TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU (Part 1)

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“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.” (Matthew 11:29-30 NKJV)

 

To be a follower of Jesus Christ is not a call to a yoke-free life but to exchange a grievous yoke and heavy burden of Sin and Satan for an easy yoke and light burden of Christ.

Through the first man’s disobedience, we all were made sinners, sold as slaves to Sin and Satan, thereby struggling and fainting under the grievous yoke and heavy burden of Sin and Satan (Romans. 5:12, 19).

The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to die for our sins and to deliver us from the tyranny or dominion of Sin and Satan. Therefore, Jesus calls to all, saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28 NKJV).

When you come to the Lord Jesus Christ, believing in Him and confessing Him as your Lord and Saviour, you are free from the grievous yoke and heavy burden of Sin and Satan (John 8:36, Romans. 6:14, Gal. 5:13).

As a born-again believer, you have been completely and permanently set free from the yoke, bondage, dominion, or slavery of Sin and Satan.

What, then, is left for you to do?

The Lord Jesus said, “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.” (Matt. 11:29-30 NKJV).

Unlike the devil who forces his grievous yoke and heavy burden on us, our loving Jesus Christ is gentle and lowly in heart, so He does not force His easy yoke and light burden on any believer.

You are expected to take upon you voluntarily, willingly, and gladly the yoke of Christ.

A true disciple of Christ is a born-again believer who has willingly and joyfully yielded his neck under the yoke of Christ to learn from Christ, to follow Christ closely, to walk in the footsteps of Christ, and to wholly conform to Christ in everything, even in suffering and death, if need be.

• The Disciples of Christ are simply yoke-fellows with Christ!
• What does the yoke of Christ imply?
• How does one take upon himself the yoke of Christ?
• Are there any rewards or blessings in taking the yoke of Christ upon you?
• A yoke is a crossbar with two U-shaped pieces that encircle the necks of a pair of oxen or other draft animals working together (the American Heritage Dict.).
• The yoke is used as an emblem or symbolic expression of several things in the Bible.

First, the yoke serves as an emblem of bondage or slavery.

God said to the children of Israel, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.” (Lev. 26:13 NKJV).

While in Egypt, the children of Israel were under Pharaoh’s oppressive and grievous yoke until God broke the bands of their yoke and set them free.

Similarly, you were born under the oppressive and grievous yoke of Sin and Satan. If you have not experienced the New Birth through faith in Jesus Christ, you are still under the grievous yoke of Sin and Satan.

Second, the yoke represents the punishment of sin.

Jeremiah laments, “The yoke of my transgressions was bound; they were woven together by His hands and thrust upon my neck. He made my strength fail; the Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand.” (Lam. 1:14 NKJV).

Third, the yoke serves as a symbol of trials or afflictions.

Jeremiah states, “It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.” (Lam. 3:27 NKJV).

Fourth, the yoke is an emblem of the Mosaic Law, the Jewish rites and ceremonies that were exceedingly burdensome to the Jews.

Paul sternly rebuked the sect of the Pharisees who believed but insisted that the Gentiles believers must be circumcised and taught to keep the Law of Moses, saying, “Now, therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (Acts 15:10 NKJV).

Paul also admonishes the Gentile believers in Galatia to refuse to put their necks under the yoke of bondage (the Mosaic Law), saying, “Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (Gal. 5:1 NKJV ).

Lastly, the yoke of Christ symbolizes both the instructions and afflictions of Jesus Christ.

Taking upon you the yoke of Christ implies total submission or yielding to the will, teaching, and authority of Jesus Christ. It also means a willingness to share in the sufferings of Christ, to endure trials, tribulations, or persecutions for the sake of Christ without murmuring or complaining.

When the early disciples took the yoke of Christ upon themselves, they left everything to follow Christ everywhere He went. They relinquished to the Lord Jesus Christ their will, authority, rights, and privileges.

They also ceased to care and live for themselves but for Christ. One of them, Peter, boldly said to Jesus, “See, we have left all and followed You.” (Mark 10:28 NKJV).

When you are still self-willed, self-driven, and self-centered, pursuing your personal agenda, dreams, and ambitions and seeking selfish pleasures and profits, you have not taken the yoke of Christ upon you.

When the early apostles of Jesus Christ were imprisoned and beaten for the sake of Christ, they were glad they were privileged to partake in Christ’s sufferings (Acts 5:40-42).

Beloved, you cannot take upon you the yoke of Christ and still refuse to partake in the sufferings of Christ. You cannot be yoked with the Lord Jesus Christ, learning from the Lord, following and walking in the Lord’s footsteps, and yet evading or escaping suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:14, 15:18-19).

Paul affirms, “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake.” (Philip. 1:29 NKJV).

Peter states, “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” (1 Pet. 2:21 NKJV).

Are there any rewards for taking upon you the yoke of Christ?

Find out in the second part of this piece!

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I willingly take your easy yoke and light burden upon me today. Holy Spirit, teach and help me follow You, learn from You, and walk in Your footsteps daily, in Jesus’ name. Amen

Our mandate is to preserve the faith of the Apostolic Generation.

Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.

AWH, Blogs.

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