Matthew 11:16-30 - Skip Heitzig

[Music] welcome to expound our weekly worship and verse by verse study of the Bible our goal is to expand your knowledge of the truth of God by explaining the Word of God in a way that is interactive enjoyable and congregational we call this a textual community let's rejoice and learn God's Word in an interactive and enjoyable new way ok turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 11 because we are gonna celebrate the Lord's Supper we didn't finish chapter 11 last week so we're going to confine our purview to the finishing of the 11th chapter and then we'll take the Lord's Supper together let's pray together Lord it's so wonderful to sing the songs in earnest from our hearts those words with the melodies that express the sentiments of praise and worship adoration that no one else deserves but you and you've heard from us but central to our worship is that we hear from you and so really we come now to the most important part of the worship and that is the understanding and application of the words preserved by you through history to us give us ears to hear even as Jesus would say often to the crowd whoever has ears to hear let him hear truth is important but listening to the truth is as important because if we fail to listen to what you're really trying to say to us we miss an incredible opportunity so open up our ears open up our understanding that we might know you better in Jesus name Amen for 400 years God had been silent between Malachi and Matthew what that means is that he sent no prophet to speak to the nation he was not broadcasting through his messengers for 400 years kay God K G OD was not broadcasting the signal fell silent God had nothing more to say to his people than he had already said through the Old Testament prophets until we get to John the Baptist John the Baptist was the last according to Jesus of the Old Testament prophets for all the prophets of Jesus prophesied until John John was the one that pointed to the new covenant kingdom the Messiah Jesus said he was the greatest man born of a woman but John only anticipated the kingdom did not get to enjoy the kingdom therefore jesus also said who is he who is least in the kingdom is even greater than John the Baptist John the Baptist came fulfilled his ministry a very short one by the way by the time we get to Matthew chapter 11 he's in prison and he's in doubt we mentioned last week that he's out in the Jordanian desert in modern geography at a fortress called Mackerras which is five miles east of the Dead Sea and 20 miles south in the middle of nowhere confined confined because in his boldness he rebuked Herod for in illicit marriage to his brother's wife and now he's confined and in Makai hrus in that dungeon in that prison he will be beheaded it is in that prison that he finds himself in doubt as to who Jesus is after all if the prophet said he's going to set the prisoners free why is he still a prisoner he's the one that announced him and he's in prison so he sends two disciples and the question is simple are you the coming one or should we look for another I got to tell you I take great comfort in some respect in John question John's question because some of the most spiritual people and we just barely noted this last week some of the most spiritual people struggled deeply Charles Spurgeon told his congregation that he gets so deep and in so many dark places of depression he said I go to areas I pray none of you ever go he struggled Martin Luther struggled deeply with depression Moses didn't even want to lead the children of Israel said you know can you send somebody else and then when he's in the middle of all they're complaining he's thinking see I knew from the beginning I shouldn't have done this Jeremiah wanted to quit Elijah just said let my life be over just kill me right here and now that Jezebel chick is after me and I just can't handle it I read an alarming statistic some time ago that 1,600 Ministers quit the ministry every month for a number of reasons among some of them are just the stress the burnout the issues the problems and it never ends it seems the politics etc in that review that I was reading it it also said that 70% of those pastors acknowledged that they sensed a strong calling of God to go into the pastor it before they went into the ministry but three years later only fifty percent since that same calling so it was diminishing over time so I'm so happy that the Bible is so honest with its heroes we think of John the Baptist man he's a heavyweight he's a hero he's one of the spiritual muscle men pointing to Jesus acknowledging Jesus now he's doubting Jesus is this even the one or should we look for another and so Jesus just go tell John the things that you've heard and seen the Deaf can hear the blind can see and the poor of the gospel preached to them now he deals with John's doubt but he also deals with many of the spiritual leaders the crowd in general even and their reaction to Jesus and again we briefly touched on it so I'm going to take you back to verse 15 of chapter 11 where Jesus says he who has ears to hear let him hear and you find that that is a common phrase that he uses it's used throughout the New Testament is that when trevor truth is given it's incumbent upon a person to really pay attention as if their whole future is determined by what they hear in fact it could be said it's better to not hear at all than to hear and not respond with that in mind look at the next verse but to what shall I liken this generation it is like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to their companions and saying we played the flute for you and you didn't dance we mourned to you and you didn't lament for John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he has a demon the son of man came eating and drinking and they say look a glutton and a wine-bibber a friend of tax collectors and sinners but wisdom is justified by her children some people are never satisfied no matter what they're predisposed toward a certain person that no matter what that person does or says they just will not be satisfied they're like little spoiled brats little children we mentioned last week that there was a game that they used to play mimicking adult rituals one was playing wedding and one was playing funeral and when children would play wedding they would often maybe get a dress that they could find that one would play the bride one would play the groom one would play the friend of the bridegroom one would play the musician who would play a nice happy little tune and so some of the kids would say let's play wedding and the other kids go okay we'll all be the bride and then the guys that say well I'm not going to be the groom then what one unlucky SAP would be the groom and the other guys would laugh at them and they'd be playing wedding but there would always be one kid or a few kids I don't want to play wedding and so you'd say well let's play funeral then you be the dead person I don't want to play funeral in other words like some children there are some people that just can not be satisfied no matter what and so it was in the Ministry of John the Baptist's and the Ministry of Jesus John the Baptist came sort of in funeral mode he was more austere he wore camel's hair and he was a recluse he was a hermit out in the wilderness in the desert and he was very rigid and very condemned natori and enunciate ori and people said well we don't like john the baptist he's so legalistic and so narrow-minded and that's because even when the narrow-minded pharisees came he was to the right of the Pharisees he was more conservative and more rigid than the Pharisees and pronounce judgment on them so they said we don't like John he's so rigid and so ascetic Jesus came along and he was very wedding like with joy and celebration in fact some of the disciples of John came to the disciples of Jesus and said how come you guys don't fast like we fast and pray like we pray and basically their answer was we're in wedding mode man we have the bridegroom here we have the Messiah with us it's time to celebrate and and Jesus did celebrate he was not a recluse he didn't withdraw from society like John the Baptist did he integrated into society he showed up at wedding feasts he turned water into wine he showed up at Matthew's house when they were having a party he mingled with tax collectors and sinners so they would say we don't like John the Baptist because he's so narrow but we don't like Jesus because he's so much of a libertine this is their theology their viewpoint Jesus saying you know what the problem isn't with us the problem is with you you're spoiled little brats and somebody says let's play wedding now let's play funeral no now children are like that we adore our grandson he is so fun to be with oh and did you know and if you didn't I have a granddaughter on the way just want you to make sure that's been announced but you know the word can't get out enough there hasn't been a daughter in the Heitzig family for over a hundred years so we're we're breaking some ground here but it's an interesting thing about our grandson he can't eat her between emotions in one second he can be so happy and then just a split second later he can get into crying mode and so we find ourselves trying to do everything we can to entertain him will do monkey noises I'll do imitations we'll bring out the toys to get him going and that's okay for a kid it's not okay for an adult and it's especially not okay for anyone who would say I'm a spiritual adult to have to be treated to be brought in and caressed in and maintained with doing something that just pleases them all the time so Jesus ends by saying but wisdom is justified by her children in other words truth will justify itself by what it produces if you look at the Ministry of John the Baptist that pointed to the Messiah and the Messiah himself and those who follow the Messiah the disciples of Jesus and you see the changed lives and the healed bodies and the joy that has produced God's wisdom and the truth that is produced by this duo John the Baptist and Jesus what justifies their ministry is what that truth in ministry produces now you could put a line between verse 19 and verse 20 because up till now Jesus rebuked and it has been a rebuke has been a mild rebuke he says you guys are like kids are like little spoiled brats in the marketplace you can't be pleased now if you think that's harsh and it is it is very mild now Jesus unloads both barrels and the words are much harsher than previously as he goes right for the jugular and he's going to do this from here till the time he gets crucified and you begin to understand why their hatred toward him that brings on the crucifixion is accelerated from here on out then he began to rebuke strong harsh reproof is the idea of rebuke he began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works the work for mighty works means his miraculous works his power works Dunamis is the word in which most of his mighty works have been done because they did not repent now what our Lord is going to do is compare three cities with three other cities three contemporary cities at that time around Galilee Jewish cities with three ancient pagan cities three cities that felt themselves to be very special with three cities that they as Jewish people knew to be the epitome of condemnation the epitome of Gentile filth I mean what could be worse than Sodom you know what could be worse than Sodom and if you probably in your mind have a list I don't know what's on the list but you probably have a list if I were to say name three of the worst cities in America what would be number one on your list San Francisco I've heard New Orleans Las Vegas of course that comes to mind I don't know if they are any worse but they they come to they come to my mind as well well if you were to ask a Jewish person what's the worst city ever they'd say Sodom right Sodom Gomorrah they're high on the list what Jesus is saying actually you know it's worse than Sodom capernum that's that's tops the list and then Cora zine and then but sada I'll look at it yourself he he rebukes them and he says woe to you Cora zine woe to you bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes but I say to you it will be more tolerable for tyre and sidon in the day of judgment than for you and you companion who are exalted to heaven will be brought down to hell Hades for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day but I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for you do you realize that for a person to go to hell all that person has to do is nothing and if people say well boy that guy's pretty bad look at all the bad things he's done he's probably gonna go do you know where actually you don't need to do anything you can just not do something when truth is presented and you don't have the right response whether you marginalize it or you denounce it or you spurn it or you reject it the more you have presented to you the more you know the more responsible you are with that knowledge to whom much has been given much shall be required you remember Matthew 7 at the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said but to the one who hears my sayings and does not do them see all he has to do is not do what he said if you hear them and you don't do them I liken that person to one who builds his house upon the sand and the rains descended and the floods came and the wind blew against that house and that house fell and great was its fall all that house all that person all that city has to do is nothing at all now these three towns that are mentioned in these verses you can see their names we're all places that had the fortune the blessing is a better word of of having Jesus hang around them for three and a half years they're close to each other if you have a map in the back of your Bible and you look at the Sea of Galilee on the northwestern shore just about two and a half three miles from each other are these three towns that are mentioned Capernaum is where Jesus had his headquarters in chapter 9 of Matthew verse 1 Capernaum is called his own City Jesus made that his own City he moved from Nazareth and he made Capernaum his headquarters the town of Bethsaida to the north by the inlet of the upper part of the Jordan River into the Sea of Galilee is where Andrew was from and Peter was from originally it was that called the town of Philip this is the area in that region where Jesus fed the thousands of people that incredible meal so these three cities on the northwestern part of the Sea of Galilee saw enough dunam ice that's the word power works miraculous works they saw enough power works of Jesus that Jesus ministry and words would be accredited there's enough proof that he was the Messiah thousands of people heard and saw the mighty deeds that was enough should have been enough to convince them and have them respond rightly to his ministry and to his message but they didn't so Jesus uses a strong word which is woe and woe isn't just you're on a horse and you want to slow down so you go whoa or like whoa dude don't get so heavy it's not that kind of whoa its whoa kind of whoa in Hebrew it's boy now I know it's written in Greek but it sounds very similar way is the Greek word and it's the translation in the Hebrew ie which means what a pity what a terrible shame it's a condemning kind of a word oh how terrible and what could be more evil than the notorious cities of Tyre and Sidon or Sodom and Jesus is actually you left the three that should be on the top of the list off your list now you have to understand what a Joel this would have been to a Jewish listener who thinks that the worst places in the world our Gentile areas right tyre and sidon those are notorious Gentile ports up in modern-day Lebanon actually tires an island that was created off the Seacoast for defense purposes but tyre and sidon were ports and as ports if you are in the Navy or were in the Navy you know the reputation that a port city has and a Gentile port city had all of the filth imported and exported from it that you could imagine and so tyre and sidon became notorious by words for filth and they were pronounced in judgment upon in the Old Testament the prophet Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel a Joel and Amos all pronounced judgment and tyre and sidon doom so the doom that came historically to these nations the Jewish people saw as evidence of God's judgment upon them but what Jesus is saying is what's even worse than some place that is notoriously evil like tyre in sight in those lewd seaports where filth is imported and export from our areas who have been given a high privilege of having Jesus with them and they didn't turn to him they didn't receive him by and large oh there was a few interested people and there were lots of crowds that wanted more food and more tricks when it came to actually being disciples of him there was no repentance and so I say to you verse 22 it will be more tolerable for tyre and sidon in the Day of Judgment than for you and every Jewish jaw dropped down I can't believe he just said that and you Capernaum Capernaum is saved as the last one and that's because not only was it in the middle of these towns but it was the place that Jesus made his home it's the place that Peter had his home and he had his fishing business in Capernaum and if you come to Israel with us this next spring you'll be in Capernaum and we'll walk around that town what's left of it and you Capernaum who are exalted to heaven will be brought down to Hades actually in the original it's a question and you Capernaum do you think you will be exalted to heaven no you shall be brought down to hell that's how it's worded for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day but I say to you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for you think of all the miracles that were done in Capernaum alone Jairus his daughter was healed the nobleman's son was healed the Centurions servant was healed the demoniac was healed the man with the withered hand and the synagogue was healed Peters mother-in-law was healed the man who was a paralytic who has let down through the roof of presumably Peters house was healed miracle after miracle after miracle the entire Township and surrounding area should have all come to faith they didn't repent that's what Jesus said back in verse 20 because they did not repent so he said it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom you know that's just an amazing statement because Sodom would have topped their list and probably would have topped your list or at least been on your list it was one of the five cities in Genesis the cities of the plain it was called and it was known for its unusual lust its lewdness it was also known for its pride and known for its oppression of the poor so what could be worse than that I'll tell you what can be worse than that a person who hears truth and rejects it hears the truth of the gospel and says I don't want to investigate it any further I don't want that there be any possibility that it be true I will just reject it flat out we more tolerable for Sodom in that day we have a question that's actually a great question Jacob James online writes this and we'll put it up more tolerable in quotes how can one place experience hell more than another it's a great question and what this verse points out is an obvious truth that though hell is bad for everybody like heaven is wonderful for everybody who goes there there will be degrees of punishment in hell and there will be degrees of reward in heaven the Bible teaches that in so many places and this is one of the anchor verses that shows that though separation from God for eternity is bad enough that there there are degrees of punishment in eternal punishment and conversely when it comes to going to heaven we're all going to heaven but we're going to be rewarded according to our works our deeds now it's it's difficult as it was just now to get Christians actually say that because we go wait a minute I thought we were saved by yes we are but you will be rewarded in heaven according to your faithfulness to what God called you to on the earth so there are also degrees of reward in heaven verse 25 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 the prudent and have revealed them to babes even so father for it seemed good in your sight now the rest of this chapter is it contains some of the most wonderful promises in Scripture the first book I ever read as a new believer was the Gospel of Matthew in a more modern translation and I remember how intimate it felt and how how these promises hid my heart and how they touched me so deeply when I first read them and I was struggling and I mentioned some of the struggles I went through my early Christian walk at home with my parents with my friends and just how wonderful these verses were they're so precious and intimate now look at verse 25 and notice it says at that time jesus answered the word answered means he spoke openly now he's addressing his father he's talking to his father in heaven because he says I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth he's speaking these words openly he obviously wanted everybody one to hear what he was saying he didn't say excuse me just a moment amen he prayed openly he wanted to pray to the Father but he wanted other people to hear him now you'll notice that Jesus addresses God in heaven appropriately as father we know there's the Trinity the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit the average Jewish Jewish person never mentioned the name of God and spoke of him as the holy all beneficent one and had many adjectives to describe him because of his position and his holiness but Jesus brought him so intimate he called him father but he didn't just call him father he taught his disciples when you pray you don't have to keep coming to me just come directly and call him father and when you pray Jesus said say our Father in heaven holy is your name your kingdom come your will be done so Jesus told us that we can pray directly to the Father in whose name in Jesus name come to the Father in my name and that is why at the end of a prayer I pray we typically pray in Jesus name Amen we're coming directly to the father on the merit and the character of Jesus I do feel it to be misleading and confusing if you say father I come to you bla bla bla bla bla and I pray this in your name no I'm praying to the Father in the name of Jesus I'm following the direct access that I have to the throne of God based upon the merit of Jesus so if you're praying to the father you pray through the merit and the character and the avenue provided by the sacrifice on the cross and so Jesus as the Son approaches the father and prays out loud I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent this is sanctified sarcasm it means those who are wise and prudent in their own eyes they think they're smarter than everybody else they've got the degrees behind their name their Reverend doctor so and so they've studied so long and their Pharisee this and scribe that oh they're so wise and so prudent father I'm so thankful that you hid what's important from them now don't get hung up in that why did he hide it from them and get the truth of the passage and revealed it even to babes one of the beautiful things about Jesus is how simple he made truth so that anyone and everyone even a child could understand the wise and the prudent are those who are wise in their own eyes and their own conceits according to the wisdom of men a babe is a child of God jesus said unless you are born again you cannot see the kingdom of God so when you come to Christ you are born anew you're a baby spiritually you're a babe in Christ and you grow from there and even a new babe in Christ with a Bible has more of an advantage than the smartest degreed professor of the best university without the Bible or without the spirit Paul said you see your calling brethren how there's not many wise after the flesh not many mighty not many noble who are called but God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise now it doesn't mean that God bypasses all smart people all brilliant people I've met some incredibly advanced erudite brilliant thinkers who are in love with Jesus for the most part it's the common people who fall in love with him they come as a child they receive the truth based upon enough that evidence that's there they receive him but there are those who are very advanced and I would say Paul the Apostle was one of those high iq intellectual brilliant writers I mean I go through some of his writings and I go man that's just deep amazing but for the most part God has delighted to reveal them even debates and here's why typically with the person who is wise in their own eyes and prudent in advance they have all of these walls and roadblocks and it becomes an impediment to them God has to knock those defenses and things down first and he's willing to do that but that simple faith in Jesus Christ Jesus said blessed are the poor in spirit a person who comes to Christ knows that they need him so many people that are advanced and intelligible you know I don't know if I knew that or not you know I'm a smart person I don't know if I really need God now if I was in bad shape Mia and then that's when you get religion like you know you're about to like die or something and then yet and that's a lot of people's thinking they never admit their need they're not poor in spirit so they bypass even so far therefore it seemed good in your sight 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 so compare verse 25 and verse 26 and look at the word reveal you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent you've revealed them unto babes nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him one of the prerequisites to know God is revelation you'll never know a person unless they reveal themselves to you God has revealed himself to us now this shows us that you can't just come to God you can't just come to God by any little means that you contrive or you come up with you choose what path you want to come to him on you choose what religious venue you decide that you want to travel on you can't find God on just any path I'm gonna read two passages - you could just keep your finger here and let me read these to you one is John chapter 3 John writes he who believes in the son has everlasting life he who does not believe in the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides in him many people claim to know God a person does not know God unless the person receives Christ who reveals what God is like and who God is like John also writes in 1st John chapter 5 whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God and everyone who loves him who begot loves him who has begotten of him if you loved the father you loved the son in other words if we receive the witness of men the witness of God is greater for this is the witness of God which he has testified of his son he who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself he who does not believe God has made him a liar because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of his son and this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life and this life is in his son he who has the son has life he who does not have the son does not have life if you want to have life you need the Son of God you need a relationship with God through Jesus Christ if you don't have Jesus Christ I don't care what religion you choose or how sincere you are you will not see eternal life it comes through knowing the son which answers the question why did God find it necessary to become a man answer to fully reveal to the world what God is like jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the father he came to reveal fully the father now here's the problem we have you and I as earthbound creatures are confined to a box so to speak of time and space our time and space continuum we live in the natural world God dwells in the supernatural world people invent religions and they think if I'm if I'm really spiritual and really religious maybe I can poke through my box and find God so if you read the Koran and pray five times a day maybe you can poke through that a little hole in that box and grab God others will say no no no you need the bhagavad-gita and you have to read and study those writings then maybe you can poke a hole through your little box and find God others will say oh no that's not true but if you if you buy crystals and hang them in your home and meditate upon these crystals maybe you can poke a hole in that box and you can find God actually no matter what you do you cannot crawl outside of your little confined space of the time-space continuum you're confined in the box the only way you could know God is for God to crawl inside the box and show himself to you that's the purpose of the Incarnation Jesus becoming a man walking among us taking among him and around him disciples teaching them the truth showing them the truth so that if you have seen him you have seen the father now look at verse 28 come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls Jesus had come to me you didn't say come to a ritual he didn't say come to a religion he didn't say come to a church he said come to me salvation is a person it's the person of Christ come to me all you who labor you're exhausted is the word you're working hard and notice this and are heavy-laden the word heavy-laden is in the Greek a perfect passive participle in that nice how that all rhymes a perfect passive participle which means the reason you are heavy laden is because somebody has come along at one time and laid upon you a burden and made you heavy laden you know what is talking about religion religion does that oh you want to know God you want to get to heaven you have to you have to confine yourself to these practices and these rituals it's the only way you can get saved and you had to keep them rigorously or you'll lose it the next day the Pharisees had laid these things the religious leaders had laid upon them a burden Jesus will say in Matthew 23 when he says woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites he says woe unto them they bind heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders but they won't lift them with one of their fingers when we get to the book of acts and the gospel is going out to the Gentiles and it's salvation by faith and many on believing Gentiles believe in Jesus and they just believed that he's the one who saved them from their sin and it's a wonderful revival when the disciples when the Apostles get back to the mother church in Jerusalem there's a big hubbub going on and many of the Jewish believers are saying I don't know if we can accept these Gentiles into the church they have to be circumcised and keep the laws of Moses and so Peter stood up and he goes guys if you remember not long ago the Lord raised me up to become an apostle to the Gentiles and I've gone out and I preached the word to them and they believe in the Jewish Messiah just like you and I believed in him and he goes let's not lay upon them a yoke that's the word he used a yoke that neither we nor our fathers were ever able to bear you never kept the law fully I never kept Allah fully why tell Gentiles who aren't under the same covenant as Jews to keep the law ridiculous they're saved by faith just like we are though these people are listening to Jesus and they're under the burden of the religious rigor of these leaders who told them to do things in order to find favor with God Jesus had come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you now you know what a yoke is it's a steering device that is placed upon an animal so that the owner might control the animal more easily when an animal is tied to another animal their yoke together and that wouldn't crossbeam that's a yoke that fits around their neck leather is bound and brought back so there's a harness and the ability with stirrups to control the animal what Jesus is saying is let me control your life let me be the one who directs and stirs you from place to place for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light I don't know what your Christian experience is like I do know that in my own personal experience as a believer there have been some wonderful times most of the time it's wonderful but I've had some challenging times I'll admit that there's been times that it's just very difficult seasons but for the most part following the Lord is not like riding a bicycle uphill let's say you're riding a bicycle okay so I love bites oh this is cool when you get to a long steep hill that's hard but what would it be like if a car allowed you to tie a rope from the car to the bicycle and towed you up a hill would it be hard or would it be easy be easy sometimes I encounter a Christian every time I encounter that person how you don't know I go here it goes again it's just and as I listen and then I see them again and I listen see them six months later and I listen I eventually come to realize that person is carrying the wrong load they're carrying something God never intended for them to carry that's the load Jesus should be carrying Jesus said you put my yoke on you it's light in comparison to the struggle that it could be my burden is easy and he says you will find rest for your souls in the end of verse 29 Psalm 55 says cast her burdened upon the Lord and he will sustain you a final word is we bring this to a close before we take the Lord's Supper together Jesus is talking to disciples and the crowd that has gathered around him for his disciples the burden is light because he's going to carry the heavy stuff and what he's going to saddle them with even though some of them are gonna have to lose their life in comparison the burden is light and then he's speaking to unbelievers who have marginalized him or have already passed judgment they want the tricks they want the free food but they really don't want to follow him to be a disciple of Jesus we've told you that the word is must they taste which means a learner it's a person who is willing to learn and Jesus says take my yoke upon you and learn from me here's my question to you how are you if you're a true disciple you are committed to the process of learning consistently consecutively that's something you're committed to if you're not committed to learning you're never going to be growing how teachable are you that's a disciple of Jesus sometimes people wonder you know every time you know every time you go to Calvary there's always a Bible study they always have to have a Bible study they can't just have a night of sharing or a night of music and we do have those from time to time but it's always a Bible study always exposition well there's a very simple reason for that you can never worship a person that you don't know it's only when you know a person as he is revealed to you can't know the father unless the Sun reveals him to you and the only way God has revealed is through his word and if you don't have the Bible then you have to make things up and you have people going well my picture of God is this and I sort of thank God is like that you know what that's called idolatry you're making God in your image this is how God is revealed in his word so we began our study tonight with doubt John the Baptist we end with peace and with rest Jesus is willing to take your heavy burden and give you something much lighter than you've been carrying and if tonight you are severely burdened would you please leave that at the foot of the cross in a moment we're going to take these elements that are symbolic of taking unto us Jesus and his efficacious work on our behalf and the body and blood the broken body and shed blood of Jesus on Calvary's Christ's cross for us it's symbolic that you are a disciple of Jesus you're following him you're a learner you're making progress you're teachable and you're thankful for what Jesus has done on your behalf but again if you're burdened leave the burden with him cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you there was a legend and it is just a legend so we don't know if it's from history or if it's something someone made up but it comes from ancient times that in Jesus carpentry shop in Nazareth he had the reputation that he made the best yokes of any other carpenter in Galilee that if you wanted a custom yoke that would fit any animal any oxen you go to Jesus carpenter's shop actually Joseph that was passed on to Jesus because they made the best yokes in the area and I don't know if he had a sign on the carpenter's shop custom yokes we make the world's best yoke no yoke and he thought that that's that's the legend that's the story and when you let Jesus yoke you up and control you it is much easier than any system controlling you any person controlling you even your own agenda controlling you it's just hard to live without the towing power that the Lord gives I'm gonna pray and I'm going to ask the communion board to come as we pray father in heaven how thankful we are for the invitations of Jesus throughout the scripture and this one ranks high on the list come to me all you who are exhausted due to your Labor's those who have had burdens laid on them by others and I will give you rest Lord the burden of sin the burden that religion on top of that exacts upon a person's life is more than we were meant to bear it's more than we can bear we could go through life completely guilty and guilt ridden and motivated by that but Grace has set us free we're not saved by works but the free gift given to us by Jesus we take these elements as a symbol as a token that we have taken to us the crucified son of God that his merit is enough for our lives is enough for our sin and because of that Lord we are unburdened we are free we are light truly Jesus makes the world's best yoke we willingly take that yoke of control upon us I pray that none of us would be controlled from here on out by anyone or anything or any system but the person of the Lord Jesus we would submit to your will your will be done your kingdom come [Music] or we couldn't even pray to you unless it was for a work of Jesus the invitation and the ability Jesus gave us [Music] we couldn't be brothers and sisters without the blood of Jesus we couldn't enjoy the hope of heaven were it not for his act of sacrifice on that cross [Music] Lord if there's anyone here tonight who is burdened because of their sin that has not been atoned for by you if they're not true children of God yet [Music] if their failures have burden them and if religion has added to that I pray that they would drop that here and now if tonight you are not under his yoke under the Lord's control if you've never invited him personally to control your life and even before we pass out these elements you ask the Lord to come in and you say to him right now Lord I know I'm a sinner I pray that you'd forgive me I believe that Jesus died for the me on the cross and rose from the dead I believe that He shed his blood for my sin I turn from my sin I turn to you as my savior help me to live for you as my lord in Jesus name Amen if you said that just now by faith you're a child of God you have everlasting life you have a relationship with the father whether you feel differently or not it's that step of faith that has enabled you to know the father and you will discover Jesus revealing more and more to the Father to you in days ahead and perhaps then for the first time you'll take these elements with us with a newfound faith

Channel: Calvary Church with Skip Heitzig

Views: 5,806

Rating: 4.8048782 out of 5

Keywords: Calvary, Albuquerque, Skip, Heitzig, Sermon, Matthew, Calvary Church, yoke, burden, Christian Living, submission, Jesus' promises, Miracles, rebuke, doubt, depression, Old Testament, prophets, God's silence

Id: nvcAufRgpoc

Length: 57min 1sec (3421 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 11 2018