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[0:00] Psalm 55, Psalm 55, verse 22. It's great to see people joining in this morning. I was having a bit of help with the song leading this morning. That was a blessing. Praise the Lord. Psalm 55, 22.

[0:20] Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

[0:37] It's a heavy sermon today. A heavy sermon. It's all about weights. About weight. About the kind of burdens people can carry. Guilt. People bowed down under the leaden weight of sin.

[0:53] That's a heavy burden, isn't it? Sorrows. What about that one? The heavy load of sadness, of sickness, of unsafe family, of hardness.

[1:06] Of worries. The burden of worries. Of fears. Of responsibilities we carry. Of troubles. That can be a heavy burden.

[1:17] What about loss? The loss of a loved one. Loneliness. That can be a burden. A heavy burden that people carry. What about disappointment? Disappointment is a heavy burden, isn't it? All of these things. What does the Bible say?

[1:33] Cast thy burden upon the Lord. Can we say that together? Cast thy burden upon the Lord. It's hard being loaded up if you're weighed down. When you're weighed down, it's a heaviness that loads us.

[1:52] And in Proverbs 12, 25 it says, Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop. But a good word maketh it glad. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop.

[2:06] You know, someone, when they're carrying a burden, they walk around like this, don't they? They're stooped over, weighed down, crooked. But it says the good word makes a man glad.

[2:18] A good word can make us glad. Talking about weights, about burdens. Now, there was a man called John Bunyan. He spent 12 years in jail for his faith.

[2:29] He was simply preaching outside of the establishment of the time, and they disallowed it. He just was declaring the message of the gospel, the good news of salvation.

[2:40] But the authorities of the day denied him that, and locked him away in a jail cell. And a dark, dingy jail cell in old England's time would have been a pretty miserable place.

[2:54] But here was John Bunyan. He was locked inside this jail cell with his Bible. And he wrote a story called Pilgrim's Progress. Pilgrim's Progress. It's one of the well-known stories, even today, that many refer to, and many Christians love to read this story.

[3:12] And I'd urge you to have a look at this one. If you can look it up, I'm sure you can access it online, wherever. Pilgrim's Progress. Pilgrim's Progress is the story of a man who goes on a journey from his home in the city of destruction to the heavenly city.

[3:29] It says he fled the city of destruction, and he went to the heavenly city. And it's a picture, it's an allegory of the Christian walk from the city of destruction to heaven.

[3:43] It pictures this pilgrim. And as he started his journey, this pilgrim was weighed down. He carried a load. There was this great big heavy weight upon his back that was strapped to him.

[3:54] This great load that pictured his sense of sin. And like David described his sin, in Psalm 38, verse 4, David said, For mine iniquities have gone over mine head.

[4:10] As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. He said his sins were like a heavy burden that was bowing down his head and just weighing him down. A heavy burden. He says it's too heavy for me.

[4:22] In Psalm 38, verse 4. And this was like Bunyan's Pilgrim. And Bunyan writes, So here he was from the city of destruction.

[4:40] His face was looking away from his house. And it says he had a book in his hand and a great burden upon his back. He was weighed down, but he had the book, the Bible, as it were.

[4:50] And Bunyan wrote here, I looked and I saw him open the book and read therein. And as he read, he wept and trembled. And not being able to, longer to contain, he broke out with a lamentable cry saying, What shall I do?

[5:07] Here was this man carrying the Bible in his hands. The city of destruction is home. He was leaving that. He was weighed down. He was looking at the book. And he said, What shall I do?

[5:20] Someone came and said, How camest thou by thy burden? At first. Someone asked him, How did you get this burden? He said, By reading this book in my hand.

[5:33] He read the story of salvation. The story of Adam's sin. And of the human race falling into sin. And he realised that he was a man in the same plight as Adam.

[5:46] That he had sinned against Almighty God. And the first step on this pilgrim's journey was to see his dire need of Christ. The book was open.

[5:56] The word opened his eyes to see his condition. To realise he was lost and damned. And his sin was an affront to a holy God.

[6:07] And he got the sense of the awful weight of the sinfulness of his sin. Friends, the greatest burden of all is sin. The greatest burden of all is sin.

[6:18] The guilt of it. The horror of it. The shame of it. The weight. The load. The sinfulness of it. And that's where the pilgrim's journey began. And that's where it all begins.

[6:29] Isn't that right? When we all realise how we need God. We need his saving grace. We need his mercy. But some don't ever get the pressing sense of it.

[6:41] The conviction of it. The need of the saviour. The only one who can free us from it. But the glad news is. If you realise this.

[6:53] That the heaviest weight can be lifted. Because the greatest weight lifter of all time. Offers to lift it. Amen.

[7:04] The greatest weight lifter of all time. Isaiah 53 tells us of him. Surely. He hath borne our grief. And carried our sorrows.

[7:16] The Lord hath laid on him. The iniquity of us all. The Lord hath laid on Christ Jesus the saviour. The sin of us all.

[7:28] He's laid it on. The Lord Jesus has brought shoulders. And when the pilgrim came by the cross. It says as he journeyed. He came to a cross. Where he realised the cross.

[7:40] He realised where Christ had paid. His absolute price of his sin. And as the pilgrim came to the cross. It says his great burden. Was lifted.

[7:51] Off his shoulders. It says that it was. In the pilgrim's progress account. It says that the. The burden.

[8:02] Fell off his shoulders. As he trusted. The saving grace of God. As he received. The work of the cross. On his behalf. His load was lifted.

[8:14] His weight fell from his shoulders. And what a picture that is for us. When we trust Jesus as our Lord. As our saviour. The weight. The burden. The guilt. The shame of our sin.

[8:26] Is struck off. And thrown away. And taken off our shoulders. And likewise. The Lord Jesus invites all. He invites us to offload.

[8:37] As it were. Matthew 11. 28. He says. Come unto me. All ye that labour. And are heavy laden. And I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you.

[8:48] And learn of me. For I am meek. And lowly. In heart. And ye shall find rest. Unto your souls. For my yoke. Is easy. And my burden. Is light.

[8:59] The great weight lifter. The burden bearer. The Christ. Says. Come unto me. And. He says. My yoke. Is easy. And my burden.

[9:11] Is light. Take my yoke. Upon you. He says. Now. A yoke. Is this wooden frame. That held two animals together. As they ploughed. The field. And it's a picture of how.

[9:22] We join together with Christ. As. We're joined with him. And. As a yoke. Would join two animals. As they plough. He says. Take my yoke upon you. He says.

[9:33] Join with me. He says. Come alongside of me. He says. My yoke. Is easy. My burden. Is light. Come. He says. And cast your burdens. Upon me.

[9:44] Cast your heavy burden. Upon my back. And take my light burden. My light burden. On yours. There's still some carrying to do. You know. In the word. It says.

[9:54] That the rain falls. On the just. And the unjust. You know. I can't say to you. As some. TV preachers might. That. Become a Christian. And life's going to be plain sailing for you.

[10:05] And it's all going to be rosy. And easy for you. Because it doesn't say that. There's a burden still. For us to carry. Amen. We've still got a load. We've still got the heaviness of life.

[10:16] At times. We'll still experience sadness. And loss. And grief. And misunderstanding. And hurt. But his burden. Is light. His yoke is easy.

[10:27] His burden. Is light. And his strong shoulders. Yoke to yours. Can help carry you through. Amen. He will carry you through. Those heavy times. He'll carry you through.

[10:38] And he knows our need. The word tells us. He's a friend of sinners. He's a friend of sinners. He cares for us. He invites us. He beckons us. He receives us.

[10:48] And he will take off that heavy load. But what must we do? We must give it to him. Some would think. Oh I can make it on my own way.

[11:00] I can climb up some other way into heaven. I can find my own. I can be the master of my own destiny. You know the captain of my soul.

[11:11] There's a saying that goes. You know I'm the captain of my soul. I'm the master of my own destiny. Or something like that. And the one who wrote that committed suicide. You know.

[11:21] Yeah. Sure. But he who beckons to us says. Take my yoke. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. He will take off your heavy load.

[11:32] If you will. But give it to him. Give it to him. Will you give him your burden? He lovingly and willingly takes our cares.

[11:44] We cannot get rid of the weight ourselves. Try as we might. You know. Some would try by philosophy. By positive thinking. By some mantra or some religion.

[11:55] To try to get rid of this weight. To try to blank the mind to the weight of our guilt. Of our sin. Of our shame. Of our guiltiness before God. But there's no other way.

[12:05] But the cross. There's no other one. But the burden bearer. That we can carry. Then carry that burden for us. You cannot get rid of the weight yourself. It's not some self-help.

[12:16] Do it yourself kind of salvation. It's done by him. It's not a do it yourself religion. It's he has done it for us. That's the difference with Christianity.

[12:27] Isn't it? It's not. That's the big difference between Christianity. And every other kind of religion. Is that every other kind of religion. Would have a man. Trying to climb a ladder of good works.

[12:38] But the ladder's never tall enough. The ladder never reaches. But in Christianity. Christ reaches down. God became flesh. He had human skin. And he became a man.

[12:50] Dwelt amongst us. Died for us. Rose again. He reaches down. And he receives us. He reaches out. The Bible says that God's hand is not shortened. His arm is not shortened.

[13:00] That it cannot save. He can reach the furthest. The deepest. The darkest. The foulest. To the gutter most. He will reach. If we will but.

[13:12] Give him our burden. Friends. We cannot get rid of the weight ourselves. There's a story. About an African woman. Who was carrying an engine block on her head.

[13:23] Can you imagine that? You know. I know some of these folk. That are very skilled. Carrying heavy things. We saw some. A woman lately. Carrying a basket of laundry on her head. Because that's what they do.

[13:34] In Africa. I'm told. And I'm very aware of that. They must be so strong. And so. It's amazing. That they would do such an amazing feat. To carry such a heavy weight on their head.

[13:46] But there was an African woman. Who was carrying an engine block on her head. When she tried to get rid of her burden. On her own. She broke her neck. You can't get rid of your burden.

[13:57] On your own. Friends. You can't get rid of your sin. On your own effort. Let the Lord take it. Give it to him. Let the Lord carry that burden. That weight. Since the burden is too heavy for you.

[14:11] Give it to the Lord to carry. Now those heaviest burdens may be unseen. To others. You might have a burden. You might have something weighing you down.

[14:23] Even now. That others don't even know about. Or scarcely are aware of. Those heaviest burdens may be unseen. Those loved ones in our hearts.

[14:34] Those things that we're dwelling on. Worried about. Fearful of. Unseen by others. But he sees. He sees your burden. He sees your very heart.

[14:45] The Bible says that he tries the very cords of our heart. And he sees inside of us. With his x-ray vision. And he knows where we're at. And how we tick. And what's happening for us.

[14:57] He sees. So throw it. Cast it. Throw it. Cast it. I know I've talked along this line of late before. But it bears repeating. I know that it's a simple truth.

[15:09] That yet we clutch hold of those things. Don't we? We cherish that little burden. Oh I've got my little burden. Or my little chip on my shoulder. And we carry it. And carry it. And it festers.

[15:20] And infects us. And that bitterness. That root of bitterness. It just eats us from the inside out. Some people are like that. With whatever it is. That's just eating them up.

[15:32] Don't cherish it. Don't clutch it. Throw it away. Throw it away. As far as you can. Into God's hands. Throw it. Cast it. In other words.

[15:42] Get a hold of it. You know. I like to do this. Now and again. Just to get a hold of it. And throw it. That's what we need to do. Amen. That's the message. That's the simple message.

[15:54] You know. Those on the front row. Got to watch out. Because you're a little bit more at risk. But you've got to throw it. You've got to cast it. Whatever it is. Whatever that burden is. Whatever it is. That's weighing us down.

[16:05] The Bible tells us to throw it. So get a hold of it. And throw it. Now this word throw. Is used in various accounts through the Bible.

[16:18] If you like. It's like Daniel. Cast into the den of lions. Nearly said the den of lions. But Daniel when he was cast into the den of lions.

[16:29] Imagine those soldiers. As they carried him there. Would they have just gently pushed him in. They would have kicked him in. Pushed him in. Thrown him in. You know.

[16:40] Thrown him in. Really hard. And with force. That's the sense of it. Right. They threw Daniel into the den of lions. What about Jonah. When they threw Jonah. They cast him into the sea.

[16:52] You know. Those sailors would have done a heave ho. One. Two. And three. Thrown him overboard. Into that sea. Because they knew that Jonah. Was the one who was causing all the trouble.

[17:05] So they threw Jonah into the sea. They cast him over the side of the ship. Into the water. And of course. We know the rest of the story. And then there's a story about. John.

[17:16] Who was cast into prison. You know. When someone gets cast into prison. They get thrown in. They get forcefully pushed in. Thrown in. And it's the same word. That we'll see.

[17:27] Talked about. Where it says. Casting all your care. It's the same word found in Revelation 20 verse 10. Now I can. Can you get a picture of this one.

[17:38] This is. Maybe this is just around the corner for us. It's talking about the end of the world. Where the Lord Jesus comes. And he takes authority. He takes rightful reign of planet earth again.

[17:49] And it says. And the devil. That deceived them. Was cast. Into. The lake of fire. And brimstone. Here's this lake. Of fire and brimstone.

[18:00] The Bible says. At the back of the book. Revelation 20 verse 10. When we see who wins. Him. And those who are with him.

[18:11] That the devil. Finally gets his just desserts. Amen. And it says. He gets cast into. The lake. Of fire and brimstone. Imagine when the. Angels get a hold of.

[18:22] Or the Lord Jesus himself. Grabs a hold of Satan. By the scruff of his neck. And just sort of. Throws him around a bit. And then gets the. You know. That gets the boot ready. And then go.

[18:33] Bang. Kicks him right into the. Lake of fire and brimstone. That's the picture of it. Brothers and sisters. Amen. Can you believe it. That's what's going to happen to Satan. He's going to get. Finally.

[18:44] What he deserves. The Lord Jesus. Is going to get the devil. By the nape of his neck. And fling him into. The lake of fire and brimstone. Now this is the picture of casting.

[18:55] Casting. Throwing. You know. What was I saying. Casting. Casting. Casting. What does it say. Let's say it together. Cast thy burden.

[19:06] Upon the Lord. And he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55. 22. Write that down. Stick it on your fridge.

[19:18] Cast thy burden. Upon the Lord. And he shall sustain thee. So get rid of that burden. That's what it's telling us. Throw that burden. Upon the Lord. It's a great relief that we can.

[19:29] There's something we can do with that burden. Not cherish it. And clutch it. And moan about it. And tell everybody all about it. Cast thy burden on the Lord.

[19:40] Get rid of it. Throw it upon him. Because it says. Casting all your care. All your care. Upon him. For he careth for you. Casting all your care.

[19:51] Upon him. For he careth for you. 1 Peter 5 verse 7. It's another good one. To write down. And refer to it. Remind yourself of it. How wonderful to know.

[20:02] Somebody cares. Somebody cares. With a capital S. Somebody cares. He cares for you. He cares for you. And your burden. Whatever it is.

[20:13] Cast it upon the Lord. It's too heavy for you. Will you let him. Carry it. He will take it over. He will carry the burden. For us. He promises to sustain us.

[20:26] To uphold us. What is it saying? He shall sustain thee. And he shall never. Suffer the righteous to be moved. He shall never. Suffer the righteous to be moved.

[20:36] You are rock solid. In Christ. Rock solid. Standing like a rock. Firm and sure. And steady. And steadfast. You've got something to hang on to. Something to base your life upon.

[20:47] A foundation. That's never going to crack. Or crumble. Whatever your burden is. Will you give it to the Lord? Whatever it is. You might have come today thinking. I'm just at the end of my road.

[20:58] Tie a knot. Hang on. You know. Cast thy burden upon the Lord. Give it to him. Unload it. It's too heavy for you. So let the Lord carry the weight of it.

[21:09] Think of the Lord Jesus. He carried the weight of the cross. But more so. The weight of our sin. The Bible says that he in his own body bore our sins on that tree.

[21:22] On that cruel piece of wood. He bore our sins in his own body. On that tree. As it were. As he was nailed to a tree in effect.

[21:33] That he bore our sins in his own body. So that was the greater weight. Not the cross. The wood that he carried. It was the weight of our sin. So what will we do with our sin?

[21:46] Receive your pardon. You know. What a picture. If you're in a jail cell. And there's no get out of jail free. There's no release in sight.

[21:57] You've got a life sentence. You know. You hear a son locked away. And they say they're going to die in jail. That's the picture isn't it? We're in that jail cell. Receive your pardon.

[22:09] He extends it. He extends it. If you'll but receive it. Ask his forgiveness. You know. There's stories told about prisoners. Who received a pardon. From the king. The governor of the land.

[22:21] And yet. They thought it was a joke. And they refused it. And they. Just stayed in the jail cell. And that's what some people do. They hear the message of salvation. They hear about Jesus.

[22:32] They hear about. A way of escape. They hear about his. Free gift. Of his love. Of what he has done for them. And they refuse it still. They carry their burden.

[22:45] To their grave. The Lord Jesus received. The burden of our sin. He carried it. He carried it there. Back at Calvary's cross. Back at that rugged hill. Back on that rugged cross.

[22:58] And he says. Give me your burden. He says. Give me that burden. Of unforgiven sin. And I'll erase it. I will remove it. Ask the Lord Jesus to save you.

[23:10] And he will. He will. He promises to. You might say. I'm too far from God. I've done too many bad things. I'm too. Dirty. And rotten. Or.

[23:21] It's beyond my understanding. It is for all of us. And. My sin is too great. For me to do anything about. But Jesus has done it all. He.

[23:32] Will save you. If you ask him. To be relieved of that burden. And it's once and for all. When you're saved. It happens. It says. Once and. For all.

[23:44] He takes it. For all. All of your burden. All of your sin. Cast your burden upon the Lord. Let him carry the load. It's too heavy for you.

[23:55] Take the Lord at his word. There's promises here. It talks about. Exceeding many. And great promises. There's many and great promises here. And.

[24:07] One of those promises. Yes. Cast thy burden. Upon the Lord. And he shall sustain thee. So. Cast your burden upon him. Know that he loves you.

[24:18] That he cares for you. That he will lift your load. What are the burdens to cast? Unconfessed sin. Let it. Be known to God.

[24:30] You don't come to some. Little. Dark. Room. And tell a man. And get him to waft. Holy smoke over you. Or. Say some. Mumbo jumbo.

[24:42] But come straight to him. Go direct. Go direct. To Jesus. And cast thy burden. Upon the Lord. Tell him about your sin. Tell him about. Your worry.

[24:53] Of your guilt. Tell him about your shame. Ask him to save you. Cast thy anxiety. Unbelief. Unforgiveness.

[25:05] Feeling unworthy. Your fearfulness. Cast them. All the lies the devil tells you. Like you're not worthy.

[25:16] Like you're worthless. That's the devil. Cast that away. Get rid of it. When the devil plants those sort of seeds in your mind. That makes you feel down.

[25:26] Unforgiveness. Dismal. Cast it on the Lord. Break it off. Shake it off. Cast them. Whatever they are. Think of Christ.

[25:37] He bore the burden. To Calvary. That burden. It was not his own burden. He was without sin. He was perfect. In every fashion. 100% entirely perfect.

[25:49] And yet he bore the guilt. Of our sin. He was made sin. For us. Who knew no sin. That we might be made. The righteousness of God in him. All the evil.

[26:01] He took it upon himself. God made him. To be sin for us. So we might become. The righteousness of God. Think of that burden. Feel the weight of it. The guilt of it.

[26:11] The load of it. The misery of it. Do you want to hang on to that? Are you carrying a heavy weight? Groaning under it? Under the weight? Or is the weight off?

[26:23] Lifted? Taken? Removed? Released? Gone? What will we do with our burden? It's about breaking it.

[26:34] It's about cutting it off. It's about letting go of it. There was a story about two men. Who got under the influence of drink.

[26:46] And these two men. They were in a rowboat. Down on the lake. And they. Wanted to go over to the other side. Of the lake. And so they. Went to the dock.

[26:57] These two drunken men. And there. The boat was tied to the dock. And the two men. They wanted to return home. Over the other side. Of the lake. So they got in the boat. And it was dark.

[27:09] And they began to row. They began to row. And they rowed hard. All night. They did not reach the other side of the bay. And when the grey dawn of the morning broke.

[27:21] They were in exactly the same spot. That they had begun. They had neglected to loosen the anchor. To loosen the mooring line. They'd still been tied to the dock.

[27:33] All night. These drunken men. They must have been sober by the time they finished. That morning. And then they saw. Oh. Face palm. You know. I'm still tied to the dock.

[27:45] And this preacher used this illustration. To show how many strive for heaven. But they're still tied. To this world. They haven't cut the cord.

[27:55] Cut the cord. He would urge. Cut the cord. That's what we have to do with our sin. With our. With our weight. We've got to let it go. Give it to God. Set yourself free.

[28:06] From that weight. Of earthly things. If you're heading to heaven. You've got to cut the cord. Cut the cord. There's a plane that once crashed.

[28:17] In the Bahamas. Shortly after take off. And investigators looked at the wreckage. And worked out. That this plane. Had been loaded with something like. Twice its maximum baggage capacity.

[28:29] Twice its maximum baggage capacity. And investigators believe. That it was all the weight. That made the plane go down. Too much baggage.

[28:40] Can cause a plane to crash. You know. You might hate those people. At the baggage counter. Weighing it all. But they do it for a reason. They can't have too much weight. On the plane.

[28:51] And so. Too much baggage. Can cause a plane. To crash. And in fact. It can make a person crash too. Can't it? You see people. They have a crash. Don't they?

[29:01] Because they're weighed down. They haven't found that relief. That release. They haven't found that freedom. Of giving it to God. And when you carry around. And Christians can too. When you're carrying around.

[29:13] A lot of emotional. And spiritual baggage. It can really weigh you down. And make it very hard for you to fly. And reach your destination. And these days. A lot of us are carrying.

[29:23] A lot of extra baggage. It's extra baggage. That we clutch onto. Now. It could be those things. We just haven't dealt with that problem. That's a difference.

[29:33] A problem. That's holding us back. It's retarding our progress. It's dragging us down. It's holding us back. And in Hebrews 12.1. It says.

[29:44] Of us that we're running a race. And it says. That we're looking unto Jesus. The author and finisher. Of the race. And it says. Let us lay aside every weight. And the sin.

[29:55] Which does so easily beset us. And let us run with patience. With perseverance. The race. That is set before us. The picture here is. Of an athlete.

[30:05] On the track. And can you imagine. You know. If you might have a big parker on. Now some people. Some crazy people. I know. Get up at like six o'clock in the morning.

[30:16] And you know. You can imagine getting out of bed. Putting your parker on. And putting the scarf on. And the beanie. And maybe another layer or two. And imagine then. If you were an athlete.

[30:26] Getting out of bed early. For a race. You know. A training run. And you're covered with all these loads. Of weights. Of different parkers. And coats. And you're on that racetrack. Trying to run this race.

[30:38] Loaded down. With all this heavy weight. Of extra clothing. And the picture here is. Of if you're really an athlete. You want to let go of all of that. You want to peel it all off. And strip back.

[30:49] To just the bare basics. To run that race. As an athlete. Would run. With determination. The race that is set before us. And so. It's like that for us as Christians.

[31:00] Sometimes we get loaded down. There's things we've got to get rid of. What's your baggage? What's holding you back? What's weighing you down? Could it be a grudge? That you're harbouring?

[31:12] Could it be. Feelings that you're just. Harbouring some resentment. And you've allowed it to grow. Instead of letting it go. You know. You've let the sun go down.

[31:23] On your anger. Too many times. The Bible says. You know. Sort things out. Don't let the sun go down. On your wrath. In other words. Deal with it.

[31:35] While it's still daytime. And get it right. Get it sorted. Don't let that resentment. Fester. And harbour. And hold. And weigh you down. That bitterness.

[31:45] That can darken everything. Around you. That chip on your shoulder. Starts weighing a little. But it ends up weighing a lot. Let it go. Cast it. The release of forgiving.

[31:56] Of making a new beginning. With that person. Is really the only way you can keep from crashing. And we can think of weights too as questionable things.

[32:08] Those questionable things. Run with patience. It says. Let us lay aside every weight. And the sin which does so easily beset us. So those things that we kind of always bog down.

[32:20] Maybe those running shoes. You've got mud on them. And they're just weighing you down. You know. The weight of the mud on your shoes. There's those things. That picture of. Those things that.

[32:30] It just happens to hold you back. And slow you down. In your Christian life. It's those things that you haven't dealt with before God yet. To admit that they're wrong. Those questionable things.

[32:42] And we've all got such things. That we could likely consider. There's a preacher suggested three tests. To apply to things. To see whether they are weights. That we ought to lay aside.

[32:54] Firstly. We will be uneasy about them. We'll have an uneasiness about it. It won't feel right. We just don't feel that it's right. Second.

[33:05] We continue to argue about them. With our consciences. Oh. Well. I'm. I'm this because of that. Or this person. Or that. And try to justify. Try to argue about them.

[33:17] And thirdly. We ask ourselves. Perhaps again and again. Whether they think these things are wrong. Is it wrong? Or is it right? It feels right. Does that mean it's wrong?

[33:30] How can it be wrong if it feels so right? Like the song goes. Because you know we think of these things. We try to justify our sin. Those things that hinder our Christian progress.

[33:40] Our Christian walk. Our relationship with God. And anything that keeps us from a higher spiritual efficiency is wrong. Lay it aside. If it's stopping you living the Christian life with victory.

[33:52] Then it's wrong. Let it go. Lay it aside. Put it off. Get it right with God. The Lord Jesus isn't going to weigh us down. He's going to lift us up. Amen.

[34:03] Now this is not to lay burdensome yokes upon people. As some may do. Some circles might try to impose a heavy constraining.

[34:16] Tying up of people in knots. That's what the word religion means. Religion means a binding. A tying up. Jesus didn't come to bind us up. He's come to loose us.

[34:28] That's Christ. That's Christianity. It's not religion. He's come to set us free. He's come to give us liberty. He's come to give us pardon and salvation. So the Lord Jesus, he's not going to weigh us down.

[34:40] He's going to lift us up. Matthew 23, verse 4. He's talking to the Pharisees. The religious crowd who were all very harsh and tending to be mean and focusing on the critical and the putting down.

[34:57] He was saying to them, he says, He says, He says, They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born. They put heavy burdens, hard to carry.

[35:08] And they lay them, it says, on men's shoulders. But they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. You know, Christianity isn't about putting weights and burdens on people.

[35:19] It's about lifting them. It's about setting people free. The Lord Jesus isn't about weighing people down, but taking sin away. Now you've heard of furniture restoration, car restoration.

[35:31] The Lord Jesus is in the person restoration business. He's in the people restoration business. The Lord Jesus takes people that others would discount and throw in the trash pile.

[35:42] Those that people would throw away and give up on. The Lord Jesus is in the people restoration business. He takes us off the scrap heap and he makes us brand new. He gives us new life.

[35:53] We're born again. We're given new life. So, if the Son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed, it says. John 8, 36. You can be free.

[36:05] Free from care. Free from the burden of worldliness. Free from the burden of sin. Those unwanted burdens. Free from that weight. If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

[36:20] Friends, to close, there is a great burden bearer. A load lifter. I'm saying to close, but I've got another four pages. He's a load lifter.

[36:31] He's a load lifter. I've got to be honest because I heard preachers tend to lie. You know, they say, I'm just concluding now, but I don't want to list anything too much here, but I don't want to hold you too long either. But lay them on the burden bearer.

[36:42] Whatever they be today. Your anxieties. Your cares. Your guilt. Your burdens. Bring it in prayer. How do we get the burden on God? Pray.

[36:53] Pray through. Seek him. Ask him. Call on him. There was one occasion where a woman came to a preacher and she said, Preacher, oh preacher, it's all very well for you to talk like that, about a light heart.

[37:11] You're a young man. And if you had a heavy burden like me, you would talk differently. You know, you've not been through the hard yards of my life. You've not been where I've traveled. You've not carried what I've carried.

[37:23] And she says, I could not talk in that way. My burden is too great. But the preacher replied, but it's not too great for Jesus. Oh, she said, I cannot cast it on him.

[37:38] He replied, why not? Surely it is not too great for him. It is not that he is feeble, but it is because you will not leave it to him.

[37:51] You're like many others. They will not leave it with him. They go about hugging their burden and yet crying out against it. What the Lord wants is for you to leave it with him.

[38:02] Leave it with him. To let him carry it for you. Then you will have a light heart. Sorrow will flee away and there will be no more sighing. What is your burden, my friend?

[38:13] That you cannot leave it with Christ. She replied, I have a son who is a wanderer on the face of the earth. None but God knows where he is.

[38:24] He replied, cannot Christ find him and bring him back? She said, I suppose he can. Then go and tell Jesus and ask him to forgive you for doubting his power and willingness.

[38:39] You have no right to mistrust him. She went away much comforted. And I believe she ultimately had her wandering boy restored to her. The story goes, no burden is too big for God.

[38:51] No burden. No load is too much for him to carry. What does it say? Cast thy burden upon the Lord. Let's say it. Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee.

[39:05] He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Now for some, there's the burden of affliction. And Paul was a man of God who went and took his share of that.

[39:18] Fair share. More than his fair share. And he says that our light affliction is but for a moment. It worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

[39:28] Here was Paul. He saw that life's blessings outweighed all of that. That trials and testings of life. Nothing else mattered. That salvation was the ultimate prize.

[39:41] There was a preacher in Romania. At the time it was a communist country with harsh persecution against Christians. And this preacher, he spent 14 long years in prison.

[39:55] Not just in prison but tortured for his faith. And his captives smashed four of his vertebrae. They smashed the ribs. And they cut or burnt 18 holes in his body.

[40:09] And he says, alone in my cell, cold and hungry and in rags, I danced for joy every night. Because he knew Christ. And that was beyond compare.

[40:20] That was beyond his human suffering of the time. Friends, there's a great blessing in that. In that comfort. But you might feel like you're going through a tough time right now.

[40:34] And you wonder, why is this happening to me? Why am I going through this? Why is life so hard? Let me tell you an account here. How someone put it in a poem.

[40:49] Good timber. Good timber. The tree that never had to fight. For sun and sky and air and light. That stood out in the open plain. And always got its share of rain.

[41:00] Never became a forest king. But lived and died a scrubby thing. You know, sometimes you see those trees just weak.

[41:13] Blown around. Just nothing. A nothing kind of tree. The poem goes on. The man who never had to toil to heaven from the common soil.

[41:24] Who never had to win his share of sun and sky and light and air. Never became a manly man. But lived and died as he began. People live a life like that.

[41:36] It's just nothing. Nothing to show. Then it goes on. Good timber. How do we get good timber? Good timber does not grow in ease.

[41:47] The stronger wind. The tougher trees. The farther sky. The greater length. The more the storm. The more the strength. By sun and cold. By rain and snows.

[41:59] In tree or man. Good timber grows. And I know there's people here who have been through some fights. Through some war time.

[42:13] They've been through hardship and testing. That I can scarcely imagine. And it's very real for you. You're stronger for it.

[42:27] Amen. You're stronger for it. Some of you have been in battles. Domestic. Violence. You've been through it. But you're stronger for it.

[42:38] You've survived. And you're stronger for it. You're good timber. And we can know that. Men. Women. Younger men. Younger women.

[42:48] We can know that the stronger timber is where the more the storm. The more the strength. And that can be for Christians too, can't it? That you might think.

[43:00] I've gone through such a hard time in my life. But God has been there through it all. And he's still there with you. And the poem goes on. Where thicker stands the forest growth.

[43:10] We find the patriarchs of them both. And they hold converse with the stars. Whose broken branches show the scars. Of many winds and of much strife. This is the common law of life.

[43:21] Good timber. But. Let me close with one more short poem here. And I know I've referred to it not long ago. But it bears repeating.

[43:33] Because it helps us to hang on to God. You know. We need to hang on to God. Hang on to that faith. Hang on to that trust in him. Whatever life throws at you.

[43:44] And there's some curve balls sometimes. Isn't there? He's still there through it all. The stronger the storm. The more the stream. Let me read this last one in closing. He never fails.

[43:56] I know I've read it before. And bear with me those that have heard it of recent times. But it bears repeating. Because he never fails. He never fails the soul that trusts in him.

[44:07] Though disappointments come and hope burns dim. He never fails. Though trials surge like stormy seas around. Though testings fierce like ambushed foes abound.

[44:17] Yet this my soul with millions more has found. He never fails. He never fails. He never fails the soul that trusts in him.

[44:28] Though angry skies with thunder clouds grow grim. He never fails. Though icy blasts like fairest flowers lay low. Though earthly springs of joy all cease to flow.

[44:42] Yet still tis true. With millions more I know. He never fails. He never fails. He never fails. He never fails the soul that trusts in him. Though sorrow's cup should overflow the brim.

[44:56] He never fails. Though off the pilgrim way seems rough and long. I yet shall stand amid yon white-robed throng. And there I'll sing with millions more this song.

[45:09] He never fails. He never fails. He never fails. He is the great burden bearer. His strength is enough to carry your load.

[45:20] What does it say? Let's say it together. Cast thy burden upon the Lord. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you that whatever life throws at us, we can throw it back into your hands.

[45:33] Knowing that you never fail. Your hands are strong and can carry us and our burden. Lord, we lay it in your hands. We pray if there's any here yet to trust you.

[45:44] Though know what it is to have sins forgiven. To know that at the cross, it was there at the cross. The very penalty, the very price of our sin was paid fully there.

[45:56] That in bleeding and dying at the cross, you poured out your life so we can have life. Lord, you took the penalty of our sin, which is death, and you paid it fully there.

[46:09] That we can know eternal life as a gift. Lord, we thank you that Christians and all here today can know the joy. That we can pray and ask you, Lord, and cast our burden upon you in prayer.

[46:24] Help us to pray, Lord. Help us to give our burden to you. Day by day, moment by moment. Lord, help us not to clutch it and cherish it, but to leave it with you. Those burdens, those unforgiveness, those unconfessed sins, those things that hold us back.

[46:43] Lord, help us to pray. Help us to find that faith, to receive that faith, that we can know our trust in you. That you will sustain us. You'll hold us safe and sure and steady.

[46:57] You'll sustain us. And you'll never fail. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you.