Week Nine - "Courageous" - Courage in a Fearful World - Dan 7:15-28

This clip is taken from the sermon "The Coming of the Kingdom," preached by Pastor Mark Driscoll at the Mars Hill Church Ballard campus in Seattle, Washington, on April 10th, 2011. It was the 71st sermon in a sermon series on the Gospel of Luke.

The official video release of "Build Your Kingdom Here" from the album "Homemade Worship by Handmade People". Directed by Greg Fromholz. Production by Tiny Ark.

117. Rock Goes The Gospel - Mike and The Mechanics - "All I Need Is A Miracle"

"All I Need Is a Miracle" by Mike + The Mechanics was written by guitarist Mike Rutherford and producer Christopher Neil, it was first included on their 1985 self-titled debut album, and later released as a single in early 1986 in the USA, where it reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song, demanding vocal high notes up to C5, was sung by Paul Young on both the original recording and the 1996 re-recording for the band's Hits compilation album. In an interview prior to the song's release as a single, Rutherford commented, "The thing that makes 'Miracle' different, to me, is that it's a happy song – or it's primarily a happy song. It's 'up'. And I don't do that very often. ...It may not be optimistic, but it's a positive attitude to life."

I said "Go if you wanna go
Stay if you wanna stay"
I didn't care if you hung around me
I didn't care if you went away
And I know you were never right
I'll admit I was never wrong
I could never make up my mind
I made it up as I went along

And though I treated you like a child
I'm gonna miss you for the rest of my life

All I need is a miracle, all I need is you
All I need is a miracle, all I need is you
All I need is a miracle, all I need is you

I never had any time
And I never had any call
But I went out of my way just to hurt you
The one I shouldn't hurt at all
I thought I was being cool
Yeah, I thought I was being strong
But it's always the same old story
You never know what you've got 'til it's gone

If I ever catch up with you
I'm gonna love you for the rest of your life

All I need is a miracle, all I need is you (all I need is a miracle)
All I need is a miracle, all I need is you (all I need is a miracle)
All I need is a miracle, all I need is you

And if I ever catch up with you
I'm gonna love you for the rest of your life

All I need is a miracle, all I need is you (all I need is a miracle)
All I need is a miracle, all I need is you (all I need is a miracle)
All I need is a miracle, all I need is you (all I need is a miracle)
All I need is a, all I need is a,
All I need is you (all I need is a miracle)

Rock and Roll is littered with songs that are about lost love and this one is no exception. Mike Rutherford does it again come up with a winning combination in the lyrics and the music. Making this track an unforgettable Mike and the Mechanics track. Just because there are many songs written about lost love does not minimise the pain that is felt in this one. The song is remorseful and full of longing. Song track takes us through some self reflection and points us to hope. "All I need is a Miracle" is not a melancholic song in the least, it's upbeat and catchy. 

This song is essentially about a missed opportunity which comes home in the lines "And If I ever catch up with you" In the song the one who has lost love realises the mistake that has been made and wants to put it right. The bible is full of moments for quite a few people who show remorse and who have had the ability to self reflect. this morning I want to focus our attention on one who finds himself in a moment of self reflection and longs to put something right. 

The story of Zacchaeus is a great story. Here is a man who is hated by all around him. He is a Jewish man doing the dirty work of the Romans. He is a tax collector, but not just any tax collector, but the chief, the one in charge. It isn’t that he is just doing his job. It is known that tax collectors collected more than was necessary, skimming money for themselves. They are wealthy in a land of great poverty. They are wealthy on the backs of their own countrymen. They are instruments of oppression to their own people in a land of great oppression. They are also hated by the Romans because they are mere nuisances in the long chain that led back to Rome. They are not friends with anyone. Most likely no one comes to their house for dinner. Then Zacchaeus heard about Jesus, this man who is going around the countryside and villages preaching the good news of God’s kingdom. Maybe Zacchaeus thinks Jesus would want to meet him since he is a person of prominence in Jericho, or so he thinks. Maybe Zacchaeus wants to engage Jesus in theological discussion as a teacher. Maybe Zacchaeus is remorseful and thinks he needs some forgiveness from this man who has been known to give it.

We don’t know why Zacchaeus goes to see Jesus that day, but he does. When he gets to the streets of Jericho, the crowd is big and Zacchaeus cannot see Jesus. In order to get a glimpse at this man who draws such crowds, Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree to get a look. As he is walking by, this man hanging in a tree must catch Jesus’ eye and he stops and speaks to Zacchaeus. Now perhaps Jesus has been looking for Zacchaeus all along knowing he has something to give this man who seemingly had much in the way of material goods. Jesus calls Zacchaeus down and announces in front of the crowd that he is going to Zacchaeus’ house that very day. “Why the house of such an unscrupulous man!” “Why not me?” Shock, surprise, outrage, jealously . . . these must be the reactions of those in the crowd. Zacchaeus welcomed Jesus with joy. We don’t know if Jesus and Zacchaeus have a long conversation, if Zacchaeus asks questions or asks for forgiveness, or if just the mere presence of Jesus makes Zacchaeus reconsider.

But we do know that something happens to him, not only a change of heart but a change of behaviour as well. He pledges to give half of his belongings to the poor and repay anyone he has cheated four times as much (four times restitution was what the Torah laws required). Almost like an assurance of pardon follows a confession of sin, Jesus declares that salvation has come to Zacchaeus and his house. And perhaps this is why Jesus walked down that Jericho road after all–he came to seek and save the lost.

The Mike and Mechanic's song "All I need Is a Miracle" is about the same remorse as in the story of Zacchaeus, Remorse leads us all to do things differently, for some it leads to real repentance and from there it leads to life.

116. Rock Goes The Gospel - Magnum "Different Worlds"

In a March 1988 interview with Kerrang! magazine, lead guitarist and songwriter Tony Clarkin said he wrote this song in France, and that it was inspired by a visit to Nice. Somebody lent him a house in the old town, an expensive area; one day when he walked through the market and "literally 20 feet away, there were people laying in doorways." He added: "It was like walking from luxury into a den of thieves. Two worlds living back to back." "Different Worlds" came off the album wings of heaven in 1988. 

On narrow streets old men lie
In the doorway sleeping
While working girls comb their hair
See the young men peeping

Different worlds
Only a walk across the street
Different worlds
You never know what you might meet

No satin sheets on your bed tonight
How you feeling?
While running feet always disappear
From sirens screaming

Different worlds
Only a walk across the street
Different worlds
You never know what you might meet

I said
Some of us take what we want
Some of us take what we need
Some of us break
Some of us bleed

Where velvet gloves and your diamond rings
Lose their meaning
For those we love, if they really care
Keep on dreaming
Dream on

Different worlds
Only a walk across the street
Different worlds
You never know what you might meet

I said
Some of us take what we want
Some of us take what we need
Some of us break
Some of us bleed
Don't want to bleed

Some of us take what we want
Some of us take what we need
Some of us break
Some of us bleed

Different worlds
Only a walk across the street
Different worlds
You never know what you might meet

Some of us take what we want
Some of us take what we need
Some of us break
Some of us bleed

Some of us take
Some of us take, oh, no
Some of us break
Some of us bleed, bleed, bleed
Some of us take
Some of us take

This song is about the divide between rich and poor. The divide between those that have and those that have not. The references to "Velvet gloves and diamond rings" and also the lines "Old mean lie sleeping while working girls comb their hair" Tony Clarkin saw the scene on a visit to Nice. It's not only Nice that this is happening there are other countries that the divide between rich and poor is ever widening. In the UK the gap is widening as well. Today, Britain is a country where one in five people live below the poverty line and life expectancy in some areas is lower than in some developing countries. Yet the rich keep getting richer opening up a massive inequality gap. In fact, the UK is on course to become one of the most unequal countries in the industrialised world. One of the greatest challenges in the UK at the moment is food poverty and there are a number of key organisations that are helping with this. Food poverty is affecting health. Food banks that have been set up in many of the major towns and cities are not meeting the need. Of course, we are drawing into the time when all politicians are saying that they have the answer to Britain's economic needs.

Once elected many politicians are saying that they will reverse the trend. Somehow I'm suspicious and convinced even more that the general British public can see through the schemes and debates of all the major parties. Everyone thinks they have the solution and the solution is often linked with other issues for example welfare and immigration. One thing I am sure of is that the answer to the widening gap in towns, communities and cites in the UK is not as easy as the politicians who are rallying for seats will lead us to believe. We are "Broken Britain" and the politics of the past are not going to be a match to the needs of the present. In the midst of the poverty gap there are a number of wonderful organisations that deserve mention for the work that they are doing in Britain. these organisations are working to meet the needs of ordinary people and change the policies of local and national government. Oxfam, Christian Aid, The Hunger project, Save the Children, BuildOn, Junk food Project, are to name but a few of the excellent organisations that are currently working and recruiting volunteers in the UK to work in areas of deprivation. These are organisations that are working to meet peoples physical needs, there are of course many others that are working to meet peoples health, spiritual, practical, social needs.

There is one occasion that for me stands out in the gospels that Jesus participates in that meets more than just physical needs, but bridges the needs, of mental health, social, physical and community needs and provides for us an example of how food, community, and care can work hand in hand to help in the areas of equality and cohesion. The occasion I am speaking of is the feeding of the five thousand.

Jesus in his day is concerned about the physical needs of the people who are coming to him. This is clear from the passage and Jesus does something to meet some of those physical needs. When John writes this in his gospel he is attempting do do two things. The first thing he is doing is showing that Jesus is not just interested in the spiritual needs of people he is also interested in their physical     well-being and Secondly this illustration fits within John's framework of Jesus being God in the flesh. In other words who can do miracles like this except God himself. We are not going to get too deep into the theology of this here but it does need some bigger reflection. One thing that I would like to say in this devotion is that Jesus is concerned with the physical well-being of people. He is interested and concerned about the increasing gap in economics and the gap that splits the poor from the rich.

He is also interested in the laws and acts that make that gap bigger. Soon we are going to have to face the elections. For some, they will not vote. For those that do they will have the responsibility of voting into power a party that will reduce the poverty gap or widen the poverty gap. I've been praying and asking God what to do. I'm still thinking about that one. The body of Jesus, (The Church) have a responsibility to justice and works of mercy. they also have a responsibility to speak to power and challenge the status quo, so that marginal communities, people and individuals benefit in and from the upcoming elections. It's not just make your vote count, but make your prayer count too.....on behalf of others.  So that the "Different Worlds" sung about in this song by Magnum are firmly on the page for discussion, debate and godly action. 

115. Rock Goes The Gospel - Whitesnake - "Crying In The Rain"

Crying in the Rain"was originally released on the group's 1982 album Saints & Sinners, but was re-recorded on the group's 1987 album Whitesnake. The song was inspired by singer David Coverdale's divorce. The original version of "Crying in the Rain" is very blues-based and features a short guitar solo at the beginning played by Bernie Marsden. The original song also has a bit slower tempo compared to the re-recorded version. "Crying in the Rain" and "Here I Go Again" are the only songs from Saints & Sinners that Whitesnake have kept playing live to this day, although they perform versions that are more reminiscent of the '87 version. "Crying in the Rain" (along with "Here I Go Again") was re-recorded for the group's 1987 multi-platinum album Whitesnake. The re-recorded version had a much heavier and faster sound, influenced by heavy metal. The guitar solo at the beginning of the original is also removed from this version. David Coverdale has stated in interviews that "John (Sykes) hated blues". The re-recorded version (sometimes titled "Crying in the Rain '87") was also released as a one-track promo single. The song has been a part of Whitesnake's live performances since its release in 1982, although it is the 1987 version that Whitesnake has kept performing, since 1987. Also, since Whitesnake's reformation in 2002, the song has been extended by a drum solo in the middle of the song.

A black cat moans
When he's burning with the fever
A stray dog howls
When he's lonely in the night
A woman goes crazy
With the though of retribution
But, a man starts weeping
When he's sick and tired of life

I keep on dreaming dreams of tomorrow
Feel I'm wasting my time
Lighting candles in the wind,
Always taking my chances
On the promise of the future
But, a heart full of sorrow
Paints a lonely tapestry

The sun is shining
But, it's raining in my heart

No one understands the heartache,
No one feels the pain,
'Cos no one ever sees the tears
When you're crying in the rain,
When you're crying in the rain,
Crying in the rain...

I can never deny
All the sweet things I have tasted
Tho' I've been mistreated
I keep coming back for more,
I know where I'm going
There's no hope of absolution
I can't seem to separate
The good times from the bad

The sun is shining
But, it's raining in my heart

No one understands the heartache,
No one feels the pain,
'Cos no one ever sees the tears
When you're crying in the rain,
When you're crying in the rain,
When you're crying in the rain,
When you're crying in the rain

The sun is shining
But, it's raining in my heart

No one understands the heartache,
No one feels the pain,
'Cos no one ever sees the tears
When you're crying in the rain,
When you're crying in the rain,
When you're crying in the rain,
When you're crying in the rain

Crying in the rain...

This song is about sorrow through suffering. We have all endured suffering of one kind or another in our lives from time to time. We have had to go through the trails and the pains of grief and loss. all of us have gone through relationship breakups and misunderstandings. It is not pleasant but it is a reality of life that we will all face from time to time. there is escaping many things in life and suffering is not one of them. All of us have been "Crying in the Rain" over people, circumstances and life in general. Everyone of us faces suffering.

God allows suffering... Why? This is one of the most difficult questions for disciples to answer. Yet, the Bible provides clarity on this important subject. How can a gracious God allow such things in His world as war, broken homes, disease, pain, and death? Either He is not a God of love and is indifferent to human suffering, or else He is not a God of power and is therefore helpless to do anything about it.  When all of us look through the eyes of circumstance, our conclusion will be born from our own personal experience. Every question we pose in the complexities of life, the answer can be found in God's Word. God’s word is true or else we can only come to the conclusions that God does not know what He is doing. This will always prove to be futile and will lead us to despair.

We are not put here to judge what is good and what is right. Only Jesus can do that. As followers of Jesus, we need to settle it in our minds and hearts, whether we understand it or not, that whatever God does is, by definition, right. However hard that is to settle in our hearts. Having settled this by faith, we are then encouraged to seek ways in which we can grow and develop spiritually from the sufferings in life as well as the blessings. With the hope that one day all suffering and pain will be gone for eternity. Knowing and trusting in Jesus Christ can bring us to the place where our present sufferings can be turned to His glory and our good. These sufferings that we experience are always intended to be the means of developing a growing dependence on God and a more Christ-like character (Hebrews 12:11).

Suffering can lead us to cry out to God for deliverance, and when He does deliver us, we are able to comfort those who are likewise suffering, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. Thus, God is loving and merciful even when, "for the present," He allows trials and sufferings to come in our lives. For the future he promises a suffering, pain, death free existence. Where crying in the rain will be a thing of the past. Revelation 21 points to what it will be like.

114. Rock Goes The Gospel - Bon Jovi "It's My Life"

It's My Life" is Bon Jovi's first single from the album Crush. It was released on May 23, 2000. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Max Martin. The song charted in the top 10 across several countries and has the distinction of making Bon Jovi the only band once classified as 1980s glam metal to reach the top 40 in the 2000s, a testament to how the song managed to introduce the band to a new, younger fanbase.

The song is arguably their most well known post-1980s hit single and it has been performed live at almost all shows since its release.The song has many classic Bon Jovi features, such as Sambora's use of the talk box, and a line in the second verse "For Tommy and Gina, who never backed down" refers to Tommy and Gina, a fictional working class couple that Bon Jovi and Sambora first wrote about in their 1986 hit "Livin' on a Prayer". "It's My Life" is also notable for its line referencing fellow New Jerseyan Frank Sinatra: "My heart is like an open highway / Like Frankie said / I did it 'My Way'." Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora apparently had a disagreement over those lines, with Bon Jovi recalling: I had just come home from making U-571 and I said "Sinatra made 16 movies and toured 'til he was 80. This is my role model". He [Sambora] said, "You can't write that damn lyric. Nobody cares about Frank Sinatra but you." And I wrote it anyway.

This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud

[Chorus:]
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life

This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks

[Chorus:]
It's my life
And it's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life

Better stand tall when they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down

[Chorus:]
It's my life
And it's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive

[Chorus:]
It's my life
And it's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life!

This song from the year 2000 is a  song about determination. It's a song about living life the way you want to. It's a song about living out you convictions no matter what. "I just want to live while I'm alive" nails it lyrically and with hints to Frank Sinatra's "I did it my way" you get the impact of the song right from the start. "It's my life" may be something that we have all said at one point. It's a sentiment that you will have heard if you have teenagers among your children. It's a statement that echoes the heart's cry for freedom from conformity and the drudgery of life. It's a sentiment that runs deep and has much to commend it. It's not always a bad thing to know what you want in life and to stand up for what you believe in. It should not always be seen as a negative, or indeed an arrogant action. Paul the great apostle faced this issue more than most. When he was halted on the road to Damascus and transformed he was viewed with suspicion by the churches and their leaders.....he could have given up. when he began to preach he encountered opposition.....he could have given up. In fact we hear of Paul's hardships in 2 Corinthians 11.

Paul the apostle showed guts and determination to carry on with life. He could have given up......Paul was determined to live life to the full on behalf of Jesus. He would not give in. Paul's motto could have been the same as the lyrics of the Bon Jovi song "I want to live while I'm alive" "It's My Life" Paul was not deterred by the opposition or the persecution. He was not stopped by the outside pressures of people, of life. But he continued in it. He found ways in which to be true to himself and at the same time not deny Jesus who transformed him in Acts 9. One of Paul's greatest statement which is recorded for us in Romans chapter 1 shows where his heart and mind were.

In Bon Jovi's song we find the line"Your gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loud" This should have been written to commemorate Paul the apostle as this was Paul's heart concerning the preaching and teaching of the good news of Jesus.  He was relentless and his missionary journey's chart the adventures that he got up to in the quest for bringing the gospel and truth of Jesus across the Mediterranean.

113.Rock Goes The Gospel - Motley Crue "Dr. Feelgood"

"Dr. Feelgood" is a song by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album of the same name. "Dr. Feelgood" is Mötley Crüe's only Gold single in the U.S. In 2009, it was ranked the 15th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.Released in 1989 as the album's first single, "Dr. Feelgood" became Mötley Crüe's first American Top Ten hit, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 28, 1989. It is their highest ranked single to this day. In November 1989, the single was certified Gold by the RIAA for more than 500,000 units shipped in the United States.  Vocalist Vince Neil looked back at this song to Rolling Stone in 2009: "I knew it was a classic from the time I heard that very first 'bomp bomp bomp bomp' - that intro just kind of grabs you. This song has been popular for 20 years. It was funny because I was watching VH1 and they had the Greatest Hard Rock Songs and 'Feelgood' was 15 or something. I was like, 'Wow, of all time.' Then you have Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith and AC/DC and 'Feelgood.' I was like, 'Wow, that's cool.' It's our signature song in some ways." Bassist Nikki Sixx recalled to Rolling Stone: "I remember it had a whole other set of lyrics. I had sort of forgotten that and I found them in a box recently. I was like, 'oh, wow.' It had a whole different theme to it. It was called 'Dr. Feelgood,' but a whole different thing lyrically. In the end it was inspired by drug dealers. Is there ever just one? A good drug addict always has more than one dealer."

Rat-tailed Jimmy is a second hand hood
He deals out in Hollywood
Got a '65 Chevy, primered flames
Traded for some powdered goods
Jigsaw Jimmy He's runnin' a gang
But I hear he's doin' o.k.
Got a cozy little job, sells the Mexican mob
Packages of candycaine

He's the one they call Dr. Feelgood
He's the one that makes ya feel alright
He's the one they call Dr. Feelgood

Cops on the corner always ignore
Somebody's getting paid
Jimmy's got it wired, law's for hire
Got it made in the shade
Got a little hideaway, does business all day
But at night he'll always be found
Selling sugar to the sweet
People on the street
Call this Jimmy's town

He's the one they call Dr. Feelgood
He's the one that makes ya feel alright
He's the one they call Dr. Feelgood
He's gonna be your Frankenstein 
I've got one thing you'll understand
He's not what you'd call a glamorous man
Got one thing that's easily understood
He's the one they call Dr. Feelgood

He'll tell you he's the king
Of these barrio streets
Moving up to Shangri-La
Came by his wealth as a matter of luck
Says he never broke no law
Two time loser running out of juice
Time to move out quick
Heard a rumour going round
Jimmy's going down
This time it's gonna stick

He's the one they call Dr. Feelgood
He's the one that makes ya feel alright
He's the one they call Dr. Feelgood
He's gonna be your Frankenstein

Let him soothe your soul, just take his hand
Some people call him an evil man
Let him introduce himself real good
He's the only one they call "Feelgood"

"Let him soothe your soul" They call him "Dr Feelgood". Here is a feelgood track about a drug dealer peddling his wares to all who will seek him out. It's a song about a person who peddles in other peoples misery. Jimmy in the song could be anyone. He may be someone in particular, but he may just be generic to all drug dealers, as they all work to the same ends. For me the song is sung in a sarcastic way, as if to say that this is how he is viewed and this is what they call him, but, he's anything but good. Some of the lyrics suggest this "He's gonna be your Frankenstein" and  "He'll tell you he's the king" Somehow these lyrics combined with the others tell you that all things are not as they seem.

In the ’80s, Motley Crue lived the “sex, drugs and rock and roll” lifestyle to its fullest and bassist Nikki Sixx almost succumbed to his hedonism. On Dec. 23, 1987, Sixx was actually declared legally dead from a drug overdose before he was eventually revived. Now, all these years later, Sixx has remembered the incident with a new message to his fans. The musician used that experience as a major wake-up call in his life and over time he was able to kick his drug habits. Sixx told CNN in a video interview (seen below) about the experience of being dead, “I can tell you things that I shouldn’t have been able to have seen. I saw the hotel hallway. I saw the ambulance. I saw the limo that was there, but I couldn’t have really seen that because there was a sheet over me. You know I really kept that to myself for a lot of years until I did the ‘Behind the Music’ thing because other people kind of look at you and think that you’re crazy.”

In remembrance of the day that changed his life, Sixx has posted on his Facebook page about the experience. His statement reads as follows:

In the years since his near fatal overdose, Sixx has rededicated his life to music and spoken publicly about his experiences in ‘The Heroin Diaries.’ The book also provided the impetus for the bassist to form Sixx: A.M., with his stories from both his drug period and recovery factoring into the music. Sixx is currently in the process of turning ‘The Heroin Diaries’ into a Broadway production.

There is one line in the song that I would like to reflect on this morning in this devotion. The line "Let him soothe your soul, just take his hand" What exactly is soul soothing? For the weary and burdened soul soothing is when you get rest, not just from work but a shelter from life. Soothed in heart as well as body. For many this is what is achieved on a spa weekend where they get pampered up to the nines. We are all looking for it in one way or another. For the man or woman suffering from depression "Soul Soothing" is but a dream that has not been realised. For the man or woman that needs companionship and someone to listen "Soul Soothing" will be just that. For the overworked mother or father bringing up a family "Soul Soothing" may be time to themselves so that they can chill and unwind.

Jesus in his day recognised the stresses and strains upon the people he lived amongst. He recognised the oppression that the people of Israel were under and he offered something precious in Matthew 11.

One of the most beloved passages in the New Testament is Matthew 11:28-30. In it the Lord summarizes the invitation to discipleship that characterised His earthly ministry. In this passage Jesus was addressing the people of Israel who were burdened and weighed down with the externalism and the legal do’s and don'ts of the Pharisees, and with the consequences—the guilt, frustration, and dissatisfaction that always goes along with legalism. It is in the midst of this setting that the Lord makes a very gracious invitation to all who would want to experience the relief, joy, and the blessings of His life through a grace-faith relationship with Him. This is an invitation aimed at all, at the curious and at the convinced to bring them to a place of a deeper level of commitment in which they are to take His yoke and learn from Him as committed disciples.

"Soul Soothing" is offered in this wonderful passage from Matthew 11: Jesus offers a rest and a "soul soothing" that means us being partners with him in life. We may still face much of what would have faced alone, but we now face it in relationship with Jesus. "Rest for your Souls" might at times be so far away from your grasp, but it is a offer that many including myself have found the value in it. Motley Crew sung about drugs in the 1980's and even Nikki Sixx in time would see that they were not to be trusted.

My prayer would be that if you are weighed down with the burdens of life you may encounter the invitation of Jesus not in a dry and dusty book but that these words would come alive to you this morning in a wonderful way and that you would experience all that Jesus has to offer in them.