We're going to talk about the simplicity of Christ this morning, and I again would like to have you turn in your Bible to the 11th chapter of Matthew and then also to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Those two passages please: 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and Matthew chapter 11.

2 Corinthians 11 I just want you to look at verse 1 through 4. Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly, and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. The simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we've not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you've not received, or a different gospel which you've not accepted, you may well put up with it.

I want us to focus on that statement written by Paul to the Corinthians: the simplicity of Christ. And then now look at Matthew chapter 11 again please, which Mark read, and I want to start in verse 25 and have you follow please in your Bible. 

At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you've hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight. All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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."

Let's bow and have a prayer to begin the work. 

Our Father, I thank you again today for your love and mercy and your grace, your patience, your faithfulness to us. Thank you, Father, for the saving name of Jesus and for the new covenant gospel, and thanks for your word, Father. We pray that these minutes in the word will be of encouragement and help to all of us, and mostly, Father, we want to be pleasing to you. We love you, Father; we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

When Jesus watched the crowds that were following Him, He was stirred with thankfulness for the simplicity of God's saving word. He stopped in the middle of that busy time and He gave thanks to the Father. "Father, I thank you that you revealed these to those who are not wise and prudent but to the simple." He taught His followers that His saving word must be received as a little child receives the word, and I'd like for us to turn to Matthew again to verse 18, please. 

I want to read a fairly lengthy passage of scripture in which this truth is emphasized, where Jesus is teaching the people that we must receive Him as a child. I'm going to begin Matthew 18 verse 1. 

At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in the midst of them, and He said, "Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me." 

And then also look at verse 11 of the same chapter. "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go into the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so, it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." 

That's an amazing scripture. Again Jesus is teaching that men must come to Him as a little child would receive God and receive the kingdom. And He also taught in that passage that little children are safe, S-A-F-E, until they reach the age when they need to be saved. A shepherd has a hundred sheep in his fold. Ninety-nine of them are safe, but one went astray. And so little children are safe in God's kingdom until they go astray, until the Father sends out the good shepherd to find that which was lost. 

But the major truth that I want us to think about this morning is that every person who wants to come to Christ must come as a little child would receive Him. When I talk about this, I look back on my own lifetime of exposure to biblical Christianity. I had mom and dad were believers. We went to a church since I was born that was a Bible preaching church. And since I was a little child, I am so thankful for the simplicity with which it all began for me. "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." That's how I know. The Bible tells me that Jesus loves me. 

And way up there in northern Minnesota, in a little town of 300 people, there were four churches, and ours was a Bible-teaching Baptist church. I remember going back there to the church and to Sunday school and learning that simple truth, "Jesus loves me, this I know." I spent my whole lifetime in serious Bible study. Ever since I was 20 years old, when my heart turned to Christ in sincerity, I've been involved in serious Bible study, preaching and teaching the Word of God, and witnessing to saved and lost people. But nothing I've learned all of these years has surpassed the good news of the simple saving gospel that Jesus is my Savior. 

I'd like for you to turn to some well-known scriptures about this. Would you turn to John chapter 3? And I know probably most of us could quote this chapter by memory or this verse by memory. But look at John chapter 3 at verse 16. 

For God so loved the world. This is the simple gospel. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but should have everlasting life. For I have not come to condemn the world, but I have come into the world to save the world. That's the simple message of Jesus Christ. 

Look also in your Bible, please, at Romans chapter 5. Another statement about the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 5, please. And it talks about the great saving love of Jesus for us beginning at verse 6. 

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But here's the simplicity of the gospel: But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

That's a simple, clear message to every man living on this planet at this time. And then look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15. And I quote this scripture often when I have an opportunity to preach. And I use this scripture often for my own assurance. 1 Corinthians 15. Paul said, "I've declared to you the gospel that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures." And he said, "If you believe this, you're saved." 

And look at 1 John chapter 5. Another statement about the wonderful simplicity of Christ. 1 John chapter 5, and we'll start at verse 9. And I hope you look at this in your Bible even though you know this probably by memory, and that you have this in your heart this morning. 

1 John chapter 5 verse 9. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. For this is the witness of God, which He has testified of His Son. And here's the simplicity: He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself. He who does not believe God has made Him a liar because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. Friends, these scriptures talk about the simplicity. And in Matthew chapter 1 verse 21, where the birth of Jesus is announced to Mary and Joseph, the Lord gave this word to them: "Call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins."

So this morning, as I'm replacing Pastor John as he's not well, I thought I'd talk about the simplicity of the gospel. Since I retired from being the pastor, I've been preaching every Sunday on the book of Hebrews, and last Sunday we finished Hebrews with chapter 13. So today, this is not related to the book of Hebrews, but it's related to the simple message that Jesus explained to His men when He said, "Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

When we hear God's Savior's Son call out to the people to come to Him, we're listening to Jesus Himself explain the simplicity of the gospel. And so I want you to have your Bible open to Matthew 11, and we'll look at this wonderful text this morning and study it carefully. 

First of all, I'd like for us to look at the invitation: "Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, come unto me." To whom does Jesus give this invitation? And the promise is so much of an encouragement if you believe the written word of God. To whom does Jesus give this simple invitation? Let me remind you, Revelation 22 verse 17, "Whosoever will, let him come." Let him come to me and be saved. Isaiah 1:18, "Come now and let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they're red like crimson, they shall be as wool." That invitation is to all who recognize themselves to be a sinner. 

John 6:37, Jesus said this: "All that the Father gives to me will come to me, and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of the Father." And this is the will of the Father, that everyone that the Father gives to the Son, Jesus will raise up at the last day. The invitation in John chapter 7 verse 37: "If any man thirsts, let him come to me and drink." The invitation, the simple invitation, is for all people who are willing to come. 

I'd like for you now to look at Matthew chapter 9 and note an example of people who came to Jesus. Matthew chapter 9, and I'm going to begin with verse 1 and have you follow in your Bible. 

So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven you." And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This man blasphemes." But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins." Then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." 

This is a wonderful picture that Matthew gives us of a man who's helpless; he's paralyzed, and friends have to carry him to Jesus and to bring him into the presence of Jesus. He came to Jesus just as he was, and Jesus forgave his sins even before He healed his paralyzed body. And then in verse 7 it says he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitude saw it, they marveled and glorified God who had given such power to men. 

As Jesus passed from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, "Follow me." So he arose and followed Him. Now what happened is Jesus sat at the table in the house that behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 

Who can come? Jesus heard that, and when He heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of the physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'" I'm so thankful for that. That's His mercy because I'm not righteous. Without Jesus Christ, I'm not righteous. But He didn't come to call the righteous. He came to call us who recognize ourselves to be sinners. 

Remember another example from Luke 15 I'd like for you to look at that. Another person who came to Jesus: this is a story of the prodigal son who, in defiance, left his father and went into a far country and squandered his inheritance. After a while, he was left in a job feeding swine—a lowly job for a Jewish man—and he didn't have anything for himself to eat, and he said, "I'm going back to my father." 

Here's an example of a man who came—it's Luke 15 at verse 20. And he arose and came to his father. This is the simplicity. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. This is how God receives us when we come. 

And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Bring out the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fatted calf here and kill it and let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found," and they began to be merry. 

This is the simplicity of coming to Christ. He receives us, and He welcomes us. He rejoices us and prepares a feast for us. Look at another example in the book of Luke at chapter 23. I'd like you to see this also. Luke chapter 23 and at verse 39, please. Jesus is on the cross on that hill called the hill of skulls. Two criminals are crucified with Him, one on each side. 

Then one of the criminals, this is Luke 23 verse 39. This is an example of coming, the simplicity of coming. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed, saying, "If you're the Christ, save yourself and us." But the other answering rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said to Jesus, here's an example of the simplicity of coming to Christ. This criminal said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." 

Paul said to the Corinthians, "I'm so concerned about you that you don't get away from the simplicity of Jesus Christ." And so I thought it would be good for us to think about that this morning. I hope each one of us right now may think about the simplicity. How do you come? As the prodigal son came. As that dying thief on the cross came. That's how we come to Christ. And no sinner is so evil that Jesus did not love and receive him. 

Knowing our lifetime of sin and disobedience and unworthiness, He loves us and He invites us to come to Him. Just come. I'm going to die for him. I'll give my life for you. I think of the word picture that He gave to the people in Laodicea in Revelation about coming to Him. He said this: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." This is a word picture of Jesus wanting to come. He said, "I stand at the door knock. If any man will open the door, I will come into him and he with me, and I will sup with him and he with me." 

That's the simplicity of coming to Jesus Christ. So that's the invitation that Jesus gave. And then I want you to notice what He offers. Look back again at Matthew 11 at verse 28. What does He offer if we come to Him? Verse 29. Look at this. "Take my yoke upon you." He offers us a yoke. And that's a word picture of what it means to believe, literally to believe God's Savior Son. The yoke we take when we come to Christ is the saving gospel message that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. 

That's the yoke. It binds the two persons together. The yoke that He promises is His saving name. "Call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." The yoke is the new covenant that He established on the night before He died on the cross when He said, "This cup speaks of my blood which is shed for you and for the remission of your sins. Take my yoke upon you." 

And the yoke was an implement that joined two oxen in a demanding task. And our assurance is that we're bound together with Him in the saving sacrifice that He accomplished for us. We're crucified with Him as Paul said in Galatians chapter 2. Believing Jesus, coming to Jesus, is choosing to be bound with Him in His saving work, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. 

And as He speaks these words in Matthew 11 verse 28 and 29, He's talking to people who've been bound—they've been yoked together with the old covenant law. Burdensome laws and impossible requirements. If you do these things, God will accept you, and you must do it to perfection. 

Now He's given this opportunity: Now you can be bound to Me instead of to the old covenant law which condemns and damns people to eternal hell. "Come to Me and join with Me and bear the yoke that I offer to you." I want us just to ponder this right now as we're thinking of this scripture. 

Do you consider yourself as being bound to Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection? That's the simplicity of the gospel. To take His yoke means to choose to be bound to Him in His saving sacrifice that He made on the cross. When He cried out to the Father and to the people around, "It is finished," the sacrifice is finished. "I've laid down my life for all sinners. Now they only need to come to Me." 

I think of the choice of that Ethiopian statesman who was riding along in a chariot one day. He was reading Isaiah chapter 53 about the fact that God's Son would come to the world, and He would bear the sins of many in His own body. And he read that a man came and joined him, a believer named Philip, and he talked to him about it. He said, "Do you understand this?" "No, I don't understand this." And so Philip opened his mouth and he talked to him about Jesus. 

And that Ethiopian statesman said, "What would hinder me from being baptized?" And Philip said to him, "If you believe Jesus Christ, you can be baptized." And they stopped the chariot out there in that desert, and he was baptized in a little pool. He came to Jesus to be saved. Paul talked to the Thessalonian Christians, and he reminded them that when he came and preached the simple gospel, he said, "When I preached the simple gospel to you, your hearts turned to Jesus. You believed Him. You turned from your idols and your false worship, and you came to faith in Jesus Christ." 

Friends, the point Jesus is making in Matthew 11 is that saving faith is choosing to be yoked with Jesus as two oxen would be yoked together. It's choosing to be yoked to Him because of His saving name, Jesus, because of His new covenant gospel that He died on the cross in our place and He arose from the dead. Saving faith is to take His yoke upon us. 

So we see His invitation: "Come unto me." We see His offer: "You can take my yoke and you can be joined with me in life for eternity." And then we see what His mercy is. He said, "Learn of me." Come unto me, take my yoke upon you, and learn of me. 

Now if you've been in our church in the last five or six years, you know that probably for five full years we preached on this statement, "Learn of me." And we went through the four gospels and spent Sunday after Sunday learning about Jesus Christ. 

But I'd like to make an assignment if you're really interested in this, about learning of Him. Let me make this assignment. During this week, read chapters 13 through 16 of the Gospel of John to learn about Jesus. I've done that many times, and the major thing I learned about Jesus is He said, "I want you to abide in me." I'm the true vine; you're a branch, and I want you to learn to abide. 

If I have one prayer request in my heart, it's to abide, to continue, and to abide in Jesus. But why don't you take some time this week and read chapter 13, 14, 15, and 16 of the Gospel of John and pick out five things about Him that you want to learn about Him. And the point is, how do we continue? How do we learn about Him? 

And please turn in your Bible to the book of 2 Peter, and I'd like to show you a statement that tells us how to learn about Jesus. 2 Peter chapter 1, please, and I want you to follow in this paragraph. 

Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

But also for this reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound in you, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

How can we learn? How can we learn to know Jesus better? And the Bible clearly says we learn through the written word, through the scripture. And so here's His simple invitation: come to me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. That's His mercy, the privilege that God gives us one day at a time to learn about Jesus. 

And then I want to just finish this message with the last part of Jesus' invitation to come. He said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." And this statement shows us the difference between personal salvation and discipleship. To become a disciple of Jesus is not light or easy. It's difficult; it's tough to be a disciple of Jesus. 

To be saved, to become a believer, that's how it begins, is light and easy. And Jesus knew He would accomplish everything hard, everything difficult, to gain our personal salvation. Jesus did everything difficult for you and for me to be saved. He tasted death, Hebrews 2:9 says, He tasted death for every one of us on the cross. He was rejected by the Father in our place as we ought to be rejected. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus was rejected for that time by the Father on our—that's hard, that's difficult. He did that in our place. 

He finished the task of redemption. He cried out to the Father, "It is finished," and then He gave up His breath. Discipleship is hard; it's difficult. But to receive what Jesus did for us is an invitation that's easy and light. That's the meaning of the new covenant: to come to Christ. 

So here's how it begins: Has this new life, this simple life, begun for me and for you? Have we come to Jesus? That's the simple, easy way for people to be saved. After we become saved, He challenges us to be willing to make sacrifices to be His disciple. If you come to Christ initially, and after you come to Christ and He comes to live in your life, then you have a desire, you have a desire to be a disciple and to serve Him. 

Coming to the old covenant mountain, as we read about last Sunday morning in Hebrews 13, was very tough. It was fatal to come to the old covenant Mount Sinai where God gave the law; that was fatal. But coming to Jesus as a new covenant Savior is easy and simple. I hope all of us this morning will ponder that. 

What is the personal evidence that I've come to Jesus? I'm going to turn to one verse of scripture that answers that: Hebrews chapter 13. And I'd like for you to turn there also in your Bible. Hebrews chapter 13. What is the evidence if a man has come to Jesus? And I'm going to read one statement, verse 15. 

Therefore, by Him, that's by Jesus Christ, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. The evidence that a man has come to Jesus to be saved is that with our lips we are giving thanks to His name. That's a continual desire, a continual prayer of our life. 

Thank you, Jesus Christ, for the simplicity of the gospel. So here's what it comes down to, folks, today, what we've talked about: Stop striving. Stop working. Stop trying to be a good Christian, and come to Jesus and rest—just rest. And then thank you is your prayer, your fundamental daily prayers. Thank you, Jesus, that you're my Savior. 

Let's bow in a prayer, please. 

Father, as we've come to this place today, it's been a prayer in our hearts that this will be just more than a formality or a routine, but that this time will have special meaning for every person. I pray for every person in this room who is old enough to understand your word, Father, to come to Jesus, to be sure about that choice, that decision. Thank you, Father, for the promise that He made to us that He will never cast us out. We love you, Father. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.