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And the sermon today is taken from one of the most famous popular, well-known verses in all of Scripture, Matthew 11:28-30 are very encouraging verses. It starts here when it says, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden. This is a tremendous invitational verse, this is a wonderful encouraging message from Jesus Christ, He calls all to come to Him if you're laboring and are heavy laden.

When I look at the words, come to me, it immediately reminds me of a building in Upper Serangoon, Upper Serangoon is a not very far from here, isn't it? It's just one straight road down. Anybody knows what building, it is? Sorry, PLMC, that's right, it's Paya Lebar Methodist Church. On the walls of Paya Lebar Methodist Church are these words, Jesus said, can you see your eyes not so good, never mind I read to you, Come to me.

Now this is actually at a very strategic height, because if you're driving on the flyover or the highway, it's right beside you alright, you can see these words. Jesus said, Come to me, so that is really what Jesus is saying, you can come to Him.

God is not unapproachable and aloof and faraway, Jesus', God's Son came to be born as man so that man can come to Him and that's His invitation and His invitation is so that we may have rest and I will give you rest. This are needful words in a very restless world, many people today are living in restlessness, there is no real peace, there is no real joy, you're always struggling with guilt and shame and fears and anxieties and I think this rest is not about physical rest.

This is not a kind of rest that you want when you go to Hawaii or Mauritius or Maldives, no, no, this is not the kind of rest Jesus is talking about, it's a kind of spiritual rest, a rest for your soul, a rest to know that you're no more an enemy of God, a rest to know that your sins are forgiven, a rest of having this communion with Him.

So Jesus says, if you're looking for such a rest, if you're looking for salvation, you're looking for real peace with God, your Maker, then the answer is, you need to come to Jesus. Then Jesus went on to say, 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.

Truth be told, I heard these words for the first time in my life, maybe two decades ago, 20 over years ago and when I heard those words, especially the words yoke, immediately I was thinking why did Jesus want to give me yolk. I mean, there was, that was the first time I heard these verses and I, why does He want to give me yolk. Well and then I realize a what a fool I am, He's not talking about YOLK, He's talking about, YOKE, it's not koay neng, it's something else.

What is yoke? Well, I don't blame you too if you like myself, do not know what a yoke is because Singapore is not an agricultural country, we are not familiar with these tools. it's just like if you talk to someone 2000 years ago, ay take out your iPhone, they say, what is iPhone, he has no idea, it's just different times, different things.

So in those days, I think every Jew would be familiar with a yoke. A yoke is something like a, a wooden beam, a wooden strut that you place upon burden animals, upon animals that are supposed to carry things or pull things. It's like a kind of a harness, it's a kind of a fixture, so that you can control the animal, likely an ox or an oxen.

So it might look something like this, a yoke. So a yoke can be used for one animal if the, if the burden or the weight or the load is something light, but you sometimes may need two oxen to pull something heavier. So a yoke can be for one, it can be for two and when placed upon the neck of an ox, it might look something like this. So after you put this yoke on the oxen, you can now direct the oxen more easily and you can attach your pulley or your cart behind it, so that it may drag it for you, it may plow for you the ground. So that's what a yoke is all about.

And so Jesus uses this imagery and teaches us spiritual lessons that I think a very rich and meaningful. So let me read this to you, 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.

Now what's the main idea today? What's the big idea from these three verses? I think very simply, I crystallize it into this one statement, to find rest for our souls, we must exchange our yoke for his yoke.

Some of you sleeping so, let, let's all read this together alright 1, 2, 3, to find rest for our souls, we must exchange our yoke for His yoke.

Now what does this really mean, I'm going to tell you first of all, for the next 5 to 10 minutes, it's going to be technical, in other words, it's some verses to explain some things , you might be a bit lost, but stay there, hang in there, technical things are important things, really useful and then later on, it will become easier okay, so, the tough part first.

We must exchange our yoke for his yoke, now this presumes that the people Jesus was speaking to, were carrying a yoke and indeed they were. The Bible tells us that the Jewish people, the Jews, who grew up knowing the law and being very familiar with the ceremonies, they are, they know something and they carry something that many people don't today, they carry a kind of a yoke. That's what Acts 15 tells us, that the fathers of the Jewish nation and the people in those days, they bore a yoke on the neck.

Now, let me read this, now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test, by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our Jewish fathers nor we ourselves, a Jewish nation today have been able to bear. So this really is a statement saying to the Gentiles, the new converts, the new believers of Jesus, who were not natural Jews. Hey, don't put this yoke on them because we've been carrying this yoke and we have not been able to carry it, it's crushing.

So you say what is this yoke, what do the Jews carry? Well in a simple statement, the yoke that the Jewish people carry, is the yoke of self righteousness. The Jews by and large, believe that the way to get to God, the way to find acceptance with God, is when we obey and fulfill all the laws. So they are raised from a baby up to revere the law of God and to believe that if they fulfill every law, they will be accepted by God.

But this is a very heavy and crushing yoke, because who can really obey the whole law. Not only that, the Jews also believe, not only do we have to obey the law, we have to obey the traditions that our Jewish rabbis or teachers, sifu, teach us. So Jesus also say that these Jewish leaders, sifus, masters, they tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, again, I think the imagery of a yoke, of a burden.

Now the Jewish teachers actually teach a lot of traditions. For example, for the Sabbath alone, they've 600 rules of what you can do and what you can't do on Sabbath, you try that. Very easy to break anyone of it, isn't it? So no wonder, Jesus tells us that they are a very weary, tired people, because all their lives you can't do this, you should do that, you can't do this, you, you should do that. They are exhausted, the word there labor, is work until I am absolutely flat and exhausted and they are still carrying this load called self righteousness.

Well, this load is mission impossible, no man, no man can get to God and find acceptance with God through his own self-righteousness because the Bible is very clear, James chapter 2 tells us, if you break one law, there are 10 Commandments right? And the 10 Commandments are then given in greater detail in the rest of the books of Moses. But if you just break one commandment, what does God say? You break all the law, you break the whole law, James chapter 2.

So the Bible tells us, for all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. If you're carrying this burden called self-righteousness, I am sorry you are cursed. Ay, but I, I sincerely try my very best to fulfill the law, be a good boy, be a decent chap, so that God would like me. Sorry you're under a curse because if you break one law in God's holy eyes you are a sinner, you break the whole law, you're out, you're filthy, you are unclean.

So those who think that by being in church, those who think that by giving money to the poor, those who think that if they just avoid all those dirty things bad people do, they will be alright with God, they are totally mistaken, no man comes to God by self righteousness, you're under a curse, for by the works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight.

We, we are so sinful, we cannot keep the law completely. So if you try, you will fail, no human being can do that. So you say, what's the purpose of the law? I mean if the law is not meant to save, what's the purpose of the law? Well you're right, the purpose of the law is not meant to save, the purpose of the law is that you may know your sin. The law is not given to save you directly, the law is given to show you, you need to be saved.

I always liken the law, for the unbeliever to be like an x-ray machine. What's the purpose of x-ray machine? To show you your problem. So you, you're coughing, you are sneezing, you're not well, you go to the x-ray machine. You stand there and the x-ray shows up your lungs that within your lungs is a big cancer growing there.

Now what do you do after you see the cancer? The, the big block of white, on the x-ray, what do you do? You go to the x-ray machine, you hug it and say, please x-ray machine, save me. Anybody does that? Nobody does that because you know that x-ray is good for showing your cancer, but not good for saving you from cancer. In fact, you hug it more, it may give you more cancer. So what's the purpose of the x-ray machine? To show you your cancer, so that you may now run to your doctor.

The law is meant to show us our spiritual cancer that we may run to our doctor. Who is our doctor? Jesus Christ. You see, if you don't have the law, you don't have the x-ray machine, you thought your cough is nothing. Aiyah, it's okay one lah, just here, nothing wrong elsewhere. No, no, no, no, no, when you've the x-ray, you see that your cancer is right here, you will run to Jesus, you'll run to your doctor.

So the law was not given to justify any man, no man is justified by the works of the law, it is to show you your sin that you may now come to Jesus Christ, you may realize just how sinful and how helpless and hopeless you are in and of yourself that you may now repent and believe in Jesus. So that's why Jesus says, to a people who are weary, who are heavy laden, drop your self-righteousness and come to me.

The law is not meant to save you, you're carrying an impossible burden, drop that and come to me because I will die for your sins, I will pay for all your sins, I will rise again to show that I'm victorious over all sin and in me you will find rest, I will give you rest. You don't have to earn rest, you can't earn rest, it's a gift, I will give it to you, if you repent and believe, get that so far?

I think that's the technical part, but let me move on a little bit to the next statement Jesus said, take my yoke upon you. Often times, when we read this, we, we think that Jesus will take my yoke as if he's going to carry all my burdens, all my sorrows, all my trials, all my pains, He's going to take it, but please read it carefully. It's not that He takes my yoke, but that I take His yoke. Now it is true that our God is a God who cares for us and He carries our burdens.

For example, 1Peter 5 tells us, casting all our cares upon Him because He, He cares for us, there's no question about that. Or and though that is the truth, in the Bible, that's not the truth in this text. This text is telling us something more than that, this text is saying, we are to take the yoke of Jesus. In other words Jesus Himself has a yoke, do you get that? Jesus Himself is under a yoke, what yoke is Jesus carrying ?

I believe Jesus is always carrying the yoke of the Father's will. He came to earth, not to do his own will but the will of My Father, His Father, His yoke is His meat, His satisfaction is to do the will of His Father. So Jesus is saying, I have a yoke, I have a burden, it's called the Father's will and He's calling us to also take this yoke upon us. Now that you repent of your self-righteousness, now that you believe in me for eternal life, then let me tell you, take my yoke, this is the life of the Christian faith. This is what it means to follow me, you will also do the will of the Father and He says, that this yoke is easy and this burden is light.

Now, this becomes very puzzling to me because when I read my Bible, I really don't think that doing the Father's will is easy and light. How many of you say it's easy, have you tried denying yourself, taking up the cross, suffer persecution and shame. Have you tried loving when people hate you and persecute you, what does it mean when He says My yoke is easy, My burden is light because the demands of following God, of doing the Father's will is not really easy, it's quite difficult.

Well, two days ago something happened, do you know what this is? People queuing up to go to church. Oh no sorry, I wish, I dreamt it was but it is not. What is this? Everyone is so clued in right. This is the launch or the sale of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, people queue up like 20, more than 24 hours before the doors were opened and they will stay there, I'm told that Deliveroo can deliver food to you, you can have 30 minutes toilet break and all these jazz, but people happily, willingly queue up. And the very first guy who got to the iPhone store first, you know where he's from, wah, you guys are well informed, you know these things better than the Bible alright.

The first guy, who got into the Apple Store, is a Vietnamese young man, he queued up since 7 AM the day before, he was first in the line and look at what he said, I feel zero tiredness. Now I've to rush to the airport and fly home to Vietnam. I mean this guy said I feel zero tiredness. Wow, if I may paraphrase, this is easy and this is light, is it really easy and light? No. It is not objectively speaking, but it is easy and light because he has a supreme treasure and delight, this changes everything.

You know doing God's will is not easy and light. Nobody likes to deny himself, nobody likes to take up the cross and suffer and be persecuted, but it is easy and light, when you have a few things changed in your life. For one, it is easy and light for the Christian, because his heart is now changed. I really need to impress upon you that Christianity is not a religion you put on, on the outside. You don't become a Christian, just by walking into the church service. You don't become a Christian, just by carrying a Bible, you are a Christian, because God has done something miraculous in you, He has given you a new heart, we call that the new birth, the new creation and because that is the miracle from on high, with this new heart, you have a new delight.

Now, you love God and you love His will, like what John would say in 1 John 5:3, we keep His commandments, why, because His commandments are not burdensome. If you today come to church and you look at the Bible and say it is such a burden, it's so burdensome, I really ask, is your heart really changed because if you're born again, there's a reality, you have a new appreciation of spiritual things, of God and His precious word and so even though the demands are not easy, they are not burdensome, I have a delight to do them.

I was having membership interview with people, I do that, almost regularly three times a, a month. They are new people in this congregation who, who are convicted by God to be part of the local church here and I have the tremendous privilege of meeting and talking with them. Some of them are very stressed, they say, aiyoh, meet you, pastor very stressful, do I have to remember the past four weeks sermons because you may grill me on them, I say, no, no, no, nothing like this at all. I just want to get to know you and I hope you get to know the church better, that's all.

And there's this man who spoke with me last week and he said, he grew up in a Christian church, his parents are Christians, but he's never wanted to do anything the Bible tells him to do. He always felt that it's because his mom tells him to do that, his dad tells him to do that, his church tells him to do that and he finds it such a chore and a burden. But he said, all that changed some time ago, when he came to really believe in Jesus as his Savior.

This is the miracle of the new birth, this is what it means to come to Jesus, He gives you a new heart, a new delight and now God's will is not a burden, it is easy and it is light, you see that. Moreover, Jesus could say, my burden is easy, my yoke is easy and my burden is light because in those days, agriculturally speaking, if you have a new ox, a young ox, baby ox and you want to break that ox, you want to train that ox how to plow, what do you do? You put that ox and yoke that ox together with the daddy ox, the big ox.  So the baby ox will learn to walk on a straight line, to carry this yoke and not be so kao way, so uncomfortable. He, he sees the, he sees the daddy do it the same way and he just follows along. Now, he has something to do, but really the majority of the carrying and load bearing is taken by the daddy ox.

When Jesus says take my yoke upon you, I think he's talking about the yoke for two and He is beside us and we are just beside him, now we have our part to do, we have to surrender our lives, we are to read the Scriptures to know His will, we are to abide in Jesus, but really the work of the Christian life is done by our Lord Himself. It is His grace that enables us, it is His Holy Spirit in us that empowers us. O yes, the Christian life does require my little part, but really I'm the baby ox and He's the daddy ox. So it's easy, it's light because the Christian life knows of a power foreign to us, it's in Christ, it's not within us in a sense, but it's from Christ who lives in us. No wonder, no wonder, He says, my yoke is easy, my burden is light.

So if you think about this, if you shrink one ox and you enlarge the other ox, that might be a picture of the Christian life, we're yoked together with Jesus to do the Father's will, but let's remember, thanks be to God, it's His power, His grace, His enabling. So why is it easy and light? Number one, I've a new heart, number two, Jesus carries the load, He carries the bulk of the load and number three, I've the tremendous privilege that when I'm yoked with Jesus, I learn of Jesus.

The best way to learn of Jesus Christ is to do the Father's will. The best way for you to be separated from Jesus Christ is to do your own will. When you're living in sin, you don't get to know your Savior well but when you're walking in the path of obedience and submission to the Father's will, that's when you learn of Jesus, that's where you have fellowship with Him, you have the fellowship of His sufferings and, and you know the power of His resurrection, this communion, this relationship rejoices the heart, almost like the Vietnamese guy, I've got my iPhone.

Now, when I'm yoked together with Jesus, this is my great treasure, I know my Savior, Jesus Christ. Are you with me? Alright, just to, I know, it's still not so clear. So let me seal it, seal it if I can via a demonstration. Can I have a volunteer? I have already asked one or two ushers to help me.

So who's the first brave guy? Alright Kok Wai, let's give Kok Wai a round of applause. Alright, Kok Wai, will be a picture of a Jew in those days, a Jew during the times of Jesus. He grows up knowing that he's a sinner and he wants to journey to God. So what does a Jewish man in times of Jesus do?  What does he do if he journeys from sin to God?  What does he do? What does he think of immediately, I need to obey the law, very good, I need to obey the law and when he thinks like this, when he thinks like this, immediately, immediately, he's under a yoke, so can you put on the yoke.

Now very good, look at him, he's, he's heavy laden, right? He's heavy laden now, Kok Wai, I want you to move towards God. Now he tries to move towards God, go, go, go, go, go, he can't go, he can't go. Why? The yoke is too heavy, it is mission impossible, he can't do it.

This yoke, what is this yoke called? Wah, thank you very much, it's the yoke of self righteousness, see that. He can't move, he's exhausted, he's tired. He wants to sit down already, but cannot. I still need him upstage. So it is mission impossible for a man to try to get to God via self righteousness, he's doomed, gone case by himself. There's nothing else he can do.

But here comes Jesus Christ, can I have Jesus Christ? I mean, he's not Jesus Christ, he's Wilson alright, he's far from Jesus Christ like all of us are, but he's here to be a picture, a kind of demonstrator, alright. So he is to be a picture of Jesus. So Wilson sees that sinner, stuck under the burden of self-righteousness and he says to him, come to me.

So what does Kok Wai do now? Realizing that he really can't do it, can't make it by himself, he hears Jesus says, come to me and I'll give you rest. He gladly drops his yoke hey, don't carry already, no need already, I'll take it for you and he walks towards Jesus, walks towards Wilson. Lower, aiyah, no need to be lower, it's okay and now he finds a certain rest, because the yoke is off, but is that all Jesus taught us in this passage ?

Jesus says number two, ah, He says take my yoke, so He says take my yoke and this is where we, it's a yoke for two. Now you both put on, ha, ha, ha, ha. So He says take my yoke and now you can turn towards God, this is a yoke to do God's will alright and this is a yoke that allows you to journey towards God. Now try to walk towards God. Ay, the lao kok kok can already ah wah, ay, move lah, can lah. Alright stop, hey, they finally can do it, why, Kok Wai became strong, no, what happened? Jesus is yoked together with Kok Wai.

So turnaround if just now that yoke was all about self-righteousness this yoke is all about, this yoke is all about God's enabling grace, alright. I think that's what it means to exchange, you see the whole dynamic, it's what it means to exchange our yoke of self righteousness for Christ's yoke which is grace to do the Father's will. Is that clear for you? Not clear can ask him to do again. Okay, let's give them a round of applause, thank you, thank you so much thank you guys.

So back to our slides to find rest for your souls you need to exchange God's or exchange our yoke for His yoke and the verse here I think is not shown on screen, but I think it's okay, you don't really need it because I just want to emphasize the last phrase and I will give you rest. There's a rest for weary sinners today in Jesus Christ. As I mentioned this is not about physical rest, it's about spiritual rest, He says, come to me and I'll give you rest. But He also says take my yoke, and you will find rest for your souls.

So I read it as such, that there is certainly a rest when we first repent and believe in Jesus. But this rest is not static, it's not once for all, there's a dynamic behind it that as I continue to follow Jesus, I continue to experience this rest. This peace, this joy, this satisfaction in my soul and this rest comes when I actively let me put this is put it this way again, this rest comes, not when I'm passive and cho boh, but this rest comes as I’m actively pursuing God's will and learning of Jesus.

So I quote Piper, the rest we seek is not inactivity.

So often we think real rest is when we cho boh and when nua on the beach, sometimes you need that, but I actually don't find that very restful for my soul. I, I think real rest is when we do kingdom labor, it's amazing, that's how we are designed to be that's what your new heart wants to do, you want to do kingdom labor and it's strange that when you do kingdom labor, when you're in the will of God and you know you're in the will of God, you find that rest and He also knows the rest we seek is not ignorance. So He calls us to an unending discovery, learn from me and you will find rest.

Isn't that's so true that the Christian life is satisfied only when we are doing the will of the Father in discipleship to Jesus. Let me tell you why many of you today are living in distress and unrest, because you're not living the will of the Father. You are anxious, you are fearful, you are ridden with guilt and shame because perhaps you are not yoked with Jesus today you have cast off that yoke of Jesus and say I want to do my will. No wonder you are stressed because you are carrying the load all by yourself, I want to be rich, I want to be successful, I want to be famous, I want to be popular, that's a very difficult yoke to carry but if you take on the yoke of Jesus, it is easy.

Augustine long ago said, You have made us for Yourself and our heart is restless until it shall rest in Thee. I say to you, you thought rest comes when I have a huge retirement fund. You thought rest comes when you arrive at this particular job title in your career, you thought rest comes when my son gets 292 for PSLE, you thought rest comes when everybody adores me, it's tiresome, it's laborious, you will never find rest. Don't you know many people commit suicide because they thought they could get rest there, but they didn't find it. Those who are most depressed are those who have arrived in life because they realize it was all an illusion, a mirage.

The true rest comes where we rest in God. How do you rest in God? Be yoked with Jesus and do the Father's will. So what's the big idea, to find rest for our souls, we must exchange our yoke for His yoke.

Let's bow for a word of prayer. Perhaps this morning, some of you are carrying an impossible yoke of self righteousness. We are a church of 30 years history, some of you literally grew up in Gospel Light. Some of you grew up in other churches and you have come and join us in Gospel Light, but your mindset, your psyche has always been let me try harder, let me be a better boy, let me do more good, let me sinless and perhaps, if I do these things well, God will accept me.

Now, that may all sound very moral and very nice and very decent and very reasonable but it doesn't make sense if you realize God is so holy that not one sin can be accepted or tolerated.

So I say to you, maybe you are carrying an impossible load. Deep in your heart, you never really know that you are, you never really could say I'm forgiven, I'm God's child, and you're right, because self-righteousness will never make it. Hear the words of Jesus Christ today, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. It is given, it is not earned.

Perhaps this morning is a opportune time for you to really repent and believe in Jesus. The Gospel is not about your works, the Gospel is about Jesus and His finished work on the cross, it is finished, your sins, your debt is fully paid, so come to Jesus in your heart right here, right now and be saved. Perhaps some of you are not even there, you are not thinking about self-righteousness, all you're thinking about is, I'm a sinner, I’m not thinking about what to do yet, I do not know what to do, I'm a sinner.

But let me say this, sin is equally a crippling weight, it's a burden none of us can carry, it’s something none of us can rid ourselves of. But this burden of sin can be rolled off at the cross, at the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight and now I'm happy all the day. O, my friends, today there is a burden of sin in your soul, in your heart, it can be rolled away if you come to Jesus. I pray God will grant you sight to see Christ. He's the Son of God who is the promised Savior from time past and He alone can save you from your sins, come to me.

Maybe some of you today, you are Christians, you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have no question about that, but you're struggling with anxieties and fears and stress and panics and depression. Sometimes these are chemical, but sometimes these are spiritual and the reason is because you are carrying a yoke that you're not meant to carry, it's just too heavy for you, it's just too heavy to try to live up to people's expectations, it's just too heavy to try to be the top dog in your company, it's just too heavy to want to win the world, gain the world but it is so sweet to trust in Jesus.

It is so sweet to do the Father's will, oh yes, it looks tough to deny myself, it looks tough to go through the sufferings of this life, but He did say, my burden is easy, my yoke is light because I will be with you, you will learn of Me, I'll carry it for you and your heart, that's what it beats for the Father's will to find rest for our souls right here, right now, ask God to exchange our yoke for His yoke. Father, thank You today for Your amazing grace that sets us free from the bondage of sin of self, of even self-righteousness. O God we ask that everyone here today will find true rest for our soul, give us wisdom, give us grace that we may now exchange our yoke for your yoke, in Jesus Name, Amen.

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