Burden Bearing Buddy

Rev Gideon Lee

What did I share about last week? From Psalms where I say evil will not triumph over good. The Psalmist says that evil seems to be winning but at the end of the day the righteous and God will win. 

And the week before that I spoke about stop being afraid. How? By standing on God's word and promises. We have to stop being afraid. Go and look at the blog and see the sermon that is transcribed every week. The link is in the bulletin. As I preach there is a flow and agenda so go and refresh yourself. It is also posted on TOP's Facebook page. 

Mat 11:25-30

Rest for the Weary 11:25-27pp – Lk 10:21, 22 25 At that time Jesus said, “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. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. 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. 28 “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.”

How many of you have burdens in life? All of us have burdens right? I would expect 100% of you raising your hands. I want to talk to you how we can exchange our burdens to God. He says I will give you rest. As I read the scripture I never come across a light burden. All burdens are heavy. 

What is your yoke? What is a yoke? I preached this at Youth service once and a smart aleck asked if I was talking about an egg yolk. Here is the picture of a yoke. 

It's heavy, burdensome and cumbersome. It's wood is rough and heavy. It is a pair carried by two. It's for a pair of animals. This how it looks like. 

For beasts of burden like cows. 

There was a story about Jesus before he was released into ministry. Jesus was a carpenter and they had a specialty. His family's specialty was to make yoke. Jesus was so good at it that many come from far to come and have him make the yoke. He customises the yoke so goes the story. 

I was telling the Hokkien service that new chairs are coming that is comfortable because they are ergonomic. Made to fit their body. Jesus made the yoke customised for the animal. 

My message is called "Burden Bearing Buddy". Jesus is the master at making yoke. That's why it is light and easy. The word easy actually means it's fitted well. His yoke even though it's heavy and hard, it's made light because it's fitted well. 

Jesus says come to me. Last week I talked about not looking at our circumstances but to look to God but today I am saying let God take your burden. 

How many of you remember when you came to God? We felt like a burden was taken off from us. Sin is heavy. It's a burden. Also note that the yoke is made for two. But we seem to like to carry our problems on our own. Come to him. That's the difference. The yoke is made for two. You don't have to carry it alone. 

Both buffaloes have to walk. One buffalo cannot say to the other he will not walk. Both have to walk to relieve the burden. 

Sometimes when we come to a service we lay all our burdens at the cross but after service we come back to the cross and carry our burden back home outside the church. 

God is asking you "are you burdened?" Come to him. 

There is also the burden of righteousness. You become a Christian and you see there is so much to do. Sometimes ministry is tiring. Or reading the bible is tiring. Or to serve at church is tiring. And as we do all these thing we grow tired because we have been doing it with our own strength. Jesus says come to me. Reading the bible can become a bore. Coming to church is a chore. Coming to prayer meeting is a huge  burden. Reading the bible makes you feel sleepy. Someone says the best cure for insomnia is to read the bible. Why is doing all these tiring? It's because we are doing it in our own strength. Coming to church is supposed to be exciting. Not like some dragging themselves to church like its a funeral. 

Doing it alone you can burn out. When you do out of your own strength. Most of the time we don't do it. We have to come to him and put on his yoke. How? Spend time in God's presence. Just take some time to be quiet with God. When I'm sending my children to school that's my time with God. When I'm waiting to send my children to school, I spend time with God. No hand phone. No Facebook. 

Adam spent time with God in the garden. He enjoyed God's presence. We do all we do in church because we love him. We serve because we love him. Our burden can be light this way. His way is different from our way. We get tired when we do it on our own strength. God says come to me. It's well fitted. And he's next to you. 

God set us free from sin so that we can bear one another's burden. What was the law God set for us? Love the Lord your God and love one another just as God love you. How, he bore our burden for us and took our curse. 

Come to church is the same kind of commitment as if you are in a marriage or family. If God has planted you in this church it's as if till death do you part. God planted us in this family for better or for worst. So when asked about going to another church I will just say God planted you here till death do you part unless God called you elsewhere for a purpose. 

I asked someone which church you go and he says my church is internet. I play worship songs and then stream the message and pay my tithes online. If that is the case why do we come to church? We come to church not just because of the worship or message but it's because we are a body of believers. We come for one another, pray for one another. 

When you spend time and have fellowship with your very best friend you come out refreshed. That's what would happen when you fellowship with God. There's an exchange and you come out refreshed. 

I end with this story. 

One day this man moved into this new landed house in Penang. It's a new house and they have to cleaned up the garden of lalangs and weeds. The father told the son to remove a rock and take it out of the garden. Unknown to the son, that small rock on the surface is actually bigger under the ground. He tried and tried and cannot so he felt so dejected he came to see the father. The father asked if he used all his strength and he said yes, feeling a little insulted. The father said no son you did not use all your strength. So the father went with the son and both of them managed to remove the rock. That's how we are. Sometimes we do it on our own strength and do not rely on the fathers strength. We are not alone. 

Spend time in God's presence before you do anything else. It's your relationship with God. Until we do that the burdens in life is very heavy. It can be finance or health. It feels heavy right, like it's going to break your back. This morning as we come to the Lord's table allow Jesus to come in and carry that burden with you. 

Bro Vive and the board praying for Sis Jane who is leaving for a mission trip to China on her own.