The easy burden

• Matt 11:25-29
• Jesus is talking to the multitudes here and his making some pretty bold statements- he’s saying here- he’s been talking to people who can and will hear him, these people know he’s Father God, and that if they would believe in them they’d have a better life
• Here’s the subtext of this passage- 
• The sense of biblical rest is knowing that everything we toil for on this earth is meaningless- 
• You can’t enter into the rest of Jesus if you still have one leg in the world and half of your heart in the world
• This is the struggle of man for thousands of years- My favorite book is Ecclesiasties- because it encapsulates so well the idea that only following God satisfies- everything else is pointless
• 1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.2 “Vanity[a] of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” 3 What profit has a man from all his labor
• In which he [b]toils under the sun?4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.
• And we, like the writer of Ecc, and these multitudes sitting with Jesus- find ourselves in this same tension at times- will the things of this world satisfy me more than Jesus- 
• And if you’re toiling for the things of this world you may find it to be meaningless as well
• Have you ever worked for something, got it and it didn’t satisfy? You still felt empty?
• That’s the ethos of this world- and if you really boil it down- you either pay for an item, an experience or a necessity. That’s about it. And I hope through this covidness that you’ve learned what to value- I hope you’ve learned what you need and don’t need. 
• Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

1. Knowing Jesus is the greatest thing

• V25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.
• Much like now- those people who are “educated” and “influential” have a demeanor of “we know better than you religious rubes and yokels” 
• There’s literally a sense from them that if we would just be as smart as them, we wouldn’t need to have the crutch of spirituality and we could really live
• It was the same back then- and bless God- God in his infinite wisdom says- you know what- I’m not going to worry about these self grandiose people who think they don’t need me- I’m going to those who I know will receive it. 
• Ezekiel 12:2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.
• This is historical normalcy- people who refuse to the simplicity of the call of God- and live in a rebellion they need not live in- 
• Jeremiah 5:21 ‘Hear this now, O foolish people, Without understanding, Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not:
• Why do people live this way? Mostly rebellion. Selfishness. They don’t want to submit to God and his ways. And they love immorality- they like living contrary to the edicts of God. 
• David prophesies  Psalm 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
• God has always gone to the underdog. To the outcast. To the fringe people. The broken
• Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
• Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me [a]to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives
• And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
• What does it mean to you
• Bless God that you know Jesus! It’s the greatest thing in this world! If you’re here today, and you know Jesus- or you can fathom this message- you are not blinded- it’s not hidden to you
• It was- to many Jewish people and gentiles they couldn’t see it through their rebellion- 
• And the ONLY way for the veil to be lifted is through the preaching of the Gospel- that’s it
• 2 Corinthians 3:14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.
• And we must continue to speak the truth of Christ so that more people may have the veil lifted and see the truth of who Christ is, what he has done and what he can do
• 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 READ
• Do you remember those things in the mall that you have to squint to see? HOURS- never seen it
• I don’t know why- maybe I’m too smart for it- ‘look through it’ whatever- Never saw nothing
• But that’s not you- you see it- you know it- and what a blessing it is to know him. 
• But do you find yourself watching the world do what it does and wonder, why can’t they see it?  Its so easy- accept forgiveness and live for Jesus- worship him- grow- tell others. 
• 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
• We need to pray and live out Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
• That’s what we have and that’s what we want others to have and experience freedom in CHRIST- joy overflowing- 
• John 3:19-20 

2. Knowing Jesus is Knowing the father

• Here’s the other part of Knowing Jesus and this is an important distinction- knowing Jesus is knowing the father- and that’s important because God wants to know you through Jesus- 
• 26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
• To be in relationship with Jesus is to be in relationship with God the father- they are one
• John 14:6-9 READ
• Now as we preach- I like to throw in a little preach- Jesus is God the father- he is
• Pastor Tim did a great preaching on the Trinity at the Advance- and I think its important to understand this- because it helps you understand the nature and character of God- 
• If you want to know who God is- get to know who Jesus is- and you’ll know who God is
• Loving, caring, forgiving, serving, teaching, rebuking, comforting, leading, protecting, providing
• If Jesus were not God- no Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Luke 10:22 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” John 3:35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
• What does it mean to you- 
• You need to internalize and defend that Jesus is God. Mormons, JWs, Muslims, do not believe this- they do not know the God of the Bible- because they do not believe that Jesus is God. 
• It’s why Jesus is so central to our faith- because He is God- 
• Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
• And you may know this- but there’s people here that don’t know that- they need to hear it
• When you say you want a relationship with God but you don’t want a relationship with Jesus you are saying you don’t want a relationship with God. 
• 1 John 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
• This is why we can worship Jesus, follow him, do what he says and believe in Him for salvation
• If Jesus were not God- he could not have been holy enough to pay for our sins- he couldn’t
• Bird story- in the garage “if I could just be a bird for a moment- I could show them to safety” 
• Jesus came to show us the way to father- we need to follow him as such- we are not blinded- we know the truth- we need to follow him. 
• John 7:29 But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.
• 1 Peter 3:22  1 john 5:20 Philippians 2:10-11 

3. Knowing Jesus is the easy burden

• Jesus wants to take care of you- he wants to take your burdens 
• 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [f]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
• Multilayered here- the first burden is the burden of the OT sacrificial system
• Hebrews 10:11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
• The ongoing process for the atonement for sins was too much for anyone to handle
• And at this point in the story- Jesus is dealing with Jews who had been living under this burden
• Can you imagine never walking in forgiveness and always having to resacrifice every year?
• Never having full freedom? Never fully forgiven? Thinking there was one thing you got wrong?
• When Jesus said in John 19:30 “it is finished” he meant what he said- it was finished
• This burden of yearning, working, and striving through the Old system would be tumultuous 
• Take the Jesus burden- the burden of belief and submission- not of blood and repetition
• The second burden is the burden of direction- 

• This word picture that Jesus uses here of yoke denotes a connectedness with the savior
• Commonly yokes upon animals in bible times and now is a double yoke- two animals together
• And so you can see immediately that the idea of being on the yoke with Jesus would give you better direction that being by yourself. Yoked with Jesus means a load being pulled by God himself
• The third burden is the burden of transformation
• Now- I’m not a farmer- and you probably already knew this but an ox isn’t a different animal
• An ox is just a trained cattle- a cow that has learned to do field work- 
• Jesus talks about life, discipleship, direction and indirectly for anyone in a agrarian society could quickly make the connection- if I put on the Jesus yoke I’m going to be trained to be something else- I’m going to become something different- I can’t be a ox- but with Jesus I can. 
• The fourth burden is the burden of Bondage- 
• An ox is bound by his yoke but the yoke of Jesus isn’t a yoke of bondage its one of freedom
• “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
• The bondage of sin is a heavy yoke- and the Jesus yoke is one of joy in the Holy Ghost
• Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
• This freedom from sin can only be found in Christ! No one else! 
• So we find ourselves- here- here on this earth- longing for something more- and Jesus says- take my yoke- its easy- he says come to me for water that you’ll never thirst again. 
• This is a biblical ideal that has been the Call of God from all time- just come to me- please- I want to take care of you- I want to love you- I want to refresh you. We all identify with thirst
• Isaiah 55:1-3 READ Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; 
• He says- Isaiah 45:22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
• John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
• Revelation 22:17 
• Jesus wants you to be yoked to him and him alone
• 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. 
• Lev 19:19 no cross breeding of livestock 
• Deuteronomy 22:9-11 “. 10 “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. 
• Two things that were never intended to be together should not be put together
• Its interesting- you read about training ox and a teamster will tell you- an old one is harder to train but you will get more work out of them- they don’t tire as easy- but you must be consistent, firm, and patient- isn’t that what God is with us?
• 1 pet 2:9 a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, 
• So when Jesus comes to us and says, I have revealed myself to you- I have shown you
• And then he says- come- take this easy yoke it’s a promise of transformation, direction, a freedom from sin and the sacrificial system- and we should TAKE IT- 
• Because in a world in which we live like this- we intrinsically know its limitations- we long for something more- and Jesus wants to be that for us- but we must take that yoke
• Because it is easy and light

Pastor Matt Krachunis preaches on The easy burden. Please share online for others to see.

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