#Meekness and Rest

We continue as I mentioned at the start of the service in our

Pursuit series. We are, this is the penultimate

talk. We are in the lead up to Easter,

of course and it's Palm Sunday, next Sunday.

And the only problem with the pursuit book is there was one

too many chapters. So I've skipped chapter 8 and

we're in chapter 9, chapter 8 is actually very good chapter.

It's restoring the Creator and created.

Relationship, it's about recognizing that we are his and

he is God and I know many of you I've spoken to a read-along.

So do do make sure you read that chapter in to be honest with

you. You know, that notion of the

fact that we are here's and is is a theme that I hope you hear

from this Pulpit quite frequently that he is God that

he is the Creator and it's just so important for us to remember

that. Because the moment we want to be

like God is the The Things Fall Apart really isn't it?

I mean that as we know is the route Of the of the Fallen state

that we find ourselves in. When the enemy had said to Eve,

you can be like God. And so this is a really

important truth. The moment we try and be like

God and decide what we're going to do with our lives and we

start deciding what is truth and what isn't we get into very

dangerous ground. And so, I'd encourage you to

read that chapter, but we are in this new chapter chapter 9,

Entitled meekness and rest how ironic on a morning that we lose

an hour. But when I ask you guys a

question, who makes, who likes making bread lose a bread maker

Melanie? Is anyone else?

I love making bread over there as well II Stewart?

I think. Yes.

Could see you over there. I love making bread if our

started about a year ago and I'm really thoroughly enjoy.

It is quite therapeutic, isn't it?

You're the ingredients put it in the bowl.

Do the thing that you need it.i. Love the needing bit very nice.

Whack it in, Let It Rise. You know, the proof Roofing.

They call it at me first proof, obviously, get it out.

Get all the air out, then roll it again.

Put it in the tin. Second proof, absolutely love

it. Whack it in the oven at your

come fresh bread. And you know, I have this thing

where I like to cut the First Slice when it's warm and then

get some lard that with butter all over.

Absolutely love it. But you know, Are you getting

hungry? Yeah, me too.

Actually, we got doughnuts but I haven't baked those donuts to be

pleased to hear. But anyway, idea, I discovered

and you'll see where I'm going with this at some point.

But I discovered that what was happening with my bread, is it

wasn't coming out as risen as I'd like it and I couldn't

figure out why it was deteriorating in terms of

quality. I mean, it tasted.

All right, really, but it just wasn't the same and I was

discovering some holes in it and I was like, what is going on

with this? Well, I don't understand because

the ingredients are the same 500 grams of flour.

Teaspoon half of salt, 7 grams of use 25 grams of olive oil,

300 grams of water that you gonna say make bread very

simple. But why isn't this?

So I thought, you know what, I'm going to go back to the first

video. I watched on how to make bread

and figure out what I'm missing here and I discovered I had a

problem. I had forgotten something,

you're wondering what on Earth. I'd forgotten aren't you?

I've hooked you. Yes, when I got the bread out,

that first proof and I kind of landed down and then I rolled it

for the tin. I wasn't rolling it properly, I

wasn't causing enough tension in the role and so the air was

escaping as it was Rising. Hey you guys see now why on

Earth is Mark talking about bread at the start of his talk.

I'm glad you asked me that question because here's the

thing, the ingredients never change.

But the way I applied it did and this is what happens sometimes

with the word of God. The truth doesn't change, but

sometimes we forget how to apply it properly to us, and it just

happens over time for some of us.

Maybe we've heard the correct application.

Just like, when I watch that YouTube video.

You know, when you early on, you're like right meticulously

but I just felt that bit and then and do that bit.

But over time we get a bit I don't want to say sloppy but we

just think we know it. And the reason I want to want to

paint this picture for us is because we are about to look at

a verse or a couple of verses, which I think that we do the

same thing that I do with my bread making, which is we think

we already know what it means, but the problem is we get a loaf

that's only half risen. Because we need to really dig

deep and figure out what the text is saying.

In order that we can properly apply it to our lives, you'll

get some benefit, but you won't get the full benefit.

And with that, we're going to turn together to Anchor text for

this morning, which is found in Matthew 11.

And I know some of you are knowing where I'm going with

this given that we're talking about mixing some rest.

Let's see some Smiles, verse 28, let's turn there.

It's going to be on the screen if you're in the room and if

you're online, hello again, hit the Subscribe button and click

that Bell notification to make sure you get updates from the

new content that we release. There we go.

And if you're in the room, get your phone out.

Hit subscribe. Verse 28, let me read this come

to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you

rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn

from me for. I am gentle and lowly in heart

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Here we have two things in great contrast to to each other one is

the burden. And one is the rest.

I'm sure there is no one in this room.

That would not want that exchange, right?

You mean I'd give you my burdens and you give me rest.

Sign me up. I'm up for that.

That sounds like an amazing deal.

Let me ask you a question. When you think about burdens you

have to answer this out loud. Where do you, where do you

automatically go to? Now, I suspect where we

automatically go to a things like this financial worries

concerns over. Our loved ones.

Work. Considerations.

In other words, we automatically think about burdens as an

external, burden those circumstances around us that are

heavy on us. Is that fair point I'm just like

my bread, making we apply this word just to that aspect of

burdens, but if you only do that, you're going to miss out

on a fully risen loaf to use that rather weak analogy.

Because there's something in this that over time, I think for

many of us, we've missed and for others, maybe you haven't fully

grasped And so, in order to do that, we need to understand what

the phrase heavy-laden means. Or if you've got an NIV, and I

was reading from the ESV, the NIV says a burden because you

see the phrase, heavy-laden comes from the Greek word for

tid's. Oh, and that means a burden,

which comes from a ceremony or rights or unwarranted precepts.

In other words, legalism and the law.

Go with me on this. Let's look at Luke 11:46 and he

Luke 11:46

said, woe to you lawyers or Pharisees of the law.

For you load, people with burdens hard to bear and you

yourself, do not touch the burdens with one of your

fingers. It's the same Greek word use

there. And so, what this burden is are

actually burdens which arise from trying to live our lives

under the law of sin and death. It's trying to live our lives

Under legalism and the result of sin.

These actually the burdens that we're talking about here.

It's right. And it's good that we go to

Jesus with our external burdens and we should do.

But that's only half of how you roll up the dough for it to rise

because the other part of this, our internal burdens and maybe

this is just me. But I really think about that

when I think about this invitation invitation from

Jesus, I mainly Think about the external burdens.

But there's so much more to this.

And you see this is where we get to with Tozer because toes are

makes the point here that the principal burdens that this

invitation is addressing, are those that are interior to us

internal to us. And so what we're going to do

going to do together is we're going to look at five internal

burdens that are the result of trying to live under the law.

I sin. Are we going to see how we can

give those burdens to God? And toes are gives us?

In the chapter 3, I'm going to give us five two of which I'll

use of his, but the first one is a very, very heavy burden and it

is the burden of pride. And his toes are says, the labor

of self-love is a heavy one, indeed.

For example, just think about this.

How many of you have had angst When someone spoken badly of

you. Or not preferring you as you

believe they should or not treating you in a way which you

think they should. We rather stay under our breath.

That they know who I am. Now, I want to read a quote from

Tozer here, from this chapter, and as I said, this whole series

is based on the book. But I rather think that this is

a profound observation from Tozer.

He says this, the heart Fierce effort to protect itself from

every slight to Shield it touchy honor from the bad opinion of

friend and enemy will never let the mind have rest.

Continue this fight through the years and the burden will become

intolerable. Yet the sons of Earth as us a

carrying. This burden continually

challenging every word spoken against them cringing.

And the every criticism smarting, under each fanciful,

slight tossing, Sleepless of another is preferred before

them. I love the English 70 years ago.

But what a very colorful and elegant way to State something

that I think if we were to pause, we would all that rather

agree with, you know, I love Tozer because he doesn't pull

any punches. He's not worried about offending

Seekers. He just worried about getting

the truth to us. And he goes right to the heart

of it. But once we've managed to recoil

from this rather direct assessment of ourselves, maybe

we think, maybe he's got a point.

Because intuitively or instinctively, we go.

Oh, that's not me. And I know it's none of you but

it certainly me. And just to model what it means.

To be honest. I'll give you some of my stuff.

Wonderful. I'll turn this into a counseling

session for me. Good stuff.

I know in my life to have been Seasons, where I felt this

burden of Pride, you know, when I was successful in business,

creating products and companies generating genuinely multiple

millions of dollars. It was very difficult not to

create a bit of an image of myself quite frankly.

Surely not Mark. Yes.

And I went through Seasons, it wasn't all the time, you know,

I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna lie and paint a picture that's

false, but there was something in me.

I remember one time. Why my boss at the time?

We had to trip to America, to the US to headquarters, and the

policy was that exact of a certain level, including me at

the time were flying business class.

But apparently, we had to hold back on tyranny travel

entertainment. So, my boss got the business

class ticket and I didn't. I was well annoyed.

In fact, I went to speak to the chief financial officers, excuse

me, don't you know who I am? I didn't say that but I said,

listen, I'm an executive. I'm not going to arrive into San

Fran, go straight into blah blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,

blah. I was almost, I'm interested.

If I'm not going business class, I'm not going seriously.

You don't think so badly of me? And conversely.

This is interested. I just remember this when I

started my career, Way back in the late 1990s, when the

internet before it burst, you know, it walk into the office

and they would be Garland's of grapes and strawberries, and

mangoes. And then overnight, it would be

like, an orange and an apple, you know, it's true, it

happened. But anyway, why am I sharing

this story? Because we went on a business

trip. Once again to San Fran, for a

different reason and We got to the hotel, the Western, Saint

Francis in San Fran, anyone being there, gorgeous.

Oh, Bella, you have is a gorgeous Hotel, very nice.

And they have an older part and they have the new new bit.

So I check in with my boss at the time.

This is obviously someone could be different.

This was over 20 years a long time ago and they gave us our

keys. We rather quickly discovered

that he was in the old block in a small room and I got a sweet

up in the tower. Now, if I was smart and clever,

I would have said you should take Mikey.

But I didn't. Let's see you later.

And as I went in the lift up to the 23rd floor, or whatever it

was, That's like, I've arrived. It happens, doesn't it in very

subtle ways but I share some of my own story with you just to

try and disarm you slightly from temptation to say, it's not me.

And you see toes are makes the point here that if you carry

that internal burden of Pride, which is sin and it is going to

weigh you down, because if someone doesn't say the right

thing, if someone doesn't prefer you, it's going to not cause you

to rest. You can't find peace as long as

you feed that Pride, okay. Number two, pratense Now this is

not talking about hypocrisy. This is about our inclination to

put our best foot forward and hide from the world are real in

word poverty. Let me quote Tozer again for sin

has played many evil tricks upon us and one has been the infusing

into us a false sense of Shame. Do we really dare to be just who

we are without doctoring up the impression.

Let that settle for a moment as I take a sip of my water.

When I worked in Tech, I've got lots of stories today.

I don't normally have them, but in some of you, if you worked in

Tech, you have heard this phrase is called lipstick on a pig.

What? Right.

Moving On? No, I'm joking.

So What on earth is that right? Would come to develop a so-so

product. And we like what we haven't got

the time or the end of the resources to do a really good

job, just give it a cosmetic overhaul people will think it's

new. Oh you want to do a lipstick on

a pig? Yes.

Sometimes we do lipstick on a pig to ourselves.

Rather than be honest and real with people about where we are

at we just put lipstick on and say everything is okay.

Lipstick on a pig. The internal bit doesn't change,

but boy, we got to make sure the external looks good because

after all, isn't that how people assess us and look at us?

We are so Held back from this burden of pratense.

Because of Shame, which comes if you live under the burden of the

law, shame for our faults, shame for our lack of knowledge.

Shame for our upbringing chain for our family, shame for an any

number of things means we fear being found out and so we put

lipstick on a pig. You know, deep down in us as

humans. We have a need to be known.

God sees and he's created us to have fellowship with one another

but that burden of pratense will mean that you'll be held back

from having fellowship with one another and walking into the

arms of God because shame comes knocking on your door.

What an internal burden number three or this is a biggie.

Are you with me so far, good comparison or who is the goody

I've got some response, it's true, isn't it?

It's a big internal burden, the UN our lives, basically,

assessment and Benchmark of others, not in the assessment

and Benchmark of God. It is a dangerous path.

And let me tell you, from experience, a heavy, heavy

burden to carry. It says, our gifts are not as

good as their gifts. It says, our calling is not as

important as that calling. It says, my life is a mess.

There's is a garden or Bed full of roses.

They have all the good brakes. We have all the knocks.

If only I could have that. I've his wife, her husband and

their kids. I've never said that.

Only two of those. But it's true right yesterday.

I'm driving in my car in the afternoon.

With Daniel, my son, we're in half ended.

And I'm driving up one of the roads.

And in front of me, I see this gleaming brand-new.

I'm not going to tell you what car it was but it was a very

flash SUV up the range branding on play.

And in the windscreen this is no word of a lie.

This happened to me yesterday around 3 o'clock It looked like

George Clooney's, more handsome, brother in the car.

And a model next to him. Like they just come off a set of

some movie. And I'll be honest, there was a

moment that all of a sudden, my car that's not bad.

Look like a beat-up, car the clothes I was working wearing

look terrible. And my boy next to me was like,

I don't know why I've got him in the car.

God, would you forgive me? Now, but here's, here's the cat.

Here's the thing. This is this is a true story as

I was approaching, this don't happen in a nanosec.

Well, probably about 10 seconds as I was approaching.

I got all I know these guys, I recognize them now.

I wouldn't say we're friends but I certainly know who they are.

And all of a sudden, I realized that hard story, they've got on

the life they've had in, it ain't all Rosy and it was in

that moment is like Lord said, you see, you are comparing

yourself. You don't know, you don't know.

And it happens, all of us. It happened to me yesterday at

3:00 Now thank you Lord. I'm mature enough to recognize

that and you know we have to exercise our spiritual muscles

and not go down that path. But comparison I would say is

probably the Killer and it's fueled by social media because

what you see is a is a force life that people project and we

just consume more like man. I wish I was in Tahiti, they

looks amazing. I wish I had those abs.

I wish you know this certainly is not about me now personally.

Yeah, we're moving on from my personal stories.

I've got a six-pack so already there.

Thank you lose an hour and it all falls apart, but you know,

might make we are so consumed with comparison the world feeds

it and comparison, the enemy knows what he's doing.

You know, God has a plan for your life but so does the enemy.

He knows your weaknesses and what is his plan to stop you

from walking in the calling that God has for you?

Because as soon as you start comparing, you will not move in

your calling and you know what happened?

You'll start complaining to God. Praise will come out the window

Thanksgiving. What?

Come out the window? And you'll focus on all the

negatives and I'm telling you a comparison is an internal burden

that we are not called to count. But it is a result.

Of the law of sin and death, Right?

Moving on number 4. Regrets and mistakes.

This starts with the statement, if only two words, but so

powerful. Robbed of any joy for the

present. Regrets from the steak Force us

to live our past over, and over again, until the weight is such

that we don't enjoy the moment and we fear for the future.

I'm telling you, this is my own experience here.

If only, I have been there, I've rehearsed my decisions, you

know, God has blessed. Therefore and I with a very full

life with lots of opportunity, but with lots of opportunity

comes lots of decisions and I can't tell you how non heart

every decision we've made as being correct, or right, but, We

can't keep saying. What if if only because deep

down, there's two reasons for this.

The what the first one is unforgiveness of ourselves.

And for some of you, your if only statement comes because

you've yet to forgive yourself, if only comes because you just

won't move on, you know, God's forgiven you but I can't forgive

myself. But some of you, I believe the

holy spirit is just bringing light into where that if only

statement is and where that unforgiveness And you need to

forgive yourself and move on. But the second, if only issue is

this, we don't have a good enough for you or a high enough,

you of God's sovereignty. In fact, in some respect is a

bit of pride in US thinking that we would always make the right

decisions. But, you know, Romans 8:28 for

Romans 8:28

God. What's all things for good for

those that love him and are called according to his purpose,

right? Look at Joseph from the pit.

To the prison for the palace. He had lots of decisions and

lots was impacted on him. But what happened?

God, worked all things for good. In fact, There is that scene, is

there not where his brothers because there's famine on the

land and of course with Joseph, had it correctly, interpreted

Pharaoh's dream. And so there's going to be seven

years of plenty, seven years of famine, so they plan for that.

And all of a sudden, Egypt is the place that you need to go to

if you want to get some food. So, his brothers come and to cut

a long story, short, they reconcile and there's so sorry

and you know, Jesus said that, which you intended for evil God

intended for good. Listen.

God is Sovereign. Aw Tozer said once about this

seeming tension between God's sovereignty and our Free Will,

which let's be honest. We're not going to fully

comprehend until we get to the other side of Glory.

It's it can be confusing. But toes are shared an

illustration that while his imperfect helps somewhat to

understand this. He says, imagine that you are

going to Southampton and you will go to board a liner to New

York. You get on that liner and then

for the next, how long does it take to get to New York on a

boat? Sorry, two weeks.

Okay, great. I've never been on a liner from

Southampton to New York so put that on my bucket list.

Imagine for two weeks, you get to do what you want, you can eat

what you want, do what you want, but here is the thing, you're

always going to get to New York. That you can't change.

And as I said, it's a rather imperfect illustration but I

sometimes have to think about that when I think about my

decisions which is you know, what God will work it and he'll

get you where he wants to get you, you can choose the buffet.

If you wish over the a la carte, you can choose a game of croquet

on the deck rather than swimming in the pool.

But the truth is you're going to get to New York.

And we need to remember and I think we do got a disservice

when we minimize and diminish his sovereignty and what happens

when you increase our sovereignty and our lives.

God is Sovereign don't live in the statement if only move on

because it's the enemy's way of robbing.

You of the presence is the enemy's way of putting fear in

you for the future. Well, I can't do that because

I've already made so many mistakes, right?

Where are you up to? Thank you.

What's next well done. And this one's a bit of a

summary. Sin itself.

Similar, always be a burden. It might seem attractive to you.

Sin of course, is and it might taste sweet for a little bit of

a moment, but then the sour kicks him and you get hooked,

and you're in bondage. And I know, I don't need to be

prophetic to know that out of hundreds of people in this room,

there's some here that are still trapped in habitual sin.

And I don't have to list it. You know what that is.

And you know, that what I'm saying is true that it's a

burden to live under. These, this is the internal

burden. The Jesus is saying, move on.

Let It Go. Give it to me.

Which leads us to the solution then.

As a summary, we looked at those five burdens which our pride for

tents comparison, regrets and sin itself.

So Mark I feel like I need a solution.

Good news. We have one in the Bible because

Jesus goes on to say this, take my yoke upon you and learn from

me for. I am gentle and lowly in heart

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Isn't it interesting? I find this fascinating that

Jesus doesn't say. Take off those burdens and have

nothing in return. Think about this.

He's saying, take off those burners and have my burdens.

No, I don't really want any burden, quite frankly, right?

Is it, is it that a fair comment when you have expected Jesus,

say, take off the burden and just go run free.

But Jesus is saying, take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is

easy and my burden is light. We have been created to be yoked

with God, you know, that thing, they put over the cattle to get

the moving in the same direction.

You know, the root word of yoke, actually means joined together.

You see, we have been created to be joined together with God.

And the question is never, shall I have a yolk?

Listen, the question is always whose yolk shall I have?

We have been created to be joined with God to worship Him,

and if you take, don't take up his yoke boy, you're going to

take up another joke, you have not been created to be yo class,

you might think you have, I'm free really.

Have you seen what sin does? True Freedom comes from walking

and being yoked with Jesus, So don't say I don't want to joke.

Thank you very much. Ask yourself, the question,

whose yolk am I going to have? And then we get to the word

burden here that's used and this is where it's important to

understand the root word here. Because the word burden here and

the word burden that we read earlier a different words.

Mmm. Let's look at the Greek where

the other word burden was footed, so which means a burden

of Law, and legalism and sin. This burden is 40 on and it

means obligations Christ. Lays upon his followers, their

different burdens. Our here is the difference.

And I love it. Unlike the burden of legalism

and law and sin of death, the burden of Christ is light

because it is life-giving You get in this, Paul said this in

Romans 7:6, but now we are released from the law.

Romans 7:6

You don't have to carry that yolk anymore of that burden.

But now, we are released from that yolk having died to that,

which held us captive. So that we serve in the new way.

A new yoke is now available of the spirit, not in the old way

of the written code. Are you seeing this?

This is the heart of the Gospel message that we have been saved

from living a life under the law under a yoke of Burden.

To live in a life joined with God through Christ.

And here it is. Why is it light?

Because you don't have to do anything.

This burden is not a burden of performance like the other bird

and the other yolk. This is a burden of saying yes

and in that place the Holy Spirit enables us to walk with

Christ. It's an altogether.

Different way of living like to invite the band up as we end And

so going back to my bread analogy.

For some of you, maybe you feel like your bread.

It just doesn't look as it used to.

You're getting some kind of reason.

You're giving your external burdens to God, but you're

missing something. We're missing these internal

burdens that are speak to the root of the Gospel message and

the Heart of what Jesus achieved on the cross.

For each one of us, we do not need to be yoked to the burden

of sin. We do not need to be yoked to

the burden of Pride. We do not need.

To be yoked to the burden of Shame and pretense and of regret

and of comparison. And have there is a different

yolk that is available to us. Let us pray as we stand.

Thank you, Jesus. To be yoked to the burden of

Shame and pretense and of regret and of comparison.

And have there is a different yolk that is available to us.

Let us pray as we stand. Thank you, Jesus.