‘The Burdens we bear’

By R.v.Leerdam

Brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who is not weary and burdened by the demands of life?
Weary with the demands placed upon us by others.

Jesus was speaking to those who were weary as they tried to meet the expectations of the religious leaders of His day. Do this! Don’t do that! Then there were those who carried burdens that were so oppressive that they were at the point of giving up on life. What are some of the burdens that you are carrying?

Constant pain? Fighting with cancer or some other health issues? Or the sorrow and grief of having lost a ‘loved one?’ Perhaps it is the burden you carry for your children or grandchildren, a burden for a friend or a neighbour. Maybe the burden we carry for the well being of the church and its people. Perhaps you are burdened by things that have happened in the past – abuse suffered, bullying endured, or the sins of your youth. We can also think of the burden carried by tax collectors.

Remember what Jesus said about him standing in the temple to pray. He could not even lift His eyes to heaven, but beat his chest and prayed, Lord have mercy on me a sinner. Jesus says, “He went home justified.” Remember the burden of the woman with her bleeding. For 12 years she had been subject to this terrible affliction. Her money she had spent on Quacks who could not heal her. She was unclean, she was an outcast. But when she heard about and saw Jesus, she crept up to Him saying to herself, “If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus felt the healing power go out from him and asked, “Who touched my cloak?” Jesus said to the woman, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you. The burden carried by Peter as he beheld the glory and holiness of Jesus of Nazareth. “Go away from me, for I am a sinful man.”

When we think of life apart from a personal relationship with the true God – the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, life is surely meaningless and a wearisome burden.
The writer of Ecclesiastes summed it up, “Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless. What is gained by all the labor and toil? Generations come and go, but the earth remains forever. All things are wearisome, more than one can say.” It would appear that the only thing that changes is that every year those who are still alive are a year older…

And for all the religions of the world, it is but a wearisome repetition of rituals that are followed day in and day out, year in and year out. When a person gives up on doing one thing they simply embrace another which is ultimately just as tiresome and wearying to the bones.

A life lived apart from a personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, the God who enters into a covenant with those He loves in Christ – is futile. This relationship is initiated by God. Jesus is the one who reveals the Father to those He loves. The wisdom of this world does not acknowledge the one true living God. It is not that people can claim ignorance or charge God with hiding Himself. What is plain has been revealed so that no-one is without excuse. With the coming of Jesus to the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum, he had this to say to them, Woe to you, Woe to you! You saw the signs and miracles and did not repent. On the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for you. Yet Jesus exclaims, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children… No one knows the SON except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” Matthew 11:25-27
The fact that anyone has a personal relationship with God is all of God’s doing. This relationship has been made possible because of what Jesus has done. This relationship changes everything and continues to radically change us – God’s people.

How is it changed? God restores what has been lost by the fall. God removes the consequences of the sin that has alienated us from Him. Christ’s invitation is to all. Yet acceptance is because of God’s grace.

God opens eyes that were blind and deaf ears. The spiritually dead heart that refused the love of God, by the grace of God – is now alive to the Almighty awesome creator of the universe. The Spirit of God gives faith to the people whom God has chosen to love. Remember we were talking about being burdened & weary. That is what the people who Jesus was addressing were experiencing. The sacrificial system established by God through Moses had been added to by the religious leaders of Jesus time. It had become a tiresome, wearying and soul destroying system of rituals and regulations that were supposed to bring a person closer to God. Through them the people tried to appease God. This is true of all the religions of the world. How liberating is the Gospel of Christ. First of all, Jesus satisfied the just requirements of God. He has endued God’s wrath against sin. Jesus has appeased God’s anger by bearing in his body the suffering and agony of hell.
He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus promise is rest for the weary and the burdened Listen to Jesus gracious invitation.
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and 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.
For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Here Jesus reveals to us his heart. Remember who Jesus is.
Majestic, all glorious, the One who spoke and the universe came into being.
He is the righteous King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But His heart is gentle and humble. ‘A bruised reed He will not break and a smouldering wick He will not snuff out.’ Isaiah 42:3

The broken and wounded, the hurting and fearful, those who are burdened and weary are invited to humbly come to the Lord of Glory. He will have compassion, He will not turn His back on those who seek Him with all their heart.

The gentle and humble Jesus invites the sinner, the tax- collector, the desperate, the downtrodden, to come to Him and He promises to give them rest for their souls. What a beautiful Saviour, what a faithful friend! Jesus invites you and me to take his yoke on our shoulders and to learn from Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Jesus uses this agricultural image of a team of oxen working together to get the ploughing done or pull the wagon filled with produce to market. And the wonderful reality is that it is Jesus who does the heavy lifting. We might be weak, but He is strong. We might falter, but He enables us to persevere and run the race of faith granting us rest now and ultimately eternal rest when we enter into the new heaven and the new earth in glory.

As long as we live on this earth we have work to do with Jesus at our side. We have a Gospel to share with the lost, and are to be channels of Jesus love. God will establish the work of our hands for His glory and the extension of His Kingdom.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards sat and watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for He grants sleep to those He loves.” Psalm 127:1-2

Yet there is a price to pay.
It is the call to discipleship.
It is the call to deny self, take up your cross and follow Jesus.
What motivates your life?
Is it to be cosy & comfortable?
Or are there values that Jesus wants us to adopt.
What principles are going to guide our actions?

Jesus is a wonderful teacher. He is gentle and humble in heart.
What does Jesus want for us?
To enjoy a personal relationship with the triune God. To fulfil the purpose for which He has given you life.
“What does Lord require of you? To do Justice to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
This gives life true meaning. Seeing what God has done, we give thanks to Him.

Be passionate about the things God is passionate about. Is God passionate about rules & regulations. NO! God is passionate about the poor, the widow & the orphan.
He is passionate about justice, truth, mercy & compassion.
He is passionate about the LOST. Be wise in the way you express these passions. Be faithful to your calling. Don’t rely on your own strength but on that which God supplies. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.

Hear it , believe it and act on it – Because God is faithful!

God keeps His promises!
He is faithful to the end!
NEVER GIVING UP!
Remember Satan is always sneaking around wanting us to question God’s faithfulness. He wants us to give up on God. In all things, let us first look to God – God is faithful.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, The creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, And His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble
and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

The lives of His saints is precious in His sight. That is what we are – saints! Saved by grace, justified by faith, He enables us to serve Him. He has given His Spirit so that the fruit of the Spirit maybe manifest in our lives more and more. Trust in God because the person who hopes in him will never be put to shame. He is faithful and able to complete the good work He has begun in us. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. We are called to keep in step with the Holy Spirit, or to walk by the Spirit every moment of our lives. May we never forget what the heart of Jesus is like – He is gentle and humble in heart. Never will He forsake us, never will He leave us, He has given His Spirit to dwell in us. We are not orphans, we by God’s grace are the children of the Almighty God, a loving heavenly Father who loved us so much that He did not spare His One and Only Son, but gave Him up for our salvation.

AMEN.