“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” -- Matthew 11:28-30Opening Thought
What’s Your Life Message?
Christ had a life message – we’re all in agreement on that. As we continue to look at His life, how He communicated His mind and character to those around Him, we constantly hear the message. The people that were around Him surely had no doubt about His message – it was crystal clear and burned in His soul.
So, if we’re agreeing that we are to be in His image, does that mean we should have a life message? Yes it does. Does it also mean that our life message should reverberate in all of our actions and interactions with others? Yes, it really should.
We’re reminded again about how challenging it is to follow through on this model of Christlikeness. He left us a lofty standard, and our human failings constantly work against our goal of reflecting Him to others. We need to put real thought into what we’re about, how our life should express Christ, actually put these thoughts in writing, and then into real life.
Study Notes
Having a Life Message
Study Notes
1. Who is the Man?- Jesus reaching out to people
o Matthew 14:13-36 -- after He hears of John the Baptist's death, He withdraws; but the crowds find Him and soon He is feeding the 5000; then He sends His disciples across the Sea of Galilee, and in the midst of the stormy weather, He appears walking on the water, and ends up rescuing Peter
o What do we learn about Him from these events? -- He had a sensitive heart for the people around Him; He was concerned about their needs - Jesus preaching the truth of the Gospel
o Matthew 23 - one of the last and most serious encounters He has with the Jewish leaders before His death; His heart is broken for the coldness in their hearts
o What do we learn about Him from this? -- He is willing to listen but then quick to speak the truth with clarity
2. What was Christ’s Life Message?
- Sin and separation from God
o sin defined in absolute terms
o white-washed sepulchers, Matthew 23 - Provision for redemption is only in Him
o He is the Lamb to be slain
o Repentance is at the core of this message
o Christ preached in the tradition of the OT Prophets - God’s fulfilled promises are real
o The Kingdom
o Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 4:17 - Righteous living
o Matthew 22:37-39
o Love God
o Your neighbor as yourself - Preach the message
o "Euangelizo", to proclaim the message with passion
o A passion for the lost
o Christ was predominantly an evangelist
o Mt 9:35 - Make the message personal
For further study --
1. Write down what you think the main points are to Jesus’ Life Message. Maybe put a verse with each if you can.
2. Now write out points for what you want your Life Message to be. Add a verse for each. Maybe add a couple of thoughts about what you need to work on to make your Life Message real.In preparation for next Sunday, read Luke 15, especially the story of the Prodigal Son. Think on how Jesus used these stories to minister to people and communicate His message.
3. In preparation for next Sunday, read Luke 15, especially the story of the Prodigal Son. Think on how Jesus used these stories to minister to people and communicate His message.
