Book: Matthew
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Matthew 11:28                            Peace of Mind

I. A wonderful invitation, "Come unto Me."
        A. The one who made the invitation is the Son of God.
                1. He has  just declared that the Father has delivered all
                   things to Him, and that no one really knows the Father
                   but the Son and whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.
                2. The Son of God is inviting you to come unto Him.
        B. To whom is the invitation made?
                1. All that labour and are heavy laden.
                        a. Sooner or later we will find that the trials of
                           life are heavier than we can bear.
        b. I sometimes wonder if man was designed to live such a
                           fast paced life as our modern society demands.
                        c. I think that we have all dreamed of living a
                           simpler life moving to Oregon, Washington or
                           Idaho getting a few acres, and planting a
                           garden.
                        d. Life on the Prairie doesn't seem that bad.
                        e. For me it has always been a South Pacific
                           Island to which I have mentally escaped.
                2. We think that our culture and society has brought us
                   much, but I sometimes wonder.
                        a. We work hard all year looking forward to the
                           two week vacation. What is it we then plan for
                           that two weeks? A time in the woods next to a
                           stream with beautiful trout. I'm just going to
                           relax and fish. We will cook our food over an
                           open fire. The kids can swim all day in the
                           stream, and catch lizards.
                        b. That's how people live in primitive cultures
                           all year long, so how much have we really
                           gained.
                        c. A psychiatrist would not be able to make a
                           living among natives of Irian Jaya, they do not
                           know what manic depressive, or job related
                           stress is. As far as that goes they do not know
                           what a car is, or 8 to 5, or rent or mortgages,
                           banks or interest.
                        
                3. In our present day society it is only a matter of time
                   until a person is forced to reach out for someone
                   stronger or wiser to help them.
                        a. That is the critical moment of life. For where
                           you reach can either make you or break you.
                        b. It is at this point that many reach for the
                           bottle, or other addictive drugs.
                        c. Here Jesus stands, He declares what you need is
                           to find the Father who loves you and wants to
                            help you. Come unto Me and I will bring you to
                           the Father.
        C. The invitation is twofold.
                1. Take My yoke upon you.
                        a. The yoke was that wooden harness that they put
                           upon the oxen so that they could pull the plow.
                        b. Basically Jesus is saying to you, I have a work
                           for you to do, and I want to take the reins of
                           your life.
                        c. I think that it was Frank Sinatra who used to
                           sing, "I Did It My Way" I am afraid that we all
                           have sung that song.
                        d. Our way can often lead to a lot of misery and
                           pain.
                        e. The load can get so heavy that we wonder if we
                           will be able to bear it.
                2. "Learn of Me"
                        a. Without a question, Jesus Christ of Nazareth
                           has had a greater influence upon our Western
                           Culture than any other person in history.
                        b. We recently celebrated what we called New Year,
                           it is now 1994, 1994 what? 1994 years since He
                           came into the world.
                        c. He is the central point of history. We divide
                           history into B.C. and A.D. Before Christ, and
                           the year of our Lord, anno Domino.
                        d. I am amazed how little people really know of
                           Jesus.
                        e. Many times the only information they have comes
                           from His enemies, who have never really met
                           Him, and are only aping what they have heard
                           other of His enemies say.
                        f. How can you learn the truth about Jesus?
                                1. Read it for yourself. Study the
                                   gospels.
                                2. Reference the prophecies in the Old
                                   Testament that spoke of His life.
                                3. Get all the facts, and then make your
                                   determination.
                        g. I will promise that the more you learn of Him,
                           the more you will be convinced as was Peter,
                           that He is the Messiah, the Son of the living
                           God.
                        h. The more you know Him, the more you will live
                           Him, because you will learn of His great love
                           for you. "Greater love has no man than this,
                           that a man will lay down his life for his
                           friend." You will discover that He laid down
                           His life for you.

II. The claims of Jesus concerning Himself in the text.
        A. That the Father has delivered all things to Him.
                1. No man really knows the Father but the Son.
                        a. Man's religion has done more to hide the truth
                           about God.
                        b. This has always been so.
                        c. Man makes up rules, and regulations and
                           declares that they are God's rules.
                        d. Man begins to think of God as mean, vindictive,
                           cruel, hard and condemning.
                2. Jesus revealed to us that He was loving, forgiving,
                   kind, compassionate, gracious, merciful.
        B. He declared that He was meek and lowly in heart.
                1. The great men of the earth soon become unapproachable.
                2. They are surrounded by their public relation experts,
                   who are continually seeking to hide from the public the
                   true nature of the person, and to persuade you that
                   they are honest, good, ideal people, one that you would
                   love to have for a neighbor.
                3. The world leaders are so often proud and arrogant, just
                   the opposite of what Jesus said of Himself meek and
                   lowly in heart.
        C. He claimed that His yoke was easy and His burden was light.
                1. Every man bears a burden, the burden is how to please
                   himself.
                        a. All the things that he does are to please
                           himself, he is seeking to find satisfaction
                           in life.
                        b. We watch him as he is pursuing wealth,
                           pleasure, possessions. These become the yokes
                           about his neck.
                        c. This can become a very heavy burden.
                2. Jesus lived to please the Father. His burden was to
                   please the Father.
                        a. His first recorded statement in the Bible, "Did
                           you not know that I must be about My Father's
                           business?"
                        b. He said, "I came not to do My own will, but the
                           will of the Father who sent Me.
                        c. Again He declared, "I do always those things
                           that please Him."
                        d. He now declares that His burden is light, it is
                           easier to please God than it is to please
                           yourself.
                3. I often hear people speak of the heavy burden that the
                   Lord has put on them. If the burden is heavy, you had
                   best discover who put it on you, yourself? others? one
                   thing for sure, it wasn't the Lord, He said that His
                   burden was light.

III. The promise, "And you will find rest for your souls."
        A. The soul is related to the mind of man. Thus, you shall find
           peace of mind.
                1. We are all familiar with the mental torture that our
                   minds can bring to us.
                2. How that at night we wake up and our minds will not
                   rest but are rehearsing over and over a pending
                   problem.
        B. This is the first thing that Jesus promises to you who come to
           Him and learn of Him. "You shall find rest for your soul."
                1. You will hear Him say, "I know, I care, and I will take
                   care of things for you. Trust in Me and I will watch
                   over you and the whole situation that is troubling you
                   so much."
                2. When you finally submit your life to Jesus, the very
                   first consciousness is that of a great peace, the heavy
                   load is gone, and you are finally resting.