Matthew 11:25-30

²⁵ At that time, Jesus continued, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from clever and learned people and have revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, because this was pleasing to you. ²⁷ Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wants to reveal him. ²⁸ “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”    (EHV)

How many of you consider being here this morning restful? There are probably dozens and dozens of people within blocks of our church who would consider it anything but restful to be in church this morning. Some are sleeping. Others are reading the newspaper in their bathrobes. Still others got up nice and early and headed for their boat. But what about you—do you find being here this morning restful? You have every reason in the world—and in the next world—to do just that. Because it’s here where Christ sees to itthatyou’re Prepared for the ‘Rest’ of Your Life!

God wants all to have eternal, spiritual rest

God wants all to have eternal, spiritual rest. With arms and heart open wide, Jesus calls out, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” What sweet and consoling words those are. What a shocking contrast to what Jesus had just shouted: “Woe to you Korazin, Bethsaida…. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to depths. …It will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!” And then He begins our text by saying, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from clever and learned people and have revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, because this was pleasing to you.” Pleasing to God that it’s hidden? Does that mean God might not really want all people to have rest? Does God want you to have rest?

Yes, He does…but on His terms. Since we human beings were born in rebellion against God, our ideas of rest are often at  direct odds with God’s will while thinking our ideas are better than God’s—that we’re smarter than God. When it comes to finding rest and relief, we sinfully think we’re making our lives easier and more pleasurable if we disobey God and disregard His commandments. Our own bodies tell us—‘if you want to feel good, sleep is more important than hearing the Gospel. If you want a happy life, put yourself first. You’ve got to help yourself. You can’t count on God to do it.’

That’s what our sinful minds teach us. There was a time in his suffering when even patient Job finally began to think he had made a mistake looking to God for relief. He said so out loud, and demanded God answer to him. He realized quickly he’d made a mistake doubting God’s wisdom, when in response God appeared to him in a massive, frightening storm. God came to remind him how little a human being knows and understands about life and suffering and God’s ways. God impressed that on Job by asking him crazy questions that Job couldn’t even dream of answering, such as, “Do you know the time when the antelope on the cliffs gives birth? Do you keep watch over the doe as she is in labor?” and “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you understand anything about it. Who determined its dimensions? I am sure you know!” (Job 39:1, 38:4,5).

God grilled Job for four straight chapters! When Job understood with humiliating clarity how unqualified he was to question anything God did, or allowed to happen, he meekly responded, “You asked, ‘Who is this who spreads darkness over my plans with his ignorant words?’ I have made statements about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. ⁴ You said, ‘Listen now and I will speak. I will ask you questions, and you will inform me.’ ⁵ My ear heard about you. Now my eyes see you. ⁶ So I despise myself. I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3–6).

Listen again to how Jesus introduces His invitation to rest: “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from clever and learned people and have revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, because this was pleasing to you.” What is pleasing to God and why is often far beyond our comprehension. We may never understand why He lets various trials come into our lives. We don’t always know how He can use an illness to work for our good, or why He allows so many to reject His Gospel of forgiveness and eternal life, yet has miraculously given you and me faith and life.  But we do know this: God sent His Son to earn eternal rest for the whole world—for every single person, even His sworn enemies.

God sent his Son to bring us eternal rest.

God truly wants all people to have eternal rest. That’s why He willingly sent His son to die—not just to die, but to be executed for our sins, and to do so even while we were all God’s enemies. This is what Paul calls “the offense of the cross”— “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks” (Galatians 5:11, 1 Corinthians 1:23). Is God’s plan of salvation rational and reasonable? Not at all—if we define rational and reasonable as ‘what makes sense to human beings.’ God’s love is beyond human understanding. That’s why so many reject Him. God’s love is too amazing for natural, unregenerate man to believe.

But it’s true. It was pleasing to God to send His Son to redeem lost mankind. It was pleasing to Jesus to go and willingly offer Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. Can you imagine the pain of the Father? When we look at Jesus dying on the cross, we see God’s love revealed to us in Him. We see it, because God has revealed it to us: “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from clever and learned people and have revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, because this was pleasing to you.”

Would you call a god “loving” who only gave salvation to those who by superior intellectual powers through years of meditation achieved some higher level of understanding and thereby attained “Nirvana”? (That’s Buddhism). Would you call a god “good” who gave salvation only to those who could, like the Pharisees, invent 1000 rules and regulations and then followed them? (That’s Pharisaism). How different the true religion of the true God is! “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from clever and learned people and have revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, because this was pleasing to you.” Now, you can see why Jesus praises God for hiding these things from the wise and learned. God’s act of “hiding” was nothing more than making His salvation a free and loving and complete and totally gracious gift in plain sight.

Far from “hiding” this gift God chose to make it known and reveal it through His Son. Jesus says, “Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wants to reveal him.”  

Jesus is hidden in plain sight! He cannot be found by hardened hearts. But He is everywhere His Word is preached and taught. God has told His story to the world. God’s inspired Word, the Bible, is available around the whole world in every language. God wants all to be saved, but only by faith, not by force.

God invites everyone to come to Jesus for rest

In His great and unfathomable love Jesus invites you and everyone, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” The burdens Jesus is talking about are both our personal sins and troubles, and the whole mess that the fall into sin introduced to the world. What kind of burdens do you have to deal with? Problems with relatives of the sort Jesus brought up last week? Worries about your health as you grow older? Loneliness as a survivor? Not one of these burdens would exist without the fall of our first parents. The more we try to work out these things ourselves without God, the heavier they get and the wearier we get.

How many times haven’t we waited to pray until we finally did, as a last resort? We proudly parade around trying to hold our heads up high while the massive bundle on our backs is making us more and more sore, until finally the pain forces us to humbly confess to God that we are helpless without Him. How unnecessary! Take it to the Lord in prayer!  “Come to me,” Jesus says, “all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Our prayers for help should begin with a request for forgiveness, because our sinfulness is our ultimate burden at the root of all the others. In the book of Lamentations, the prophet Jeremiah—no greater a sinner than any of us—prayed humbly, “The yoke of my sinful rebellion is fastened to my neck. My sins are bound together by his hand. They have risen up as high as my neck. He has weakened my strength” (1:14). We humans are a peculiar people: We learn to walk hunched over rather than going to the great physician of souls for healing. “Come to me,” Jesus says, “all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Then, paradoxically, Jesus adds, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus’ yoke is easy because it grabs us by the shoulders and lifts us up. It replaces all the baggage we’re carrying with purpose and joy. To know Jesus is to know that He takes away our sin as far as the East is from the West. And we know and believe that Jesus can take the troubles of living in a sinful world—and even the consequences of our own personal sins—and make them all work together for our long term good, just as He’s promised. “Learn from me,” Jesus says. Grow in the comforting knowledge that your burden has been removed. Learn by hearing His Word, especially the assurance your sins are forgiven.

Jesus offers you Rest  that lasts forever, Rest that starts right here and now today. When you come and hear Christ’s wonderful absolution, the pronouncement that your sins are gone, they are gone—right then and there! And your soul has rest. If you’ve got a burden or a problem you’re hesitant to ask God for help with, or a sin you’re afraid to repent of, do it now. “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 nkjv). Answer Jesus’ call once more and come to Him—and He will give you Rest.

Is this sanctuary a restful retreat for your soul? A more restful place than your bed on Sunday morning? As long as Christ crucified for our sins is preached here, and as long as you’re willing to cast your burdens on Jesus, this is the most restful place on earth. Let your Saviour take the heavy bag of burdens off your back and place His uplifting yoke on your shoulders, and He will lift you up until He sends His angels to carry you up to His side in heaven. Let Jesus keep Preparing You for the Rest of Your Life! Amen.