Title: You who labor and are heavy laden
content?
p; Matthew 11:28-30
p; And at the same time, the words of today's text came to mind. Yes, the voice of the Lord calling us while taking pity on us who are struggling with such hard work and the heavy burden of competition…. Just calling you like that is comforting. This is a generation that is truly irresistible. From the age of two or three, we already have to go to daycare, English school, Taekwondo school, piano school, entrance exam, work, competition... In an age where we don't know what we're living for. There is. But we can't just stop by ourselves... It's really hard to handle the stress and pressure when we go... That's why the Lord is calling us.
bsp; .... come all to me. I will give you rest.
bsp; Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
bsp; Then you will find rest for your hearts.
bsp; For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30
These words were originally addressed to the little ones who were oppressed by the heavy burden of the law in the Jewish society at the time, burdened with economic hardship, and socially alienated and living with the burden of suffering. At the same time, it is the voice of the Lord calling us to live today.
p; In life, everyone is to blame? We live with our burdens. There is no one in life that is not hard. So, when the Lord calls life, toil? and that's what you call. He is not calling workers and porters, but a life that is burdened with the toil and burden of life.
p; 1. Work? Guys!
When I meet people these days, everyone says they are busy. It is very difficult to make time for each other even with friends. Why are modern people so busy? So convenient, fast, and generous, what keeps people so busy? Probably for three reasons.
bsp; First, because the times themselves move quickly. We have to be busy as we try to adapt to the fast-paced times.
bsp; Second, in this era of infinite competition, we are busy because we have to run to keep up with the competition.
bsp; Third, they are busy trying to secure more economic power. In order to have more, higher, and wider areas than others, you must have economic power, and you must move quickly.
p; That is why modern people work hard and live with heavy burdens. “Toil” refers to a state of being exhausted and exhausted by doing a lot of work by oneself. A ‘heavy load’ refers to a state of exhaustion from being burdened by other people or by the environment. So modern people are really hard-working people.
I don't do it because someone tells me to do it, but I work really hard to keep up with the competition. You work hard to own more. They work tirelessly to secure their place.
p; The times will keep going faster and faster. The more you do it, the more competitive it will be. The desire for more economic power will arise. That is why there is no place in the world where we can take away our toil and heavy burdens.
p; 2. Come all to me!
This is where Jesus invites us.
bs? Come all to me. I will give you rest.
Hearing these words is truly a blessing. Just calling us to work and sleep is a blessing.
bsp; bsp; Dear saints, I hope that you will become clear souls who truly respond to the Lord's invitation. In worship, in hymns, in prayer, I hope you empty out all prejudices and worldliness that you have. And I hope you will sit down on your knees in grace, thinking only of Jesus. That is the way to respond to the Lord's invitation. At least for the time you are in church, you will have to lay down all carnal things, self-proclaiming things, greed, worldly positions, and boastful knowledge before the cross and humbly kneel.
Is there really any rest when I come to the Lord? After a week of exhaustion, on a Sunday with one day off, you come to church and spend half a day doing this and that, and then the sun goes down, and sometimes you can't get more rest than on weekdays? Throw away these thoughts. Why did such fatigue, toil, and heavy burdens arise in the world? It was born out of constant competition and the busy strides tied to the flesh and material things, even compromising with sin and being swept away by the ostentatious appearances of self-confidence.
p; Humans are soul beings. Eating, drinking, and playing are not rest. Rest when you find peace in your soul. Even if you work hard, your spirit and body will enjoy rest when there is joy in the soul. Because human beings are spiritual beings, when the soul gains strength and the soul becomes alive, everything becomes stronger, joyful, and delicious to live. When the soul is filled with vitality, the heavy burden is lifted and the energy of new life overflows. God's grace comes down through that channel of faith. Heavenly joy and peace will be contained in that clear soul.
p; So we should pray like this.
bsp; Lord, I'm here.
bsp; Tired of the world, I'm here with all my burdens.
bsp; I am here with a wounded, aching soul, a stained and soiled soul.
bsp; Wash, caress and renew my soul.
bsp; So, again, give me courage and strength to run through that wilderness-like world.
When you truly open your soul to the Lord in this way, I believe that the Lord will accept you, touch you, and heal you.
bsp; Lay down here the burden of your burden, the burden of life, the burden of the body, the burden of cares and worries, the burden of competition, and the burden of iniquity, and drink from this fountain that I will give you, which will never thirst.
bsp; Whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst.
bsp; The water I give will become in it a spring of water springing up to eternal life. John 4:14
This kind of comfort from the Lord overflows in true faith. God's love abounds. Heaven is full of peace. At that time, we will lay down all our toil and heavy burdens and find true rest. Even if a person who has gained spiritual rest in this way goes out into the world again, he will be able to bear the burdens with ease.
p; 3. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me!
But when the Lord invites us, he asks for one thing.
bsp; Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. 29
It is to take on the yoke of the Lord. A yoke is a heavy burden, but if it is an honor, how can you give it a rest when you say to wear it?
p; What yoke is this yoke? It is a yoke to resemble the Lord. The yoke of gentleness, the yoke of humility, the yoke of mission. The Lord is telling us to take this yoke on us because it is the way to put away our toil and heavy burdens. The yoke used by the Jews at that time was carried by two oxen, one capable and experienced, and the other inexperienced. An inexperienced cow can go on its own, as long as it aligns with an experienced cow next to it. If you put down the burdens of the world and walk with the Lord and follow the Lord, you are saying that there is true peace and rest.
p; The more knowledgeable, the more powerful, and the more positional, the lower the church should experience. Otherwise, there is nowhere where the soul can be purified. If a person who is exalted everywhere wants to be exalted in the church, where will he learn humility like Jesus? If a person who used to shout loudly in the world also shouts loudly in the church, where would he put the Lord's meekness into practice?
p; If we want to boast about them or to be treated by them without being able to offer them knowledge, position, money, or anything as a mission before God, it means that we have nowhere to lay down our toil and burden. You will be a foolish, poor soul.
p; Brothers and sisters, are you really humbly kneeling before the Lord who invites you? I hope that you have a soul time where your soul faces the Lord sincerely and earnestly, not for anyone or to show anyone. No bluff, greed, or lies can intervene. There is only earnest and humble confession.
坪湄榕? Come all to me, and I will give you rest. said the Lord. Dear believers who have come before the Lord, I hope that you will receive the Lord's comfort and the fullness of your soul through sincere faith and worship. And I hope you receive true joy and rest in your soul. So, in the name of the Lord, I bless you in the name of the Lord that you will make it hard and that you will become blessed saints who are full of thanks and joy and live happily in this poor world.