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(click here for video) MATTHEW 11:28-30 “COME TO ME, ALL YOU ARE WEARY AND BURDENED, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST. TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU AND LEARN FROM ME, FOR I AM THE GENTLE AND HUMBLE IN HEART, AND YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. FOR MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT.” JOHN 15:4-7 “ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU. AS THE BRANCH CANNOT BEAR FRUIT OF ITSELF, EXCEPT IT ABIDE IN THE VINE; NO MORE CAN YE, EXCEPT YE ABIDE IN ME. I AM THE VINE, YE ARE THE BRANCHES; HE THAT ABIDETH IN ME, AND I IN HIM, THE SAME BRINGETH FORTH MUCH FRUIT; FOR WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING. IF A MAN ABIDE NOT IN ME, HE IS CAST FORTH AS A BRANCH AND IS WITHERED; AND MEN GATHER THEM AND CAST THEM INTO THE FIRE AND THEY ARE BURNED. IF YE ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YE SHALL ASK WHAT YE WILL, AND IT SHALL BE DONE UNTO YOU.” 2 • I do not mind telling you…because I am among family that this past four or five weeks has been especially hard; • In August was Logan’s 17th b-day and we were not home to celebrate during the day; he has always gotten the short end… • That same week was the first day of school…2500 students!! BALANCING job…daughter’s dorm concerns… • Same week was the day Carly officially began her new life as we left her at Sam Houston…Kay and I both slept poorly that night…”knock on the door”…I thought about my father and how he must of felt when I left so many years ago…how did he do it? It is funny how things go in cycles…it was my turn to let go…I talked to my dad…he says he can remember the day I left like it was yesterday… • Even though…we let go they are always our children…and Kay and I will always be her parents…no matter where they go and what they do… • Through this past month, what was…and what is…my only true comfort…is God’s grace and presence. The challenge is to let go and let God…for I need to be reminded daily that God is not only our heavenly father…but will be in Carly…and in us always…and with us always…no matter the circumstances or our location…and that comforts me…but…to fully experience God’s grace… each of us must do two things: 1. rest in HIM (V28) 2. abide in HIM (V7) 3 Tell me if you can relate to this in your Christian walk… “REVIVAL-REGRET-RENEW” CYCLE… SOUND FAMILIAR? God does not want that for us…yet how do we get to the path which IS FILLED WITH PEACE AND JOY…? God wants us to experience peace and joy and hope (hope not just for our future but for now…)…yet we get on this cycle and we cannot get off… (Slide #1) Let’s look how we get on that cycle…(3) ways #1 - Self sufficiency…SELF EFFORT… Self reliance… no surrender I can do it…let me! “MUST DO MORE FOR GOD”…reality we think we are doing for God…but really we are doing for us!!! We have accepted the salvation part…but we do not give Him the power to overcome obstacles in our life…it is not about us … it is all about him…yet we still insist on driving the bus! #2 – Religious activity…experience burn out…Mary vs. Martha…stuck in the kitchen by choice! We miss the whole event! Doing…takes OUR intimacy AWAY from Christ… WE DO THIS BECAUSE IT FULFILLS US…BUT DOES NOT SUSTAIN US!! WE WANT MORE SUCCESS…SOMETIMES WE EVEN RECEIVE RECOGNITION AND IT FEEDS OUR EGO…AND THAT FEEDS OUR DRIVE FOR MORE * NEVER ONCE IN FOUR YEARS OF SERVING TWO CHURCHES DID I EVER FEEL A BURDEN…IT WAS WORK, BUT I HAD PEACE…THEN ONE MORNING…. AT THAT POINT IF I WAS GOING TO CONTINUE…IT WOULD HAVE BECOME RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY AND NO LONGER SPIRITUAL SERVICE… #3 - Condemnation…not QUITE MEASURING UP TO OUR OWN STANDARDS… WE CARRY THE WORDLY STANDARDS OF OUTPUT….EFFICIENCY…COMPETITION…BOTTOMLINE INTO OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE… GUILT SETS IN WHEN WE DO NOT PRAY ENOUGH…STUDY THE BIBLE ENOUGH…VOLUNTEER ENOUGH… 4 * STEVE McVEY…EVEN PASTOR’S GET CAUGHT UP IN WORDLY VALUES… (slide #2) SO HOW DO WE REST AND ABIDE IN CHRIST? (3) WAYS… #1 IF YOU HAVE ACCETED JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR…KNOW THAT CHRIST IS NOT SIMPLY IN YOUR LIFE…HE IS YOUR LIFE… 2 PETER 1:3-4: • (V3) HIS DEVINE POWER HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR LIFE AND GODLINESS THROUGH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM WHO CALLED US BY HIS OWN GLORY AND GOODNESS. • (V4) THROUGH THESE HE HAS GIVEN US VERY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES, SO THAT THROUGH THEM YOU MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE DIVINE NATURE AND ESCAPE THE CORRUPTION IN THE WORLD CAUSED BY EVIL DESIRES. -PROMISES…READ THIS YESTERDAY…BEGAN TO GET EMOTIONAL…HOW POWERFUL IS THAT! THE VICTORY IS OURS…WE MAY LOOSE SOME BATTLES ALONG THE WAY…BUT THE WAR HAS ALREADY BEEN WON -THE WINNER IS ALREADY IN THE CLUB HOUSE -THE HAY IS IN THE BARN WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT BEING IN CHRIST…IN REALITY HE IS IN YOU!! #2 YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THE WORK…GOD WANTS TO DO THE WORK THROUGH YOU… SOMEONE HAS SAID…THAT JESUS GAVE HIS LIFE FOR US SO THAT HE COULD GIVE HIS LIFE TO US AND LIVE HIS LIFE THROUGH US… WE ARE THE BODY HIS HANDS AND FEET…HIS INSTRUMENT…IF WE DO NOT REST HE CANNOT USE US! WHAT DO WE TELL OUR KIDS BEFORE A SCHOOL NIGHT…? REST! WHAT DOES A COACH TELL HIS PLAYERS BEFORE A BIG GAME…? REST! IF YOU ARE SO TIRED…AND YOUR WHEELBARROW IS EMPTY…THEN YOU HAVE NOTHING TO GIVE. 5 #1 CHRIST IS YOUR LIFE… #2 YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THE WORK… #3 STOP TRYING TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE! THAT’S RIGHT…I JUST TOLD YOU TO STOP LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE…IF YOU DO THIS…YOU WILL NEVER REST… YOU WILL ALWAYS CONTINUE ON THAT CYCLE “REVIVAL-REGRETRENEW” NO MATTER HOW YOU TRY…BECAUSE WE ALL FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD! THE HARDER THAT YOU TRY…THE MORE CERTAIN THAT YOU WILL FAIL EXAMPLE…BREATHING MACHINES…DO THE WORK FOR YOU!! HEAR THE GOOD NEWS…CHRIST WILL LIVE THROUGH YOU! GOD NEVER INTENTED FOR YOU TO LIVE THE CHRISTAIN LIFE…ONLY CHRIST CAN LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE…HE IS WILLING TO LIVE THROUGH YOU ANYTIME YOU WILL ALLOW HIM TO DO SO! READ…MATTHEW 11:28-30 MATTHEW 11:28-30 “COME TO ME, ALL YOU ARE WEARY AND BURDENED, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST. TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU AND LEARN FROM ME, FOR I AM THE GENTLE AND HUMBLE IN HEART, AND YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. FOR MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT.” …REST…EASY…LIGHT = Christian life IF THESE WORDS DO NOT DESCRIBE YOUR LIFESTYLE…YOU ARE NOT EXPERIENCING THE QUALITY OF REST THAT GOD INTENDS YOU TO HAVE… THE SAD THING IS THAT WE HAVE ACROSS AMERICA…IS ONE MODERN CHURCH AFTER ANOTHER THAT IS EXHAUSTED… FILLED WITH CHRISTAINS THAT ARE TIRED… WHY WOULD ANY NON BELIEVER WANT ANY PART OF THAT…? THEY ALREADY KNOW THAT FEELING…? 6 To “rest” in our society unfortunately is a negative connotation – for the world views “rest” as laziness – but God sees “rest” as an opportunity for a relationship with you…an opening for intimacy…to give you peace, joy that you can share with to become contagious disciples for Christ! To “abide” unfortunately often equates in our world as being “legalistic” or “lawful”– God sees it as your walking in faith that allows Him to live through you and to represent Him by your love for each other! Maybe this morning God is bringing you to the place where you are willing to renounce your self-sufficiency and begin to “rest and abide” in the fact that… Christ is your life. It is sometimes painful to lay down your life in order to experience Christ’s life – but remember these words of Jesus… “Whoever desires to save his life-will lose it-but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25) Is your Christian life one of rest? Are you abiding in Christ? The Christian walk is not revolved around doing certain things and simply avoiding others – it is a matter of learning how to enjoy the freedom of God’s grace… A gift that we already have… • “COME TO ME, ALL YOU ARE WEARY AND BURDENED, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.” • “IF YE ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, YE SHALL ASK WHAT YE WILL, AND IT SHALL BE DONE UNTO YOU.” REST and ABIDE… Thanks be to God who has provided for each of us our greatest VICTORY…AMEN!! |
