It is Mother’s Day today and as I was prepping to speak this morning – I was thinking about moms – about being a mom or a mom figure in someone’s life. What that means – what that entails – the responsibility – the calling of bearing the title of mother. And let me say – it’s beautiful and wonderful and amazing and…it’s a lot. We, as moms, endure a lot, hold a lot and carry a lot. That word carry seemed to stick out to me – we carry so much as moms. Support the weight of – we support the weight of so much and so many and often times it can be heavy loads. As I was looking at all the women up here just a few moments ago I was remembering what that stage was like – when my kids were younger. And I was younger.
I was carrying a lot back then – like actually physically – I remember it well – the diaper bags, purse, sippy cups, snacks, a child or sometimes two – and the pumpkin seats – do you all still do that? The seats that go into the car and you load your arm down with it – when our kids are little, we carry a lot – literally. But we also carry their fears and their joys and their discoveries. And as they grow the carrying changes, but we still carry heavy loads with them – just in a different way. And they need us to carry those loads with them. Our children need that – we all need that – we all need someone to help us carry our heavy loads – our burdens.
We are wrapping up our 5 week sermon series today - Closer – for the past 4 weeks we’ve been looking at what it means to commune with God, to worship God – not just on Sunday mornings but beyond – communing with him all day everyday – worshipping him with our lives.
Tim talked last week about listening to the spirit – being alert in all circumstances to hear and then obey – where you lead Lord – I will follow.
Maron – talked about worship as a verb – giving our whole selves to him in praise and adoration – all the time.
Barry – spoke about worshipping God by offering our gifts – of resources, praise and attention.
And in week one of this series Dave set the stage for all of the other weeks by defining what communion with God – what worship of God really is – he described it as
A “thin space” between heaven and earth in which you are as close to God as you can possibly be in this life.
I talked a bit about this sacred space back in February during our series on prayer – which that whole series is a really great companion to this series – prayer is communion with God – prayer is one of the ways to be closer to God - in that message I shared a quote from the book Going Higher with God in Prayer by AW Tozer
“I need to get to the point where I am coming up into His presence and allowing Him to come down into my presence at His discretion. And when that happens, I will begin to see things like I never saw them before. I see them from God’s perspective.”
In that thin space – where we meet God and see things from His perspective – we can bring our gifts, we can worship with our whole selves, we can hear from the Holy Spirit, and we can.
Bring our burdens to Jesus.
Jesus talks about this very idea in Matthew 11 verses 28-30
Why don’t you turn there
Hello to those online.
So, this is what Jesus says in Matthew 11
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11 is about the confirmation of Jesus as the Messiah. In the opening verses Matthew recalls John the Baptist’s prophesies and reflects on the promise of the coming Messiah. This culminates in providing rest for those who are weary and burdened.
Verse 28
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
This is a common promise through the history of Israel. God promised rest for his people if they would trust and obey him. In Exodus 33:14 – God says to Moses as he’s leading the people to the promised land.
14 The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”
Unfortunately for Israel they were never really able to enjoy much rest due to their lack of obedience. The promise of rest was there – but the people of Israel were stubborn and turned from God – there is no true rest outside of his presence – and here, in the passage we’re looking at, that rest that God is talking about – that rest is found in the person of Jesus.
Rest cannot be found outside the presence of God.
That thin space – is where you will find rest.
And in these verses in Matthew Jesus is explaining to his followers how to find that rest – that they and you desperately need.
The Lord was addressing the people of Israel who were burdened and weighed down with the legal dos and don’ts of the Pharisees, and with the consequences—the guilt, frustration, and dissatisfaction that always goes along with legalism.
Not unlike us – do you feel like life is hard – maybe at times unbearable – your burdens are heavy – the load you are under is pressing down on you
It’s cause and effect – all who are weary – you are weary – why because you carry heavy burdens.
What is making you weary – what are they heavy burdens? Something you’ve put on yourself – unhealthy behaviors or patterns – something that has been put upon you – someone that is difficult or toxic or broken – attack – what burden are you carrying that has made you weary.
In the midst of the weariness that the people of Israel felt – in the midst of your weariness – Jesus is saying:
Come to me.
Jesus enters the picture and the rest that God’s people have longed for for generations is finally a reality. Jesus offers to do for Israel (and us) what they were incapable of doing for themselves. Give them rest – give you rest – we are incapable of finding this rest outside of him.
How do we achieve that?
Continuing on Jesus says
Take my yoke upon you.
So, what is a yoke?
A yoke is a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals so that they can pull a cart or a plow.
They are yoked – joined together – bound together.
This would have been very familiar to the listeners at this time.
In the OT Those who were under the Mosaic Law were said to be yoked to Moses. Those who were under the authority of the Pharisees were said to be yoked to the Pharisees. Peter even challenges them about this later in Acts 15 verse 10 when he says:
“So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?”
The burdens the people are carrying are heavy – the things and people they are yoked to are unbearable.
What have you yoked yourself to? What or who have you joined to or bound yourself to – trying to find relief – trying to lighten the load – trying to release the burdens? How is it working?
Jesus is offering:
A new yoke
How can you lighten your load? Jesus says.
Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
This isn’t an invitation to take off our yoke and rest. No, it is Jesus’ invitation to us to put his yoke on.
Take off the heavy yoke of the world – and put on the yoke that adheres you to Jesus.
To be yoked to him.
Be yoked to the only One who can help carry your burdens and lighten your load.
This means you are with him – by his side – following – learning – absorbing all he has to offer – the life and freedom a relationship with him can give you – when you are following and abiding in Him – there you will find rest.
Following Jesus doesn’t mean we are released from all responsibility. To take Christ’s yoke upon you means to obey the Gospel and to submit to God’s will for our lives.
Jesus is clear, there are expectations to following him. And it won’t always be easy. But he’s gentle. He’s not like the other things we yoke our lives to that weigh us down.
Even in the difficult seasons we can find rest and peace because we are yoked to him. We aren’t going through life alone and by our own strength.
You are his disciple.
Let Him teach you.
And you will find rest for your souls.
Only in that thin space can we truly find that soul rest.
We are talking about having the attitude of a learner, someone who takes in and seeks to apply the information that comes from God. He talks about what this is like in Luke 6:47-49
47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”
When you yoke yourself to him – instead of other things/people – when you learn from him – obey him – as his follower/his disciple – your burden is lighter because your life is built on solid ground – it will not collapse in a heap around you.
He’s not taking the yoke away – he is replacing with a yoke that is tied to Him – and next to Him – yoked to him – you learn from him, you imitate him, you abide in him because He is
humble and gentle at heart,
Be yoked to the only One who can help carry your burdens and lighten your load.
Join Him – bind yourself to him!
Why? Because he says in verse 30
“For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
“Easy” is chrestos.
It is from a verb which means “useful, manageable, serviceable, that which fills a need and is well fitting.” In other words, it is designed to fit our needs; it is.
tailor-made.
He tailor made the yoke for you and Him.
He knows you – what you can carry – what you need. Just like a father or mother does.
“Light” is elaphros
“Light in weight, agile, not burdensome, or overbearing.”
So, what does it mean to take Christ’s yoke? To take Christ’s yoke means to submit to His person as the one who is gentle and meek, as one who is gentle and caring and concerned for us. It means to put yourself under His leading, to join yourself together with Him, but the difference is, He is the yoke mate, and this is how He can give rest.
One of the oxen is bigger than the other.
The bigger one is bearing the load – lifting the most – carrying the burden while the smaller one follows behind and learns right next to their yoke mate – the bigger, stronger one is giving rest to the other and teaching and guiding the other – lifting the burden – lifting the heavy – carrying the load.
Being a mom is a lot. We handle a lot. From the moment they enter our lives – we hold so much for them – we carry so much. Forever. It never stops. Once you are a mom you are always a mom. What we carry changes. The burdens change. The pumpkin seat seems easy now.
My kids are basically adults now and a few years ago I was with one of my children – just the 2 of us for a few days – and at the end of the time together they shared something deep with me. I think they had been building up to sharing this burden with me for quite some time. And they finally found the voice to tell – it was hard to hear – it was a lot. The next morning I woke up and thought about all I had shared in my life with my mom – the truths – the hard – the burdens – I remembered how I felt once I’d shared with her – so when my child woke up and I asked them – do you feel lighter – and they were like what – I said now that you’ve shared this heavy load with me do you feel lighter – and they thought for a moment and said – yah I do – and I said that’s because I will carry it with you now.
That’s what a mother does – that’s what a father does – that’s what our father does.
Sometimes we carry it with you – sometimes the load is so great we have to carry it for you – and sometimes the burden has beat you down so hard we just need to carry you until you are healed enough – whole enough to walk on your own again.
That is what Jesus is saying to you – let me carry this with you – let me carry this for you – or let me just carry you.
Yoke yourself to Jesus. He will carry your burdens – he will carry you.
Be yoked to the only One who can help carry your burdens and lighten your load.
When you enter that thin sacred space – where you ascend to Him and He descends to you – you can bring your burdens – no matter how heavy they are – no matter if you can’t carry them – He will meet you right there and yoke you to Him.
You meet him in that space – and he is standing there hands outstretched to you saying – come – yoke yourself to me – and you stand up take his hand and get into that yoke right next to him – bigger, stronger, sturdier him and he turns to you and says my child I will carry it with you now
And I’m going to give you space to do that right now.
I know you are all carrying burdens – some smaller – some heavy – some so deep and so difficult and so hard that it is holding you captive.