Jesus said: If you're stressed out, come to Me. The answer is a person, your connection with a person, connecting with Him and learning.
Technology doesn't solve problems, because the problems we really face, the core of them, are found in the heart; and in our walk with God.
The reason He can teach you how to do life, is because He has an attitude of meekness, humility; and He gave an example of how to do life.
Matthew 11, the Rest that Faith Brings. We started off looking in Matthew 11:28…
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden”.
Doesn't that sound like a lot of people you know? Burdened, troubled, anxious, uptight, stressed out?
Isn't it amazing, that with all the gadgets we've got now - all the computers and texting and emails and Facebook, that life has become more stressful than ever?
The things that people hoped to have achieved with all of that don't seem to happen. You may have 2000 friends on Facebook, but you're still sitting there lonely, because there's no one really to talk to face to face.
Technology doesn't solve problems, because the problems we really face, the core of them, are found in the heart; and in our walk with God.
Jesus said: if you're stressed out, come to Me. He didn't say: this is the solution, step one through three, how to get out of problems. He said: the answer is a person, your connection with a person, and connecting with Him and learning.
“Come to Me” - let your heart and attention come back on Me; then: “Let Me teach you”.
Let Me teach you: how to handle life, how to do life. He explains that the reason He can teach you how to do life, is because: He has an attitude of meekness; an attitude of humility.
He gave an example of how to do life: He faced opposition; accusations, betrayal, offences, people rejecting Him, being misunderstood - and He never lost the plot one time - not once.
Even when He was rejected, and the disciples said: I've got a good idea Lord, let's call fire down on that town! You probably would have, wouldn't you, if they just rejected you? Yeah, fire! Then you'd have found a verse in the Old Testament to justify it I'm sure.
Nevertheless, Jesus said: “you don't know what spirit you're of”. He didn't treat people that way; He always showed love and kindness and graciousness.
Jesus invites us to a lifestyle of learning how to handle life, how to handle the stresses of life; teenagers, youngsters, financial pressures, pressures everywhere.
The key to this is: intimacy with the Holy Spirit.
Its something you've got to do; but notice again: the key is a person. The answer lies in a person; and how you engage with a person in the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 says: “the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace”.
That word 'peace' means: rest; or prosperity - to be in a place of settlement in your heart. It means to be joined or connected to God.
He tells us that's a fruit of the spirit. A fruit of the spirit is not something you work to do. It appears on the tree, when the life of the spirit is flowing - so peace in your life is an overflow of your connection with God.
There are some things can stop the Holy Ghost working in your life. In Judges 16:20, it says of Samson - he was in a deep sleep, because he was involved with Delilah in sin, and sexual sin.
It said: he'd gone to sleep on her knee, and was under the influence of a spirit. He'd gone into a place of slumber; and she cut his hair. He got the most expensive haircut in history.
Then it says: she woke him up and said “the Philistines are here”; and he jumped up, shook himself, expecting to feel the power of God flowing in his life - and he felt nothing.
These are sad words: He didn't realise the Holy Spirit had left him. He wasn't aware the anointing had lifted off him. He wasn't aware the Holy Spirit was no longer available to empower his life anymore.
Keywords: daily grind, troubled, anxious, uptight, stressed out, heart, walk with God, faith, Holy Spirit, intimacy, samson, grieve the holy spirit, anointing, peace, joy, fruits of the spirit, turtle dove, pigeon, thief, working, productive, demands, owe, anger, angry, rights, bitter, entitlement, depressed, demand, forgiveness, bitterness, grace
Colleen: Psalm 97 verse 4. This sermon spoke to me of the power and strength of God and all he has done from the beginning of time. Strongholds have been melted/destroyed in my own life. It shows me of what a great and mighty God we serve.