story set in India in 1894. And his story was of a baby boy who was left in the jungle. He was found by a wolf, and he was raised by the wolves. And after 10 years, the boy knew the sounds of the jungle well. He had watched the wolves. He had learned their ways. He had learned to be like them in so many ways. He even thought himself to be one of them. He was quite happy to be part of the wolf pack. Yet one day, Bagheera, the black panther, told him that he must go back to men. You see, the jungle was no place for Mowgli, even though he thought it was his home. He was told that there was something better for him. And in a similar way, God knows that there is something better for man who lives in a wild world. And for now, that better is not a different habitat, but it certainly is a different life. Mankind must not remain as he is. And we know that from easily looking around, from seeing it on the internet, from seeing it in the newspaper, we need something else. And the Bible shows us that we need to find rest in Christ. The good news is that Jesus offers rest to man who so desperately needs it. And that's what we'll see as we look at the close of Matthew 11. Jesus offers rest for the soul. Look at the end of verse 29. It says and promises this, and you will find rest for your souls. And we wonder this morning, how can you find that kind of rest? The answer is by finding it in Christ. You find rest for your soul by finding it in Christ. This passage is gonna present two steps that are linked together that allow us to find rest in Jesus. Two steps, two points this morning. Very simple outline. And the first is a wholehearted approach. And the second is a whole life pursuit. The first is but for a moment it takes. The second is a lifetime. In the first we are called to come to Christ to find rest for your soul. And the second is learn from Christ to find rest for your soul. So there's two simple points this morning. Come to Christ to find rest for your soul. That's what Jesus invites us to do. Look at verse 28. Matthew 11, verse 28. Jesus says, come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. What does it mean when Jesus says, come to me? Well, you can see in the cross reference, or you can write a cross reference, John chapter six verse 35. Listen to what Jesus says because he repeats the same phrase and he parallels it with another phrase. John six verse 35, Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall never hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. You see, coming to Christ is believing him for who he is. and for what he came to do. You say, what did Jesus come to do? Well, the angel told Joseph, you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. That was at the beginning. And then after Jesus had ascended to heaven, Acts chapter 10, verse 43, this is what the disciples said. To him, all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. So when we come to Christ, we're talking about believing in Christ. And this passage shows us two ways that we are to come to Christ. In verses 25 through 27, we are to come to Christ humbly. Come to Christ humbly. There are two reasons that are related to revelation that Jesus gives, that we should come humbly. In verses 25 and 26, we see that the Father reveals himself to little children. That's why we should come humbly, because the Father reveals himself to little children. It says that God hides himself from those who believe they've already arrived, those who are self-confidently wise and understanding, those who don't need anything, those who are sufficient already. But God discloses himself to those who listen and learn, to children, to children. Verse 27, we see that Jesus will reveal himself to those whom he chooses. You see at the end of verse 27, the son chooses to reveal him. And to kind of make this tangible for even the youngest here, in this verse, we're learning that Jesus is a sort of librarian. You know, if you want to read a book, you go to the library, and then you choose the book, you take it to the librarian, And you get the book checked out, right? And it's kind of what this passage is saying, is that Jesus is the one who has all the books on God, and he checks them out to whom he pleases. So we're indebted to him. So we must come humbly to him. We must come humbly to Christ. And in verse 28, we learn this, come to Christ categorically. Notice the two descriptions of the people that Jesus calls to come. Verse 28, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden. I love when the Bible already has the alliteration. Labor and heavy laden. You see those who labor are exhausted from their own efforts to earn salvation. And those who are laden are weighed down by other people's expectations to earn favor with God. One is internal, one is external. And Jesus is saying to all those who aren't getting anywhere, despite all the energy that they're exerting, Christ says, come. This is Jesus's invitation for salvation. When someone needs to be saved, they must come to Christ. And that's what he's saying. As the prophet Jeremiah said, call to me and I will answer you. So have you come to Christ this morning? Have you done so humbly realizing you need him? Have you come to him categorically, leaving all else behind and you solely cling to him? Have you come to Christ? We've already said this morning if you would come to Christ, Romans 10 verse nine says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Have you come to Christ? And praise God, most people here have already come to Christ. But some have not. Or you're unsure. Now, if you have not yet come to Christ and you know that, Christ invites you to do so today, right now. Right now. Because he just says, call on me and I'll answer. So call. But if you're someone who is unsure, why don't you ask yourself this? Do you believe that there's any other way to be saved than through Christ? Do you believe that there's someone else that you should be calling on but God alone? Is there someone else that you prayed to? Do you believe that God can save you like you asked him to? Do you believe that God will keep his promise to save you like he said he would? Those questions I just asked you are not the first time this week I've asked those questions. I've already brought them up this week. Not here, but at home. And I remember when someone asked me those same sort of questions, and I am so glad that they did. Because what they kept on directing me to do is to look to Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ says this, whoever comes to me, I will never cast out. John chapter six, verse 37. If you come to Christ, he will not cast you out. So this morning, if you are going to find rest in Christ, you must come to Christ. If you have not yet, then Christ calls you to do so today. And this is the first of two steps that are linked together that allow us to find rest in Christ. To find rest, you must first come to Christ. Secondly, you see in verse 29 and 30, we must learn from Christ. Learn from Christ to find rest for your soul. Look at verse 29 and 30. 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. Jesus says, come to me and let me teach you. And before we take notice of the three encouragements that he gives us to enlist in his school, I want you to consider the fact that Christ calls for a lifelong education. He's calling for a lifelong education. By contrast, coming to Christ is not so much a long process, but is a decided approach. You call on him, you come to him, but learning from Christ means that you're his disciple. It means taking the yoke of Christ because he is going to become your teacher. In that sense, it's like you're enrolling in something that's going to take a long time. That's the nature of it. So I speak to those who have come to Christ, to those who are Christians. You know you're a Christian. To you I say, and I ask, Do you think that you're a part of a lifelong educational process that's taught by Jesus Christ? Because that's what he calls you to. Do you know and feel what Paul felt when he said, not as though I have already obtained this or am already perfect. Can you say amen to that? Not there. I'm still in class. I'm still in Christ's class. I'm still learning. I'm not there yet. You know, that must be the decided disposition of all Christ's people, that for our life, Christ is going to teach us that we have this education. It's not but a moment, but it's all through life. And to this lifelong education, Christ gives encouragement for this lifelong learning. The first encouragement you see is to consider the character of the teacher, because he is gentle and lowly in heart. He's the best kind of teacher. He's a tender teacher. Second, consider the contract of the teacher. You will find rest for your souls. When Christ is your teacher, you cease from your own efforts for self-help. I'm going to figure it all out myself. I'm going to get the solution myself. and you begin to enjoy the sole release of being at peace of God and to be in the service of Jesus Christ. It's as you let Christ be your teacher that you sing your service's song. That's from the song that we sing, Lord of Creation. And we can sing that kind of thing because of the last encouragement Christ gives. Consider the convenience of the teacher. He says, my yoke The yoke that I want you to take, becoming part of my classroom, that yoke is easy. It's easy. And to make this something that we can understand, have you ever worn a pair of shoes that didn't fit? I mean, they were the wrong size, and perhaps your feet were all bunched up in them, or they were way too big, and you're clomping around. Or perhaps they didn't have the art support that you needed, and they were uncomfortable. And they were just an anguish to you because they weren't the right size. But when you find a shoe that fits your foot like a glove, that is a wonderful shoe. And you buy that shoe again and again because it is just right for you. Even so, the yoke of Christ is perfectly fitted for you and for me. So let me close the service today with a long time of application because Matthew 11 presents two steps that are linked together that allow us to find rest in Christ. The first is a wholehearted approach. The second is a lifelong pursuit. In the first, we are called to come to Christ to find rest. In the second, we are to learn from Christ to find rest for the soul. So we ask ourselves two questions. Number one, have you come to Christ to be saved? That is a question that everyone here ought to answer for himself. Everyone here, without exception. That applies to you, to me. Have you come to Christ? Secondly, are you learning from Christ? For all who have come to Christ, the second question then is, are you learning from Christ? I want to expand on that second question by pointing to a passage. Let's turn there together. We turn to Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4, because we have this language of education that comes up again. Ephesians chapter 4, look at verse 20 with me. Ephesians 4, verse 20. We're jumping into the middle of Paul's argument, but he says this, that is not the way you learned Christ. So that's the educational setting I'm talking about. Paul says, that's not the way you learned Christ, assuming that you heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus. And then he explains what it is to learn of Christ. It is to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Now this passage is an expansion on what Matthew 11 begins to say. Matthew 11 teaches that Christ is the teacher. Ephesians 4 tells us a bit of the teaching of Christ. And what we see in Ephesians 4 is that what Christ teaches transforms our lives. It's a metamorphosis. It is a huge change. As it says at the close of verse 24, It is likeness to God. So you could say something like this in answer to the question, well, what does Jesus Christ teach? Christ teaches us to be like himself. Christ teaches Christ likeness. Or as Paul said in Romans chapter 13, verse 14, put on the Lord Jesus Christ. What Christ teaches in his classroom is that I want you to be like me. Ephesians 4 says that means you put off some things, you're renewed in your mind, and you put on some things. Colossians 3, it tells us that we're to put sin to death, and we're supposed to put on Christ-like character. Colossians 1 shows us that we are to put on Christ so that we become spiritually mature. Romans 8, verse 26, we are to be conformed to the image of God's Son. That's the transformation that takes place in our lives. That's what Christ wants. It's gonna look like the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, et cetera. It's gonna look like exercising our gifts of the Spirit. As Peter says in chapter four, it is the gifts of speaking or the gifts of serving. All these things are transforming stuff. It's really an amazing change. But instead of simply being amazed by all that God would do in our lives, let's assess it for a moment. I wanna ask you a question. What has God been changing in your life recently so that you're more like Christ? How is God changing you recently to be more like Christ? What aspect of Christ is God working in you? I would love to know, and I'm sure the people sitting around you would love to know. I'd love to rejoice with you about that, because that means that you're in Christ's classroom, learning of Christ, learning from Christ. Now, on the one hand, Christ teaches in his classroom, I want you to be like me. But I want to draw your attention to one more thing that Christ teaches. I remind you of what Jesus said to his disciples before he ascended to heaven. In the beginning of the book of Acts, he turned to his disciples and he said to them these words. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem. Say, why do you say in Jerusalem? Because that's where they were. You are my witnesses where you are, locally. So in Christ's classroom, he also calls us, he teaches us to call others to Christ. That's another lesson that Jesus teaches. that we are to call others to Christ, that we are to be his witnesses. And to give us a vivid picture of this and how important this lesson is, I want you to remember the story of the demoniac whom Jesus healed in Mark chapter 5. After this man was rid of all his demons, the demons that asked permission to be sent into the herd of pigs, the man begged Jesus that he could be with Jesus. Jesus, I want to be with you. You've delivered me. I just want to be with you. We might say today, I want to do Bible study. Jesus, let me do that. And Jesus did not permit him, but said instead, go home and tell how much the Lord has done for you. That is a curious first lesson in Christ's classroom. I say it's curious because at times when we think of gospel witness, that's something that other Christians are supposed to do. That's like advanced Christian studies. That's not first lesson kind of Christian stuff. That's sometimes how we think. But I summarize two points that Jesus makes in his classroom. The first is that Christ wants us to be like himself. is that Christ wants us to call others to himself. And as an expansion of that second point, Christ wants us to minister to other people who've come to Christ so that they can be more like Christ. Listen to what Paul said in Galatians 4.19. My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth, Until Christ is formed in you, you see Paul's concern for the Christ-likeness of those around him. It wasn't just enough that he be like Christ, he labored that others would be like Christ. Colossians 1 verse 28, it's on the front of your bulletin today. Christ we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. Paul is working hard that Christ be formed in others. So in Christ's classroom, he has two lessons in sum that he teaches. Put on Christ. Call others to Christ, to Christ's likeness. So right now, how are you becoming more like Christ? That's the first question. How are you becoming more like Christ? Because most of the people this morning I'm talking to have already come to Christ. So now where we are is how is God changing you? Secondly, to whom or with whom are you laboring so that Christ will be formed in them? Paul labored with the Galatians. Paul labored with the Colossians. He wanted to see Christ formed in them. You say, what does it mean to labor with someone so that they come to Christ, so that they see Christ formed in them? It could mean a lot of things, different things for different people. It could mean for one person that he finally comes to salvation, that you work in their life, you pray that they would call on Christ and be saved. It could mean that you work so that that person comes to baptism and church membership. It could be that you work and pray so that person begins to serve in the church, or that they would seek spiritual mentorship in the church, or that they would want to provide spiritual mentorship to other people in the church. There are so many ways, all depending on who it is that you're looking at as you turn around. But are you laboring as a woman labors in childbirth so that Christ is formed in others? And from day to day, are you working to put on Jesus Christ? That is the way to find rest in Christ. That is the way that will give us rest for our souls, because that is truly what God has made us for. God knows that there's something better for mankind than the way he lives. It's to put on Christ. It's to call others to Christ. While it was true that Mowgli grew up with the wolves and was very much like the rest of the wolves and knew the jungle well, at one point he was told he needed to go be with man. And so by God's grace, we've heard the call to not continue as we have been, but to come to Christ and find rest for our souls. And that is something that God wants for each one of us. that comes by an initial wholehearted coming to Christ and by a lifelong pursuit of all that Christ has to teach us. Lord, we ask that you would work that into our hearts, that we would be consumed with it, that we would have some sense, yup, that kind of summarizes basically every part of our life that you intend for us. That needs to be a priority. And Lord, thank you for the ways that you've worked it into our hearts so that we even agree with it. and have even made strides in those things. We praise your name for the work that you've done in us, for so far how Christ has been formed in us. And we pray that you would continue to have Christ formed in us, that we might better reflect you to a wild world. We pray for that in Jesus' name, amen.