I Will Give You Rest
Rely on Him and Do Well on the Sabbath
Matthew 11; Matthew 12; Luke 11
Do Well on the Sabbath
Here we are gathered on th Sabbath. Perhaps you can talk to a neighbor about… Sabbath traditions, either Past and Current traditions. Any tradiitions you have peformed or observed on the Sabbath. What makes the Sabbath a Joy?
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Matthew 12:1-13
7 I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; see Hosea 6:6
8 The Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day
12 It is lawful to do well on the sabbath days
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Mark 2:23-28
27 The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath
“Rest” thoughts by Michael McPhie
The gospel is often associated with the word “Rest”. What is “Rest”? All of of face crisis… Aging parents; wayward children; some kind of health crisis; depression or anxiety; mental health challenges; a crumbling marriage; family members struggling with addiction; loss of employment and the resulting financial crisis. “Come unto me?” Jesus was speaking to you and me; to our neighbors. “Come unto me, ALL ye that labour and are heavy laden.”
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Matthew 11:28–30
28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
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Alternate translations on Character of Christ
KJV for I am meek and lowly in heart
BBE for I am gentle and without pride
CEB I’m gentle and humble
Upcomming Holy Week
Soon it will be General Conference and then Easter. All will happen before we meet in Sunday School again. As we read about Bethlehem at Christmas, so should we read about Gethsemane , Golgatha, and Calvary at Easter. Some of Jesus’s greatest lessons were taught during this week.
Jesus Crist is the great Hope for us all! That hope is now and forever! When did you begin to believe? What momement have you had to Yoke with the Savior.
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Alma 36
18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
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1 Corinthians 15
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Palm Sunday - This will be last day of General Conference
On Palm Sunday, Jesus Christ made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem as His followers waved palm fronds and laid down cloaks in His path. They surrounded Jesus with love and praise, shouting “Hosanna”—a phrase meaning “save us.” Many of Jesus’s followers expected Him to save them from Roman rule, but His goals were more eternal. Jesus came to earth not to provide political deliverance but to save all humankind from sin and death.
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- Matthew 21:7–11 Jesus enters the City
7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
- Luke 19:35–38
35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.
36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.
37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
- Comment. The entrance to Jerusalem seems like a glorious day. In a couple of week we will unite in conference, this feels like a series of days where we fellowhip and glory in the miracles of Jesus and the restoration of his gospel.
Monday The Cleansing of the Temple - Most of us will be back to Work
During Jesus’s time in Jerusalem, He visited the temple. There, inside His father’s house, Jesus saw various merchants doing business. Jesus was appalled to see a place of worship being desecrated and turned into a “den of thieves” (Mark 11:17). Speaking with unmistakable authority, He commanded the merchants and moneychangers to leave.
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- Mark 11:15–18 House of Prayer
15 ¶ And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
- Comment. This is hard to comprehend how the Pharisees could let this happen with all the “rules” in the time. Was it not written to seperate that which is holy?
Tuesday Teachings
In Jerusalem, Jesus was surrounded by supporters and critics alike. As the Master Teacher, He never let an opportunity to share His wisdom go to waste. During the last week of His life, He shared some of His most enduring teachings. But His words weren’t intended only for the people present at the time. His teachings throughout His entire ministry can bless our lives, too. Watch some of His parables below
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- Matthew 25:34–45 - Ye have done it unto me
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the bleast of these my cbrethren, ye have done it unto me.
Wednesday The Greatest Commandments
During His life on earth, Jesus Christ taught the importance of loving God and loving others.
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Matthwew 22
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” —Matthew 22:37–39
Jesus taught that the love of God and of our neighbor is the foundation of His gospel. Near the end of His ministry, He expanded on this teaching when He taught: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you. … By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34–35). When we have love for one another, it’s easier to be like Jesus—we’re more patient, forgiving, and compassionate with the people around us.
Thursday His Sacrifice Begins at Gethsemane
Jesus observed the sacred holiday of Passover with His apostles. He instituted the sacred ordinance of the sacrament, in which His disciples were invited to eat and drink in remembrance of Him. He taught them of the comforting power of the Holy Ghost. And, knowing that His time with them would soon end, He commanded them to love one another as He had loved them. That love, He said, would be a sign to others that they were His disciples.
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After what is often referred to as the Last Supper, Jesus bid His Apostles to follow Him through the night to a quiet garden named Gethsemane. Despite their Master asking them to stay awake with Him, the exhausted disciples fell asleep. Alone, Jesus began to pray and was soon overcome with incomprehensible agony. There in the Garden, He began the process of taking upon Himself the sins and pains of the world. It was the beginning of an act of sacrifice that would reach its ultimate conclusion the next day on the cross at Golgotha.
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Later that night, Judas Iscariot betrayed the Savior to local authorities, who arrested Jesus and brought Him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest. There, Jesus would await His trial until the next morning.
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Luke 22:14–20, Sacrament 19 ¶ And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
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Luke 22:39-54, Getsemane 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
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Matthew 26:36–57 39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
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Comment, many of us have felt angels bearing us up in trials
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Friday The Crucifixion
After a series of one-sided trials, Jesus Christ was sentenced to death by crucifixion. Roman soldiers mocked and scourged Him and nailed Him to the cross. But instead of condemning them, Jesus Christ begged His Father to “forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Even in His darkest moment, Jesus spoke of love and redemption. With His dying breath, Jesus addressed His Father. “It is finished,” He said (John 19:30). An unlikely testimony came from a Roman centurion and those who were with him: “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54). The realization is just as awe-inspiring today as it was then.
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50 ¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
- Comment, I can’t imagine the sorrow as you witness your Rabbi, spiritual leader taken.
Saturday The Tomb
It’s hard to imagine the anguish Jesus Christ’s followers must have felt on the day after His death. The night before, His body had been lovingly prepared and placed in a garden tomb. Now they were left to figure out how life could possibly go on without Him. Almost certainly His death had taken something from them, but what they had lost was nothing compared to all that His life had given. Whether they understood it or not, Jesus Christ had forged a new path forward for all who would follow Him, one lit by a hope that shines brighter than any darkness we may encounter.
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- John 14:15–16, The comforter
15 ¶ If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
- John 14: 26–27, Peace I leave with you
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall dteach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Comment, Jesus prepared his followers for the day.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
Comment, I have known the need to watch over the grave.
Sunday He is Risen
Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene, a friend and follower of Jesus, came to the tomb to care for Jesus Christ’s body. To her astonishment, she found the tomb empty. Later, as she wept outside the tomb, a man addressed her—a gardener, she supposed. But then He said her name: “Mary.” And she saw. It was Jesus Christ, alive again. The knowledge was too wonderful to contain. Her faith propelled her into a joyous sprint as she ran to tell the others.
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It’s a testimony that still propels people today. You can know just as she did that Jesus Christ lives. Because of Him, everyone will live again. If we follow Christ, we can find true happiness on earth—and look forward to eternal joy in the life to come.
- John 20:1–18, Mary sees Jesus
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
Comment, Jesus has touched me to know the thinness of the veil.