J. Albrecht…Trinity 16…Sept. 20^th, 2026…Matthew 11:25-30…When Will We Find Rest for Our Souls?

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

INJ Who reveals a heavenly rest for weary souls, DFR:

Some of the fiercest fighting during WW2 took place in the Pacific Theatre, and specifically on the Island of Saipan. It took 24 days, but eventually the U.S. took the island.

What made this battle truly sad wasn’t in the fierce fighting, but in the civilian sector. The civilians had been told over and over again that it would be better to die rather than to fall into the hands of the Americans, who would torture and kill them. So, the soldier and civilian alike were told to jump off the cliff on the back of the island. Hundreds of feet with rocks and ocean below. American translators communicated through bullhorns and with signs that if those on the cliff would come to the U. S. side, they would have safety. They yelled three words over and over, “Come and live.” And a few did. Most jumped.

They had peace, rest, food, and safety, within their grasp, but many spurned it to their own death. Sadly, that is how so many people react to the saving message of the Gospel. Through the cross, God yells the same, “Come and live.” This call likewise is one of peace, rest, and safety, but in a much greater and longer-lasting way than what the American soldiers could offer those civilians. See, the civilians who took that invitation were spared from the rest of the fighting of WW2. But there were more wars, more struggles, and it couldn’t replace everything they had lost.

The rest that God offers through His Son Jesus is rest for your soul. It is a rest that ends the war against God and already declares victory over sin, death, and the devil. No longer do you have the burden to fulfill the Law to earn salvation. No longer do you have to live in fear of falling into the hands of an angry God. Jesus says, “Come, and I will give you rest.” It is grace. His love, undeserved, given in place of you on the cross for the forgiveness of all your sins.

This morning, let us answer the question, When will We find rest for our souls? 1. When we seek it in the Father’s revelation. 2. When we seek it in Jesus’ redemption. 3. When we seek it under the Savior’s yoke. As we consider these words of our Lord, let us pray: Sanctify us by Your truth, O Lord, Your Word is truth, Amen.

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

It is interesting that Jesus would express thanks to the Father given the context of Matthew 11. Right before this, Jesus laments that so few believed in Him despite all the miracles He had performed in their sight. But then why thank God? Because Jesus has another reason to thank His Father, namely for those who HAVE seen Him for who He is. In Luke 10, Jesus uses the same doxology to His Father when His 70 disciples returned from their mission trip.

The disciples were excited that even the evil spirits obeyed their command. Jesus redirected their excitement to what was unseen, but more important – the Gospel had taken root in their own hearts. They found rest in Him.

This was the reason Jesus thanked His Father, because without His revelation, the spiritual rest He came to bring would remain hidden to all. Paul reminds us that the natural mind of man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God for we are spiritually discerned. That means, no matter how hard we try, no matter how intelligent we are, we would never come to the conclusion that God would offer His own Son in the place of sinners and offer this forgiveness freely of His own grace.

Without that rest, that grace, what conclusion do we come to? I am burdened by my sin. I am constrained to be a better human and to make up for all the wicked things I have done in my life. Let me assure you, it is good that you strive to abstain from sin and do what is good. But the list of sin and atrocities that you and I would have to overcome is far too great for a million life-times, let alone one. There is no rest to be found in a life like that, yet that is the only path of life we know by nature.

When will we find rest for our souls? When we seek it in the Father’s revelation. The Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth has made His decree. It is not, “Jump through this hoop, and perform these acts of righteousness, then maybe you’ll be forgiven.” It is, “Come, take and eat. The body of Jesus Christ given for you.” “Come, be washed clean from all sin through water and the Word.” “Come, hear how God has stepped into history to be your Savior.” Come and believe.

All the wisdom in the world, the intricate design and order to the universe, the great intellect of modern medicine have not found the secret to true rest. God, in His grace has made it known to little children. That little child is you. What makes you God’s little child is not the date on your birth certificate, but rather that you are an eager learner of God’s grace. The great wisdom of the world might give you prestige and advantages in this life, but it won’t reveal to you the great love the Creator of the universe has for every individual sitting here this morning and every other soul His blood was shed for on the cross. Find rest for your soul in this, that God has poured out His salvation into your heart and mind so that you call Him Lord.

God, having revealed His saving love towards us, directs us then to find our rest in Jesus’ redemption. ²⁷ All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

We are spoiled as to how many ways we have to find rest and enjoyment while in a culture that demands we, “work, work, work.” Watching a football or baseball game on tv, with our legs up on the recliner; enjoying a well-cooked meal at the end of a long day; even reading your favorite book or watching a movie. What do these joys do for your spiritual rest? I think you all know the answer. While they are beneficial for our bodily rest and enjoyment, they do nothing for your spiritual health.

Jesus, on the other hand, offers to be everything needed for your spiritual well-being. He alone can be for all things have been given to Him: earth, heaven and hell; time, death and eternity; salvation and damnation, grace and judgment; consolation, rest and hope, deliverance from sin, communion with God, the love of God, the life in God. What does your soul desire, what does it need to find rest? Everything that can take your rest away is Jesus’ to remove. Everything needed for rest is His to give.

The reason is simple: That is what His redemption has done for you. Jesus’ death on the cross in your place has opened the treasure-trove of His grace. He has bought you back from sin, death, and hell and has made everything under His love available to you. Where is your burden? Is it in guilt? Paid for by Jesus. Is it in weakness to sin? Jesus has the strength to overcome it. Uncertain future? Jesus has a plan and God directs it. Suffering? Jesus strengthens you by it. For every burden you might have that would weigh your soul down, hold it up to the face of Jesus’ redemption and watch it melt away.

No, it might not take away the consequence of sin, nor does it immediately zap away struggling feelings that grip your heart. What the redemption of Jesus Christ does do is say, “It is finished.” He has taken your sin, your guilt, and has nailed it to the cross so that God in His mercy forgives you. YOU CAN BE SURE OF THIS!

On the altar at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Okabena, MN, is a large statue of Jesus depicting His ascension to heaven. When you look closely, you will see holes in His hands and feet. It is not a mistake or an artist’s interpretation. Those holes remain in our risen Savior as the physical assurance of the price He paid for your forgiveness, life, and salvation. Though you and I can’t touch them right now, we stand on the foundation of those who did see Him, whose testimony confirms the Word God spoke through the prophets. Today, look to your fellow Christians gathered here. Their lives testify to you of God’s love for them, encouraging you also to find in Christ’s redemption, rest for your soul.

Finally, we will find rest for our souls when we seek it under the Savior’s yoke. ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Imagine life without Jesus. Where do you find peace? Or rest or joy? Sure, you can find flashes of these things in the world, but how quickly do they fade away? How quickly does the joy of vacation fade away when you have to return to work or school next week? How quickly does the honeymoon phase of marriage burn up when you begin to encounter obstacles?

When suffering, unrest, grief, and pain come, where can you find lasting healing and relief without Christ? Jesus extends an offer to you, on whom these burdens press down on, to end your burden for good. And it begins with your eternal salvation. Christ is the end of the Law to those who believe. The sin and the guilt which causes all heavy burdens are pardoned and forever removed. There remains an eternal rest for the people of God. This rest is your future in heaven when all the woes of this life are gone.

Having promised this eternal rest, Jesus exchanges the burden of our sin, guilt, and inability to earn eternal life, for His own yoke, for you to carry in this life. What is His yoke that He gives to us? Rest for your souls right now. Christ, with His yoke, calls us to actively seek and find more and more of His blessed rest and relief. How easy and light of a yoke it is! Martin Luther said, “Christ’s burden does not oppress, but makes light, and itself bears rather than is borne.”

Let us eagerly seek this yoke from our Lord! It is the strongest consolation and hope, and when all other consolations become empty and nothing, the very yoke Jesus lays upon us, bears us up and fills us with His grace.

Koyu Shiroma was 5 years old during the Battle of Saipan. During the battle, he was separated from his father and sisters, and lost his mother in child birth. At the end of the battle, he followed other Japanese civilians to the cliff-side in fear of the Americans as his father taught him. He followed off the cliff. But half-way down his shirt got caught on a branch and he was rescued by American soldiers. Sometimes we would plunge ourselves over the cliff to our own destruction. Whether it is being crushed by sin, guilt, and sorrow; or from seeking relief in the wrong things. Nevertheless, it is but by God’s grace that we are snagged from our destruction, rescued and given life. The Father has revealed His eternal rest for you in Jesus. He assures you that this rest is yours through Jesus’ redemptive work, and He leaves you with His own yoke to supply grace to help in time of need. The rest found in the Lord our God is neither wavering or empty, but what you can rely upon when all else fails. So come, find your rest in the grace of our Savior, Amen.