Sermon -- 6th Sunday after Pentecost (July 9, 2023)

MATTHEW 11:25-30

JESUS IS THE REFUGE FOR THE WEARY.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The apostle Paul commented on a struggle that every Christian has.  He wrote, “I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18-19).  We have been set apart as God’s people by faith in Jesus.  Therefore, we have also been set apart to do good works because they are God’s will. 

     Our problem is not ignorance, as if we don’t know what God calls a good work.  God tells us in the Commandments what is good so that we may do it and what is evil so that we may avoid it.  Our problem is not motivation.  We concur with the apostle Paul: “I have the desire to do what is right” (Romans 7:18).  The Holy Spirit has worked that desire in us.  He has created in us a clean heart and renewed in us a right spirit.  This is why we delight in God’s word.  It is not only good in theory, it is also good in practice.  And we want to live up to it.  The problem is our sinful condition.  Even when we want to do the good God demands, we fail.  Even when we want to avoid the evil God condemns, we still do it.  Whether we are plagued by moments of weakness or by habits which we struggle to break, our sinful condition still vexes us.  Even an apostle of our Lord was so frustrated by his sins that he cried out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death” (Romans 7:24)?  He answered his own question in the next verse: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25)! 

     This is why Jesus invites all to come to him.  He is the refuge for the weary.  He issues the summons: “Come to me, all 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” (Matthew 11:28-29). 

     First, let’s consider the labor Jesus spoke about and why it makes anyone weary.  Jesus spoke to people who were striving to serve God according to his Commandments.  As we noted, the Commandments direct us to what is good.  The Commandments declare God’s will, so they are always in effect.  Jesus instructs us, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).  That’s not easy, is it?  Jesus tells us, “If your brother … sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4).  I don’t know about you, but I would lose patience after two or three times.  Jesus tells us the good things we are to do.  In our heads, we know we should, but we struggle to do them.  Love for enemies, forgiveness given freely, endless kindness and patience are all good things; for this is how the Lord treats us.  Yet, we are more likely to hold grudges, plot revenge, and renounce friendships.  The good God demands is hard.  It is trying.  It makes us grow weary, and it is burdensome.

     The Commandments not only forbid wickedness, but they condemn all who are guilty of it.  The Bible teaches us, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths…  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:29,31).  We know such sins are wicked and cause harm.  Yet, we still do them.  We are drawn to them, whether we do them out of weakness or habit. 

     We know that we should be better.  We pray to become better.  We buy books which give tips for becoming better people.  We listen to seminars that are supposed to help us become better people.  We promise to be better.  We commit to getting better.  “I have the desire to do what is right” (Romans 7:18), but I don’t get better.  “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19).  Who will rescue me from this wretched sinful condition?  Who can alleviate my burden?  Who could provide relief?  “Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25).  Jesus is the refuge of the weary.

     The good that God demands has to be done.  It is not optional.  But it has been done—by Jesus.  Jesus was always pleased to do the will of his Father, and he did it.  His holy, obedient life has fulfilled the demands of the Law.  He has earned his Father’s approval.  Instead, he accepted his Father’s curse.  Why?  “For our sake (God) made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Jesus did not overlook our sins; he paid for them.  He also covers our sin with his innocence.  By faith in Jesus, we received credit for his work.  Jesus labored; we rest.  Jesus gives; we receive.  Jesus is the refuge of the weary.  When you put your head down on your pillow each night, you don’t have to wonder if God is pleased with you.  No matter how your day went, you are marked by the blood of Jesus which purifies you of all sin.  Therefore, God is pleased with you.  Jesus removes all doubts and alleviates all fears.  Jesus is the refuge for the weary.

     It is not just Christians who struggle with the frustration of their sins.  All people do.  God wrote his law on the hearts of all people; everyone recognizes that there is a standard of right and wrong to live by.  Some may ignore it, but most people try to live by it.  As a result, many live in fear, wondering if God is happy with them.  On their best days, they hope so.  On their worst days, they are sure he can’t be.  Either way, there is no comfort, and there is no rest.  They must continue to labor to be good enough or to craft arguments to convince themselves that they’ve done enough, and they are weary of the efforts.  They may even repeat the cry of St. Paul, “Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death” (Romans 7:24)?  Without faith in Jesus, there is no rescue.  There is no refuge. 

      But to you, dear Christians, the Lord has made known your refuge.  Jesus said, “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; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will” (Matthew 11:25-26).  There are many smart people in this world who are skilled in many ways.  But none of those skills and none of that knowledge take away sin or deliver from death.  Intelligence doesn’t save.  Sincerity doesn’t save.  Even motivation doesn’t save.  To be saved, we must become like little children.  Little children need to have everything done for them.  They need parents to clothe them, feed them, and take them everywhere.  They only receive.  And is this not how the Lord saves us?  We do not contribute to our salvation—for we do not do the good that would please God, and we cannot erase the sins we have committed.  But Jesus, in his saving grace, does all of this.  He has done the work.  We rest.  He delivers the gifts.  We simply receive.  He implants the faith.  We benefit.  Jesus is the refuge for the weary.

     The Third Commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”  It is time to be set apart for God’s sacred purpose.  God commands us to honor preaching of his word, receiving the Lord’s Supper, and partaking in the Divine Service, but it is a law that only benefits us.  It is like telling an employee, “Go, pick up your paycheck,” or a mother summoning her children, “Come for supper.”  No one would snap back and say, “You don’t own me!  Don’t tell me what to do!”  We obey those commands because we benefit from them. 

     It is the same with the Third Commandment.  Jesus summons us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  When we gather for the Divine Service, the Lord serves us.  We rest from our daily labors, and we receive God’s gifts of mercy, salvation, comfort, and peace.  Everything Jesus gained for our salvation is delivered here.  His forgiveness is announced.  The body and blood which have conquered death are served.  We depart with his blessing upon us.  Jesus is the refuge for us as we endure this wearying world.

     Jesus continues, “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” (Matthew 11:29-30).  At first glance, this sounds disappointing, as if we are trading in one yoke for another, just replacing burdens.  But the yoke of Jesus is easy and light.  Jesus does not abolish the Commandments; they are God’s will for our lives.  We have been set apart as God’s holy people.  We have been set apart for living godly and holy lives.  We have even been filled with a desire to do that.  We want to honor our Lord and to do good to our neighbor.  But we still experience the struggle and frustration the apostle Paul wrote about.  Our labor never seems to stop.  But the burden is light with Jesus as our refuge.  He shows us that we do not need to live in fear.

     Jesus is the refuge of the weary.  He is gentle.  He does not lash out at us because of our weaknesses.  On the contrary, he delights in our works even if they are imperfect and incomplete.  Our Lord is like a mother who gets a fistful of dandelions from her child.  She does not complain that there are prettier flowers or that a more costly gift would have been better.  She delights in the gift because she delights in her child.  She is moved by the gesture because it was done out of love.  The Lord delights in your works because he delights in you.  Your neighbor benefits from your works even if he is ignorant of your efforts or ungrateful for them. 

     When you lay your head down on our pillow each night, you don’t have to wonder if you had a good enough day to remain on God’s good side.  If you are in Christ, you are righteous and pure before God.  He is pleased with you.  That is not based on how well you are keeping the Commandments.  It is based on Jesus who has fulfilled the Commandments with his perfect life and sacrificial death.  His innocent death has satisfied the justice of the law.  His perfect life has satisfied the demands of the law.  His resurrection from the dead proves that all his labors have been accepted on your behalf.  Jesus has done all the work to present you blameless before God.  You rest in his grace and rejoice in his salvation.  Jesus is the refuge of the weary.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.