God’s Design for Rest – By Design
God’s Design for Rest
Together Church | Pastors Jerry Wells and Stephen Dellinger
July 27, 2025 | Series: By Design
STEPHEN:
Introduction
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:28–30
Historical Context of Matthew 11:28–30
This passage is a bold declaration spoken to a people that were suffering from an enormous burden that was too much for them to bear.
JERRY:
Here’s what was happening when Jesus said these words:
- The Jewish people were under an enormous religious burden under pharisaic law.
There are 613 laws in the law of Moses but the Pharisees had expanded the Mosaic Law into hundreds of rules—365 prohibitions and 250 commandments.
These laws were meant to prevent sin, but they became a yoke of legalism, leaving people feeling guilty, frustrated, and spiritually drained.
The religious authorities had the authority to publicly shame you and even arrest you if you were not measuring up to their standards.
STEPHEN:
- The social and political climate added to this burden
Israel was under Roman occupation, facing economic hardship from taxation and social oppression. The Jews did not have the rights of Roman citizens. They could be arrested and tried without due process. Their homes and land could be taken from them. They could be forced to serve Roman soldiers and Roman citizens without any recourse.
JERRY:
- There were also the normal burdens that every responsible adult experiences.
- The daily burden of work and financial provision for their family on a very limited income.
- The daily burden of the duties associated with caring for their family.
- The daily burden of disappointments when life does not go the way they wanted it to go.
Jesus was speaking to ordinary people—farmers, laborers, the poor—who were weary from religious oppression, political oppression, and life’s demands.
Because of the prophecies in their bibles, the Jews were waiting for a Messiah King who was a descendant of David who would deliver them from this oppression. But instead of changing their circumstances, Jesus offered them rest for their souls!
How relevant is this message to Americans? Americans are spending between 42.3 billion-46.6 billion dollars annually just on medications to relieve anxiety. Doctors are dolling out drugs like they are candy not just for anxiety but for other emotional disorders like depression.
And when those prescriptions drugs are not available, the people of this world turn to alcohol or illegal drugs to find rest for their souls. The results have been devastating for their lives, their families, and for our society.
Life is filled with all kinds of burdens caused by oppression, responsibilities, disappointments, unforeseen losses, relational issues, health issues, and financial issues. In this passage, Jesus makes an incredible promise that no one else can match; rest for our souls.
STEPHEN:
To receive this rest, Jesus said we must…
Come, Take, and Learn!
Body
- Come
Come to Me if you are weary!
This invitation to rest from Jesus is not for the strong, successful, or self-sufficient.
He specifically calls those to come who are weary and burdened — emotionally, spiritually, physically.
This is a radical grace: Jesus doesn’t say “Work harder,” “Try more,” or even “Clean yourself up first before you come to me.” EX: Share about the visit to Olympic Training facility.
He says simply, Come to me if you are weary and heavy laden.
Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs in the kingdom of heaven. To be poor in spirit is to be broke or bankrupt. It means all of your resources are gone and you have nothing left.
If you are weary and heaven laden because of your sin and because of your circumstances, you qualify. Come to Jesus!
To receive rest for our souls, Jesus said we must come to Him!
JERRY:
To receive rest for our souls, Jesus said when we come to Him we must….
- Take
Specifically, He said take my yoke upon you!
The rest that Jesus promises comes through relationship with Jesus. And to have that relationship Jesus said we must take His yoke upon us.
The Yoke Metaphor
A yoke was a wooden beam used to pair oxen for plowing. There was always a lead oxen in the pair that carried the most weight. A yoke wasn’t a burden—it was a symbol of connection between two animals, walking together in unity as one oxen trusted the lead oxen and followed its lead.
Jesus used this metaphor as a picture of what it looked like to be in a discipleship relationship with Him.
There was only one condition to be in relationship with Him and was we come to Him and let Him be the lead oxen.
Instead of demanding perfection like the pharisees said was necessary to earn right standing with God, Jesus invited weary people into relationship with Him and promised that if they would come to Him and take His yoke upon them, He would give them right standing with God and provide rest for their souls despite all the difficulties in their lives.
STEPHEN:
But there is one more condition Jesus requires for us to have this rest for our souls.
- Learn
Specifically, Jesus said learn from me because I am gentle and humble in heart.
Jesus was the eternal Son of God. But He emptied Himself and became the Son of Man.
As the Son of Man He showed His disciples how they should live. To be at rest in their souls they needed to specifically learn from Him what it meant to be gentle and humble in heart.
To be gentle is to be meek. Meekness is yielding ownership of what you own to someone else. By becoming the Son of Man, Jesus yielded all of His rights as God the Son to God the Father.
To be humble is to be dependent upon someone outside of yourself for all that you need. As the Son of Man, Jesus chose to become completely dependent upon God the Father for all that He needed as the Son of Man.
EX: Children as an example of humility (good) and meekness (quite bad).
For us to find rest in Jesus for our souls, we must learn from the example of Jesus. We must yield ownership of ourselves and everything we own to Him. And we must completely depend upon Him for everything we need.
For us to find rest for our souls, we must come, take, and learn!
JERRY:
Conclusion
As we said previously, the people of this world have gone crazy on its reliance upon drugs in its search for soul rest.
Those who are not turning to drugs are turning to other solutions to find rest for their souls. America is one of the unhealthiest nations in the world because of how much we eat and what we eat. We are also one of the most broken nations in the world with regards to sexual addition.
STEPHEN:
In their efforts to find rest for their souls, Americans spend more money on entertainment than any other nation in the world.
Statistics reveal that it is not just the world that is struggling to find soul rest. Some surveys have shown that more than half of American Pastors are experiencing burn out and thinking about quitting. If this is true for the Pastors and leaders of our churches, it has to be an epidemic among the members of our churches.
Something is terribly wrong!
Jesus promises soul rest to those who come, take, and learn. His promises are true. If you are not experiencing this soul rest then let me ask a question: are Jesus’ promises true? Is Jesus the problem? No, He’s not. There is something wrong with your relationship with Him.
JERRY:
Everything we need to be at peace with God, at peace with ourselves, and at peace with the circumstances of our life is found in Jesus!
Jesus is our peace with God because He died for our sins against God. He paid for our sin against God. He suffered what we deserve to suffer. Through Jesus we can be forgiven of our sin. We no longer need to perform to be accepted by God. We do not need to hide our sins. We can find rest in our souls from our sins because Jesus atoned for our sins.
STEPHEN:
Jesus is our peace with ourselves because He has removed our shame. He has given us His Spirit. His Spirit has made us new creations. We are partakers of God’s divine nature and the righteousness of Christ. We are children of God. We are kings and priests representing the most-high God. His Spirit has given us a new identity that is superior to the most accomplished people in this world. We can find rest in our souls from our shame because Jesus has removed our shame.
JERRY:
Jesus is our peace with our circumstances because He is always with us. He is committed to always provide for us all that we need no matter what circumstances we experience. He is always working through our circumstances for His glory and our good. We can find rest in our souls from our circumstances because Jesus is our all and all.
Isn’t it time for you to find rest for your soul in Jesus? Come, take, and learn!
Invitation
Begin a relationship with Jesus by coming to Jesus, taking His yoke upon you, and learning from Him. Believe He is the Son of God who died for your sins; believe He rose from the dead; believe that He ascended into heaven and is the Lord of heaven and earth. If you believe those things, then come, take, and learn!
STEPHEN:
For those of you who have entered into a relationship with Jesus but you are not experiencing the rest that He promises, I want to ask you three questions.
Is there some way you have taken off His yoke that is causing unrest in your soul? EX: is there a sin issue you have allowed to fester and grow in secret?
If there is, repent today and take His yoke in that area of your life.
Is there something you own that you need to yield to His ownership? EX: Are you like a child holding onto your things and God is showing you that right now? If there is, repent and surrender what you are claiming to Him.
Is there something you need that you need to trust Jesus to supply? EX: Are you in the control of your fears and anxieties?
If there is, repent of your unbelief and trust Him right now for all that you need.
JERRY:
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, we bring you our lives and our burdens to you. Thank you for inviting us into your rest. Teach us to walk with you—to learn to depend upon you for all that we need. May we find in you the soul rest that the world cannot give. Amen.