FOLLOW UP WHY SHOULD I FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST? MATTHEW 11: Everyone is following someone somewhere.

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1 FOLLOW UP WHY SHOULD I FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST? MATTHEW 11:28-30 INTRODUCTION: 1. Everyone is following someone somewhere. 2. We are following a direction. 3. Some are following a down direction. Many are following laterally (they think). Not up or down. 4. I want to help you follow up. 5. Novelist Ayn Rand had mesmerized a student audience at Yale University with her ideas. Afterward a reporter from Time magazine asked her, Miss Rand, what s wrong with the modern world. Without hesitation she replied, Never before has the world been so desperately asking for answers to crucial questions, and never before has the world been so frantically committed to the idea that no answers are possible. In the stressful, pressure filled society we live in; it appears that there are no answers. Men are desiring peace, contentment, and rest for their souls, but the answers given still leave a void. 6. On one occasion when Christ was speaking to the multitudes in Galilee, He was aware of those who were burdened by the Law and Jewish tradition. They, too, were searching for peace, contentment, and rest for their souls. Matthew records the words of Jesus who gave the ultimate answer for those searching. 7. Matthew 11: Why should I follow Jesus Christ? How do I do that? How do I follow up?

2 I. BECAUSE OF HIS INVITATION A. v.28, Come B. His invitation means He cares about me. C. He invites everyone all of you. D. It doesn t matter who you are, what you ve done. E. He is still offering that same invitation today. F. He cares about you. II. BECAUSE OF HIS DESTINATION A. v.28, Come to Me. B. He uses the personal pronoun 7 times in these three verses. C. Why Me? 1. Only Way 2. Only Savior no one else died for me. 3. Only Lord 4. Only Creator 5. Only Hope He s alive D. Also, He s going to a good place, and I will be with Him. E. When Jesus is saying, Follow Me, He s really saying, Follow Up. F. Why follow Christ? III. BECAUSE I NEED HELP A. v.28, All of you weary and burdened.

3 B. Weary Those exhausted with their search for truth. They could not find rest for their souls. The Law gave no joy or rest. C. Burdened They were weighted down with the burdens of all the Law demanded. D. For the orthodox Jew religion was a lifestyle of burdens. E. Matthew 23:2-4 F. Alfred Edersheim s, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, several examples. 1. House on fire on Sabbath. 2. Tailor G. It s easy to see from these and many other examples that there was no hope, no rest, no peace, only endless frustration. H. We don t follow the Law, but we are weary and burdened with our own attempts to find hope, rest and peace. I. What the world offers, what religion offers only makes life unbearable. J. I m following but only laterally. It leads to emptiness. I need help. K. Why should I follow Christ? IV. BECAUSE HE WILL HELP ME A. v.28, I will give you rest. B. Rest means relief. C. Those who are weary and burdened from their load will find relief in Christ.

4 D. It is a rest that is not earned or deserved but simply given for those who come to Christ. E. Spanish Inquisition. F. Many of you have felt that same torture. Are you weary and worn out? Are you finding rest in your time of need? G. Come to Christ for He WILL give you rest. V. BECAUSE OF WHAT I WILL LEARN FROM HIM A. v.29, Take up My yoke and learn from Me. B. The term yoke was used to describe different aspects of Jewish life. In each situation it was a symbol of obligation and subjection. 1. An expression for a Jewish sinner was, one who throws off the yoke of God. The meant to reject the authority of God. 2. The term was frequently related to the Law with all of its demanding rules and traditions. A Jew was bound to the yoke of the law. 3. Among the Jews, a student who submitted himself to the guidance of a teacher was described as taking the yoke of the instructor. C. So when Jesus said, Take up My yoke, He meant Enroll in My school; be My disciple and student; submit to My instruction. D. What will I learn from Christ? EVERYTHING! E. You will know: 1. Your purpose with God and man. 2. How to handle your problems.

5 F. Why should I follow Christ? VI. BECAUSE HE IS QUALIFIED TO HELP ME A. v.29, I am gentle and humble in heart. B. It is this character that brings rest to the soul, and, therefore, gives man a reason why he should follow Christ. C. To be a student of Jesus is to have a very gentle and humbleminded Teacher, who is never impatient with those who are slow to learn and never intolerant with those who stumble. D. Christ is not another law-giver like Moses, not is He like the Scribes and Pharisees who heartlessly pile on burdens. They are not qualified to give men rest. Only Christ can offer that kind of rest. E. With the assurance of the qualification of his character, He, again, promises rest. He does not promise a life of inactivity, nor freedom from sorrow and struggle, but He does assure them that because of who He is they will find relief from such crushing burdens. F. You can find rest because He is the only one qualified to give rest. 1. Car plumber 2. House interior decorator 3. Sick child insurance man G. When you are under the pressures of life, and when you are weary and beat down, who or what do you turn to? H. Christ is qualified to give you rest. I. Why should I follow Christ?

6 VII. BECAUSE HIS WAY IS BETTER A. v.30, For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. B. Easy well fitting, custom made C. Describe yoke construction. D. Christ is saying to the Jews then and to us today, The life I give you is not a burden to irritate you, but your task is custom made to fit you. E. Therefore, to take the yoke of Christ is not a burden. This sounds like exchanging one load for another, but His yoke are commands to take, trust, and to experience his blessings. F. We are going to have burdens in this life. The burden is far lighter if we do it God s way. He can carry the weight. If we do it our way, the burden will eventually crush us. G. You who are exhausted and burdened can find rest only in the compassion of Christ. CONCLUSION: 1. Why should I follow Jesus Christ? Because of His invitation Because of His destination Because I need help Because He will help me Because of what I will learn from Him Because He is qualified to help me Because His way is better 2. That is how you follow up!