A Portrait of Christ

Sermon Notes 6.1.25

1) The Surprising Declaration of Christ (vs 25-26)

2) The Bold Claim of Christ (vs 27) 

3) The Compelling Invitation of Christ (vs 28) 

4) The Beautiful Heart of Christ (vs 29) 

5) The Powerful Promise of Christ (vs 28-30) 

The Surprising Declaration of Christ (vs 25-26)

The Bold Claim of Christ (vs 27) 

This is tantamount to a declaration of the deity of Christ. --Grant Osborne

Stop speculating about the Godhead and climbing into heaven to see who or what or how God is; hold on to this man Jesus, he is the only God we’ve got! --Martin Luther

The Compelling Invitation of Christ (vs 28) 

Theological systems have debated this for centuries, and each side believes they alone are right. What is interesting is the total absence of debate in the early church on this issue. They simply allowed the tension to stand, and Jesus refused to overemphasize either side. We should definitely follow his example and refuse to allow ourselves to be divided on this issue. There is mystery in the kingdom, and God has not yet given us all the truth there is. --Grant Osborne

Matthew 23:3b-4 They preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

Acts 15:7-11 Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.

A yoke was a common idiom in the first century for a rabbi’s way of reading the Torah. But it was also more: it was his set of teachings on how to be human. His way to shoulder the (at times crippling) weight of life—marriage, divorce, prayer, money, sex, conflict resolution, government— all of it. --John Mark Comer 

The Beautiful Heart of Christ (vs 29) 

When Jesus tells us what animates him most deeply, what is most true of him—when he exposes the innermost recesses of his being—what we find there is gentle and lowly…Jesus is not trigger happy. Not harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms. --Dane Ortlund 

Gentle and lowly does not mean mushy and frothy. But for the penitent, his heart of gentle embrace is never outmatched by our sins, and foibles and insecurities and doubts and anxieties and failures. For lowly gentleness is not one way Jesus occasionally acts towards others. Gentleness is who he is. It is his very heart. --Dane Ortlund

Matthew 12:20-21 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.

When we sin, we are encouraged to bring our mess to Jesus because he will know just how to receive us. He doesn’t handle us roughly. He doesn’t scowl and scold. He doesn’t lash out, the way many of our parents did... His restraint simply flows from his tender heart for his people…Jesus’s heart is drawn out to you. Nothing can chain his affections to heaven; his heart is too swollen with endearing love. --Dane Ortlund

The Powerful Promise of Christ (vs 28-30) 

Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that debauchery, but be filled with Spirit.

John 21:18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.