TITLE: The Call to Accept Christ’s Burden TEXT: Matthew 11:20-30 THEME: The believer should accept the burden of following Christ because it is easy and

TITLE: The Call to Accept Christ’s Burden

• TEXT: Matthew 11:20-30• THEME: The believer should accept the

burden of following Christ because it is easy and protects us from judgement.

“I do not know what I would do without Jesus in my life.”

Why should a person follow Jesus?

I. To avoid the consequences of rejecting Him. (20-26)

Matthew 11:20-24

“20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you

Matthew 11:20-24

23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

I. To avoid the consequences of rejecting Him. (20-26).

• The consequences are severe.


• The consequences are severe.• The consequences are eternal


• The consequences are severe.• The consequences are eternal.• The consequences are proportionate to the

evidence given.

This not the first or only time Jesus warns us of dire

consequence for rejecting him.

Matt. 5:21

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell”.

Matthew 5:29-30

“If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”

Matthew 10:14

“Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town.”

Matthew 12:35-37

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

Matthew 18:9

“ And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”

Matt. 23:5

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.”

Matthew 23:33

“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”

Luke 16:23

“In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.”



evidence given.• This not the first or only time Jesus warns us of dire consequence for

rejecting him• Jesus speaks of hell and eternal judgement more than any other individual

in the Bible.



evidence given.• This not the first or only time Jesus warns us of dire consequence for

rejecting him• Jesus speaks of hell and eternal judgement more than any other individual

in the Bible.• We miss the point if we see Jesus only as loving and accepting of everyone

and everything.


II. Because Jesus has made his offer simple. (25-26)

Matthew 11:25-26

“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 is what you were pleased to do.”

I Corinthians 1: 26-31

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.”

I Corinthians 2:6-8

“6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

I Corinthians 2:18-19

“18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Following of Christ starts with the simple proposition that there is a God who loves us and makes Himself known in Jesus Christ.

The world starts from a different beginning. They start from the

beginning that nature and matter is all there is

“Of course it simple. God wanted it to be simple so that

even simple people can understand and belief it.”


III. Because God reveals Himself through the Jesus. (27)

Matthew 11:27

“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

In knowing and following Jesus we have a greater understanding

of God.

John 5:36-38

36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.”

John 6:46-48

“Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life.”

John 10:30-38

30: I and the Father are one.” … Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

John 17:1-3

• After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

• “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

Hebrews 1:3

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Scott McKnight

"The test results also suggest that, even though we like to think we are becoming more like Jesus, the reverse is probably more the case: we try to make Jesus like ourselves."

Voltaire

"If God has made us in his image, we have returned him the favor."


IV. Because following Jesus provides rest. (28-30)

Matthew 11:28-30

“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.”

Philippians 4:11-13

“11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength”

Dr. Paul Brand with Philip Yancey, Leadership, Vol. 4, no.3

If I put a flat, uncarved piece of wood on an ox's neck and use it to pull a cart, very quickly pressure sores will break out on that animal's neck, and he will be useless. A good yoke must be formed to the shape of an ox's neck. It should cover a large area of skin to distribute the stresses widely. It should also be smooth, rounded, and polished with no sharp edges, so that no one point will endure unduly high stress. If I succeed in my workshop, the yoke I make will fit snugly around the ox's neck and cause him no discomfort. He can haul heavy loads every day for years, and his skin will remain perfectly healthy, with no pressure sores.

Dr. Paul Brand with Philip Yancey, Leadership, Vol. 4, no.3

And now, I think I understand the strange juxtaposition of phrases in (Matthew 11:28-29). Jesus offers each of us a well-fitted yoke, of custom design. He does not call us to the kind of rest that means inactivity or laziness--that would lead to spiritual atrophy. Instead, he promises a burden designed to fit my frame, my individual needs, strengths, and capabilities. I come to him weary and heavy-laden. He removes those crushing burdens that would destroy any human being, and replaces them with a yoke of appropriate stress designed specifically for me. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me," he says, "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."

APPLY TO SPECIFIC AUDIENCE:

• There are strong reasons for following Christ. We need to ask, “What obstacle is in my way that is hindering me.”


• Ask, “Do I have distorted view of Christ and try to make him in my image?” If your answer is yes you need to study the gospels diligently.


• Are you burdened with stress and hopelessness? Then come to Christ and “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”. 1 Peter 5:7

Barbara Baker “Mom, could you do this?”

"Mama... could you withstand the things that Job did?"

With Jesus there with me and helping me I could say, “Yes, I could withstand the things that

Job did.”

Documents

TITLE: The Call to Accept Christ’s Burden TEXT: Matthew 11:20-30 THEME: The believer should accept the burden of following Christ because it is easy and