In the Know

Introduction—

• Briefly explain being in the know.

• Are you in the know? What are you in the know about?

• But what are you in the know about Jesus?

Matthew 11:20-30

1. Keeping them out of the know

   1. Jesus is praising God for keeping His all-important gospel message hidden from “the wise and intelligent,” while revealing it to infants. What does that mean?

      1. Becoming a newborn spiritually

      2. We grow up in this world, and even as young, rather inexperienced, we can think we know it all—we so easily become wise in our own eyes!

      3. Personal Testimony—I grew up thinking I was a Christian and thinking I was saved. Everyone wants to believe they're saved and in the know! No “I'm in the know,” even if we have to fake it! I got this assumption I was saved and in the know from people not from what I saw and understood in the bible. My faith wasn't based on God's promises but other people's version. My parents were religious and raised me to think I was a Christian. They read the bible but were not in the know about repentance and living out God's word. So because the people around me were religious “Christians” by title and not by heart and action, I knew very little about living word of God! Sure I had a King James version and tried to read it. It was so hard to understand without someone to explain it to me. On top of the fact that I was not very literate. But I still thought and made others around me think I was in the know!

   2. Here we see how Jesus feels about our repentance!

      1. We know repentance means transformation—from the inside out—complete change.

      2. Powerful works had been done and their hearts were not moved!

      3. Look up Tyre, Sidon and Sodom

   3. Here we also see God's judgment is a very serious thing.

      1. I've heard people say, “You don't know my heart! God knows my heart!”

      2. That person was right, yet it was often said in pride or self-defense.

      3. The fact that God knows our hearts (all our inmost thoughts, desires, and secrets—what is hidden will be exposed) makes Him the only One fit to judge.

         1. That is actually one of the most humbling things to realize!

         2. It even helps you realize His love—that He knows you and wants a relationship with you.

   4. Practicals: Do you know what repentance is biblically? Are you in the know about your sin and how God feels about sin? Have you studied it out in the bible? I know mom, dad, grandma, youth pastor growing up are good people, but you'll never hear it from God unless you look at the Scriptures and see for yourself! They are there speaking even if we don't listen! So I want to encourage you to take a good look at yourself and the Scriptures

2. Bringing us in the know

   1. Jesus has a special relationship with the God Father.

      1. We can think we know God—most human beings think they are in the know about God and that is the problem!

      2. We may think we know God, but Jesus says no one knows the Father except the Son

      3. Jesus had this relationship before any of us were ever able to—think of Enoch, Abraham, Israel, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist—no one knows God unless Jesus makes Him known to them!

   2. We can know for certain He wants to personally invite as many as possible into this special relationship of knowing God.

      1. But He has to choose to reveal it to us!

   3. There is something we learn here that we cannot miss or we will never come into the know—we will remain in the dark and it will be kept hidden.

      1. What do you think is so important for us to realize from this passage?

   4. Practicals: Do you really know the Bible? Can you even teach the basic things? Humble yourself to learn from someone else (if you're new we're going to ask you to study the bible).

3. To know His rest

   1. It says He has a yoke—

      1. What is a yoke?

      2. It illustrates that you are bound to Christ

      3. He says it is easy though

         1. Sometimes it doesn't feel so easy to be bound to Christ—can you relate?

            • We want to be cool—the need to feel important perhaps?

            • So many of our sinful desires can be so easy to fulfill

   2. He has a burden—

      1. What is a burden?

      2. It illustrates a load that needs to be carried--work that He has to be done.

      3. It is light though

      4. Sometimes this work does not seem light though--can you relate?
         

   3. Although sometimes the yoke may not seem easy and the burden may not seem light, what makes His yoke easy and burden light?

      1. The constant refreshment we now have being in the know!

Conclusion—

• Summed up: God has a way for us to be in the know, and He keeps us out of the know if we don't come His way, but the know is what life is all about—where we know God

Prayer:

Praise you God for keeping your message hidden from us when we're prideful.

Thank you God for being our Father too.

You humble us and bring us to repentance—a childlike heart.

Thank you for all the ways you lead us to repentance because that is where have a relationship with you. That is where we become and stay close to you as your children. We get adopted through repentance and the blood of Jesus.

Praise you God for the never ending fountain of refreshment to our soul in you!

We want to totally surrender to your awesome and loving hands.

We want to have hearts that totally embrace your