28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”Matthew 11:25-30 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.2 Peter 3:18You can “know” honey in two distinct ways: you can know the exact chemical makeup of honey; or you can taste it. Both are ways we can “know” honey. But only the latter is the knowledge by which honey is experienced.Jonathan EdwardsHe [Jesus] is a person. Not just a historical figure, but an actual person, alive and well today. He is to be related to. Trusted, spoken to, listened to. Jesus is not a concept. Not an ideal. Not a force. Growing in Christ is relational, not a formulaic, experience. Dane OrtlundGENTLE AND LOWLYWHAT IS AT THE CORE OF THE HEART OF JESUS?Many know Jesus through the things he did, said or simply that He once lived on this earth, but few know the HEART of Jesus; Jesus at the core.What Do Americans Believe About Jesus? (Barna Research)The vast majority of Americans believe Jesus was a real person. (92%)Younger generations are increasingly less likely to believe Jesus is God. (44%)Americans are divided on whether Jesus was sinless (52%)Most Americans say they have made a commitment to Jesus Christ (55-70%)People are conflicted between “Jesus” and “Good deeds” as The Way to heaven (60%)A wife may tell you much about her husband — his height, his eye color, his eating habits, his education, his job, his handiness around the house, his best friend, his hobbies, his Myers-Brggs personality profile, his favorite sports team. But what can she say to communicate his knowing gaze across the table over a dinner at their favorite restaurant? That look that reflects years of ever deepening friendship, thousands of conversations and arguments through which they have safely come, a time-ripened settling into the assurance of embrace, come what may? THAT GLANCE speaks in a moment his loving protection more clearly than a thousand words? In short, what can she say to communicate to another her husbands heart for her? It is one thing to describe what your husband says and does and looks like. It is something else, something deeper and more real, to describe his heart for you. So with Christ. It is one thing to know the doctrines of the incarnation and the atonement and a hundred other vital doctrines (beliefs). It is another, more searching matter to know his heart for you. Dane OrtlundJESUS AS RULING KING?King Jesus pictureThen Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”John 18:37Human nature dictates that the wealthier a person, the more they tend to look down on the poor. The more beautiful a person, the more they are put off by the ugly. And without realizing what we are doing, we quietly assume that one so high and exalted has correspondingly difficulty drawing near to the despicable and unclean.Dane OrtlundJESUS AS SPOTLESS AND HOLY?Spotless lamb picture39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”Luke 7:39JESUS AS TEACHER?Teacher-Jesus pictureSeeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them,Matthew 5:1JESUS AS A COSMIC FORCE?Cosmic-Jesus picture16 For by[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17JESUS AS SAVIOR?13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:13-17Christ = Christos: “anointed”; the messiah, son of GodWHO DOES JESUS SAY HE IS?2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11:2-318 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a ...
