Woe to the Proud, Rest to the Weary
A Sermon on Matthew 11:21-28
Originally preached Sept. 20, 1964
Scripture
21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and …
Sermon Description
What did Jesus mean when He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened”? What is the burden? In this sermon on Matthew 11:21–28 titled “Woe Unto Thee,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the necessity of seeing Christ’s gentleness as well as His severeness. Many today preach only on God’s love, believing that a loving God cannot possibly condemn anyone. If that were the case, what was the point of Jesus’s death on the cross? Dr. Lloyd-Jones dispels the false idea that God cannot punish sinners, and instead shows that God must punish sin, whether that is through Jesus or through the sinner. It is the gospel that determines who takes the wrath of God. The most important question a person can ask themselves is where they stand before God, and their eternal soul depends on the correct answer. God has promised that He will give salvation and rest to those who humble themselves and believe God is who He says He is. However, for those who try to shape God into their own being, Dr. Lloyd-Jones preaches that there is no salvation or rest.
Sermon Breakdown
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones introduces two phrases from Matthew 11: “Woe unto thee” and “Come unto me” to summarize the Christian message.
- The phrases represent judgment and invitation, reflecting God’s holiness and love. Both are essential to understand the gospel.
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks which message the audience has heard from Jesus: judgment or invitation. Our response determines our eternal destiny.
- Jesus’ identity as the Son of God gives his words authority and makes listening to him more important than any human leader.
- Jesus described himself as having sole knowledge of and access to the Father. His claims force us to conclude he is either a lunatic, liar, or the Son of God.
- Jesus’ message has two parts: judgment on sin and invitation to salvation. Both are necessary to understand his purpose in coming to earth and dying on the cross.
- The Old Testament shows God’s judgment on sin, while the New Testament shows the invitation to salvation through Jesus. Both testaments must be accepted.
- John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles all preached repentance from sin before invitation to new life. The gospel starts with humanity’s need for forgiveness.
- Jesus came to save us from the wrath of God incurred by our sin. His death was necessary to reconcile God’s judgment and love.
- We must accept both Jesus’ warnings of judgment and offers of salvation. Rejecting either distorts the gospel. There is no contradiction between God’s wrath and love.
- Jesus illustrates this in John 3: those who believe in him escape condemnation, while those who do not remain under God’s wrath. There are only two possibilities.
- Jesus first did good works and spoke gracious words, but people’s response to him determined whether they received judgment or invitation.
- Pride, self-sufficiency, and unwillingness to acknowledge sin led people to reject Jesus. They thought they did not need him and were fit to judge him.
- Those who recognize their need for Jesus, like children, and come to him for salvation and rest receive his invitation. Our attitude, not our deeds, determines how Jesus responds to us.
- We must choose between rejecting Jesus in our pride and receiving judgment, or humbling ourselves, acknowledging our sin, and accepting his invitation to salvation. His offer of rest is open to all.
Sermon Q&A
What is the Meaning of "Woe Unto You, Come Unto Me" in Matthew 11?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Matthew 11:21 and 28, these two phrases represent the two essential sides of the gospel message. Let me address your questions about this powerful sermon.
What are the two essential sides of the gospel message according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the gospel message has two essential components that function like an ellipse with two points:
- "Woe unto you" - This represents God's judgment, righteousness, and condemnation of sin.
- "Come unto me" - This represents God's love, mercy, and invitation to salvation.
Dr. Lloyd-Jones says: "The christian message is a kind of ellipse, and it has two pints. And here in these two phrases, we have those two pints. Woe unto you. Come unto me. And the whole of the gospel is within that ellipse."
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe we need both sides of the gospel message?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that both elements are necessary because:
- They reflect the complete character of God who is both holy and loving
- They parallel the division between the Old Testament (law) and New Testament (grace)
- They explain why Christ had to die on the cross
- Removing either component distorts the gospel
As he explains: "If you don't have the two, you haven't got your gospel. You cannot really understand the gospel, the message of the New Testament, unless you take in these two elements."
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about modern distortions of the gospel?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones critiques those who reduce the gospel to only the "Come unto me" side while rejecting the "Woe unto you" aspect:
"The popular teaching today is that the message of the gospel is only the second. Come unto me. This is what's being preached... They say that it's impossible that he should have said the other thing."
He warns that this creates a false gospel that suggests "God loves everybody and that God will love everybody" regardless of their response to Him, which contradicts Christ's own teaching.
What determines whether a person receives "Woe" or "Come" according to the sermon?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that what determines Christ's message to a person is their attitude toward Him:
"What makes him say, 'woe unto you' to any men is pride, and nothing but pride, especially pride of intellect... But recognize and acknowledge and feel your need. Confess your sin and shame and failure to God. And cry out for mercy and compassion. Repent. And the gracious invitation will come to you."
Those who are "wise in their own eyes" receive judgment, while those who recognize they are "laboring and heavy laden" receive the invitation to come.
Who is invited in Christ's "Come unto me" invitation?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Christ's invitation is universal to all who recognize their need:
"Come unto me, all ye that are laboring and heavy laden. All. It doesn't matter what you've been hitherto. It doesn't matter how you may have spent your past life. It doesn't matter at all."
He emphasizes that even the vilest sinner can come to Christ if they acknowledge their need for Him rather than rejecting Him through pride.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the result of coming to Christ?
The result of coming to Christ is described as "rest for your souls," which includes:
- The end of useless striving to make oneself righteous
- Peace and knowledge of sins forgiven
- Freedom from fear of death and judgment
- New life and power through being "yoked" to Christ
- Christ's ongoing presence and help until glory
As he puts it: "He'll redeem you, he'll keep you. He'll never leave you, nor forsake you. And he'll keep you until he has finally presented you, faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, to God."
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Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.