that you obey my orders.”

Now, then, trust Jesus, so as to be obedient to Him, and He will pilot you safely. Yield yourself up to follow His example, to imitate His spirit and obey His commands, and you are a saved man. Your ship shall not be driven out to sea while Jesus steers it. But do not go away under the delusion that you have only to say, “I trust Christ,” and that you are saved directly. Nothing of the kind, you must really trust Him—practically trust Him, or there is no hope for you. Give yourself up to Jesus, renounce your old sins, forsake your old habits, live as Christ will enable you to live, and immediately you shall find peace for your soul. You cannot enjoy rest and yet riot in sin. Shall the drunk have rest, and yet drown his soul in his cups? Shall an adulterer have rest, and wallow in his filthiness? Shall a man blaspheme, and have rest? Shall a man be a rogue and a liar, and have rest? Impossible; these things must be given up by coming to Jesus Christ, who will help you to give them up, and make a new man of you, and then you shall receive rest in your soul. Come to Him, then, in spirit and in truth. Oh, that you would come to Him while I am speaking, and find instantaneous rest for your souls!

Charles Spurgeon