How heavy does something have to be before it is too heavy? The weight does not matter, but the longer you hold something the heavier it becomes. Many people are holding onto things that are causing them to be weary. It might be something small, but even a small thing can weigh on a man over time. It is important that we know how to lay our burdens down. Our text tonight is not a feel good passage. He is not saying “cheer up, it will be okay.” They are not words of sympathy. They are words of an invitation. Many have equated this verse to salvation, but in fact it is a verse of survival. It is an invitation to a new quality of life. The only place to find this new quality of life is in His presence. The promise that Jesus made is that if we will come to Him, He WILL give rest. The word used in the original Greek is not rest, as we know it, it is the word that we have come to know as rejuvenate. If we can get into His presence He will and provide an answer for the tired.

Habits are formed over a long period of time. Some habits are of no consequence. However, some can greatly affect life. In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul sets out seven principles. These seven simple, but profound principles can help in leading a blessed life.

1. Rejoice evermore. The knowledge of what God has done in our life should create in us a spirit of happiness. When we allow Him into our lives, it moves out all the fear, uncertainty and doubt that try to crowd into each of our lives. When our life is filled with the Holy Ghost, there is no room for those other things.

2. Pray always. This means that there is a consistency to our prayer life. We make our dependence upon God, not on man. There should not be a day that goes by without prayer. Never give up on prayers. God wants us to pray consistently on a daily basis.

3. Give thanks. Thank God in everything and for everything. No matter what happens, in all circumstances, give thanks. Do this because giving thanks is the attitude of an overcomer.

4. Quench not the spirit. We must develop the habit of rekindling the Holy Ghost in our sprit. We must keep the fire burning. The nature of a fire is to burn out. We must actively work to keep the spiritual fire going.

5. Do not despise the prophesying. Do not ignore the word of God. It is important to hear good preaching and take it into our lives.

6. Test all things. Not everything that glitters is gold. We must learn to be able to tell the difference. We do that by handling the good in life, and learning to discern the bad when it comes along.

7. Abstain from the appearance of evil. Don’t live so close to the edge that it would be easy to fall off.

Habits are formed over a long period of time. Some habits are of no consequence. However, some can greatly affect life. In his letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul sets out seven principles. These seven simple, but profound principles can help in leading a blessed life.

1. Rejoice evermore. The knowledge of what God has done in our life should create in us a spirit of happiness. When we allow Him into our lives, it moves out all the fear, uncertainty and doubt that try to crowd into each of our lives. When our life is filled with the Holy Ghost, there is no room for those other things.

2. Pray always. This means that there is a consistency to our prayer life. We make our dependence upon God, not on man. There should not be a day that goes by without prayer. Never give up on prayers. God wants us to pray consistently on a daily basis.

3. Give thanks. Thank God in everything and for everything. No matter what happens, in all circumstances, give thanks. Do this because giving thanks is the attitude of an overcomer.

4. Quench not the spirit. We must develop the habit of rekindling the Holy Ghost in our sprit. We must keep the fire burning. The nature of a fire is to burn out. We must actively work to keep the spiritual fire going.

5. Do not despise the prophesying. Do not ignore the word of God. It is important to hear good preaching and take it into our lives.

6. Test all things. Not everything that glitters is gold. We must learn to be able to tell the difference. We do that by handling the good in life, and learning to discern the bad when it comes along.

7. Abstain from the appearance of evil. Don’t live so close to the edge that it would be easy to fall off.

In 1464 a sculptor named Agostino di Duccio began working on a flawed piece of marble to make sculpture as part of a series of Old Testament sculptures for the buttresses of the cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore. He soon stopped work on the stone because of an imperfection in it. Two years later Antonio Rossellino began to work on the same piece. He too abandoned the project after discovering the flaw in the stone. In 1501 a 26-year-old sculptor was offered large sum of money to make something out of the rock that had come to be known as the giant. He soon found the same flaw in the stone that had stumped the other artists. Michelangelo decided to turn that flawed part of the stone into a tree stump that the 17 foot statue of David would have it’s foot upon. One of the most famous and valuable works of art in the world came out of what was a flawed stone. Michelangelo found a way to work around the imperfection in the stone to bring out of the stone the beauty that was within. There is one who is more powerful than Michelangelo that can use flawed material in order to produce the beautiful results that He desires. Michelangelo saw in his mind what he was trying to create before he began to work with the chisel. God has a vision for each of us and He works with that intent to bring out that vision.

In our text, God directs Jeremiah to the potter’s house. There on the wheel the potter worked with clay, but there was a flaw in the piece. There was something wrong with the plan. Life has a way of not working out like we plan. There are things that come into our lives that mar it. Like the potter, God knows what to do when these flaws are discovered. We may have an imperfection, but He does not, and He has a plan when life does not go as we planned it. When we think life is so messed up that it will never work again, God makes it over as another vessel. When it looks like things are not going as we planned, God still has a plan.

In 1464 a sculptor named Agostino di Duccio began working on a flawed piece of marble to make sculpture as part of a series of Old Testament sculptures for the buttresses of the cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore. He soon stopped work on the stone because of an imperfection in it. Two years later Antonio Rossellino began to work on the same piece. He too abandoned the project after discovering the flaw in the stone. In 1501 a 26-year-old sculptor was offered large sum of money to make something out of the rock that had come to be known as the giant. He soon found the same flaw in the stone that had stumped the other artists. Michelangelo decided to turn that flawed part of the stone into a tree stump that the 17 foot statue of David would have it’s foot upon. One of the most famous and valuable works of art in the world came out of what was a flawed stone. Michelangelo found a way to work around the imperfection in the stone to bring out of the stone the beauty that was within. There is one who is more powerful than Michelangelo that can use flawed material in order to produce the beautiful results that He desires. Michelangelo saw in his mind what he was trying to create before he began to work with the chisel. God has a vision for each of us and He works with that intent to bring out that vision.

In our text, God directs Jeremiah to the potter’s house. There on the wheel the potter worked with clay, but there was a flaw in the piece. There was something wrong with the plan. Life has a way of not working out like we plan. There are things that come into our lives that mar it. Like the potter, God knows what to do when these flaws are discovered. We may have an imperfection, but He does not, and He has a plan when life does not go as we planned it. When we think life is so messed up that it will never work again, God makes it over as another vessel. When it looks like things are not going as we planned, God still has a plan.

A bird’s song is important. It is often loud and repetitive. Birds sing their song’s thousands of time throughout the day some even spending 70% of their day singing. Some birds sing many different songs, while others only sing one. They use these songs to communicate with other birds. Sometimes the reason for singing is to attract a mate, but the chief reason that they sing is to notify the other birds in the area, that this territory belongs to them. Their song reinforces their ownership and to stake their territory.

Life has a way to taking the song out of us. Unexpected things come and knock the song out of us. When the bird sings, he is declaring who he is and identifies himself to other birds. Our song allows us to declare who we are and to serve notice to the devil that we are a child of God. Our worship is our song. It is our declaration that this life, this joy, this hope belongs to us and no one can take it away from us. Life’s hurts have a way of muting our music, but it is time to get our song back.

A bird’s song is important. It is often loud and repetitive. Birds sing their song’s thousands of time throughout the day some even spending 70% of their day singing. Some birds sing many different songs, while others only sing one. They use these songs to communicate with other birds. Sometimes the reason for singing is to attract a mate, but the chief reason that they sing is to notify the other birds in the area, that this territory belongs to them. Their song reinforces their ownership and to stake their territory.

Life has a way to taking the song out of us. Unexpected things come and knock the song out of us. When the bird sings, he is declaring who he is and identifies himself to other birds. Our song allows us to declare who we are and to serve notice to the devil that we are a child of God. Our worship is our song. It is our declaration that this life, this joy, this hope belongs to us and no one can take it away from us. Life’s hurts have a way of muting our music, but it is time to get our song back.

Bro. Long shares a story about a contractor who did some work at a client’s home to restore some water damage. The client’s insurance company sent another contractor to look at the job. The original contractor provided a bid to restore the client’s home. The insurance companies’ contractor only wanted to do the minimum needed for repair. The difference in the two bids were that one would have restored the home to it’s original state. The other would only make the minimum needed to repair and would not restore it to what it was before. Sometimes we encounter the same situation spiritually. We may consult the pastor about an issue and the Man of God offers what is needed to deal with a situation. Some will not like what the pastor says, and will seek out a second opinion. The difference is that the path to restoration involves fasting and prayer, while the repair may just offer temporary relief. When we try to repair our own soul, we fall short. We must seek God and the full restoration that He can offer. Repairing is temporary. Restoring is being made new. Often restoration seems to be more expensive, but the truth is that in the long run, restoration costs less. Too many are settling for repair in their life because it is cheaper. The cost may be more than they thought.

Bro. Long shares a story about a contractor who did some work at a client’s home to restore some water damage. The client’s insurance company sent another contractor to look at the job. The original contractor provided a bid to restore the client’s home. The insurance companies’ contractor only wanted to do the minimum needed for repair. The difference in the two bids were that one would have restored the home to it’s original state. The other would only make the minimum needed to repair and would not restore it to what it was before. Sometimes we encounter the same situation spiritually. We may consult the pastor about an issue and the Man of God offers what is needed to deal with a situation. Some will not like what the pastor says, and will seek out a second opinion. The difference is that the path to restoration involves fasting and prayer, while the repair may just offer temporary relief. When we try to repair our own soul, we fall short. We must seek God and the full restoration that He can offer. Repairing is temporary. Restoring is being made new. Often restoration seems to be more expensive, but the truth is that in the long run, restoration costs less. Too many are settling for repair in their life because it is cheaper. The cost may be more than they thought.

23000 people lined up to watch the Boston marathon. They came from all over the world to view this historic event. Every runner in the pack wanted to finish. Among them stood Bill Iffrig running his third marathon at age 78. He was on a pace to beat his best time. He had the finish line in site when the first bomb exploded a mere only feet away from him. The force crumpled his body as though he were a dishrag. When he regained consciousness, he realized that he was still alive and found only a scrape on his knee. A race official helped him up and Bill walked the final 10-15 feet to finish the race. Bill would explain: “After you have run 26 miles, you are not going to stop 10 feet from the finish line.” He realized that he was too close to give up now. He had every reason in the world to give up, but he did not.

Bill is not the only one to be knocked down in life. The apostle Paul knew what it was to be knocked down; persecuted, tortured and beaten. Like Bill, Paul proclaimed that he was not giving up. When life deals the blows, we cannot lay there in self-pity. There is something more important: We must finish what we started.

Things can explode in life unexpectedly. Terrorists attack to disrupt life and cause fear. Spiritual terrorism does the same thing. The devil seeks to disrupt life and instill fear. The answer to physical and spiritual terrorism is to get up. You cannot beat a man that will not stay down. It would be easier to stay down, but Bro. Hughes comes today to tell us that God has a better plan. Get back up and finish what we started. Bad things happen to good people. Getting knocked down is not a problem of weak people, or who are uncommitted or uninvolved. Bill Iffrig in addition running marathons, climbed mountains. He was a strong man and in better health than many men younger the he. Good men can get knocked down.

No matter how stunned, confused and hurt we may be, we have to get up because finishing is worthwhile. We will never regret finishing, but we will regret quitting. Getting back up is what the devil didn’t count on.