2. Temporary Just…Rest

3. I felt like a weight Had been lifted

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

5. Jesus steps into a Very religious world 600+ Laws

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

7. Accountability to God replaced With accountability to man

8. Confused personal preferences With Divine Mandate

9. False Standard of Righteousness And changed no one's heart

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

11. You were either an outcast or Constantly trying to measure up

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

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

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

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

16. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

27. 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…

28. …and your neighbor as yourself"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

38. Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

54. But they shouldn't act that way!

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

56. There is no upside To expectations

57. There is no downside To encouraging toward And celebrating in

58. How much of our stress comes Living for acceptance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

66. Love sets us free From keeping score And being disappointed

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

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

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

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

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

72. "Covered in the Dust of your Rabbi…"

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

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

75. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

82. Heart-Check Time or Accepted, Loved and Encouraged?

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

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

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

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

87. Pray

88. Questions, Comments Disagreements

89. Chili Cook-off Grads Videography