Sep9
Matthew 11:28-30……Working
11:28 “Come to me, (Expresses an invitation to trust and rest in Jesus; Not religion, not church, not works, not rules, not family, not possessions, not alcohol, not a self-help program.) all you (anyone and everyone) who are weary (tired, burned-out, dismayed, end of one’s rope. Expresses not a physical exhaustion, but a spiritual and restlessness of the soul.) and burdened, (heavy laden-K.J.V. weighed-down. In context all who are burdened and weighed down by legalistic religion in trying to earn God’s favor through works. In a wider context all who are burdened and weighed down by sin, guilt, shame, and the anxieties of life.) and I will give you rest. (Expresses a spiritual resting of the soul from trying to earn Salvation by works to resting in God’s grace and forgiveness.) 29 Take my yoke upon you (Lit. A wooden beam placed on the neck of two Oxen in plowing and pulling carts. To submit, serve, follow, obey.) and learn from me, for I am gentle (loving, kind, patient, forgiving) and humble in heart (caring, compassionate, merciful) and you will find rest (peace) for your souls (Expresses not a physical rest from the trials and hardships of life. But a emotional rest of the heart & mind, allowing Jesus to carry the load and lead the way.) 30 For my yoke (teachings, work, calling) is easy (well-suited, well-fitting, tailor-made) and my burden (way of religion.) is light.” (easy. Unlike the Pharisees burdensome religion that was exhausting with all their rules and rituals. Jesus’ religion is easy in resting in His finished work on the cross.)
Extended Sermon Notes
“Teaches how the invitation to come to Jesus is open to all no matter how sinful or undeserving they may be.” ⇒ Notice Jesus does not say “come if you’re clean,” or “sinless,” “come if your act is all together,” “Come if you’re out of debt.” He is not saying “Come if you’re one of the beautiful people” (thank God), or if your an “intellectual” (thank God again), but He simply saying to all those who are good and bad, Come to ME.” How many have felt I don’t think I deserve God’s help because after all I got myself into this mess in the first place. Remember Jesus didn’t say come to me all you who deserve it or all you who are good enough. Don’t let the enemy to get you to think that you don’t deserve anything from God. The truth is none of us deserve anything from God but don’t let that stop you from receiving God’s mercy and grace.
“Invites those who are tired of living life their way and always failing to surrendering it over to Jesus.” ⇒ Is nothing working in your life. Are you stuck in a vicious cycle. Your trying to live a good life only to fail again and again. Whatever you hate about your life you can bring it to Jesus.
“Teaches with the Lord there’s no situation or struggle we have to carry or go through alone.” ⇒ When struggles pile up Jesus stands right there beside us so we don’t have do it alone. He won’t give us anything we can’t handle……(To be Continued)
“Even today, are you burned-out on a religion of rules and rituals? Are you tired of not knowing if your done enough to get to heaven? Are you tired of trying to do right and always failing? Are you tired of being weighed down by guilt and despair. Are you tired of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Are you tired of feeling abandoned and alone with nowhere to turn. If you answered yes to any of these Jesus invites you to find rest and peace in Him.” ⇒ Maybe your feeling anxiety over the state and condition of the world. Maybe your carrying the weight of responsibility as a single parent, taking care of aged parents, a special needs child. Maybe your feeling crushed by the weight of a difficult marriage, a health scare, an addiction, loneliness, etc. Maybe your carrying around a grudge with a family member. Maybe your carrying around the budget issue looming at work, business closing losing your job. Maybe your burdened by a college tuition, stressful career. Maybe your worried about the future; your retirement, you social security, your 401K. Maybe your carrying around the burden of feeling inadequate, flawed, and worthless. Whatever it is Jesus invites you to bring it to Him.
Additional Notes & Applications
Teaches how as believers we need to come into a relationship with Christ as disciples who are ready and willing to learn from Jesus. As a believer we just don’t add Jesus onto our life and then go on living the life we want to live. It’s a complete surrender and submission to Jesus Christ that says “I don’t know how to run my life on my own.” “I am a terrible master and authority for my own life.” “I want you to run my life from here on out.” So often we accept Jesus, we attach ourselves to Jesus, but we don’t want to live like Jesus.
Teaches rather than going to all the wrong places for rest that only break our hearts and let us down were to come to Jesus instead.
Teaches whatever work and service we’ve been called to by God, He will see that that they are made exactly to fit our abilities. God has tailor-made us to submit to His will and authority, what He’s called us to is not difficult for us to do. if fact it’s what He designed and created us for.
Teaches if finding true rest is elusive to you, it’s probably because your looking for rest in all the wrong places.
Teaches how God has put eternity in the heart of man. There’s a empty hole in the heart and soul of man that only God can fill and satisfy. We all long for significance, value, and approval. And as a result we spend the rest of our lives trying to fill it with temporal things; money, sex, people, possessions, food, alcohol, etc. that can never satisfy, but only leave us empty and weary. That’s why you need to come to Jesus because He is the only one who can satisfy those hungers that you may find rest.
A “Yoke” was a wooden harness that was placed on the neck of two Oxen making them a team. Then when the animals moved they carried the weight of the work together so that the burden was not too much for just one. A yoke would be tailor-made just for that particular Ox and would fit perfectly. A good yoke is one that is carefully shaped so that there will be little if no chafing.
Jesus does not mean that life is going to easy and wonderful and we won’t ever have trials and hardships. Jesus promised that in this world we would have trials and tribulation. But there is a promise for those who are walking with Him, in His power and in His strength. When we are in step with Christ and His Spirit, we find rest! We live beyond our circumstances and difficulties by letting Him carry the load and direct our path.
Resting in the Lord does not mean we do nothing, it doesn’t mean we take a nap, it doesn’t mean we sit in front of the television all day, it doesn’t mean we take a vacation. Finding rest in the Lord doesn’t mean we go to church more, worship more, read the bible more, pray more, put off sin more, though all those things are vital and important. Rather it means we stand aside and let the Lord have His ways. When we struggle, fight, and strive for our way, we are not resting in the Lord. Rest is a spiritual act in which you say that you trust God beyond what you can accomplish for yourself.
As humans we we’re never meant to carry our burdens. When it comes to burdens we usually do one of three things. We carry our burdens, we bury our burdens, and we marry our burdens. As an example when were stressed out and something is weighing heavily on us, rather than burdening other people; our friends, our family, our parents with what we’re going through we tend to carry it all on our own. Or we bury and suppress our burdens by going to other places and other things, usually on healthy things, food, drugs, sex, alcohol as way to cope and take our minds off them. And all it takes is just one more stressful situation to push us over the edge. Or we marry our burdens by always carrying them around with us. We accept the fact that our burdens are our life partners.
It’s important to remember that Jesus is NOT starting off by saying: Come to church. Come to a pastor. Come to a tradition or a ritual. Come to a Christian psychologist. Come to a religion. He starts off by saying simply, “Come to Me…….(To be Continued)
OBSTACLES THAT HINDERS ENTERING CHRIST’S REST
-
Unrepentant Sin
-
Unforgiving Self
-
Unbelieving Soul
-
Unbelieving & Hardened Heart
- Posted by David Costa/
- Notes/
- 0 Comments
Total 0 Comments
Leave a comment