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Center teaching from Tim Keller. After you've listened, we'd appreciate it if you take a moment

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in grace of the Gospel because the Gospel changes everything. Now here's Dr. Keller with today's teaching.

Tonight's Scripture reading is from the Book of Matthew, chapter 11, verses 25 through 30.

At that time, Jesus said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things

from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what

you are pleased to do. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son,

except the Father, and no one knows the Father, except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to

reveal him. 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. The word of the Lord, thanks be to God.

This is a very famous passage come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give

you rest. I will give you rest for your soul. It is a very, very famous passage. One of the

commentaries I read when I was preparing this said that this passage takes you right into the heart of what Christianity is all about.

It is one of the reasons why in the very beginning of every ministry year in September, we try to choose a couple of

texts like this that just help us remember who it is we are serving, what we are about, who it is we are lifting up.

It tells us a lot about Jesus and what he offers. It is about rest for the soul. We are going to learn from this text three things about that rest.

Deep inner rest, not just rest of the body, rest of the soul. We are going to learn why we need it. We are going to learn that we need it also what it is and how to get it.

Our need for it, the character of it, how to get it. Now the need for it, it starts by saying, come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.

Right away the question is, is he talking about a discrete group of people? Is he talking about just some people, hurting people, burned out people, and the rest of us are more normal and we don't need it.

It feels like it is such a solemn statement that it certainly seems like it is an offer to everyone but how do we understand that then?

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