Well, tomorrow is Labor Day, and that was started to celebrate those that labor and
to give them a working man's holiday at the end of the summer.
It was intended to be there for those who were wore slap out.
Well, and somebody yawned as soon as I said that.
We all need a break sometimes, especially when you wore slap out.
You know what that means?
You know what it means to be wore slap out?
Now, when a dog's tired, it lays down.
But when a dog's wore slap out, his tongue hangs out sideways,
his heart's racing on the floor when he's laying there,
and he won't move even if a squirrel goes right by his nose.
That's when you wore slap out.
When I played football, I used to come in from football practice.
Couldn't even eat.
I was so tired and worn out.
I'd just go get a cup and put a couple of scoops of ice cream in it
and some whole milk and a couple of eggs and a banana
and some Joe Weider weight gain because I weighed 155 pounds,
praying for 170.
Some things never change.
I'm praying for 170.
Not really.
I was skinny once.
I said I'll never be skinny again, but I meant it apparently.
What I didn't read on that package was,
Joe Weider weight gain is time release.
And about five years later, it kicked in.
And it ain't let up.
It's serious.
I worked lawn maintenance for a summer between college and seminary,
and I could not wait to get back in the truck
because you could sleep from one stop to the next.
War slap out.
If you're wore out, you want to sit down.
But if you're wore slap out, you don't want to move.
Now let me just ask you, have you ever been worn slap out?
I don't mean from the yard.
I mean in life.
Maybe your life is just too hectic.
It's too busy.
Maybe your marriage is not honoring God like it needs to be,
and it's wearing you out,
and not honoring each other, and it's wearing you out.
Maybe your children are rebelling,
scaring you to death, going in the wrong direction,
wearing you out.
Maybe you feel dry inside,
spiritually sapped,
worn out.
It could be that your finances are horrible.
It could be that your debt's growing.
It could be that your bills are piling up.
Maybe it's because you have the weight of a sin
bearing down upon you.
Maybe habitual sin in your life weighing down upon you.
You are unclean, and you are miserable,
and you are worn slap out.
Sometimes it seems like there's not an end in sight
when you feel like that.
So what do you do?
What do you do when you don't know what to do?
How do you survive when you're worn slap out?
Well, I'm glad you asked.
Because today we're going to take a break
from the stories that Jesus told,
the parables in Luke,
to hear a request of Jesus
that I believe we all need to hear,
at least from time to time.
It's in Matthew chapter 11,
beginning in verse 28.
Jesus said,
come to me.
All who labor and are heavy laden,
I'll give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you'll find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light.
Come to the Lord and rest, folks.
Thank God he invites us to come.
1 Peter chapter 5 verse 7 says,
cast all your anxieties on him
because he cares for you.
Now Peter's not just saying,
give him your worries one by one
as they come up.
No, that's not what he's saying.
Peter is saying,
commit your life
to cast your burdens upon the Lord.
I heard from a man
that led Orlando Wilson to the Lord.
Orlando Wilson, a famous fisherman,
TV shows and those things.
And he asked Orlando Wilson,
asked his pastor,
he said,
will you teach me about Jesus?
And he asked Orlando,
will you teach me how to fish?
He said, I will.
Sounds like a deal.
He said they went fishing
and he cast out of line.
And Orlando said,
no, that's not how you do it.
You don't just throw it out there.
If you want to fish,
if you want to fish,
when you cast,
you cast it out there.
Throw it out there.
That's what that word means.
That word means sling it.
Sling it down at the Lord.
Give it to him.
I like the way the Amplified Bible puts it.
It says this,
casting the whole of your care,
all your anxieties,
all your worries,
all your concerns,
once and for all on him.
For he cares for you affectionately
and cares for you watchfully.
Too many times we want to care for us,
but we want him to care for us,
but we still want to carry it.
Three generations ago,
there was a guy coming down the road on a cart.
There was a man on the side of the road
with a big old bag on his back,
weighed down,
wore slap out.
The cart stopped to pick him up.
When the man got on the cart,
he sat down,
but he kept that bag over his shoulder,
continued to be weighed down by that bag.
And the man driving that cart said,
why don't you just lay that down?
And the man said,
oh no,
it's good for you to carry me.
I couldn't expect you to carry my burden as well.
That's about how silly we are sometimes, folks.
When we continue to carry stuff
that the Lord has told us to give to him.
Don't pick it back up.
Cast it upon the Lord.
Come to the Lord and rest.
Listen to the Lord and follow.
Listen to him and follow.
It says,
Jesus says,
for my yoke is easy.
Literally,
that means,
yoke means to walk alongside
and learn from.
It's the name for that wood
or iron frame
that joins two oxen together
or draft animals together
to pull a plow
or a cart
or a load.
A new ox
is always
a yoke
to an experienced ox
and they pull that cart together
so he can teach the younger one
and to share that load.
But when he talks about yoke here,
it's also talking about
the yoking of students
to a rabbi.
Ancient rabbis
saw their role in the community
as one of studying,
discussing,
and interpreting
the revealed word of God
and for them at that time
was the Old Testament.
They were to help people
understand that text
and they were to live out
that text before them.
For instance,
what does it mean
when the text says
to remember the Sabbath day
and keep it holy?
How do you do that?
Well, my mama told me
growing up
it meant you didn't go
to the movies on Sunday.
That's one way you do it,
you know.
There's different interpretations
of how you handle that.
Well,
the rabbi
would make that determination
and some would say
that
if you walked over a mile
in one day
that it was considered work.
And so therefore,
and remember,
we're not talking about folks
who did it for exercise,
we're talking about people
who did it to get around,
that if you went more
than a mile,
then it was work
and you were not
keeping the day holy.
Another one said
you can walk
a mile and a half.
It was different interpretations.
Now,
some of those interpretations
depend on how far
they live from the synagogue.
Because if the synagogue
is a mile and a half away
and you can't walk
but a mile a day,
you can't go to the synagogue
on the Sabbath.
And so there were interpretations
that were different
for each one.
One would say
you could do this,
one would say that.
Different ones had
different set of rules
and they added
to the word of God
their rules.
One rabbi's set of rules
or his list of interpretations
was considered
his rabbi's yoke
is what they called that.
And he would invite
young men
to be trained by him
to become a Talmud
or a Jewish scholar.
And if that young man
accepted that invitation,
he would leave his family,
he would leave his village,
he would leave all that he knew
and from that day forward
he was devoted
to the rabbi,
not just teaching,
not just learning
his teachings
but becoming like him
in every way,
going wherever he went,
doing whatever he was doing,
teaching whatever he taught.
It was a total life commitment.
It was taking on his yoke.
It means you see how he walks
and you walk the same.
You commit to him
and let him lead.
And then one rabbi said,
my yoke is easy.
And his name is Jesus.
And when you commit
your life to Christ,
you're taking on
as an unexperienced sheep.
You're taking on
the yoke of the Lord
for him to train you,
for him to walk with you,
for him to interpret life
through his word to you,
and for you to have
total commitment
to follow him.
Jesus didn't drag
folks down
like a rabbi would.
Jesus don't belabor you
with a bunch of rules
like the Pharisees did.
Matter of fact,
Jesus spoke against them
again and again
in Matthew 23.
But he said
in verse 4 particularly,
he said,
they tie up
heavy burdens,
hard to bear,
and lay them
on people's shoulders,
but they themselves
are not willing
to move them
with their finger.
I know preachers
like that.
I do.
Deacons may be like that.
Church leaders
may be like that.
Church people sometimes
will look down on you.
But I want to be clear,
whatever your path
has been,
that is not of God,
and that is not
what God does,
and that's not
his message.
Romans chapter 8
verse 1 says,
there is therefore
now no condemnation
for those,
thank God,
who are in Christ Jesus.
No condemnation.
In reality,
it was the Pharisee type,
it was the hypocritical
church aristocracy
that Christ
was offering
relief from
when he said,
my yoke is easy.
He's talking about
those that have
loaded you down
with rules and regulations
on your shoulders,
and some people
make it their mission
to sap the joy
out of your salvation
completely.
I mean,
if you're enjoying it,
it must not be of God,
right?
There's a Greek word
for that,
it's baloney.
Some people have
a persistently
negative tone
to what they say.
I want to be clear
this morning,
that's not of Christ,
thank God,
that's not the gospel.
Christ came to give us
freedom,
not for riotous living,
Christ came to give us
freedom as a standard
to be lived by,
rules to guide
your life by,
but all of them
are for our own protection.
We see people
abandon them today,
we see ourselves
abandon them today.
We go our own way,
we make our own decisions,
we sin against God,
don't say,
preacher,
look at me,
because I've got news for you,
the word of God
says we all do it,
and the reality is
to keep us right
with God
where true freedom
and wholeness
and fullness
is found,
we need to listen
to Him
and follow
Him.
Now let me be clear,
when you take
that little
cup
that has the bread
and the juice
in it
and we participate
that in just a little bit,
you know what you're saying?
I commit my life
to you, Lord.
Your body was given
for me,
your blood was shed
for me,
and I've committed
my life,
I've taken you
in,
I've digested
what you gave me.
Be sure
to come to Him
and rest
and listen to Him
and follow
and trust the Lord.
Trust Him,
He's easy on you.
He said,
my burden
is light.
He's not harsh,
He's not overbearing,
He's not oppressive,
His yoke is easy,
His burden is light,
not because His standards
are less,
but because He
carries your burden,
because He
trains you up,
because He
sends you out,
because He
accompanies you
in all of your way.
He's looking out
for you,
He'll give you a peace.
You don't have to worry
about life
or where He may take you,
peace is resting
in Him
because He's worthy
of it.
You can rest in Him.
Don't worry about tomorrow,
today has enough
of its own,
tomorrow worry about itself.
God's already there,
folks,
you can rest in Him
with that.
He'll give you
the restoration you need,
He'll give you
the rekindling you need,
the nurture that you need,
He'll give you the power
that you need to face,
whatever comes tomorrow.
And He says,
I am gentle.
In other words,
He comes with a loving
and gentle spirit.
He says,
I am humble.
Philippians chapter 2
says He emptied Himself.
He became a servant
for us.
He became obedient
even to the death
on the cross.
He's not,
He's not going to
one-up you.
I want you to hear me
this morning.
Jesus died
for you.
He died for you.
And He definitely
lives for you.
He's making intercession
for you.
And He loves you dearly.
I heard about a photographer
who took pictures
at school
on picture day.
First graders lined up
to get their picture made.
And in order to get
that picture made
with a first grader
that don't want to get
their picture made,
you got to make small talk
and all that kind of stuff.
I don't want to be
a first grade photographer.
He asked one little girl,
what are you going to be
when you grow up?
She said,
tired.
How many of you
are there today?
If that's the way you feel,
come to the table
of the Lord.
Refresh yourself
with a fresh reminder
of what He's done
for you.
Confess your sins.
God will save you.
Just commit your life
to Him.
And if He has saved you
and you know that,
recommit your life to Him.
Commit to this church today
as God leads you.
Rest in the Lord today.
What's that burden
that you have
upon your heart today?
You leave it with God.
He can handle it.
He already knows
how it's going to turn out.
We just need to rest it
in His hands.
With every head bowed
and every eye closed,
I want to ask you
this morning,
if there's ever been
a time in your life
when you've surrendered
your life
to the Lord Jesus Christ,
you've ever confessed
your sins to Him
and agreed with Him
that you're a sinner,
needing a Savior,
knowing that you're
separated from God
due to your sin.
If you've never done that,
today's the day
for you to do that.
Today's the day
for you to say,
Lord,
I want you to save me.
I want you to change me.
I want you to make me
what you'd have me to be.
And I want you to know
there's a lot of things
we're going to do
in the next few moments,
but there's nothing
more important
than the opportunity
that you have
to surrender your life
to the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you've never done that,
I encourage you to come.
In just a few moments,
when we stand to sing,
you come.
I'd be happy to guide you
in that process.
Maybe you have done that
and you know you're a Christian,
but you know
that you are wore out
probably from your own mistakes,
but maybe from somebody else's.
And today you need to be clean.
The Apostle Paul said that,
told the church in Corinth,
he said,
some of y'all are sick
because you've come
to the table of the Lord
with unconfessed sin
in your life.
Because you've not acted
appropriately toward each other.
Because you're not clean
before him
and take part in that.
It's making you sick.
That's what he said.
God takes it seriously, folks.
And so if there's matters
in your life
that you need to confess,
repent of today,
you do that
before you take
this bread and this cup.
It is open for all
who've been saved
and baptized
to take today.
If you're a child here
and that's never happened
to you,
your parents do something,
it's not snack time.
When you leave here,
I encourage you
to ask them about.
Ask them about
what they did today
and what that means.
Parents,
that can cause
a wonderful gospel conversation
to come in the home.
Maybe you're here
and you're not a kid,
but the reality is
you've never given
your heart and life
to the Lord.
Are there's hindrances
in your life
even as a Christian
that cause you
from being everything
God would have you to be?
Scripture tells us
to be clean.
And so I would tell you
today to repent
and make it right.
You can do that
where you are,
you can do it
at this altar.
That's what it's here for.
You just obey God
and do what He tells you to do.
Maybe God's drawing you
to be a part of this church.
God's doing a work
in this church
and I'm thankful
to be a part of it.
If God's drawing you
to be a part of that,
there's no need
for you to hold that off.
So I encourage you to come.
We'd love to guide you
in that process
of what it means
to be a member
of Pickens First.
Maybe you've been saved
but never been baptized
as a believer.
That's the first step
of obedience
and it's a hindrance
in your life
if that's not happened.
So I encourage you
to be obedient
and follow Him today.
We'll be happy
to guide you in that.
We're not doing it today,
but we'll be happy
to guide you
and set that up for you
because we do plan
to do it in the near future.
I don't know
what God's telling you folks,
but let's get right, okay?
Let's do this thing right.
Let's do exactly
what God tells us to do.
Lord Jesus,
I love you
and I thank you, dear God,
for your love for us.
Lead us right now
to be obedient
to follow you
as you lead.
In Jesus' precious name,
amen.
Amen.
Stand up.