Temporary Just…Rest

I felt like a weight Had been lifted

I felt like a weight Had been lifted And more weights Put back on

Jesus steps into a Very religious world 600+ Laws

New rules invented by men To keep people from Accidentally breaking a law

Accountability to God replaced With accountability to man

Confused personal preferences With Divine Mandate

False Standard of Righteousness And changed no one's heart

The Accepted & the Outcasts - What they have (blessings) - And who the leaders accept

You were either an outcast or Constantly trying to measure up

Just like today, right? Do more, work harder Be more moral and good Follow our rules…or be outcast

When it comes to acceptance And love What I pursue in Christ I produce in others

Jesus, a teacher without Bona fides shows up and says…

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me Teaching and Example What I know and What I do

"May you be covered in the Dust of your Rabbi"

…for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls

Gentle, lowly…rest Gentle, not harsh Humble, not prideful

Gentle, lowly…rest You will find rest: Following me Practicing the Truth I teach

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”

Lowly= tapeinos- Depends on God Rather than self Cross…

Context of Matthew 11 After this 600+ Laws 2 Things...

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"

And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…

…and your neighbor as yourself"

And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live" - Luke 10:25-28

Let love motivate you: To take care of Those who hate you In the name of the One Who loves you

Yeah, but what version Bible? Can I or can't I? Which denomination? Which circle of preachers? How do I please you guys?

Context of Matthew 11 "I can't please you So I'm not trying"

But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates…

"We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn"

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He has a demon" The Son of Man came eating and drinking…

…and they say, "Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" We can't please you

Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds Your approval Doesn't make me righteous Or unrighteous

Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds

How it changes you How it causes you to live How it causes you to love That's the sign of righteousness

To a crowd of people Never measuring up. Or worse- Thinking they're in the position To look down on everyone else

Jesus says "Your approval is not My goal in life" No arrogantly or hatefully But as a matter of principle

When it comes to acceptance And love What I pursue in Christ I produce in others

Learn from me. My yoke is easy, my burden is light Love God, Love People Not approval (Self-centered) Serving needs (Others-centered)

You can't please everyone And it shouldn't be your goal Glorify God by serving According to needs

I can only be manipulated To the degree that I want something from you (Approval and acceptance)

If I'm getting that From my relationship with Jesus No one can pwn me

…they say, "Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds

You talk about my reputation All you want I'll let my life Speak for itself

Love God, Love People I will give you rest… I am gentle and lowly in heart

We love God by loving people Seek their best interests Even when they don't deserve it And it costs to do so

God has set you free From being the judge of Anyone else's worthiness That position is already taken By someone with greater grace

When it comes to acceptance And love What I pursue in Christ I produce in others

Woman taken in the act… Centurion's servant… Tax Collector…

But they shouldn't act that way!

You can be Expecting Or Encouraging and Celebrating You won't be both

There is no upside To expectations

There is no downside To encouraging toward And celebrating in

How much of our stress comes Living for acceptance

How much of our stress comes Living for acceptance And being disappointed in our Expectations for others?

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts…

…kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other

…as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive The grace we've received Forms the basis for The grace we give

Not expectation But compassion Not harshness, but gentleness Not throwing out, but forgiving

When it comes to acceptance And love What I pursue in Christ I produce in others

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony - Col. 3:12-14

Love sets us free From keeping score And being disappointed

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…you will find rest for your souls…

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love - Eph. 4:2

Do you get the sense That God knew it wouldn't Be easy?

He called us to it because it: Glorifies him Blesses them Gives us rest

Jesus wants to give us Freedom and rest Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… Teaching, Example

"Covered in the Dust of your Rabbi…"

In Christ… We are free from living For the approval of people Because we already have his

We are called to Give that same freedom To the people in our lives

I can expect and push and Burden you down with what I Expect in this relationship Or I can encourage, walk alongside and point to Jesus

I'm called to Encourage/Restore So that knowing me, being in relationship with me Produces…rest, peace, joy

When it comes to acceptance And love What I pursue in Christ I produce in others

For some of us, the greatest Thing we could do for others Is find our rest in Jesus today

And you may need to Unlearn what Your "religion" has taught you

If I pursue Christ's rest through His love and acceptance I'll produce rest and peace In the people around me

Heart-Check Time Do I make the people In my life feel Stressed, nervous, Burdened, Guilty?

Heart-Check Time or Accepted, Loved and Encouraged?

Heart-Check Time Do they walk away Feeling burdened? Or freed?

The Answer: How do I approach God? As someone who wants me To rest in his love? If not, why not?

When it comes to acceptance And love What I pursue in Christ I produce in others

Am I ready to rest? Take my yoke upon you… You'll find rest for your souls

Pray

Questions, Comments Disagreements

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