Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB00009B
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00:01 Welcome back, you remember we've been pondering
00:03 what Jesus meant when he said, 00:05 "Come on unto Me and take My yoke upon you, 00:08 and I'll give you rest". 00:09 Let's explore a little bit more 00:11 about this yoke of Jesus. 00:13 So let's be it reminded one more time. 00:15 Among the Jewish people, 00:17 the metaphor of yoke was used 00:22 for the observance of the torah of the law, okay. 00:26 So it's how I live my life with God's law? 00:28 Actually, Jesus used that concept. 00:31 Jesus--also the rest of the New Testament, 00:35 we heard that concept. 00:36 Let's just see the two texts, 00:38 the Book of Acts, Chapter 15 verse 10. 00:41 Oh, you're jumping right into 00:42 the middle of the conflict? Yes. 00:44 In the early church about what should the converts do? 00:47 How much should they follow God's law? 00:49 Acts Chapter 15-- Verse 10. 00:53 "Now therefore why do you test God, 00:56 by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, 00:58 which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 01:01 So what was the yoke of that 01:03 actually Peter and James are referring here in the text? 01:07 What was that yoke actually Peter was talking? 01:08 What was the yoke? 01:10 Yoke was really the Pharisaic system, 01:14 trying to dissect the law of God 01:16 and focus on so many details. 01:18 Actually, they made such system 01:20 that people could hardly practice all those details. 01:24 It was a heavy burden put on their shoulder. 01:27 Let's remember that legalism is a problem 01:31 of the misuse of the law. 01:32 The law as we saw earlier, 01:33 Jesus didn't come to do away with it. 01:35 Everything about to do's and don'ts etc. 01:38 So, the law is not put away. 01:39 Jesus doesn't say throw your yoke away. 01:41 He says "I've a new way for you to live". 01:43 Let's go another text, Galatians 5:1. 01:47 Okay and we're dealing Galatians deals 01:50 with some of the same issues. 01:51 The same concept. The same concept. 01:53 Galatians 5:1, "Stand fast therefore 01:56 in the liberty by which Christ has made you free, 01:58 and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage." 02:01 What was the problem with Galatians? 02:04 First they received the gospel 02:05 and after that they went 02:07 to that Pharisaic system of the laws 02:10 to get and Paul told them you were in slavery 02:14 and you're going now back 02:15 putting that yoke up on yourself, 02:17 so it's clearly the observance of the-- 02:19 Of the yoke of bondage. 02:20 You're saying that there is a radical difference 02:22 between how Jesus says we live our lives 02:24 and how the religious establishment at the time. 02:27 Keep in mind here 02:28 that actually Jesus talks about My yoke. 02:33 So there is My yoke. What does it mean? 02:35 There is also somebody else's yoke. 02:38 So Jesus here makes contrast--makes contrast 02:42 between the Pharisaic observance of the law, 02:45 the yoke of the Pharisees that they try to put 02:48 on the people and His own yoke 02:50 and what was the difference, Glenn? 02:52 The Pharisaic law was very heavy, oppressing yoke. 02:57 The yoke that Jesus offered, 02:59 the way how to observe the law was very light, 03:01 it was very delightful, as David said 03:04 "Your law is the light to my soul." 03:08 It's significant that He doesn't say 03:09 come just to the yoke, He says come to Me. 03:12 Come to Me. Come to Me. 03:13 And this yoke is here connected 03:16 with the word arrest. 03:19 The word arrest, it really a solution 03:21 to the Sabbath and this is exactly. 03:23 You see the problem is, when we started 03:25 the Gospel of Matthew, we always depend 03:29 on the division of the gospel in two Chapters. 03:31 Matthew never divided his gospel into Chapters. 03:35 The chapters were invented much, much later period 03:39 that are very useful to us, for our convenience. 03:41 But the problem is so many times, 03:43 we don't make connection between the previous chapter 03:46 and the chapter that follows. 03:48 Actually, this is exactly, Glenn, what do we have-- 03:50 So you're hinting, we need to see the connection-- 03:52 We've to see the connection 03:53 because this text is introduction to Chapter 12. 03:56 Let me read the end of Chapter 11. 03:59 "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." 04:01 He has just talked about coming 04:02 and finding rest for your souls and then Chapter 12. 04:05 "At that time, Jesus went 04:07 through the grainfields on the Sabbath. 04:09 And what happened text? All right. 04:10 And his disciples were hungry, 04:12 and began to pluck grains of--heads of grain to eat. 04:15 And when the Pharisees saw it, 04:19 they said to him, look, 04:20 your disciples are doing what is not lawful 04:22 to do on the Sabbath. 04:24 But He said to them have ye not read 04:26 that David did when he was hungry, 04:30 he and those who were with him. 04:32 How they entered the House of the Lord 04:34 and ate the showbread, 04:35 which was not lawful for him to eat, 04:37 nor for those who were with him, 04:39 but only for the priests? 04:41 Or have you not read in the law, 04:43 of the Sabbath the priests in the temple 04:45 profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 04:49 Yet I say to you, that in this place 04:51 there is one greater than the temple. 04:54 But if you'd known what this means, 04:56 I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, 04:58 you would not have condemned the guiltless. 05:00 For the Sabbath-- for the Son of Man, 05:03 this is the point, for the Son of Man 05:05 is the Lord even of the Sabbath. 05:07 Can I mention something else? 05:08 We've the next event that follows. What was that? 05:11 The same case, Jesus comes with the synagogue 05:14 and there is there a sick man 05:16 with paralyzed hand 05:18 and the same Jesus wants to heal that person 05:20 and the Pharisees, they criticize Him. 05:22 So we've this connection between rest and Sabbath. 05:25 Now, we're gonna see about His Sabbath keeping. 05:27 Yeah, so actually, these two events, 05:31 they really are follow up 05:34 on that concluding text of Revelation 11 05:37 to contrast in practical way, 05:39 the yoke, the Jesus offered to his disciples 05:42 and the yoke of the Pharisees 05:44 that was really heavy based on the rules, on details. 05:49 You know, that actually really that law became 05:53 a heavy burden to everybody 05:55 who tried to practice that law. 05:57 So the Sabbath-- the way Jesus uses Sabbath 06:00 and keeps the Sabbath is a window 06:02 which we're understanding. Now-- 06:03 You see the opening word is at that time 06:05 in the verse 11, at that time and what time? 06:08 The time when Jesus made the statement 06:10 "Take my yoke upon yourself". 06:12 At that time, this is what happened. 06:14 So, Jesus tried to teach people something. 06:16 Now it was Jesus regular practice 06:18 of preaching and healing. 06:20 We see some Sabbath healings here, 06:22 help us understand the connection. 06:24 Glenn, we've to advertise something 06:27 to emphasize something. 06:29 When people read the Gospel of Matthew, 06:30 they had the impression that Jesus tried 06:32 to do away with the law. 06:34 No, Jesus never intended that. 06:35 Remember the Sermon on the Mount, 06:37 "I did not come to abolish the law". 06:40 There is no any discussion 06:42 whether the law of God should be observed or not. 06:45 Here is what the question of the validity of the Sabbath. 06:48 Actually, Jesus tried to affirm the Sabbath. 06:52 He tried to make the Sabbath to be a delight 06:56 that holy day that people can really enjoy 07:00 and even if there are some people 07:02 who needed a special assistance, 07:04 people who needed a special help, 07:06 special healing on the Sabbath, 07:08 Jesus was willing to do it on the Sabbath, 07:11 to make that Sabbath 07:13 very memorable to those people 07:15 who had a special encounter 07:17 with Jesus Christ on that particular day. 07:19 But often times, we know that 07:20 He waited till the evening, sun down after, 07:23 but on some occasions. 07:25 So these are very intentional healings. 07:27 See we're dealing some Christians, 07:28 they said, you see Jesus tried to go 07:30 away with the Sabbath. 07:31 You see that's not the case. 07:32 But there're some people, they said, no, 07:34 but on Sabbath, we can do all kind of good works. 07:37 No, Jesus did not try to teach it. 07:39 Glenn, can you open the Gospel of Matthew? 07:44 Which is actually Chapter 8, is it verse 26? 07:48 No, 16. 07:49 Okay, 8:16? Yeah, Matthew 8:16. 07:52 Matthew 8:16. You see. 07:55 And we're finding more about what the usual practice was. 07:58 "When evening can come, they brought to him 08:00 many who were demon-possessed 08:02 and he cast out spirits with a word 08:03 and he healed all who were sick." 08:05 So what we're Finding--? 08:06 So, Jesus did not do regular healing on the Sabbath. 08:10 He did it during the week, 08:13 but Jesus always made exception, 08:16 people were the most important. 08:17 There were some special needs to restore 08:20 somebody's health or to help certain people. 08:23 Jesus did it even in the Sabbath, 08:24 but this was not his regular work that he did. 08:30 It's a marvelous thing to see God through Jesus. 08:34 Healing lives on the Sabbath day, 08:36 He just--is that compassion again? 08:38 He didn't want people suffering. 08:39 He saw people suffering and wanted to heal 08:42 and He's telling us something about following Jesus, 08:46 keeping the law, following God, 08:47 is demonstrated through His life. 08:49 Actually, this is what made now Pharisees 08:51 to be even more persistent and Jesus had to give 08:54 that warning to them, it's in verses 30 to 32. 09:00 Verse 30 and 32? Yes. All right. 09:03 As we read that it's a powerful section here, 09:09 Matthew Chapter 11, verse-- No 12:30 to 32. Yes. 09:14 "He who is not with me is against me, 09:17 and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. 09:20 Therefore I say to you, every sin 09:22 and blasphemy will be forgiven, 09:24 but the blasphemy against the spirit 09:25 will not be forgiven then. 09:27 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man 09:30 it will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks 09:32 against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, 09:35 either in this age or in the age to come. 09:37 "Ranko, many times in my ministry 09:39 and I'm sure you had it too, 09:40 people come and say, I think I've committed 09:43 the unpardonable sin. 09:44 We really need to understand this passage. 09:46 So we've here the context. 09:48 You see, this is--this text follows what we just said, 09:52 the Pharisees they'd such clear evidence 09:55 that what Jesus was doing, it was coming from God. 09:59 The human being could not perform 10:01 all those miracles. Yes. 10:02 But because Jesus did not fit the tradition etc., 10:06 those people tried to humiliate Jesus. 10:09 Okay, to reject His work 10:12 and they made the statement 10:13 that what Jesus was doing, 10:14 it was actually the work of Satan. 10:17 They suppressed that influence of God 10:21 working on their minds and in their lives. 10:24 They tried to silence that voice 10:27 of the Holy Spirit in that way 10:29 and Jesus gave them the warning. 10:31 Keep in mind, Jesus did not say 10:32 that they blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 10:34 He said keep in mind when the person makes 10:37 the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 10:40 Sin against God can be forgiven, 10:42 the sin against Jesus can be forgiven, 10:45 but why the Holy Spirit? 10:46 Because the Holy Spirit is the only person 10:51 and agent that can make transforming impact 10:55 in our lives can change human person 10:58 they equip us okay to live 11:00 that Godly life that is pleasing to God. 11:03 And it's a dangerous thing in our lives to alienate 11:06 the one who is drawing us to God, yes. 11:09 Ranko, so many times people are in despair. 11:15 Perhaps, you've had that experience of just wondering, 11:17 I've done something terrible, I've messed up in my life, 11:20 can God forgive me? 11:22 Have I gone too far? Is it impossible? 11:24 What is Jesus saying to us? 11:26 Actually when we see here about the Pharisees 11:28 from this time on, 11:30 they were sinking deeper and deeper and deeper 11:33 really they were breaking that connection 11:35 with the Holy Spirit, resistance. 11:37 Yes, I would like now to use these few moments 11:41 that are left to tell the viewers. 11:44 If you feel that in your life 11:48 you've done something against God 11:51 that you've broken your relationship with God, 11:55 and you're struggling spiritually, 11:56 maybe you cannot even sleep, 11:58 you're struggling emotionally, 12:00 and you ask yourself a question 12:02 how I really committed that blasphemy 12:05 against God, that unpardonable sin. 12:08 I just want to tell you, the Bible makes me 12:11 very clear as long as the person 12:14 ask such questions is the evidence 12:18 that the connection between you 12:20 and the Holy Spirit is not broken. 12:22 It means that the Holy Spirit 12:23 is still working on your mind. 12:26 The Holy Spirit is still trying 12:28 to call you back to God. 12:31 When the person has broken that relationship 12:33 with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit 12:35 abandoned that person, that person does not feel 12:38 any, any feelings to come back to God, 12:44 so there is still a time to be with God. |
Revised 2014-12-17