Finding Rest and Strength in Jesus' Yoke

"Watching the kids dismissed is always a happy and sad occasion for me. Happy to see them so, you know, enjoying themselves, so willing to go to Sunday school and all that kind of stuff, following their teachers. Sad because they're so happy to leave and, you know, and all your miserable faces that are staying here, you'll be like, oh, I wish I could go with them. Anyway, it's 2025." [00:25:33]

"Now, WWJD, if you, again, Christian long enough, you have experienced that. I don't hate it. I don't love it either. It's a good idea. It's based on Galatians 2 .20. It says, I've been crucified in Christ. It's no longer I that live, Christ that lives in me, the life that I now live in the body. I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself to me. So instead of living what I want to do, I first ask the question, what does Jesus, what would Jesus do, right, in whatever circumstances we're in?" [00:28:15]

"The problem with this movement, and I think the main problem with this movement, is that it produces a very oversimplistic answer to very complex issues. Oversimplistic answers to very complex issues. Jesus himself was never a parent, so things regarding the family, you know, what would Jesus do, how to raise a child? Jesus doesn't have an answer to that. He doesn't. Jesus never had a career. Like, when do I change jobs? Jesus never changed jobs, right?" [00:29:04]

"That little phrase, as catchy, as well -meaning as it is, does create a little bit of a problem for us. And if you ask 10 different Christians, what would Jesus do? You'll probably get 10 different answers. So who is right, who is wrong? Whose voice do I follow? Who gets to decide on this kind of things? And of course, the aftermath of this movement would definitely, now that we have hindsight, look back upon it, and we end up realizing that it created a lot of legalistic Christianity, whereas Christianity is being reduced down to what you can, cannot do, and then you miss out on the grace and the good news of the gospel." [00:29:35]

"And let's get this year, 2025, going. I think the first thing that Jesus wants us to do as we begin the year is to lean on him, to lean on him. Matthew 11, 28 to 30 writes, Come to me, all who are weary, all who are burdened, and I will give you rest. 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." [00:31:02]

"Now, before you get too happy about this verse, and I think we do this all the time, everyone, when we read the Bible, we assume what the Bible says. And the promise here is, God, Jesus will give you rest. In another translation, it means, it means refreshment. Jesus did not say, let me just re -emphasize this, Jesus did not promise that he will stop what you're doing, or that what you're doing is done, what you're experiencing is over." [00:34:28]

"Jesus is promising us here, that those who are tired, those who are weary, I will give you rest. He did not say your race is over. He did not say the thing that is causing you burden or stress, that will be lifted away. He did not promise that. He just says, I will give you rest. Have a sip of water, sit under the tree a little bit, you know, catch your breath again, because you continue after this. You continue after this. The march is not canceled." [00:35:40]

"The journey must be completed. But this time round, Jesus says, is a little bit different. He not just promised you rest. The next line tells us, he asked us to take my yoke upon you, upon you. My yoke. A yoke is a wooden thing. It's a cross piece. It's between, to harness two animals together for work. Usually bulls, big strong bulls and oxen, they're tied together. So instead of pulling the load by yourself, now you share that load between two beasts." [00:37:05]

"Jesus has been very, very consistent throughout his teaching. He tells us in John 16, I told you these things that in me you may have peace, and in this world you will have trouble. In me you have peace, in this world you will have trouble. So take heart, I have overcome the world. That's the good news. Matthew 7, enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate as broad as the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it, but small is the gate and narrow that leads to life, and only few will find it." [00:38:35]

"Jesus was not simply talking about my yoke as being two ox pulling together. He is specifically inviting, inviting those who are very tired of this religious nonsense and requirements. People that the world has put upon them all these unrealistic, unachievable expectations, that things that you must do in order to earn God's favor. And instead of drawing close to God and helping people to draw close to God and learn about God, all these rules and requirements are becoming burdensome and heavy, and it's getting very, very difficult to breathe." [00:43:41]

"Notice that phrase, my yoke. Not the yoke of those nutjobs. Take my yoke and learn from me. And learn from me. and learn from me. He just came off the Sermon of the Mount. He just preached one of the greatest sermons that the world has ever heard. So Jesus is literally guiding his disciples to this point and say, forget about those Pharisees that you've been hearing all your life that is causing you stress and putting all this unrealistic, unachievable expectation upon you. Take my yoke. Learn from me." [00:44:37]

"You still carry a burden, but it will be lighter because you're not carrying it by yourself. Jesus is with us. We are not alone. We just need to come to Him, invite Him into your life, allow Him to be your Lord and Savior, allow Him to guide you every step of the way. And whatever this year may bring to you, both the good and the bad, both the joyous and the sad, He promised to be with you, to go through it with you, side by side, pulling this..." [00:48:05]