R&R: The Invitation
Rhythm and Rest
The Invitation
Ever since I have been aware of MercyGate Church (back when it was Mont Belvieu AG) 2010…the Presence of God has been an identifier.
A lot of churches have moments or times when they enjoy seasons of His presence in their services.
But there has been a sustained identifying Presence of God here for years. That’s valuable to me.
And it is a part of the culture of this house because Pastor value’s it and desperately wanted that to be a marker in this church and in this community.
He pursued it by setting up a path to persistent prayer and developed a strategy that would invite the Holy Spirit to always be welcomed here.
I have heard him coach pastors in the area of church growth and making room for prayer/presence/atmosphere is always at the center.
As a result of this pursuit back on March 6th we had an unprecedented move of God on us towards repentance.
Ya’ll know the story…about 170 baptized for hours. Continuing up to now. I think the count is upwards of 350 people.
God calling people to shake of sin and old patterns and to step into a brand new relationship. Their callings…purposes.
We have conversations about how to gage this…steward it in a way that doesn’t force…but allows the Holy Spirit to do what he needs and wants to do.
We want to be able to hear him for the next thing.
This is a beautiful time. It is literally a time that if you bring the unsaved and hurting, chances are very good that they will have an encounter that will change their life.
A few weeks ago, I was teaching on Wednesday night about how to Steward Personal Revival: What do I do with what has happened to me.
The Lord dropped a scripture and some thoughts into my mind that I began to ponder.
I was trying to identify the Revival that was happening among us…because so many that have responded were believers. But the responses have been so intense.
And I heard this…
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (NIV)
I believe this is the Invitation to Revival!!!
ILL: Could it be possible that Soul Weariness lulls us into a state of spiritual insensitivity, and that a loving Father comes to shake us awake and say…you are latched to the wrong thing.
Is it possible that we strive and wrestle when Jesus has called us to a different walk and relationship?
Is it possible that some of us have, with right motives, have bound ourselves to a method of religion that strains us instead of giving us life?
Why do we try so hard? Hold that thought.
Back to the weariness part. Deep soul weariness: We all experience it, though in different ways and for different reasons.
Exhaustion…fatigue…apathy…robotic. Anyone?
Sometimes we can point to a significant factor, but often we can’t.
Our weariness results from the cumulative, multilayered intersections of the complexities of life, our bodies not cooperating like they used to, emotional heartbreaks, and the consequences of sin. It goes way past undertstanding.
- And because our burdens are not simple…we don’t get relief from simple words (“Just hang in there.” “Stay encouraged, things are bound to change.”)
Me: “Yeah…well why don’t you just…”
But a simple solution can relieve soul weariness…the complex burdens…IF… we believe that power behind the promise is strong enough to break this off.
And it’s into this that Matthew 11:28-30 drops! An invitation…an offer.
- Not an offer of 10 ways to relieve your weariness
- Not a path to enlightenment like Buddha
- Not five-pillars to peace through submission like Islam
Jesus simply offers himself as the only solution to all that burdens us.
But the solution is the issue that causes hesitation in so many.
Let’s look at it. It begins with these words…
1. “Come to Me”
The passage we read sounds comforting…and it is…but it’s the invitation that is audacious.
He invites…we move…towards and unto…HIM. It’s an invitation to an exclusive relationship …that has ramifications.
The context of this lies in Matthew chapter 11 and 12…in these chapters he rebukes cities and religious leaders that saw first hand his miraculous works, that clearly demonstrated who he was, and still refused to believe in him.
So Jesus says “Come to Me”!
- This is relationship language.
An invitation has been given. We, the invited parties, have to get up and move… towards the person initiating the relationship.
Rev 3:20 Behold I stand at the door and knock…if you hear my voice…open the door. Host me.
- Come to Me… is revelation language.
In verses 25-27, Jesus had just shared that There are secrets hidden from those who think they have all the answers…but for the curious and the ones who trust there is so much more offered.
- Come to Me… discipleship language
“Come” “Take” and “Learn”
Here it is…the diagnosis of the problem!!!
YOUR SOUL IS WEARY BECAUSE YOUR RELIGIOUS LIFE HAS BOGGED YOU DOWN.
Jesus is inviting us into an all-inclusive.
Listen to Matthew 11:28 in The Message Paraphrase:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.”
Why do you feel so burdened…exhausted? Because you are connected to the wrong thing. You’re dependent on the wrong thing.
- In this passage and others that thing is called a Yoke.
- First He says…Come to Me…Now He is saying…
2. Connect to Me!
This word wasn’t weird to his audience. It meant “submission to”. The Pharisees and religious leaders spoke lovingly of being “yoked to the law…the commandments…to God”.
The Yoke: was a wooden frame placed on the backs of oxen to make them pull in tandem. The simple yokes consisted of a bar with two loops either of rope or wood that went around the animals’ necks.
And this is the picture that is used to instruct that a person is pulling in tandem with God when they are yoked to the Law.
ILL: If you lived in Judah in the first century, your formal education would have begun at the age of six.
And on the first day of class, according to rabbinic tradition, the rabbi would cover their slate with honey. The teacher would then instruct the students to lick the honey while reciting Psalm 119:103; “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
They were to learn and acquire a taste for the Lord…taste and see that it’s good.
By the time they graduated 4 years later they would have memorized the whole Torah!
Eventually growing and following their Rabbi and his take on the scriptures.
By the time of Christ the Torah had 613 laws. It weighed around the people’s neck. And the religious leaders exploited the law.
In Matthew 23:4 Jesus rebuked it when he said “you bind up a bunch of heavy burdens that are too much to bear and lay them on peoples shoulders that you won’t even move with your finger!”
The YOKE affected life!
So when Jesus say’s “take my yoke upon you”, then picture eyebrows raising.
APP: And I think that is where people are at many times. We’re saying…“I’ve done this…I’ve seen this…I’ve been raised in church…I know this stuff…
So How is this different, Jesus? Sounds like the same YOKE!
- People like the humble and gentle part of Jesus. We like the rest part. But when they understand the discipleship part… then the problems start.
Well let me share some reality to you…you are already yoked to something!
Even the most independent person has a dependency.
We are religiously yoked to the treasures of our life. They define us and give us purpose.
- The soul weariness…burden…comes from the way we live towards these things…it becomes our own law… our religion.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?15 What accord has Christ with Belial?[b] Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; (ESV)
You can’t rest when you are battling what your heart is fastened to.
Unequally yoked literally is the picture of two unequal beasts being yoked to achieve a purpose.
You could plow with an ox or a donkey…don’t put them together. They were used for different labor and purposes.
When you are yoked…connected to the wrong thing…YOU CAN’T PULL IN TANDEM.
YOUR RHYTHM IS OFF!!
Matthew 11:28-29 in The Message
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
- What are you fastened to that is living a different purpose than your promise?
- What darkness are you still fastened to when you are struggling to get to light?
- What devil are you still involved with that is wrecking your rest.
- What agreement are you having with something that is the exact opposite of what has been spoken over you?
Jesus speaks to your religious system to break off… and You Come to Me!!
Take my yoke upon you…Re-Yoke!! To re-yoke means to change our hearts.
- What I love about this is that Jesus doesn’t hide things! He tells us upfront…there is a Burden with this!
There is a Burden to walking with Christ. But again…it’s HIS Burden…not yours! BURDEN EQUALS PURPOSE!
He says “MY yoke is easy…MY Burden is light!
Why do it? Why say yes to this?
- Because His Yoke Fits!!
For Jesus to be talking about this at the level he is… chances are he knows something about yokes.
He says “My yoke is Easy” The word “easy” actually means “well fitting”.
ILL: Jesus was a carpenter in his youth…learning the trade from Joseph. Carpenters didn’t frame houses…but they fashioned doors and yokes.
In Palestine you would get a yoke tailor made…measured…for your animals…it was important that the yoke fit well as to not injure the ox.
Jesus is probably reaching into his experience and saying… take this…it fits!!!
- I know your giftings
- I know your strengths
- I know your weaknesses
- I know what you are made of.
Let me fit you with a Yoke. We will pull this together.
Why say Yes to this?
- Because with it comes rest!!
The Word rest here means something to us! It doesn’t mean relax…it means REVIVE!!
Take my yoke…my Burden and come Alive Again!
I hope you won’t hear this word and read this text and miss it.
Nowhere is this saying “the yoke of Christianity is easy, and the burden of Christianity is light.”
This has nothing to do with the yoke or burden of Christianity!
What makes this work is Christ himself saying to us, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
Conc: Can we revisit the introduction? Is it possible that some of us, with right motives, have bound ourselves to a method of religion that strains us instead of giving us life?
Not just church religion…LIFE religion!!
Jesus takes 613 laws and combines them into one that says… “Love the Lord Your God with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength…
Put on this yoke with me…and let’s get in this rhythm together and change the world…BEGINNING WITH YOURS!!