Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
1) Here we have an invitation from the ruler of the heavens and the earth.
Come to me. Approach me. Trust in me. Believe in me. Follow me. Come to me. Draw on my strength. Live in my wisdom. Come to me.
He is offering rest to the weary and burdened.
2) We have the description of those invited to come to Jesus.
All who labor and are heavy laden. ESV
All you who are weary and burdened. NIV
Weary and burdened with what? Sin, self, life in a fallen world, heartbreak, sadness, pain, confusion. I don’t think we can limit it to one or two things.
Jesus invites all who are weary and burdened, but he invites only those. Those who are proud, self-sufficient, content with their own power and resources, those who are not weary and burdened with sin and shame, are not invited to Jesus, and they are not welcomed to this table.
Only those who know they need Jesus and trust him can come to this table.
3) We have a promise from the great shepherd of the sheep, Jesus.
I will give you rest. Rest, from your weariness, rest from your burden.
He is not promising a vacation by the beach.
He is promising to remove your weariness and your burden;
he will take it from you are bare it himself, it will bear it away.
Leaving you nothing but rest.
He will refresh you, by taking away the burden of sin.
That is what Jesus is offering at this table. Rest. Come to me. Rest in me.
I have completed the work, I have paid for sin, I have borne your burden. I have the strength to exchange for your weariness.
I have died; and yet I live. I offer you life; my life, my blood, my body, my strength, my victory. I offer you rest. The work is finished. I have earned your salvation and it has already been accepted. You can enter into rest; now. Today.
O Christian, are you weary, seeking rest? Come to the Savior now.