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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.
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