The Yoke of Jesus — Brian Guerin

The Yoke of Jesus and the Call to Come

Want to talk to you this morning just real briefly about the yoke of Jesus. You know the famous passage Matthew 11 verses 28 through 30 the yoke of Jesus. We'd hopefully get better at wearing that one and getting out of our own.

So I'll read it and we'll just kind of see where we go. Jesus here red letters Says 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'm gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. I Love if you back up to 25 you know, he was hitting all kind of stuff, but When he goes to jump into this come to me right before he kind of prefaces it with.

At that time Jesus answered said I thank you father. It kind of goes into a prayer Lord of heaven and earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

Even so father for so 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 reveals to him Wills to reveal him then he goes come to me all who are weary, you know heavy laden.

I love that. He starts it off with like, thank you God that you hid this from the wise and only reveal it to babes. Meaning what is about to go into we've got to become childlike to enter the kingdom.

As soon as we start thinking we've got I got it figured out and put our man's wisdom on it is the exact Juncture in life where you start getting outside of the yoke of Jesus, and I prayed make us more childlike.

That we'd walk in the kingdom, but I love that. He prefaces it with that. And then our main one here at 28, I just want to kind of go through it slow talk to you from my heart. See where it goes. And I in my mind it worked.

Okay, but in the natural if it's a disaster forgive me ahead of time I'm gonna try and use the drum cage as a secret place. So if the mic doesn't work in there, then just know I did not hear the Lord on my display.

Coming to Jesus Requires Intentional Focus

I Love visuals sometimes with those stuff on the LED wall, but I want to emphasize this coming to him. I feel like these three words you could do a series on and I could see it working as a visual. So, I don't know if the microphone working there.

So this has not been tested. Okay first come to me Jesus says this right and we'll get into all the next but that word just to slow down and dig through it and Hopefully adhere our life better to it. Um that word come.

Means come away. Turn away. That word to Means to award but not only that listen this to interface. It's so big man. This is if we get this like Life works this way. It's the way set it up for whatever reason we think we're wise and know better.

And we go out our entire life a believer, but we don't do these simple things. Well, and we're always heavy in toil Burden things like this, but it'd be like this say like Kristen. Which we're gonna get y 'all to share one time.

I just found out yesterday Eva and Kristen amazing bill was for years Woman of God, but a testimony in here was crazy. Was it uh, what was it was healed? Liver yeah, like regenerative liver happening.

The doctors are shocked. They're not supposed to happen and it was something else not chrome's but Oh Chrome's aren't go ahead. Yes. She's here. How is it? Oh. She's in balcony. What was it? Yeah, come on Jesus.

Wow. We're gonna get her to share that one time. I was just Wrecked. Oh, wow. Wow, they had set up a surgery apparently to Reattach something but when they went to go into the surgery, it was reattached.

It's like going totally creative. Yeah. Wow. So but like like say Say Kristen, you know is the Lord so and we're gonna go back to the word come away and in two. But two is is toward I love Stevie touched up touched on this Friday, but it also means local Proximity.

There's so much in that little word two letters T's Tio towards local proximity to Jesus. This is so massive and to me that the nearer you are in proximity everything changes this is when you start getting into the yoke of the Lord and But to or and to interface.

Meaning your eyes are locked in the Lord. How many know sometimes you can be around the Lord in church every week around believers around his word. But you're not really locking in with the Lord. You can be in the secret place and you're not interfacing with him your minds elsewhere.

You ever been at like a restaurant with somebody and you're eating and they're like on their phone and they just assume be in Europe. They're not there. Do you know I'm talking about you're like you didn't hear what I said.

You know like go back to my meal and then I've actually done that a million times. So I can get it like please forgive me. I was somewhere else but um. So this if I just pray that we'd get simple like a child be like, oh, yeah.

You know what? Jesus is basically saying here that like I don't have a clue and my ways don't work. As soon as I think I've got to figure it out on how it should be like that's not a good road to get on.

And it become like a babe you reveal it to babes to children childlike. So but it's so easy to because all you'll see here. We have to do is come to him. Take his yoke. There's there is Dependency on our part though.

Take his yoke and learn. And I look at them as these deeper tears and knowing him. And if we can hopefully do all three well on a consistent basis. Oh my gosh. The enemy's like stop them now. But even this first step of just coming to him.

This intimate place of coming away turning away. We're getting kind of legal brother. You know, I I'm There's something about the secret place. I'm telling you that's what I'm gonna get in the drum cage in a little bit.

Let's pray it works but There's something about it, you know, cuz some people say well, I'm just always He's in me. I'm always with the Lord throughout the day and that's awesome and do that trust me, please hear me.

I get it Kingdom of Heaven's within you. He'll never leave. You know forsake you. Ephesians 2 6 we're seating heavenly places. I know all these things. But Jesus is sitting here saying I'm telling you right now.

You've still got to come and turn away. To toward interface it's got to be intentional focus locked in me. Not us not them not they not we me Jesus only. Everything changes here because we love to ride off the corporate rate wave and we had a conference this weekend.

We should oh my gosh 3 ,000 got saved on the axe, too. I mean we love it corporate as well. But I'm telling you right now, especially with where the days are heading if we don't get this and live a life of this really.

Here and I love what I love about this to this where nobody sees you don't get a pat on the back a cookie. You know, like I like to say. You guys like Oreos. Double stuff. Yeah, I'll tell you a little glitch.

I do. Don't eat them often. But when I do if if somebody happens to get the regular ones, it's okay. Bless them. But when they're not looking. When they're not looking what you can do is you twist to open?

Chunk the other half double stuff. You know, I mean the icing stick it. Yeah, and then you're in glory anyway, but you know, it's like nobody sees there no, no cookie pat on the back and and. Towards interface like very intentional and sometimes, you know, many of us know that can be difficult.

We get distracted in life, especially this day and age super busy. I want to encourage you more and more to find what you can do away with. Just on purpose go at it. The social media Bullhorn that's always in my ear.

Where's the batteries to that thing? That's a 9-volt pull it out. Any other voices the things that rattle that place to where you can't come turn away and be toward an interface with no distractions.

The Secret Place and Singular Fellowship With God

And then to me. I love that because it's so singular. If you keep reading he says and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, you know think it's very one-on-one and this is so vital you say well, I'm in the I'm busy.

I'm in the marketplace, but then all the more you got to do this. That's what I love. This verse applies to everybody. I don't care if you're buying a pulpit or not. None of that matters. It's just coming to him and.

But singular this is why I love Matthew 6 6 Says go into the closet and shut the door. You know why it says a closet is because nobody else can fit in there. Just you and him come to me. Me only we've got to do this and look if we're honest sometimes extroverts have a problem with this.

You know, it's like guy because they recharge around people. Introverts like oh, yeah, I'll lock up and be forever. Give me a book. It's raining outside. You don't want to be around people and Depending on your wiring system and they're both they're all awesome and God and good.

But what I love to help some of the extroverts is realize when you step in the secret place of the Father the Son the Holy Spirit myriads of angels, you know, so you're charging but you've got a got to come away to be with him.

But Matthew 6 6 I'm going to the closet. Shut the door not the kitchen. Plus closets nobody. It's nothing going on in there ever to get clothes and leave what you could teach on that is what you wear and you know what you take on and.

But not don't go into the clock there the kitchen and shut the door if you even have one to your kitchen. Don't go into the living room. Too much noise too busy too many people can fit in there to me.

Come to me. Shut the door behind you the closet. The secret place I love let's go to. I'm song of Solomon 214. Oh, yeah I'm song of Solomon 214 watch this one. Look I'll go into that. We'll do this now.

Please hear me. Hey, I'm telling you this thing is glorious. Stillness galore tell me if you can still hear me. Can you hear me? No way. This is crazy. I can barely hear you guys so so. Watch this you can really hear me.

So look come away nobody else can fit in here. I'm telling you we're gonna. I feel like I feel like y 'all can't hear me. I gotta come out here. But I'm telling you we need to start charging for the secret place in this thing.

It's totally silent. But come away shut the door behind you got to shut the door song of Solomon 214. This is the Lord talking to us oh my dove in the cliffs of the rock in. The listen to this secret places of the cliff.

Let me see your face there's that toward that interface let me hear your voice. For your voice is sweet and your face is lovely. Is there a scene here? There's a fan in here. That's amazing. It's it's chilly in there, but and I might go back and we'll see.

But this this turning away, you know what? I mean this lifestyle of like this is where we major. Come away. Turn away because a lot of times like yeah, I came to the Lord. I was in Walmart and busy and man I'm just with the Lord.

I'm talking to him, but that's not what this is. This has come toward interface. No other distractions. No other voices and I love that even here song of Solomon 214. Oh my dove in the cliffs of the rock hidden place.

Same thing as the closet. Nobody's there. It's not busy. We've got to just right now stop in our life really because if we don't do this It's gonna be another message we hear and we're gonna get busy again.

I love that. You all know Bob Jones. He had these like. Was it a hundred-year prophecy? I'm not sure he would see in ten-year increments. And not that you sit there and build everything off of it. We built off the word, but it's interesting the prophetic can confirm what the Lord's doing often.

And he saw like 2000 the year of this in decades 2010 Year of his glory something like that 2020 the year of his rest. And remember what hit 2020 shut the world down he prophesied that way long ago and.

But what will happen is if we're not careful we get busy again and start doing the thing. And we don't get really good at because this is totally the Matthew 11 has dependency. Trigger points in there that are fully on us.

Just like I talked about the waterfall of his word with the bridegroom paradigm Friday. It's a relationship. There's always a relating a co-operating and we've got to come to him come away. Toward interface, but this clefts of the rock and watches in the secret places.

They're secret. They're not open to the public. Nobody's there. There is nobody else there. They're secret. The secret places of the cliff that word cliff there if you study it, it's a very high up hard and narrow place to get to a cliff.

Meaning nobody's there. That's where the Lord loves to interface and lock in with us. And this is what he's saying here. Come to me I'll go go back to Matthew 11. So may we before I move on just really said it look the word is truth.

Whatever your ideologies have been up to this point I don't know how they're working for you, but the word works and Jesus has come to me. May we be masters at this? This is these are the things you want to major on in life.

Minor on the minors, but this is a major pillar in the life of a Christian come to me and may we find and create a Space look. I've shared this often. Wherever we move have moved a lot over the years.

One of my first and greatest investments in a home is my coming away to him. God. I have a place secret I'll soundproof do all kind of things put strands on dim the lights make it just so special and precious.

That's the most valuable valuable thing you do every day is come to him and let your life be built around that outside of that. But come to me all You who labor? I love that because it's all it's. You know, it's for everybody all in Greeks all you study.

It's pretty pretty complex. But to me it's amazing because that's extended to all of humanity but all Who labor and are heavy laden that word labor there means toil both mentally and physically. And in look I love just this passage alone only talks about labor toil mentally and physically heavy burdened and How do you live a life that that never comes under that again because you're you now take on the yoke of the Lord.

How do you do that you come to him? But there's so many other scripture you want to bear fruit in life abide in him. You want to live in a glory bubble while the world's in shambles? Which is where it's it's going with the bride looking, you know more beautiful than ever before.

It's gonna both kind of simultaneously deep darkness. Isaiah 60 and the glory is gonna shine on the earth on the earth the bride. But that's Psalm 91 he who dwells on the secret places the most it's all there.

This is just one beautiful doorway into entering rest. The toil and the the labor the heavy burden coming off of you and the living a life in rest. There's so many others though. Like you want to you need wisdom and revelation.

Oh, that's in the spirit of the knowledge of him knowing him intimate. It's all there. You can literally hit it from any angle. But we're just kind of touching on this narrative this morning. All who labor so it's mentally and physically.

How do you know most of us? I feel like in today's society are weary in toil most of the time mentally. It just happens through time in your soul. Have you ever been on a vacation you came back more burnt out than ever?

Man that's that's why the only true rest the only one really you can be fooled by whatever you want. The Bible's truth though. The only authentic rest is in him. It's it. I'm not even really interested.

We know we hardly ever even take him anywhere on time. But like I love them go on. I'm sorry, please hear me love family do your you know, do your vacations? But I'm meaning it even a vacation if I have no place to lock up.

I'm thinking me. I'm thinking disaster. I'm like everything in me is like that's gonna be miserable. But what about the waves and the seagulls? You know. If he's not there man, I like all the sudden I just can't stand seagulls, you know.

But if he's there, I'm like seagulls are the best bird on planet Earth. He's the rest. So so that a lot of the toil and weary in this day and age is mental and physical that's what that word is. It's in the soul and there's no way to get rid of it outside of being in him coming to him.

It's not going to happen. You can do all your 12 steps of this. Read a book that it doesn't matter unless it's this book, but it's coming to me. We've got to be this way. Yeah, you start to see it in what we'll see here.

Let me just go ahead and point it out and I'll try and pick up come to me all you who? Who labor and are heavy lead laden that word means? Overloaded weighed down a Lot of burden on you and I will give you rest.

Jesus Gives Rest in the Midst of Burdens

I love what he says here. You never see anywhere in here that Jesus says come to me and I'll take that from you and you won't have it your life. Anymore, he actually usually doesn't remove the issues that cause the toil and the burden.

He just gives you a rest in it. It's a big difference. He will sometimes but often it's it's the matter of walking through what you're still walking through but with his yoke on you and not your own and so you never see anywhere in here where he's like I'll tell you what.

Let me just remove that and this actually the call of of the gospel and just destiny regardless of the Lord. You typically find yourself in greater what could be toil and burden. Jesus sweat, you know sweat drops of blood take this cup away from me.

So people don't see that part to it, but yet his yoke is easy and his burden is light and so it's. I love that he's highlighting that because often we think if we just come to him he'll remove the issues of life, but that's.

If you're alive toil and burden is is in your path. You guys know what I mean that you're not getting rid of that so that that's. I just think we look at this Backwards sometimes he's talking about giving us the ability and rest to go through it.

I was thinking about this the difference between You know our yoke versus wearing his. Just say like you'll actually not even see anything change in life often, but your ability to go through it drastically changes.

And so that tells me a lot when I start getting around people and they're always heavy burdened. Overloaded weighed down. Toil, they're not coming to him. You can take it to the bank. That's the problem.

But no, it's just so much the weight of and the half of it. I'm here. I'm like that is light work. I'm telling you when the call of God increases the weight and responsibility if you don't come to him you will break.

You'll fall fast. And that's all we've got to learn this. Because people are like man I want to I'm gonna do so much for God and I'm knowing the weight that comes with that the burden. If you don't learn to wear his yoke by coming to him you will you will crumble.

So it's not so much about trying to find the way where the heavy load is not there it's coming to him to go through the load and. So I liken it to this with the you ever been to a grocery store and you get a horrific grocery cart.

That's like one of my greatest pet peeves on the planet. My kids will tell you I'll sit there at this section. I'll just I'll pick through them. I just before I go through that whole store I'll sit there check the wheels and I'm like one of those guys.

I'm like, no, no sure you want that one? Sure, and I'm checking them, you know. And And I'm just being honest Walmart's in the tourist. I don't know why I feel like their carts have had a hundred thousand miles on all of them.

And so there's a little wisdom tip for you I've learned over the years is I'll you got to look at the wheels. It's all in the wheels. They got ropes hanging out the wheels and they're cracked and all like no way not a chance.

Because you're thinking about going every hour. It is Poland, you know. Versus you know. And then uh Kroger sometimes have some pretty nice I'm just being honest. I love all the stores. Forgive me Lord or bless them, but.

But the same thing you're walking through the store getting the same things paying the same price. But you can have a cart where you just touch it with your finger man. It's just you turn it. You know, maybe you're just.

That's the yoke of the Lord you get a Walmart hundred thousand miler the broken wheels. That's your yoke and that that's what happens say and then if you ever done this you it's already really bad. Then you put a case of waters in it.

It's a water in it the weight it like bears down further on the wheels and you can't even turn it and and. So it's not so much the price paid in everyday life the choices what you've got to walk through anyway.

The weight of what you're carrying it's the yoke of the Lord by coming to him and it just makes things easier then all of a sudden you come to him and the things that used to Be they way they're the way they were to you.

They're just not that way anymore and you can carry more you know, it's kind of like Like Popeye spinach, you know what I mean? It's he's the same but you come to him and it just gives you this strength this this rest you walk in Cuz look Jesus even.

They were so busy at times. So it's not I just think sometimes we think oh my schedule will get lighter and all this stuff. Things will get easier. But what happens actually if you keep following the Lord, I touched on it earlier you you die.

Close pastor actually Michael Miller. He wouldn't care but amazing honor him to know him leader upper room we were talking one day and I'll cover you know call and uh,. And he was talking about just the life of ministry.

He says, oh you'll die a thousand deaths. I Said oh, yeah, he's right. So you want to follow Jesus? Oh, yeah, that's the colonel a week dies. Life will never come. So it's not about. The easier path you want the narrow one you want the costly when you want to die to you and take up your cross.

But it's in it learning to be so good at coming to him, which is actually what I love about that. There's nothing good other than just choosing meaning he everything that's good and lovely and perfect is him.

You can't even be like I'm so good at coming to him like that's foolish. It's just you know, you're desperate need you need him. And may we be so Apt to just so addicted to this place of just coming away.

You've got to. But so-and-so text me with you got to shut things down. You got to say no. You got to just find pockets where you just block it out the distractions of life and keep coming away do this real well.

And everything else is is Kroger baskets just. But then you get to the people next to that with the horrible cart and you're like man. You got these same exact groceries I do but they're like and they're turning and the heavy toil burdened frustrated.

So you guys hear me? It's the same often people that come to him can carry even more weight load and don't even you start to just not even notice. For care because you just came out of that the secret place with him.

You're tripping with him and he can give you more load. But he says and I will give you rest. So it's not so much taking away the toil or the burden. It's it's actually giving you rest in it. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Taking Christ's Yoke Through Obedience

I love this. This is where the obedience comes into play. So the coming to him is the obedient part. I mean the intimate parts are coming to him interface deep deep intimacy. But when we then take on the yoke of the Lord now, it's it's obedience yieldedness.

So a lot of people will come to him and do their best there, which is amazing. That's light years ahead of the most but then when he starts saying I need you to get lower now and. And let me lead this thing you die to you.

It takes obedience and a yielded life and this is where a lot of people stop. Because you notice I love that the yoke getting easy and the burden lights not till the end after all three steps. So the lightest that can be in life and the easiest and following the Lord is once we come to him.

Take upon his yoke and then while we're taking his yoke and walking with him learning from him. We've got to come to him take up take his yoke his ditch yours. It's the Walmart basket. And learn learn and this is another one too.

We don't do and have all been guilty of but come to him got to look just set it in stone. This is me and my family for me and my family. This is it. Let your kids find you know, if they're you real young, you know.

You probably do it corporately together and teach them because I'll just be off-coloring on the wall or something in the room. But as I get older teach me like he's the bread of life. I'm telling you right now.

We need him. He's everything and. And then from that though the yielded life of obedience. Taking his yoke. Look, I don't want mine anymore. I don't. I don't want to be the wise group earlier that things get hidden from.

I want to be a babe. That you want to be a child. I don't need to know how. I don't want to know how I don't care. Where are we going? Actually, I don't care. You just you're there. Praise God. So you get low and take his yoke upon you and Then learn and I love this watch what he points out here.

He says Take my yoke upon you. That's the obedient part with God obey. Just just don't even ask anymore. Just do it. Just do your best because when you come to him, that's where you find you hear his voice we saw that song of Solomon to look at my face hear my voice and He's actually talking to us there but when he speaks that's where you then learn the clear obedience and you follow but he says Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

Disciple means a learned one. One that learns and he says for I am gentle and lowly in heart. I love this. So you're like learn from you. Okay, learn what Lord how the how-to and the better ways to step and go through life in favor.

He actually highlights learn from me. About me. Becoming like me not even so much the how-to just becoming like me. This is so big. Meaning you'd think you'd like take my yoke upon me almost like if you're training somebody and say basketball.

My man Porter was incredible, bro. You know, I was thinking about you that you were a shooting big before they got popular. Anybody that knows sports the bigs in our our age group. We're all Duncan and stuff like that Porter can shoot threes man from deep.

Not that you care, but I think it's amazing. But say say like like Porter's teaching somebody, you know basketball and You would think learn from me. My dribble moves and this is how you whatever, you know, I know enough about it.

But but Jesus here is saying learn from me. He's got a ball in his hand and he just puts it off to the side. He goes look at my character. Become like me. I'm lowly. He talks about his nature. And this is where the the light yoke and the easy bird and all this stuff starts coming into play.

It's not even so much the how-to is the learning him and to become like him and he says I Am gentle and lowly in heart. That's basically saying humble twice the same, you know in a different way. It's like saying skinny and thin.

Those words there mean meek and humble. Which only the Lord can get away with that, you know is saying you're humble and you really are because it's truth. It's just it's not an arrogant statement. It's just truth.

But he's basically saying look come to me take my yoke upon you and learn from me meaning become like me. Then the know-how and the favor and the butter and in win and all that will just come naturally but learn from me and I love the place I love that the place of That Which was toil before and a heavy burden overload and weighed down.

How you shift that into light and easy and the yoke of the Lord is becoming meek and humble. You know what? I mean? It just it because then you're so pliable and the only way that first happens is coming to him.

I Love that when that's another thing toil and Overloaded burden on people. That's a dead giveaway. Not that we're trying to judge you guys hear me and we you know Mourn with each other rejoice with each other.

We're good. But I'm meaning if it's a constant your lot in life. It's a dead giveaway that coming to him is is not really there in a consistent quality way but also Arrogance. You cannot come to him all three stages you can't do these well and come out on the other side with pride and You can't walk in a light yoke and in Sorry easy yoke and light burden with pride.

Because it's like a you ever been to a car wash. There's different stages the first one Come to him second would take upon his yoke. And then that last one's learning not how to. Learning from him who he is and he goes I'm meek and humble.

And then you come out on the other side and then at the final stage. That's where his yoke is easy. His burden is light the only way to get here is coming through all all three stages and not only just one time a lifestyle of it now, that's what I pray it would become like.

We'd become very consistent at it and then a quality way we'd come away interface lock-in lock-in. I don't encourage you guys if some of you say man, it's just hard. I'm distracted to send another just stay the course.

Set a clock hold yourself. We need the discipline. The Lord doesn't the Bible says the Spirit's willing with the flesh is weak and Just give your flesh no say so and people religious spirit may say well, you're kind of getting legalistic be free.

You have the spirit. It's freedom. It's like okay. Why'd you say come away to me then? He said come away I'll give you rest, but there's there's tears to it. And I love though that so when you see pride there a lot.

Typically these three aren't in place. You're not under the yoke of the Lord walking. You guys know what a yoke is. Anybody not know what a yoke is. It's not an egg yolk. Although those are amazing, but yes, what would go around the cows next typically and they pull together.

Well, your yoke is a disaster and the Lord's saying basically get under mine and I even love to look at it as like that which around his neck was the cross he bore and Carried and then our cross now we take up ours and follow him and.

But it produces that a lowliness of gentleness and meekness of dependency pliable and then you realize you become more addicted in that way of life because everything becomes easy and people look at you go man, but all the Responsibility tons a bit busy, you know and you put somebody that doesn't come to him in the same spot.

And they're all of a sudden in turmoil toil heavy burden overloaded and they can't handle it. But you put somebody that comes to him. Well takes his yoke and learns from him. You can put all the load you want on them.

They don't even know it's there. They're just so captivated by him. They're just walking alongside him. They just see him. But hear his voice the slightest movement of his heart. They see him smile. He's there and Then they're just so low because like man, I've always needed you.

You're everything. What was I thinking? You become you can't get around the Lord and come out prideful. Not a chance. That's what I love about people that drip with humility that yeah, you can tell. They learn from him in becoming like him so You guys want to stand we'll pray Stevie if you don't mind helping me Tracy and maybe if our prayer team could come that would be awesome.