Come Unto Me

In this part of the sermon: The sermon identifies the specific audience of the invitation as those who 'labor and are heavy laden,' defining these terms as toiling unto weariness and being encumbered by a…

Martin describes the long, arduous workdays and heavy burdens carried by people in ancient times to vividly illustrate what 'laboring' and 'heavy laden' meant to Christ's original audience.

What does heavy laden mean? It means to be encumbered with a crushing weight that bends a man over and almost presses him to the ground. Now both of these concepts were very vivid to the minds of those to whom our Lord spoke. This was the day before unions and seven-hour work days.

12:33 - 12:53 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are toiling to free yourself from the bondage of sin with vows and resolutions, all to no avail, the Lord Jesus has a word for you tonight.

Martin quotes a poem about a man's journey from simple notions of right and wrong to adult confusion and doubt, illustrating the 'hopelessness and confusion of sin' that burdens many.

the meaning of life, this is right, this is wrong. And that hopeless confusion, standing in the midst of all this swirling mass of ideas, hopelessly confused. Do I speak to some who are toiling for answers? Weighted down with a sense of frustration because there seem to be no answers? I want to read that poem that I read at prayer meeting a couple of months ago. I sit and study this thing at times because this is a man laboring, toiling under the hopelessness and confusion of sin. Listen to his words. When I was a lad, simple notions I had.

19:59 - 20:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: There's no dickering when we come to Christ. The terms are fixed. When you're looking for real estate and you see $22,500 firm, they're saying, no dickering. The price is fixed. The conditions are settled. You meet them …

Martin recounts missionaries' experiences with bartering in the Philippines, where prices are haggled over, to contrast with the fixed, non-negotiable terms of coming to Christ.

Bartering, and where dickering on prices is just a part of the society. I believe I indicated in this missionary conference recently, I talked with some missionaries who said in the Philippines, Chief, that this is just the way it's done. And you may go down to a store on Monday morning to buy a dozen eggs, and she may start out at 15 cents an egg or a dozen, whatever it would be, and you may haggle for a whole hour and come down to your price of a nickel. You may go back to the same store, into the same shop, with the same shopkeeper.

40:45 - 41:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: There's no dickering when we come to Christ. The terms are fixed. When you're looking for real estate and you see $22,500 firm, they're saying, no dickering. The price is fixed. The conditions are settled. You meet them …

The yoke is explained as an instrument binding two animals for shared labor, illustrating the concept of utter submission to Christ's person and identity of will and purpose.

No dickering. The gracious invitation of what are the implications of coming to Christ in faith? Here they are. Unreserved, committal to His person, take my yoke upon you. What is the yoke? It is that instrument that binds two animals together, that they might cloud the same furrow, move in the same direction. There is identity of will and of effort and of labor and of purpose. Christ has come for rest. And what is that?

41:52 - 42:26 Read in full sermon