Rest For Our Souls
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Sabbath
Matthew 11:25-12:14 (ESV)
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 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.”
12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
Sermon Outline
What kind of life has the quality of genuine rest within it?
1. The Perfectionist Trap
12:2, 4, 12 “lawful”
12:7 “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice”
2. Discerning What Is Greater
12:3 “have you not read what David did”; 12:5 “or have you not read in the law…”
12:6 “I tell you something greater than the temple is here”
11:27 “no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son”
11:25 “you have hidden these things from the wise… and revealed them to little children”
3. Good Rest Given to Us
11:28 “come to me… I will give you rest”
12:11-12 “how much more value is a man than a sheep?”
12:12 “So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath”
11:29 “rest for your souls”
Prayer of Confession
Merciful Lord, we are weary people. We have exhausted ourselves keeping rules of our own making. We have neglected love and faithfulness, exposing how little we know you. Were it not for your goodness and mercy, we would collapse under our burden of guilt. Who is like you, so generous and gracious? It is through Christ, who gave himself for us, that we come appealing for forgiveness. With childlike faith, we come at your invitation seeking rest for our souls. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Are rules necessary? Why or why not?
What can go wrong when you are focused on rules?
Why does Jesus heal people on the sabbath? What is he showing us?
When we read about Jesus in the Gospels, what kinds of things shape what we notice, perceive, or understand? What influences our interpretations and how we assess Jesus?
What are some implications of Jesus’ claim that no one can know God the Father except through him?
How does Jesus give rest to people?
Why is rest something that is received? Why can’t we just make ourselves rest?
How does insight into the mercy of God bring rest to our souls?
How is goodness a quality of the Christian life? What practices would make the Lord’s day “good” for you?
What would help you experience church in a way that brings deeper rest to your soul?