We continue as I mentioned at the start of the service in our
Pursuit series. We are, this is the penultimate
talk. We are in the lead up to Easter,
of course and it's Palm Sunday, next Sunday.
And the only problem with the pursuit book is there was one
too many chapters. So I've skipped chapter 8 and
we're in chapter 9, chapter 8 is actually very good chapter.
It's restoring the Creator and created.
Relationship, it's about recognizing that we are his and
he is God and I know many of you I've spoken to a read-along.
So do do make sure you read that chapter in to be honest with
you. You know, that notion of the
fact that we are here's and is is a theme that I hope you hear
from this Pulpit quite frequently that he is God that
he is the Creator and it's just so important for us to remember
that. Because the moment we want to be
like God is the The Things Fall Apart really isn't it?
I mean that as we know is the route Of the of the Fallen state
that we find ourselves in. When the enemy had said to Eve,
you can be like God. And so this is a really
important truth. The moment we try and be like
God and decide what we're going to do with our lives and we
start deciding what is truth and what isn't we get into very
dangerous ground. And so, I'd encourage you to
read that chapter, but we are in this new chapter chapter 9,
Entitled meekness and rest how ironic on a morning that we lose
an hour. But when I ask you guys a
question, who makes, who likes making bread lose a bread maker
Melanie? Is anyone else?
I love making bread over there as well II Stewart?
I think. Yes.
Could see you over there. I love making bread if our
started about a year ago and I'm really thoroughly enjoy.
It is quite therapeutic, isn't it?
You're the ingredients put it in the bowl.
Do the thing that you need it.i. Love the needing bit very nice.
Whack it in, Let It Rise. You know, the proof Roofing.
They call it at me first proof, obviously, get it out.
Get all the air out, then roll it again.
Put it in the tin. Second proof, absolutely love
it. Whack it in the oven at your
come fresh bread. And you know, I have this thing
where I like to cut the First Slice when it's warm and then
get some lard that with butter all over.
Absolutely love it. But you know, Are you getting
hungry? Yeah, me too.
Actually, we got doughnuts but I haven't baked those donuts to be
pleased to hear. But anyway, idea, I discovered
and you'll see where I'm going with this at some point.
But I discovered that what was happening with my bread, is it
wasn't coming out as risen as I'd like it and I couldn't
figure out why it was deteriorating in terms of
quality. I mean, it tasted.
All right, really, but it just wasn't the same and I was
discovering some holes in it and I was like, what is going on
with this? Well, I don't understand because
the ingredients are the same 500 grams of flour.
Teaspoon half of salt, 7 grams of use 25 grams of olive oil,
300 grams of water that you gonna say make bread very
simple. But why isn't this?
So I thought, you know what, I'm going to go back to the first
video. I watched on how to make bread
and figure out what I'm missing here and I discovered I had a
problem. I had forgotten something,
you're wondering what on Earth. I'd forgotten aren't you?
I've hooked you. Yes, when I got the bread out,
that first proof and I kind of landed down and then I rolled it
for the tin. I wasn't rolling it properly, I
wasn't causing enough tension in the role and so the air was
escaping as it was Rising. Hey you guys see now why on
Earth is Mark talking about bread at the start of his talk.
I'm glad you asked me that question because here's the
thing, the ingredients never change.
But the way I applied it did and this is what happens sometimes
with the word of God. The truth doesn't change, but
sometimes we forget how to apply it properly to us, and it just
happens over time for some of us.
Maybe we've heard the correct application.
Just like, when I watch that YouTube video.
You know, when you early on, you're like right meticulously
but I just felt that bit and then and do that bit.
But over time we get a bit I don't want to say sloppy but we
just think we know it. And the reason I want to want to
paint this picture for us is because we are about to look at
a verse or a couple of verses, which I think that we do the
same thing that I do with my bread making, which is we think
we already know what it means, but the problem is we get a loaf
that's only half risen. Because we need to really dig
deep and figure out what the text is saying.
In order that we can properly apply it to our lives, you'll
get some benefit, but you won't get the full benefit.
And with that, we're going to turn together to Anchor text for
this morning, which is found in Matthew 11.
And I know some of you are knowing where I'm going with
this given that we're talking about mixing some rest.
Let's see some Smiles, verse 28, let's turn there.
It's going to be on the screen if you're in the room and if
you're online, hello again, hit the Subscribe button and click
that Bell notification to make sure you get updates from the
new content that we release. There we go.
And if you're in the room, get your phone out.
Hit subscribe. Verse 28, let me read this come
to me all 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.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Here we have two things in great contrast to to each other one is
the burden. And one is the rest.
I'm sure there is no one in this room.
That would not want that exchange, right?
You mean I'd give you my burdens and you give me rest.
Sign me up. I'm up for that.
That sounds like an amazing deal.
Let me ask you a question. When you think about burdens you
have to answer this out loud. Where do you, where do you
automatically go to? Now, I suspect where we
automatically go to a things like this financial worries
concerns over. Our loved ones.
Work. Considerations.
In other words, we automatically think about burdens as an
external, burden those circumstances around us that are
heavy on us. Is that fair point I'm just like
my bread, making we apply this word just to that aspect of
burdens, but if you only do that, you're going to miss out
on a fully risen loaf to use that rather weak analogy.
Because there's something in this that over time, I think for
many of us, we've missed and for others, maybe you haven't fully
grasped And so, in order to do that, we need to understand what
the phrase heavy-laden means. Or if you've got an NIV, and I
was reading from the ESV, the NIV says a burden because you
see the phrase, heavy-laden comes from the Greek word for
tid's. Oh, and that means a burden,
which comes from a ceremony or rights or unwarranted precepts.
In other words, legalism and the law.
Go with me on this. Let's look at Luke 11:46 and he
said, woe to you lawyers or Pharisees of the law.
For you load, people with burdens hard to bear and you
yourself, do not touch the burdens with one of your
fingers. It's the same Greek word use
there. And so, what this burden is are
actually burdens which arise from trying to live our lives
under the law of sin and death. It's trying to live our lives
Under legalism and the result of sin.
These actually the burdens that we're talking about here.
It's right. And it's good that we go to
Jesus with our external burdens and we should do.
But that's only half of how you roll up the dough for it to rise
because the other part of this, our internal burdens and maybe
this is just me. But I really think about that
when I think about this invitation invitation from
Jesus, I mainly Think about the external burdens.
But there's so much more to this.
And you see this is where we get to with Tozer because toes are
makes the point here that the principal burdens that this
invitation is addressing, are those that are interior to us
internal to us. And so what we're going to do
going to do together is we're going to look at five internal
burdens that are the result of trying to live under the law.
I sin. Are we going to see how we can
give those burdens to God? And toes are gives us?
In the chapter 3, I'm going to give us five two of which I'll
use of his, but the first one is a very, very heavy burden and it
is the burden of pride. And his toes are says, the labor
of self-love is a heavy one, indeed.
For example, just think about this.
How many of you have had angst When someone spoken badly of
you. Or not preferring you as you
believe they should or not treating you in a way which you
think they should. We rather stay under our breath.
That they know who I am. Now, I want to read a quote from
Tozer here, from this chapter, and as I said, this whole series
is based on the book. But I rather think that this is
a profound observation from Tozer.
He says this, the heart Fierce effort to protect itself from
every slight to Shield it touchy honor from the bad opinion of
friend and enemy will never let the mind have rest.
Continue this fight through the years and the burden will become
intolerable. Yet the sons of Earth as us a
carrying. This burden continually
challenging every word spoken against them cringing.
And the every criticism smarting, under each fanciful,
slight tossing, Sleepless of another is preferred before
them. I love the English 70 years ago.
But what a very colorful and elegant way to State something
that I think if we were to pause, we would all that rather
agree with, you know, I love Tozer because he doesn't pull
any punches. He's not worried about offending
Seekers. He just worried about getting
the truth to us. And he goes right to the heart
of it. But once we've managed to recoil
from this rather direct assessment of ourselves, maybe
we think, maybe he's got a point.
Because intuitively or instinctively, we go.
Oh, that's not me. And I know it's none of you but
it certainly me. And just to model what it means.
To be honest. I'll give you some of my stuff.
Wonderful. I'll turn this into a counseling
session for me. Good stuff.
I know in my life to have been Seasons, where I felt this
burden of Pride, you know, when I was successful in business,
creating products and companies generating genuinely multiple
millions of dollars. It was very difficult not to
create a bit of an image of myself quite frankly.
Surely not Mark. Yes.
And I went through Seasons, it wasn't all the time, you know,
I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna lie and paint a picture that's
false, but there was something in me.
I remember one time. Why my boss at the time?
We had to trip to America, to the US to headquarters, and the
policy was that exact of a certain level, including me at
the time were flying business class.
But apparently, we had to hold back on tyranny travel
entertainment. So, my boss got the business
class ticket and I didn't. I was well annoyed.
In fact, I went to speak to the chief financial officers, excuse
me, don't you know who I am? I didn't say that but I said,
listen, I'm an executive. I'm not going to arrive into San
Fran, go straight into blah blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah. I was almost, I'm interested.
If I'm not going business class, I'm not going seriously.
You don't think so badly of me? And conversely.
This is interested. I just remember this when I
started my career, Way back in the late 1990s, when the
internet before it burst, you know, it walk into the office
and they would be Garland's of grapes and strawberries, and
mangoes. And then overnight, it would be
like, an orange and an apple, you know, it's true, it
happened. But anyway, why am I sharing
this story? Because we went on a business
trip. Once again to San Fran, for a
different reason and We got to the hotel, the Western, Saint
Francis in San Fran, anyone being there, gorgeous.
Oh, Bella, you have is a gorgeous Hotel, very nice.
And they have an older part and they have the new new bit.
So I check in with my boss at the time.
This is obviously someone could be different.
This was over 20 years a long time ago and they gave us our
keys. We rather quickly discovered
that he was in the old block in a small room and I got a sweet
up in the tower. Now, if I was smart and clever,
I would have said you should take Mikey.
But I didn't. Let's see you later.
And as I went in the lift up to the 23rd floor, or whatever it
was, That's like, I've arrived. It happens, doesn't it in very
subtle ways but I share some of my own story with you just to
try and disarm you slightly from temptation to say, it's not me.
And you see toes are makes the point here that if you carry
that internal burden of Pride, which is sin and it is going to
weigh you down, because if someone doesn't say the right
thing, if someone doesn't prefer you, it's going to not cause you
to rest. You can't find peace as long as
you feed that Pride, okay. Number two, pratense Now this is
not talking about hypocrisy. This is about our inclination to
put our best foot forward and hide from the world are real in
word poverty. Let me quote Tozer again for sin
has played many evil tricks upon us and one has been the infusing
into us a false sense of Shame. Do we really dare to be just who
we are without doctoring up the impression.
Let that settle for a moment as I take a sip of my water.
When I worked in Tech, I've got lots of stories today.
I don't normally have them, but in some of you, if you worked in
Tech, you have heard this phrase is called lipstick on a pig.
What? Right.
Moving On? No, I'm joking.
So What on earth is that right? Would come to develop a so-so
product. And we like what we haven't got
the time or the end of the resources to do a really good
job, just give it a cosmetic overhaul people will think it's
new. Oh you want to do a lipstick on
a pig? Yes.
Sometimes we do lipstick on a pig to ourselves.
Rather than be honest and real with people about where we are
at we just put lipstick on and say everything is okay.
Lipstick on a pig. The internal bit doesn't change,
but boy, we got to make sure the external looks good because
after all, isn't that how people assess us and look at us?
We are so Held back from this burden of pratense.
Because of Shame, which comes if you live under the burden of the
law, shame for our faults, shame for our lack of knowledge.
Shame for our upbringing chain for our family, shame for an any
number of things means we fear being found out and so we put
lipstick on a pig. You know, deep down in us as
humans. We have a need to be known.
God sees and he's created us to have fellowship with one another
but that burden of pratense will mean that you'll be held back
from having fellowship with one another and walking into the
arms of God because shame comes knocking on your door.
What an internal burden number three or this is a biggie.
Are you with me so far, good comparison or who is the goody
I've got some response, it's true, isn't it?
It's a big internal burden, the UN our lives, basically,
assessment and Benchmark of others, not in the assessment
and Benchmark of God. It is a dangerous path.
And let me tell you, from experience, a heavy, heavy
burden to carry. It says, our gifts are not as
good as their gifts. It says, our calling is not as
important as that calling. It says, my life is a mess.
There's is a garden or Bed full of roses.
They have all the good brakes. We have all the knocks.
If only I could have that. I've his wife, her husband and
their kids. I've never said that.
Only two of those. But it's true right yesterday.
I'm driving in my car in the afternoon.
With Daniel, my son, we're in half ended.
And I'm driving up one of the roads.
And in front of me, I see this gleaming brand-new.
I'm not going to tell you what car it was but it was a very
flash SUV up the range branding on play.
And in the windscreen this is no word of a lie.
This happened to me yesterday around 3 o'clock It looked like
George Clooney's, more handsome, brother in the car.
And a model next to him. Like they just come off a set of
some movie. And I'll be honest, there was a
moment that all of a sudden, my car that's not bad.
Look like a beat-up, car the clothes I was working wearing
look terrible. And my boy next to me was like,
I don't know why I've got him in the car.
God, would you forgive me? Now, but here's, here's the cat.
Here's the thing. This is this is a true story as
I was approaching, this don't happen in a nanosec.
Well, probably about 10 seconds as I was approaching.
I got all I know these guys, I recognize them now.
I wouldn't say we're friends but I certainly know who they are.
And all of a sudden, I realized that hard story, they've got on
the life they've had in, it ain't all Rosy and it was in
that moment is like Lord said, you see, you are comparing
yourself. You don't know, you don't know.
And it happens, all of us. It happened to me yesterday at
3:00 Now thank you Lord. I'm mature enough to recognize
that and you know we have to exercise our spiritual muscles
and not go down that path. But comparison I would say is
probably the Killer and it's fueled by social media because
what you see is a is a force life that people project and we
just consume more like man. I wish I was in Tahiti, they
looks amazing. I wish I had those abs.
I wish you know this certainly is not about me now personally.
Yeah, we're moving on from my personal stories.
I've got a six-pack so already there.
Thank you lose an hour and it all falls apart, but you know,
might make we are so consumed with comparison the world feeds
it and comparison, the enemy knows what he's doing.
You know, God has a plan for your life but so does the enemy.
He knows your weaknesses and what is his plan to stop you
from walking in the calling that God has for you?
Because as soon as you start comparing, you will not move in
your calling and you know what happened?
You'll start complaining to God. Praise will come out the window
Thanksgiving. What?
Come out the window? And you'll focus on all the
negatives and I'm telling you a comparison is an internal burden
that we are not called to count. But it is a result.
Of the law of sin and death, Right?
Moving on number 4. Regrets and mistakes.
This starts with the statement, if only two words, but so
powerful. Robbed of any joy for the
present. Regrets from the steak Force us
to live our past over, and over again, until the weight is such
that we don't enjoy the moment and we fear for the future.
I'm telling you, this is my own experience here.
If only, I have been there, I've rehearsed my decisions, you
know, God has blessed. Therefore and I with a very full
life with lots of opportunity, but with lots of opportunity
comes lots of decisions and I can't tell you how non heart
every decision we've made as being correct, or right, but, We
can't keep saying. What if if only because deep
down, there's two reasons for this.
The what the first one is unforgiveness of ourselves.
And for some of you, your if only statement comes because
you've yet to forgive yourself, if only comes because you just
won't move on, you know, God's forgiven you but I can't forgive
myself. But some of you, I believe the
holy spirit is just bringing light into where that if only
statement is and where that unforgiveness And you need to
forgive yourself and move on. But the second, if only issue is
this, we don't have a good enough for you or a high enough,
you of God's sovereignty. In fact, in some respect is a
bit of pride in US thinking that we would always make the right
decisions. But, you know, Romans 8:28 for
God. What's all things for good for
those that love him and are called according to his purpose,
right? Look at Joseph from the pit.
To the prison for the palace. He had lots of decisions and
lots was impacted on him. But what happened?
God, worked all things for good. In fact, There is that scene, is
there not where his brothers because there's famine on the
land and of course with Joseph, had it correctly, interpreted
Pharaoh's dream. And so there's going to be seven
years of plenty, seven years of famine, so they plan for that.
And all of a sudden, Egypt is the place that you need to go to
if you want to get some food. So, his brothers come and to cut
a long story, short, they reconcile and there's so sorry
and you know, Jesus said that, which you intended for evil God
intended for good. Listen.
God is Sovereign. Aw Tozer said once about this
seeming tension between God's sovereignty and our Free Will,
which let's be honest. We're not going to fully
comprehend until we get to the other side of Glory.
It's it can be confusing. But toes are shared an
illustration that while his imperfect helps somewhat to
understand this. He says, imagine that you are
going to Southampton and you will go to board a liner to New
York. You get on that liner and then
for the next, how long does it take to get to New York on a
boat? Sorry, two weeks.
Okay, great. I've never been on a liner from
Southampton to New York so put that on my bucket list.
Imagine for two weeks, you get to do what you want, you can eat
what you want, do what you want, but here is the thing, you're
always going to get to New York. That you can't change.
And as I said, it's a rather imperfect illustration but I
sometimes have to think about that when I think about my
decisions which is you know, what God will work it and he'll
get you where he wants to get you, you can choose the buffet.
If you wish over the a la carte, you can choose a game of croquet
on the deck rather than swimming in the pool.
But the truth is you're going to get to New York.
And we need to remember and I think we do got a disservice
when we minimize and diminish his sovereignty and what happens
when you increase our sovereignty and our lives.
God is Sovereign don't live in the statement if only move on
because it's the enemy's way of robbing.
You of the presence is the enemy's way of putting fear in
you for the future. Well, I can't do that because
I've already made so many mistakes, right?
Where are you up to? Thank you.
What's next well done. And this one's a bit of a
summary. Sin itself.
Similar, always be a burden. It might seem attractive to you.
Sin of course, is and it might taste sweet for a little bit of
a moment, but then the sour kicks him and you get hooked,
and you're in bondage. And I know, I don't need to be
prophetic to know that out of hundreds of people in this room,
there's some here that are still trapped in habitual sin.
And I don't have to list it. You know what that is.
And you know, that what I'm saying is true that it's a
burden to live under. These, this is the internal
burden. The Jesus is saying, move on.
Let It Go. Give it to me.
Which leads us to the solution then.
As a summary, we looked at those five burdens which our pride for
tents comparison, regrets and sin itself.
So Mark I feel like I need a solution.
Good news. We have one in the Bible because
Jesus goes on to say this, 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.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Isn't it interesting? I find this fascinating that
Jesus doesn't say. Take off those burdens and have
nothing in return. Think about this.
He's saying, take off those burners and have my burdens.
No, I don't really want any burden, quite frankly, right?
Is it, is it that a fair comment when you have expected Jesus,
say, take off the burden and just go run free.
But Jesus is saying, take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is
easy and my burden is light. We have been created to be yoked
with God, you know, that thing, they put over the cattle to get
the moving in the same direction.
You know, the root word of yoke, actually means joined together.
You see, we have been created to be joined together with God.
And the question is never, shall I have a yolk?
Listen, the question is always whose yolk shall I have?
We have been created to be joined with God to worship Him,
and if you take, don't take up his yoke boy, you're going to
take up another joke, you have not been created to be yo class,
you might think you have, I'm free really.
Have you seen what sin does? True Freedom comes from walking
and being yoked with Jesus, So don't say I don't want to joke.
Thank you very much. Ask yourself, the question,
whose yolk am I going to have? And then we get to the word
burden here that's used and this is where it's important to
understand the root word here. Because the word burden here and
the word burden that we read earlier a different words.
Mmm. Let's look at the Greek where
the other word burden was footed, so which means a burden
of Law, and legalism and sin. This burden is 40 on and it
means obligations Christ. Lays upon his followers, their
different burdens. Our here is the difference.
And I love it. Unlike the burden of legalism
and law and sin of death, the burden of Christ is light
because it is life-giving You get in this, Paul said this in
Romans 7:6, but now we are released from the law.
You don't have to carry that yolk anymore of that burden.
But now, we are released from that yolk having died to that,
which held us captive. So that we serve in the new way.
A new yoke is now available of the spirit, not in the old way
of the written code. Are you seeing this?
This is the heart of the Gospel message that we have been saved
from living a life under the law under a yoke of Burden.
To live in a life joined with God through Christ.
And here it is. Why is it light?
Because you don't have to do anything.
This burden is not a burden of performance like the other bird
and the other yolk. This is a burden of saying yes
and in that place the Holy Spirit enables us to walk with
Christ. It's an altogether.
Different way of living like to invite the band up as we end And
so going back to my bread analogy.
For some of you, maybe you feel like your bread.
It just doesn't look as it used to.
You're getting some kind of reason.
You're giving your external burdens to God, but you're
missing something. We're missing these internal
burdens that are speak to the root of the Gospel message and
the Heart of what Jesus achieved on the cross.
For each one of us, we do not need to be yoked to the burden
of sin. We do not need to be yoked to
the burden of Pride. We do not need.
To be yoked to the burden of Shame and pretense and of regret
and of comparison. And have there is a different
yolk that is available to us. Let us pray as we stand.
Thank you, Jesus. To be yoked to the burden of
Shame and pretense and of regret and of comparison.
And have there is a different yolk that is available to us.
Let us pray as we stand. Thank you, Jesus.