The Book of Matthew • Matthew 11

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Well, good morning again.

If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, I want to invite you to join us in Matthew

11, and we're going to start this morning here in a little bit in verse 25.

If you do not have a copy of the Bible, or if you have a different translation than we

do, and you would like the same one that we use on Sunday mornings, we do have these Bibles

that are available.

They're available back here at our connections table.

You could go there right now and get one if you would like, or you can wait until the end

of the service and grab one then.

A couple of things for you guys to be praying through and praying for.

First, our adult, young, our young adult missions team has been in New York City ministering, doing

a VBS over this past week.

They will be returning home today.

So pray for the work that was done and the work that God will continue to do through the church

there, and pray for them as they travel.

I know we've got some storms and things, not quite exactly sure of their times, but I know

delays are a possibility.

And so we want to make sure that we're lifting them up as they travel as well.

Also, I want to ask you to continue to pray for Micah Hood as he is serving with the IMB and

BCM in Thailand.

So pray for him, for his ministry, for his team, for his leaders, for the people there,

all of what is happening, all of what God is doing there in Thailand and how God is using

this group.

If you're unfamiliar, BCM is a group of college students, and they are in Thailand ministering

and sharing the gospel.

I got a text message from the leader that was there, and he sent me a text message just saying

how excited and how proud he is to watch this team of students from USC boldly go out and

share the gospel.

And so be praying for that work as well.

So this morning, we are going to be in Matthew 11.

We're going to be at the end of Matthew 11, starting here in just a moment in verse 25.

Well, it doesn't mean that what happens in the previous verses in 1 through 24 is not important.

So what I would like to do, though, is spend a little bit of time and give us some context

of the first 24 verses, but we will largely focus on starting in verse 25 here in just a

moment.

So Jesus is there.

He's sent the 12, right?

We talked about last week, like to give Jesus your yes, what it means when you give Jesus

your yes, like he doesn't hold back.

He talks about the struggle.

He talks about the difficulty.

And then in Matthew chapter 11, what we see is Jesus has finished instructing the 12 of

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

what will happen, and he has sent them, and Jesus also continues to minister.

Now, while Jesus is ministering, John the Baptist, this is important, who's imprisoned, very important

aspect of this, John the Baptist, who's imprisoned, sends two of his disciples to Jesus.

Now, John the Baptist is not in prison for nefarious illegal activity, but he's been in prison

for his boldness, for the gospel, for what God has called him to do.

John the Baptist, the one who baptizes Jesus, the one who proclaims who Jesus is.

John the Baptist coming out of the wilderness, the precursor before Jesus, commanding that

we repent for the kingdom of God is at hand, as he points to Jesus.

This John the Baptist, I've never been imprisoned, especially imprisoned for my faith.

In his obedience, he finds himself in jail.

By the way, his obedience will find himself executed as well.

John the Baptist sends two of his disciples to Jesus, and they ask him this question.

They said, are you the one?

Are you the one?

Now, there's a lot of debate about the motive behind the question.

Some people think that John the Baptist is tired, he's frustrated, he's anxious, he's got

worry.

I could imagine all these things, and that he, in his lowest of lows, sends his disciples

to ask this question.

There are those who think that John the Baptist has been defending, and his faith is strong,

and set, and secure, and there's some of his disciples who are like, are you sure?

Are you sure?

Are you sure that Jesus is the one?

And John's like, fine, go ask him yourself.

Either way, we have an encounter where there are people of faith who have a point and moment

where they're questioning what is happening in the world around them, and Christ's role

in it.

Now, we can cast stones at that, or you can join me this morning and say, no, I've been

there.

I've been there.

I put my faith, hope, and Jesus Christ.

He is my Lord.

He is my Savior.

One day, I will be with him.

Man, some of those days, I find myself in the hard spot and the difficulty of that.

It's difficult.

You see, whether which side you think historically is happening here, there's an aspect of whoever

the motive behind the question is, are you the one, was rooted out of a belief in who Jesus

was, but also hoping that Jesus was this political Messiah, hoping that Jesus, in all of what he would

fulfill from Scripture, would also be the one to overthrow Rome and to bring peace politically

to the region, a region of the world that has been marked by war and unrest for thousands

of years until today.

Jesus, are you the one?

Big question for Jesus to answer.

Are you the one?

He could have rebuked him.

He could have said yes and go on.

But Jesus begins to build a narrative.

First, he speaks and he acknowledges who he is by speaking of his service miracles, the things

that he's been doing, right?

The blind have seen, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf hear, Jesus even says the

dead rise.

He's done this.

He speaks of his gospel ministry that Jesus preaches, right?

Not a political ministry.

Jesus is there to serve.

Jesus is there to save.

And then they leave.

They leave.

And this moment could be over, but it opens for more.

So the Bible tells us that they leave and Jesus turns to the crowd.

I think this is important.

I think this is important in this.

If you're a person and you're like, man, there are just days that are hard.

There are days that are difficult.

There are just days that my faith is weaker today than it was yesterday.

And I'm needing something.

And here we see the grace and the kindness and the compassion of Jesus Christ that if

it was this from John the Baptist, if this is where John the Baptist found himself in

this prison cell and has the thoughts of worry and anxiety and all the things, Jesus turns

and he says to the crowd the validity of who the John the Baptist is and is calling from God.

Jesus doesn't use this as a time to belittle, but to speak of who John the Baptist is and is calling

from God.

And then Jesus speaks to the new covenant and very specifically those who will receive it.

Then he does rebuke.

Jesus does rebuke.

He rebukes those of his generation, of this generation of what Jesus calls, this cultural

generation, this war-torn generation that he finds, for rejecting God's messengers.

They've rejected John the Baptist.

They reject Jesus.

They've rejected the messengers and the message.

They've rejected the messengers and the message, right, like a lot, like in the world that we

live in today.

They've rejected the message of Jesus Christ.

They've rejected the messengers of Jesus Christ, not talking about preachers, but talking about

you as well, right, those that we go and we carry and we share and we testify to the truth

of the gospel and the power of the gospel and who Christ is and the saving work that Christ

came to do through the cross, the cross alone is through him and through him alone and the

power of the resurrection, they reject the messenger and they reject the message.

I've heard it said sometime though, like, wouldn't it be neat if we lived during the time that

Jesus lived because then it would be harder for them to reject the messenger and the message

because there'd be the evidence of the miracles.

Well, the only problem though that we, that we see here with that is that there are the places where

Jesus has gone and carried, the messenger has carried the message, but the messenger also does the

miracles and yet these places neglected the call to repentance.

So you see the depravity of the heart of man is there that it will reject the evidence.

And sometimes we think, I mean, if I could just prove to you, if I could just figure out this

biblical mathematical formula equation for you to go one plus one equals Jesus, then you could be good.

But yet there are people who have seen the dead rise, they've seen the lame walk, they've seen lepers cleansed, they've seen the blind see the deaf hear, and yet they reject the message

and the messenger of Christ and the gospel.

I read this, I read this this week, it says these cities did not attack Jesus Christ, they did not drive him from their gates, they did not seek to crucify him, they simply disregarded him.

Neglect can kill as much as persecution can.

And Jesus says, woe to you.

Jesus could have walked off, mic drop, I'm out, I'm done, this is where you people are.

But he doesn't.

Jesus will offer an invitation.

Jesus will offer an invitation.

An invitation of what it means to follow him.

So let's pick up verse 25, we're going to read all the way, 25 through 30.

I do want to say this as we get into this.

Verses 28, 29, and 30 are probably those verses that are a little bit more known, that when we typically preach and teach and read from this, these are the verses we go to.

But I think we miss a lot if we skip 25, 26, and 27, right?

So we're going to dive in, we're going to look at all this passage in the context that God's word gives us.

It says,

It says,

All things have been handed over to me by my father.

I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.

Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my father.

And no one knows the son except the son and anyone to whom the son chooses to reveal him.

Then this is the part that most of us have memorized.

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, you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Jesus extends an invitation.

And the invitation there in the moment is an invitation and a call to rest.

Without taking a whole morning and spending the entire time going through different passages of scripture, both in the Old Testament and New Testament,

God, when Israel is in the desert, will oftentimes refer to their rest of what they need.

And we see the prophets will talk about the future rest of what's there.

We see Jesus give an invitation to rest.

And what we see throughout our biblical understanding of this word rest, that a call to rest is a call to salvation.

Jesus is there.

He's with a crowd.

The conflict that is residing within their hearts is what do they want versus what do they need.

They want Jesus to be a political savior.

They want Jesus to follow their definition of what they expect of him and demand from him.

But Jesus comes first for their heart.

Jesus comes to provide a means for the eternity.

And here's what is remarkable about this.

As Jesus establishes his kingdom, which if you're a follower of Jesus, you are a follower, I mean, you are part of his kingdom.

That there will come a time, because we've read the end of the book, we know the fullness of the story.

Well, Jesus will return.

He will come again.

He will establish his kingdom in the new heaven and the new earth.

And there will be a time where we no longer have earthly monarchs, presidents, dictators, elections, debates, and divisions.

But Jesus will return.

But you and I have to decide on this side of eternity, what do I do with Jesus?

You and I have to decide on this side of eternity, what do I do with this invitation that he is calling me to?

This call to rest.

The rest that Jesus provides.

And so this morning's message is a message for you.

If you're not a believer, if you're not a follower of Jesus Christ, the call and the message to you is to come to Christ in him and him alone for salvation that only he can provide, that you can't work for, that you can't earn, that's found in him.

And the work that he did on the cross and the power of the resurrection will be the power that you walk in.

And it is a call for you, but it is also a call for our rest, for those of us who were followers of Jesus.

God offers us rest.

Rest that comes from our salvation.

Rest that's a part of his plan.

Rest that's a part of him.

John 10.10, the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.

And Jesus says, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

That Jesus came not to just save you for your tomorrow, but to save you for your today.

That we, that you and I, in the difficulty and the grind of this world, can find our rest in him and live in an abundant life.

So maybe this morning, you feel like John the Baptist.

And if that's you, there's grace.

If that's you, there's compassion.

If that's you, there's ministry.

But Jesus offers you the rest that he and only he can provide.

So here's Jesus' invitation.

Would you respond in him, respond to him?

The first, the first invitation that Jesus gives is dependence on him.

Dependence on him.

Would you respond and depend on Christ?

We'll get back at verse 25.

This is at that time, Jesus declared, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.

Jesus draws a line, the line between those who will get it and those who will not get it.

Those who are missing it and those who are clinging to it.

Those who are rejecting the gospel call and those who are responding to it.

He said those who are apart from it, whose dependence is not on Christ.

Jesus classifies as those who are the wise.

Who is Jesus speaking of?

They are the ones who follow themselves, who follow their own understanding, who follow their works, who follow their deeds.

This is those who lack humility.

Coming to Jesus is not of our own doing or not in our own standing, but of his doing and of his standing.

It's the rich young ruler who says that I want the benefits of Jesus, but I don't really want to follow you in the day-to-day part of my life.

It's those of us who are rejecting and depending on ourselves for works, waiting until we achieve a level of theological intelligence so that our mind can fully acknowledge and receive and accept and fully believe, understand who Jesus is instead of coming to him in faith.

That he continues to reveal, to instruct, to show, to transform, and to reveal.

Jesus says the wise miss it.

The wise miss it.

It's those of us in here this morning who say I'm going to trust Jesus for my salvation, but I'm going to trust me for relationships.

I'm going to trust me for love.

I'm going to trust me for purpose.

I'm going to trust me for goals.

And in there, we miss Jesus.

So Jesus draws a line.

And he says, but this is what it looks like in dependence on me.

He says there are those who do receive the gospel.

In the translation that we just read, Jesus refers to these individuals as little children.

So does this mean in order to have faith that you must come to faith as a young age child?

No, that's not what Jesus is saying.

But Jesus is saying that you do have to come to him in dependence like a little child.

In fact, when we really look at this word in its original context.

Well, I don't know about you, but when I think of a little child, I probably think of like four, five, six, seven years old.

But this word that Jesus uses here actually carries with it the word that would be used to describe a nursing baby.

A nursing baby.

So now think about it.

Jesus says, don't come to me like you're the wise.

Come to me like a nursing baby.

So let's look at this.

For those of us, all of us, whether it's your child, your baby or not, has been around a nursing baby.

So let me ask you, what can a nursing baby do by themselves?

Now, I thought a lot.

Right?

But not really.

So let me explain.

First thing I thought of was like, what nursing baby can sleep, right?

Yeah, right.

I got a, yeah, right.

Yeah.

Good one.

Yeah.

Nope.

They can't, my baby sleeps all the time.

Yeah, but can I tell you how your baby, why your baby sleeps?

Because you rocked them or you're one of these like shakers, you know what I mean?

Or you're like the patter, you know, like you're singing songs, you're doing all the things that you can.

Like you do the hokey pokey for five hours in order so that your kid will finally fall asleep.

Right?

They can't even sleep on their own.

And then if you step on a board that creaks in your house, they wake up like it's a Metallica concert going on in there.

Right?

It's been 18 years, but I'm still a little triggered by some of this.

Well, they can eat.

Well, can they?

Can they really?

Like, like take a steak and put it before a nursing baby.

And they can't do nothing with that.

Even the bottle, right?

There's a point in time where they can't.

Like literally in the picture of what we're getting, right?

It needs the mother to feed it.

Right?

So a baby is so dependent that the baby needs to be fed.

Right?

Okay?

Number three.

Can a baby go to the bathroom?

Yep, it does.

It does.

But like my dad used to say, son, you're good at starting a job, but you're not good at finishing it.

Right?

He used to tell me that growing up.

Can a baby go to the bathroom?

Yes, they can.

Can they finish it?

No.

Why?

Because we got to clean it.

We got to clean it.

Of all of that beauty that we find in there, right?

So they can't sleep.

They can't eat.

They can't go to the bathroom.

Well, maybe a baby can be happy.

You hear people say, like, I got such a happy baby.

No, you don't.

You have an entertained baby.

Some babies are just easier to entertain than others, you know?

We were traveling.

We were going to Edisto on a beach trip one time, a family vacation.

And you know that road where you turn off Highway 17, and then you have that stretch of road that feels like it will never end?

Emma woke up when we turned.

And when she woke up, she started crying.

And when we got there, she stopped.

But in order for that to happen through that whole long road, right, we had to sing to her.

We had to sing to her.

We had to sing to her.

And as long as we'd sing, she'd smile.

And then we'd stop singing, and she'd cry, right?

She's no different than any other baby, right?

Babies can't be happy.

Babies need to be entertained.

So here is what it comes down to.

What is the one thing that a baby can do?

Cry.

Cry.

I've been a baby.

I've never been in the mind of a baby.

But here's why I think babies cry.

Because they realize they can't do anything.

They got to go to the bathroom, but they can't clean themselves.

They're hungry, but they can't feed themselves.

They're tired, but they can't put themselves to sleep.

They want to be happy, but they can't get there in and of themselves.

So what do they do?

They cry out for the one who can give them these things.

You can't find rest apart from Christ.

You can't feed yourself the spiritual things of God's word apart from Christ.

I don't mean to be crude, but if your sin is the filth that you cover yourself in,

you can't clean yourself apart from Christ.

You can try to fool yourself in believing that you're happy,

but true happiness and joy is never found apart from Christ.

The only thing that you and I can do apart from Christ is cry out in our desperation to him.

And Jesus says, that's what I want.

That's what I want.

So the first invitation that he gives us is, would you be dependent on him?

We've got some smart people in this room.

We've got some wise people in this room.

Your intelligence and your wisdom is not going to save you.

We've got some hard work and good moral people in this room.

It's not going to save you.

Would you come as a nursing child to Jesus?

The second invitation that he gives, number two, is belief in him.

Belief in him.

Look back with me, verses 26 through 27.

He says, yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father,

and no one knows the Father except the Son,

and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

So let's deal really quickly with what Jesus is talking about here,

and then let's give the implications of this.

The call, the gospel call, is a call for you to make a choice to follow Jesus or not.

What Jesus speaks to here in verse 26 and 27,

and he will speak elsewhere to this as well.

Paul will testify this in 1 Corinthians and in other places,

is that the gospel call is always,

always a spiritual work.

Always a spiritual work.

That the call to come to Jesus never happens apart from the sovereign hand of God.

John 6, 44.

This is Jesus' words.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,

and I will raise him up on the last day.

Right?

We can't, we can't remove ourselves in the choice that Jesus,

Jesus is calling people to respond.

We'll see this time and time again.

Come and follow me.

Come and follow me.

Go out and proclaim.

See who will come.

See who will be right here.

But we can't neglect the choice of the calling in that

away from the spiritual work and the spiritual hand of God in the moment.

Now let me be clear and candid.

I can't explain it all.

I don't understand it all.

I don't know how these things come together and work, but they do.

And here's, if you're disagreeing a little bit with what we're seeing in this passage,

or you're disagreeing a little bit with what I'm saying,

let me tell you, you may in your mind disagree with it if you're a follower of Jesus Christ,

but in your heart, practically, you believe it.

And here's how I know that.

Because you pray that lost people will get saved.

You pray that lost people will get saved.

And how do you pray that they'll get saved?

God, I just pray, God, would you save my lost friends and family?

Like, that's the prayer of the heartbeat of a Christian.

That God and his sovereignty will do a work in the hearts of the depravity-filled lost men,

women, and children of this world, that they'll respond to him.

And so Jesus calls us to that.

So Jesus is teaching this to them.

But here's why I talk about this being the invitation for belief in Jesus.

Let's look at two things that he says.

Number one, Jesus says that the Father has given to him what?

All things.

In Matthew 28, the Great Commission,

all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Oh boy, this is big.

These are the words that get Jesus nailed to the cross.

Jesus is saying, I'm God.

I'm God.

Jesus is displaying his divinity in the work of the Father.

And what he also talks to is the work of the Son.

It's belief in Jesus.

Belief in Jesus.

So what does it mean to believe in Jesus?

Is it belief in our understanding?

Is it belief in our, what we want him to be?

Is it believing in our narrative or our pieces?

Is it believing in our political Jesus?

Is it believing in some whatever Jesus that the culture has defined?

Is it believing of a lot of things in Jesus?

All of that is garbage.

It's Jesus.

And it's this Jesus that we believe.

It's this Jesus.

It's the Jesus from Genesis to Revelation.

It's the Jesus that we find.

It might not understand it all.

It might not even be the Jesus that we prefer in the moment.

But this is the Jesus that we believe in.

This is the Jesus that we put our faith in.

The second, third, I'm sorry, the third invitation that Jesus gives is forgiveness from him.

Forgiveness from him.

Look at verse 28.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

So, a couple of things in here.

It's the invitation to find rest.

We talked about rest as salvation.

And it is for those who find themselves in a state of labor and heavy laden.

So, what is this?

Is Jesus giving a call of relaxation?

No, Jesus is giving a call of rest that is different than the rest that you and I can provide for ourselves.

For the last two days, I've made some poor choices.

I've worked outside in the yard.

We're about six hours on Friday.

And if you're someone who works outside all day long, bless you.

I'm not built for that, all right?

Wore us about six hours on Friday, about eight hours yesterday.

It rained really hard at our house for about five to ten minutes.

And then it just was a light rain.

Man, I worked outside on that, and I loved it.

Let me tell you what it was like.

It was the heat.

It was the dirt.

It was the lifting.

It was the frustration when things didn't go as planned.

It was the being exhausted because I hadn't drank enough water.

Not only being outside, but in the days leading up to that.

In fact, Damien walked up to me this morning.

He said, Bo, you look tired.

I said, thank you, Damien.

I am, buddy.

I am.

But here's the deal.

Yesterday, I was wore slap out.

I didn't have another moment of work.

When I got done with my project, I found myself inside.

I fixed a big, tall, let me repent and apologize for that.

Aaron fixed me a big, tall glass of water.

I sat down at the table.

I dirtied up the kitchen.

And then I got up.

I went upstairs.

I took a good, cold shower.

I ate a good meal.

I relaxed on the couch.

I went to sleep last night.

And in spite of the bag still under my eyes, I am ready for today.

There was some rest that I worked out for myself.

Jesus is there with a crowd of people.

And I can only imagine the looks on their faces.

Worse than mine.

More wore out than me.

But Jesus doesn't just speak to the circumstances.

Jesus speaks to their heart.

The call to those who labor and heavy laden is not a call to those who are tired of work,

the elements, or situational oppression of this world.

Jesus' call to rest is a rest that a nap, a vacation, a sabbatical, or even a retirement cannot provide.

Jesus' rest is a call to your soul that can be experienced every single day.

As he calls us to receive forgiveness from his work on the cross.

And his work on the cross forgives all of it.

And in that, there's no work to be done, there's no more guilt, there's no more shame, there's no more worry, because Jesus has taken care of it.

Would you come to him and receive forgiveness?

Maybe you're here and you're like, Bo, but you don't understand the things that I've done.

You're right.

You're absolutely correct.

I might not understand them, but Jesus does.

And he died on the cross to forgive you of all of it.

Of as wicked as it could be.

As evil as it could be.

As depravity filled as it could be.

He died on the cross for that.

Now, if you're here, and you're a follower of Jesus, here's what I found.

That a lot of followers of Jesus will have that moment where they experience the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

And then for whatever backwards way, we begin to feel that that forgiveness no longer is granted to us.

And so we don't live in confession and repentance on a day-by-day, moment-by-moment relationship with him.

Jesus forgave since past, since present, since future.

And he's big enough in the moment to forgive.

So we have been set free from shame and from guilt to walk in the newness of life.

So we see his invitation.

We see his invitation of dependence on him.

Of belief in him.

Of forgiveness from him.

And so here's the question for you.

Would you put your faith in him?

Would you put your faith in him?

Last verses.

Verse 29 through 30.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

For I am gentle and lowly in heart.

And there you find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

I'm going to ask the worship team if they'll come join me on stage.

And if the prayer team will get ready on either side of our auditorium.

Now you can come in here this morning and say, yep, no, I just need to depend on Jesus.

I need to depend on him.

I can make an intellectual decision here this morning to give up my way and depend on his way.

You can make an intellectual decision to say, you know what, man, those things Bo said this morning about Jesus and who Jesus is and he's the son of God and this is the work and the work that the father has.

He gives to the son and this is the work that the son does.

Yep, I believe that Jesus.

You can come here this morning and you can say to yourself, yep, yep, in through all of it, like I get it, I know, I understand that there's the forgiveness from him, that I can't earn it, I can't forgive myself, I can't do all the things.

It's the spiritual work that has to happen, that has to come from God, and miss it, and miss it.

And so the question I have for you this morning is would you put your faith in him?

In these last two verses, Jesus talks about a yoke, a yoke.

In ancient Jewish culture, the idea in religious settings of the yoke was that there was a yoke of the kingdom.

But then there was a yoke of the law, there was the yoke of the command, there was the yoke of the repentance, there was the yoke of faith, and then there was a general, in case we've left everything out, yoke of God.

And so you're sitting there every single day and you're trying to figure out, all right, today, today I've got to please God.

So what yoke do I take and what moment do I take it?

And I've got to fulfill it and I've got to do it.

I've got to walk a certain way and I've got to talk a certain way and I've got to sacrifice a certain way and I've got to give a certain way and I've got to do all of these things so that God will look at me in my works and what I've done and be pleased.

But Jesus says, ha ha, there's one yoke.

There's just one.

There's one.

Come take my yoke

upon you

and learn from me.

See, Jesus has been laying out

the spiritual work

that God does in salvation.

that when you take his, his yoke

when we receive that

through putting our faith in Jesus Christ

as Lord and Savior

that in taking he gives us

a yoke, a new way, a new covenant

a new covenant in his blood

and gives us the Holy Spirit

who lives in us

and changes us

and works in us

to work through us.

Jesus,

you can take my yoke

because my yoke

it's easy.

My burden

is light

because

I bore it for you

on the cross

and I bear it with you

every single day

because he says

he'll never leave us

or forsake us.

If you try to bear this

on your own

it's unbearable.

It's unbearable.

But with Jesus

with Jesus

it can be easy.

Whether you know it or not

every single day

you pick up a yoke.

Every single day.

You pick up a yoke

of doubt.

You pick up a yoke

of works.

You pick up a yoke

of anxiety.

You pick up a yoke

of status.

You pick up a yoke

and Jesus

Jesus said like

pick up mine.

Pick up mine.

And I'll do it for you.

I'll do it for you.

Today

today

don't

be

like

the others.

Don't miss

the invitation

that Jesus

is offering.

In just a moment

Pastor Dave

is going to come up

and talk to us

about responses.

I want to lay this out.

We talk

in here

about praying

for lost people.

man what if

your response

today

God's calling you

pray for them.

Pray for them.

Pray that they

would respond.

Pray that God

would work.

Pray that God

would send.

Pray that you

would go.

What if you

prayed for them?

You can come

down front.

You can kneel

down front.

You can sit

where you are.

You can stand

and pray.

You can do

whatever you

want to.

But what if

you responded?

What if

today

whether this

is your

first time

or your

thousandth time

and you've

put on the

facade

of religion

but what if

today

the sweet

soft

voice

of Jesus

speaking to

your heart

take my

yoke

take it

please

take it

it's here

it's here

for you

I died

for you

I love

you

would you

respond

to Christ

God I

thank you

thank you

that you

save sinners

like me

none of us

are worthy

none of us

are deserving

but you

and you

alone

save us

God draw

the hearts

of those

who are here

today

may we

come

and respond

that's it

for this

week's

message

be sure

to check

back next

week for

a new

episode

and in

the meantime

you can

visit us

online at

willowridgechurch.org

or by searching

for Willow Ridge

Church on

Facebook

Instagram

and YouTube

thanks again

for listening

and I'll see you next time