Burdens in Christianity

Are there burdens in the Christian faith?

We see throughout Scripture God giving commands. We read about all that a Christian is to do and not do. There is the poor, the needy, those that cannot protect/defend themselves, widows, children, and many more types of people we are commanded to minister to. We are to evangelize the lost, make disciples, baptize in the name of God, and be in unity with other believers. We should tithe, serve, volunteer, teach, help, lead, and fellowship.

And the list goes on.....

This sounds like a burden, does it not? So, are there burdens in our faith?

Before we answer the question directly, we need to see what Scriptures tells us about burdens, what a burden really is, and (if they exist) what we should do about them.

What is a burden, biblically?

Exodus 23:5 “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.”

Here, a burden is a extremely heavy load. The donkey is literally unable to move because of the burden.

Ex 2:11 “One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.”

In this text, a burden is a “severe task.” The burden the people had was slave labor, no freedom, and extreme work conditions.

Who here wants a burden?

Who does not want a burden?

What are some common modern burdens?

In society: work, family, debt, illness, disease, unemployment, and so much more.

More importantly, what burdens do we commonly see in the church?

In short, the largest source of burdens is legalism. Legalism is the act of relying on law or action rather than faith.

How do we identify legalism in the church?

Often, legalism is found in good things used in a bad way.

Take tithing for an example. Tithing is good. Tithing and giving financially is a biblical command. However, all God asks for is a cheerful giver, not giving reluctantly, and to give generously or sacrificially. Following these guidelines and focusing on faith in Jesus is wonderful.

The problem becomes when we feel confident in our faith because of how much we give. Or how high our percentage is in our giving. Feeling good about our giving is fine — feeling our confidence of salvation from giving is not good.

Now, look, it’s not super easy to find that line sometimes. You may be tempted to not give because you are covered by grace through faith and nothing else is as important. You may be tempted to give so much it burdens you because you think that’s what God wants. Neither of these are right.

Before I move on to other burdens, let me tell you some good news. Jesus covers you.

Relax. And as you grow in love, admiration, and obedience to Jesus, your spiritual wisdom and discernment will also grow.

You may struggle with finding that line now, but it’ll be a little bit clearer next year. And in 10 years, it may be to where you are teaching a class on the topic! Who knows....

Now, in less detail, let’s talk about some other common burdens in the church.

Here are, in my opinion, some examples of good things that can easily become burdens in the church:

serving, attending, teaching, eating/drinking, tithing, commitment, involvement, leading.

These things are really good. You are commanded in Scripture to serve in the church. You are commanded to not forsake the gathering. You are given full freedom in Christ to eat and drink whatever you want. The Bible does not say how many times a month to serve in the nursery. The Bible does not say how many weeks a year you should teach.

The New Testament does not tell us how much we are to give.

What does Jesus say about burdens?

Let’s look our passage for today.

READ — Matthew 11:28-30

First, he says, “Come to me.”

Here we see the basis of all things Christianity is faith. Don’t have faith in Jesus? Then why go to Him for rest? Only those that believe Jesus is God will go to Him for rest. Let me be super clear here before I move on: Unless you are a Christian, nothing else here will work.

What does rest in Jesus look like?

First of all, you’ll really want to be here for my sermon next week. I’ll be hitting on this in-depth and I am excited for it.

But for today, let’s take a big picture look at how Jesus can provide rest.

Look up at verse 27. “All things have been handed over to me.” Our first item to note is Jesus is God. And if we take all we know about God — His wisdom, his omnipresence, his foreknowledge of things to come, and his initiate detail of our lives — we know God knows everything, including what we need for rest.

Secondly, we know Jesus is human. We believe He came to earth as baby and experienced everything we did. He knows every aspect of human life from every angle — death, life, creation, and destruction.

When you combine the full understanding of Christ, the knowledge and wisdom of God, and the compassionate care they offer, we can rest easy knowing they will take care of us in the best way.

Does this mean there is nothing to do in Christianity?

Not so fast, my friends.

Look at verse 29. “Take my yoke.” What is a yoke, you may be wondering. A yoke is a bar that connects an oxen to a plow.

hahahaha So Jesus says, “Come to me for rest.... and let’s get plowing.” I love it. It’s comical, right?

Here are three things I think you should know about Jesus’ yoke.

Jesus is good — there will never be a better job. Verse 29 goes on to say Jesus is gentle and lowly in heart. Lowly in heart means to show strength and be healthy in His self-worth but also full of self-control, serenity, and kindness.

It is easy. (v. 30)

We have always been designed to work. (Genesis 1-2)

So we are to take his yoke. What else does the text say to do?

The very end of verse 30 says, “My burden is light.”

At first, this is confusing (at least to me anyway). Because a light burden doesn’t really make sense — it’s almost an oxymoron.

It could be said, “My workload is light.” God wants us to work; He designed us to work. He has a task for us. But it is not burdensome.

In sum, rest in Jesus is awesome and the workload is light. But when we take His yoke, He takes good care of us. When we find ourselves under heavy burden, we need to take a step back and find the source because it is not Jesus.

Let me say that again because you can’t miss this: If you are under a heavy burden and it dampens your joy in Christ, it is not from Christ. Take a step back, evaluate, get help, and rest in Christ.

Here is the question of the hour.

Are you burdened?

The first step is to determine whether or not you follow Jesus. Do you place your faith in Jesus?

If not, that’s your problem. You’re dealing with a chaotic, sick, and broken world with the weight of your sin without any hope.

Jesus says, “Come to me.” So… I really don’t have much else to tell you. You can keep coming to church, tithe, be involved.... but until you rest your faith in Jesus, it’s just not going to work.

If you are following Jesus and you feel burdened, surrender it to Jesus.

How do we do this, most practically? If you’re in one of our community groups, that is a safe place for you to open up, be vulnerable, and seek godly help.

If you are not in one of our community groups, I hope and pray you have a Christian friend or Christian group that you can lean on and lean into. If you think they can provide godly guidance, please open up to them.

It is very well possible you’re not blessed with a group or a solid Christian friend. While you pray for and seek one, please, talk with me or another trusted person in this room.

— TYLER —

Let’s recap and don’t miss this:

God knows.

God understands.

God loves you.

The yoke Jesus gives is easy and the workload is light.

You’ve been designed to work — decide to work for Jesus and be burden free.

When you find yourself under burden, evaluate and find the source because it is not Jesus.

While we sing this song, determine your response and tell God through prayer. He’s waiting.