Let us turn in our Bibles to Matthew 11:29-30.
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. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
Let us have a word of prayer.
Thank You, Lord, for giving this time to us. We praise You and worship You. Lord, You are our Shepherd. You are our refuge; You are our Comforter. I praise You and worship You.
Thank You for Your cross, and Your death, and the sacrifice You made on the cross of Calvary, through which we received abundant life. I praise You and worship You. Bless this word and sanctify us. Lord, we ask Your help today.
Help me to utter Your word, and enable us to hear Your word and understand the word. We ask for Your Holy Spirit’s presence. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.
Jesus is giving an invitation here to everyone who is tired and burdened. He is calling them to Himself, to give them His rest and His peace.
In those days, the people were under the laws of the Pharisees. They had many laws to observe and implement, and they were tired and weary under those laws.
But Jesus, in a different way, calls the people who are tired and weary and tells them that He is going to give them peace. He says that His yoke is easy and light.
You know, the yoke is the wooden beam placed between animals as they do farming. It also resembles a cross. So He is comparing both things at the same time: the yoke and the cross.
In Lamentations 3:27, the Word says:
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
It is good for a man to bear the yoke at a young age. You know D. L. Moody? He was a preacher.
One time, after he completed his sermon and returned to his room, his friend asked him, “How many did God save today?” He replied, “Three and a half.”
His friend thought that it meant three elderly people and one young person. But Moody said, “No, it is three young people and one elderly person.”
His thought was that young people have more years to serve the Lord. They can invest more of their energy, strength, and wisdom in the Lord.
That is true. Even elderly people can serve the Lord effectively. It is not about quantity; it is about the quality of work that we do for our Lord.
So it is good for the young to bear this cross, this yoke, because knowing the Lord is a very blessed thing in one’s life.
You know, this world is very busy now. Social media is making it worse. People are confused. One news item comes on social media, and immediately another thing comes against it. We cannot understand what is truth and what is a lie.
The world is also becoming fast—instant, immediate, ready-made. “I want it now.” We cannot wait. There is no patience.
When people cannot wait, they become more aggressive. Then they do all kinds of strange things. This is the yoke of the world. There is no peace in this world; there is a lot of confusion.
There are other types of yokes also. Businessmen have the yoke of money. Politicians have the yoke of power. Celebrities have the yoke of becoming famous. There is the yoke of ego and pride.
These are all yokes of this world, and they do not give us peace.
Second Corinthians 6:14-15 says not to be unequally yoked—with believers and unbelievers, righteousness and unrighteousness, light and darkness, Christ and Belial, God and idols.
Some people are very busy—busy bodies. They are always busy, but they do not work for the Lord. You know the word busy, B-U-S-Y? It can mean “being under Satan’s yoke.”
They are busy, but they are not working for the Lord. These are the yokes of the world, and there is no peace.
But our Lord Jesus Christ gives us peace, comfort, and the easy and light yoke.
You know, in a yoke there are two animals on both sides—oxen. Spiritually, when we compare this to the yoke, one side is us and the other side is Jesus, carrying the yoke.
We are not alone in the Christian life. Jesus Christ is always with us. He is beside us.
Hebrews 13:5 says:
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
This word gives us great comfort and great peace in our hearts. He is always with us.
He told Isaac in Genesis 26:3, “I will be with thee.” He told Jacob in Genesis 28:15, “I am with thee.” To Moses, He said in Exodus 3:12, “I will be with thee.” And to Joshua, He said, “I will not leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
So Christian life is not solitary. Our Lord is with us.
It is like a marriage. One person cannot marry himself; two people are required. So Christian life is like a marriage. We are not alone; our Lord is with us.
Also, there is a burden on the yoke, and the burden is shared between Jesus and us. The burden is shared.
The Lord Jesus Christ has already removed the burden of sin from us. He paid the penalty for our sin. He removed that heavy weight of sin. We are now free in Christ Jesus.
Our day-to-day burdens are also shared by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 55:22 says:
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Cast thy burden upon the Lord. We have to learn how to transfer our weight to the Lord.
One woman was carrying her baggage on her head. This is an illustration from India. She was carrying her baggage on her head and waiting for a bus to come.
When the bus came, she boarded it with her baggage still on her head. Even after getting into the bus, she did not put the weight down. She continued to carry it on her head.
Then she got a seat and sat down, but still she carried the weight on her head. What is the benefit of this? The bus is there to carry the weight also, but she is not allowing it to do so.
When we do not transfer our burden to the Lord, it is like carrying a twenty-kilogram suitcase with us all the time—standing, sitting, and sleeping.
Our Lord says, “Cast thy burden upon Me.” You may have many plans for your future, your family, your studies, and your ministry.
Who is the better planner: are we, or is God? God is the good planner and the good designer. If we give Him our plans and put them into the Lord’s hands, they will become more perfect.
So let us cast our burden upon the Lord, that we may be relieved from this burden and enjoy our spiritual life.
Often, we feel that the world is unstable. We think that war may break out at any time, or perhaps another pandemic will come. When we think like this, we become anxious about the future. What is going to happen?
First Peter 5:7 says:
Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He careth for you.
Cast your burden and your anxiety on the Lord. That gives us peace in our hearts and rest for our souls. This is the work that happens when we are under the cross, under the yoke of Jesus Christ.
When we are under the yoke together with Christ, we walk together, talk together, and have fellowship together with Jesus Christ. This is a great blessing.
One brother used to pray like this: “Lord, unite us in Your Son’s death, burial, and resurrection. Unite us.”
We are united into His death, into His burial, and into His resurrection when we are under the yoke of Jesus Christ.
When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, we are saved. We receive salvation. This is the work done inside our hearts.
When we proclaim this to the outside world, we witness through the waters of baptism. This is the immersion, the union in His death.
So we are all united in His death, burial, and resurrection.
In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, I am not reading the full verse, but there is one statement in the middle: “If one died for all, then were all dead.” One died for all.
With human reasoning, we cannot explain this. How, if one person dies, can all be dead together?
Let us suppose there is a group of sick people, and only one person takes the medicine. Does that mean all of them have taken medicine? No.
Or consider a group of hungry people. If one person eats food, does that mean everybody in the group has eaten? No.
God’s Word is beyond our comprehension. Sometimes we cannot explain it with our reasoning, but it is true. It is true.
When David killed Goliath, was the victory only for David, or for all Israel? When David killed Goliath, the victory was for the whole kingdom of Israel.
The Lord Jesus Christ did the same thing for us. He died for us so that we are all dead—dead to sin and alive unto God.
Colossians 2:12 says:
Buried with Him in baptism.
We are buried with Him in baptism. Normally, who will be buried? Dead people, right? Only the dead ones.
Who should tell us that a person is dead? Can the dead person tell us, “I am dead”? No. Others must say that this person is dead.
Suppose the dead person comes back to life. What happens? We think he is dead, but he comes back.
Let me give you one more illustration. One person was transporting an empty coffin box in the back of an open truck. After some time, it began to rain.
He thought, “I will hide from the rain for some time.” So he went inside the coffin box and closed the door.
After some time, two more people got into the truck. They saw the coffin box and thought that someone was transporting it to another place.
After a few minutes, the rain stopped. The person inside the coffin box tried to open the door. The two other people in the truck saw this and became frightened. They jumped out of the truck and ran away.
It is like this: when a dead person comes back to life, it has serious consequences for others as well.
When we are united in death with Jesus Christ, we are dead to sin, and we do not respond to sin.
In Mark 8:34, we read:
Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
When we are under the yoke of Jesus Christ, we have to deny ourselves. Deny self.
There is no “I” in self-denial. There is a big “I” in pride.
Who said, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above God”? Lucifer. “I, I, I.” Lucifer was proud.
This “I” should be laid aside. This “I” should become a big zero. When we are under the yoke of Jesus Christ, there must be self-denial.
When there is self-denial, we are taking up the yoke. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself took the cross. He denied Himself.
He was equal with God, yet He laid aside His reputation. He became like a servant in the form of man and humbled Himself unto death on the cross of Calvary. He denied Himself and took the cross upon Himself.
The yoke is like a cross: laying aside the letter “I,” laying aside ego and pride, and allowing the will of God in our lives.
This is the truth of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. We heard this morning how His death impacts our lives. It is His death, and also our death united in Christ Jesus.
Self-denial means allowing the will of God in our lives. Allowing the will of God is the important thing.
If the will of God is a straight line going upward, then our will is always horizontal—perpendicular to it, crossing and cutting across the will of God. That is the meaning of the cross.
We have to deny ourselves, let go of our will, and allow the will of God in our lives. That is the impact of the cross and the impact of the yoke.
You know Jacob and Joseph. Joseph brought his two sons to Jacob for a blessing: Manasseh, the elder one, and Ephraim, the younger one.
Joseph brought the two sons so that Jacob would bless Manasseh with his right hand and Ephraim with his left hand. But Jacob crossed his hands and blessed them.
Joseph did not like this. It was against his will. Joseph wanted Manasseh to be blessed with Jacob’s right hand.
But Jacob blessed him with his left hand. It is written that Joseph was displeased because his will was not done there.
Joseph told his father, “Father, this is not correct. Please correct Yourself. Bless Manasseh with Your right hand. He is the elder one.”
But Jacob refused him and said, “My son, I know it. I know it.”
The will of God often goes across our will in life. We have to allow it in our lives. We have to accept it.
We must understand the will of God and allow the will of God in our lives in order to receive the blessing of God.
Sometimes believers also tell God, “Lord, this is not correct. Please change Your plan. Please change Your will.”
No. God is always right. He is the perfect planner for our lives. This is the work of the cross. This is the work under the yoke of Jesus Christ.
We have to accept the will of God. Jesus did that before going to the cross of Calvary. He said, “Thy will be done, not My will.”
After accepting the will of God, He was ready to go to the cross willingly. He showed complete obedience.
If we do not accept the will of God in our lives, we may not be able to show complete obedience. Half obedience is complete disobedience.
So we have to accept the will of God in our lives.
We have to be honest with God. We have to be truthful with the Lord.
When we go to meet a doctor, we have to explain clearly what our problem is. We cannot hide it. Unless we tell what the problem is, the doctor will not be able to treat us well.
When we see an attorney, a lawyer, or the police, we have to be truthful in order to provide correct information and win the case. Otherwise, we lose it.
The same applies to our Lord. We must have a one-to-one relationship with Him, being honest and truthful. This is the first thing we do when we allow the will of God in our lives.
The will of God is not like a highway where we can see five or ten miles ahead. It is like climbing a mountain and taking turns. We have to wait and see what the next turn will be.
That is the will of God—daily. Daily we have to allow His will in order to show complete obedience.
It is like when you go to a barber shop. When you sit in the chair, you have to cooperate with the barber, whatever he tells you.
Even if you are a Supreme Court judge, a governor of a state, or the president of this country, the barber may move your head forward, sideways, or backward. You have to obey.
It is also like buying new cloth and taking it to a tailor to make a shirt or trousers. He takes the new cloth and cuts it into pieces.
Can we say, “Please do not do that. No, no, stop it. Do not cut my new cloth”? No. Unless he cuts it, he cannot make a shirt or trousers.
In the same way, the vineyard keeper removes unwanted branches from us. Why? To make us more fruitful.
The work of the Lord can be a painful experience. The will of God working in our lives may be displeasing to us, and it may be painful. But it helps us grow in the Lord and become more fruitful, until we come into conformity with His image.
You know, a sculptor takes a rock and makes a statue. He removes all the unwanted parts until it becomes a statue.
Sometimes the will of God working in us is a painful experience. It is the same way.
When we understand the will of God and allow the will of God in our lives, then we are ready to do the work of the Lord and serve the Lord freely.
In 1 Corinthians 16:15, we read:
I beseech you, brethren, ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have set themselves to minister unto the saints.
This is one step further. After accepting the will of God, we are ready to serve the saints and minister to the saints.
The King James Version uses the word “addicted”—addicted to the service of God. That means they could not live without it. They were so accustomed to it and devoted their lives to it. That was the main purpose of their lives.
When we do not understand the will of God and the work of the Lord in our lives, we will not be able to go to that level. Something is stopping us—perhaps half obedience, perhaps something that is not pleasing us.
Serving the Lord and ministering to the saints is a spiritual step further. “Addicted” means that spiritually we are tuned to serve others.
There is no self; there is self-denial. They look for the needs of others and serve them.
The Lord Jesus Christ prayed that the Father’s will would be done in His life. Then He died for others on the cross of Calvary and saved many people.
This is the work of the cross that removes the “I” in us: being devoted to the service of the saints.
Let me tell you about one brother, Brother Bakht Singh, for the glory of God.
He studied in Canada and completed two engineering degrees here. He came to know the Lord here.
After knowing the Lord, he never tried to take a job. He decided to go back to India and serve the Lord.
After he landed in India, while he was at a train station, his parents came to meet him. They knew that he had converted to Christianity, and they did not like it.
They told Bakht Singh, “Leave this God. Do not serve this God. Come to us; we will take care of you. Leave this God, because our community will not accept this God.”
You know what Bakht Singh said? “He is my breath. How can I stop breathing without Him? He is my breath.”
Then he served the Lord freely and established many churches.
This is the will of God. When you know the Lord, you break the chains. You are free to serve.
One brother prayed, “We do not want to be free. We want to be servants of Your love.”
If you know the love of God, you will not sit quietly. You will not sit quietly.
You will serve the Lord one hundred percent—preaching, proclaiming, and praising His glorious name. Nothing in this world can stop us.
Let us pray.
Thank You, Lord, for this time You have given us. We praise You, worship You, and magnify Your glorious and amazing name.
Lord, sanctify this word. May we understand, may we grow in You, and may we be profitable for You, Lord. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.