14/1/18 – Genesis 29, Genesis 30 Matthew 11:16-30 Psalm 9:7-12

Matt 11: 16-19 – “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!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”

You just can’t please people, can you? Jesus knew that – no matter what they did they’d pick fault. John the Baptist came, not drinking or celebrating with food and they called him weird and possessed. Jesus came and drank, ate, mixed with people and they called Him a glutton and a drunkard. People have a fixed idea about what they want you to be… actually, no they don’t. They have a fixed idea that keeps changing with their mood. If you are uncompromising about your faith you are severe and unloving. But if you compromise you are not a proper Christian. “I thought Christians were always supposed to… etc etc.”

They will always find fault, because they don’t want it to be true. The will always be picking holes. Oscar Wilde once commented on reading the bible “I’m looking for a loophole” – and that’s what most people are looking for. Don’t try and please people. You will fail. Don’t compromise for the sake of “nice”. Live for the audience of one.

Matt 11:28-30 – 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, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The pursuit of happiness is so highly prized in the world that it even finds its way in to America’s declaration of Independence. The idea is that every person has a right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. It’s strange that it’s the pursuit of happiness that’s in this declaration rather than happiness itself. Could this be because happiness itself proves to be rather elusive in life and hard to find? As we go through life and come against challenges and difficulty it can get difficult. Often we can feel weighed down with responsibility or become weary with everything. We pursue contentment but all we seem to find is weariness.

Jesus said this: Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. He promised that when we come to him, the burden we take on is light and easy and we would actually find rest for our souls. That’s quite a claim. Jesus promised rest and peace. And He is the only one who can make this claim and really mean it. Unlike anyone else, He doesn’t just promise it – but He has what it takes to deliver it. The Jewish people have a word – Shalom. It’s a simple word, and it means peace. It’s actually the way they greet each other in Israel. When someone says Shalom, then they are greeting you by saying “Peace be with you”.

This word peace – it also means “It is well.” To have peace. It mean to have things in your life that are all “well.” To have everything in harmony. Back in the Old Testament a man called Isaiah foretold the coming of Jesus to earth and described him as the Prince of Peace. Jesus is the prince of Shalom. He is the prince of “It is well”. Outside of Jesus there is no real peace. There is no real rest. And there is no real hope. Without Jesus we are all lost and are destined to go to a lost eternity. Jesus came to offer peace in this life and peace in the next.

We write on gravestones, Rest in Peace. But for most people this is simply not true. Without Jesus there is no peace even in death – but torment.

You can spend your life looking for contentment and peace elsewhere – but you won’t find it because it doesn’t exist.

He suffered and died so that you could live and be at peace. It’s an amazing offer. Will you come to Him? Will you respond to His love?

Ps 9:7-8 – But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.

Fads come and go. Cities are built and perish. Everything you can see is temporary. But The Lord sits enthroned forever. His justice is forever. His judgement is forever.He will see justice done. He will judge the people. And it’s judgement that will last forever.

The wicked will not triumph forever – their reign is temporary. When it really comes down to it – we must know which side of this we will fall on. For judgement will come. Because forever is a very long time…