The Vision (1.28.22): Taking Up the Yoke of Christ

 

Note: Devotion taken from the closing application to last Sunday's sermon on Matthew 11:28-30.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

In Matthew 11:28-20, through the inscripturation of God’s Word, Christ himself speaks to us.

We are given a command:

We are commanded to come to Christ, foundationally this means to believe in him.

We are commanded to take his yoke upon us—that is to obey his commands and teaching. John 14:15: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 15:14: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.”

Matthew Poole notes that in this teaching our Lord “lets us know there can be no true faith without obedience to the commands of Christ.”

We are commanded to learn from Christ, to be discipled by Christ, to enroll in his school.

An identification is made:

First, we are told about ourselves. We are laboring and heavy laden. We are burdened by various things, by our own sin, by the duties of the law, by sickness (we all have a sickness unto death) and personal problems, and by much serving (the incessant duties of life).

But there is also here an identification here of our Savior (v. 29). He is all meekness and all humility. He tells us to take his yoke upon us and learn of him. Spurgeon said that Christ is both the teacher and the lesson.

We are given a promise:

The promise is rest. We might have rest in our personal circumstances. Peace in the storms and gales of life. The peace that “passeth all understanding” (Phil 4:7). We might also have sabbath rest as we come to know the enjoyment of worshipping and serving our God. And we might have rest from the anxiety about what awaits us at death (see John 6:44).

Notice, finally, that Christ does not ask us to choose. He simply commands. The only question is whether or not we will obey.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle