TEXT: Matthew 11:25-30

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.

27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

——

John Piper said, “Jesus has lifted the heaviest load of guilt and sin by dying for us. He has also lifted and goes on lifting the daily load of working out our salvation by being the decisive worker in our lives.”

The superintendent of a mission school read the text, “My yoke is easy.” Turning to the children she asked, “Who can tell me what a yoke is?” A little girl said, “Something they put on the necks of animals.” Then she inquired, “What is the meaning of God’s yoke?” All were silent for a moment, when the hand of a child went up and she said, “God putting his arms around our necks.” What could be more comforting than that?

In our last message we saw how Jesus offers rest to those of us who are struggling and stumbling under the burden of sin and the yoke of the law. Here are two more things that we can learn from this passage:

Second, Jesus is meek and lowly in heart. The second thing to notice from this passage is Jesus’ character. He is meek and lowly in heart. Jesus shows us the character of God, who desires to save us. Jesus drew a sharp contrast with the religious leaders of his day who were proud and oppressive in their authority of the rest of the people. The meekness of Jesus shows itself in His willingness to take on human flesh and submit himself to the pains of this world. He was willing to be led like a lamb to the slaughter, without fighting back in either word or deed. His yoke is easy and his burden is light because he was so willing to help us with the yoke of the law and the burden of sin. John MacArthur said, “The yoke that He makes is easy and the burden He gives is light. Why? Because He’s meek and lowly. He, unlike the Pharisees and the scribes, does not desire to oppress us. He does not desire to pile burdens on us that we cannot bear. He is not interested in trying to show how tough it is. He is gentle. He is tender. And He gives us something we can carry. It’s easy and it’s light. There is a yoke of obedience. There is a yoke of submission to Christ, but it is not grievous. Is it? It is joyous. It is the greatest liberation in my life. There is the greatest lightness and the greatest ease in my life when I obey. Is that true? It is when I disobey that the yoke chafes my neck. But in obedience and submission to the Lordship of Christ there is an ease and there is a lightness. He is meek and lowly. Paul loved that phrase. And he besought the Corinthians on one occasion by saying, “I beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ”. Yes, He’s meek and gentle. He’ll not oppress us. He’ll not give us something we can’t carry. And I can promise you that when you take on the yoke of Christ and you walk in obedience, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. But the yoke of the law, the yoke of human effort, the yoke of works, the yoke of sin is a heavy, chafing, galling yoke. It is a large, unbearable burden carried in the flesh that will lead you to despair, frustration, and anxiety. And Jesus offers you a yoke you can carry, because He gives you the strength. So instead of the heavy burden of pride and self is the lightness of humility and lowliness. Instead of feeding ourselves till we become so overweight that we can’t even carry the load, we release all to Christ and the burden is light.” Jesus wants us to learn from Him as His disciples. Ray Fowler said, “When Jesus tells you to take his yoke upon you, he is asking you to become his disciple. He invites you to follow him and to serve him as your Master. This world is a harsh taskmaster. But not Jesus. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. And when you follow him, you will find rest for your soul.” Are you struggling with trying to live up to the yoke of the law and stumbling beneath the burden of sin? Then come and learn of Jesus. Learn of his meek and lowly spirit. Embrace the sacrifice that He has made for unworthy people such as us.

James Montgomery wrote:

O where shall rest be found,
Rest for the weary soul?
‘Twere vain the ocean-depths to sound,
Or pierce to either pole;
The world can never give
The bliss for which we sigh;
‘Tis not the whole of life to live;
Nor all of death to die.

Beyond this vale of tears,
There is a life above,
Unmeasured by the flight of years;
And all that life is love;
There is a death, whose pang
Outlasts the fleeting breath;
O what eternal horrors hang
Around “the second death!”

Lord God of truth and grace,
Teach us that death to shun,
Lest we be banish’d from Thy face,
And evermore undone:
Here would we end our quest;
Alone are found in Thee,
The life of perfect love,–the rest
Of immortality.

——-

Now, if you are with us today and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry.

He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree.

He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.

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Hollywood actor Ben Affleck opened up about his Christian faith while promoting his new film, “The Way Back.” 

“I go to the Methodist Church, [my] kids [are] baptized and I got introduced to Christianity a little bit later in life,” the Academy Award winner told Beliefnet.

Affleck’s ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, returned to church four years ago after filming “Miracles from Heaven,” and shortly after invited Affleck to attend service with her and their children. He has since kept to the faith.

In “The Way Back,” Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, a man who is down and out and searching for hope. He finds that hope when offered a job to coach basketball at his Catholic high school where he once excelled as a player. The movie is centered around his road to making amends with the people he hurt most by his destructive behavior as a result of alcohol.

In the interview, a newly sobered Affleck reflected on the “beauty” he’s found in the Christian gifts of grace and forgiveness.

“One of the things that I found most beautiful about it, and I struggle with my faith, I struggle with belief, but I do see there’s something enormously beautiful and elegant about the notion that we are all sinners, and that it’s our job to find our redemption, to find God’s love, to redeem ourselves, to live the best life that we can, to love one another, to not judge one another, and to forgive one another,” Affleck said.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Jeannie Law

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Welcome to The Reasons to Believe podcast, episode #167. My name is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International.

Our Reasons to Believe Scripture Passage for today is 1 Corinthians 15:14-20. It reads, “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

Our Reasons to Believe quote for today is from Spirit & Truth Fellowship International. It says, “The resurrection narratives bear unmistakable signs of being historically accurate. The earliness of these accounts, at a time when hostile witnesses were present, would have made a fabrication unlikely and dangerous. There is agreement on the main facts and great variety in the witnesses given, yet they are not a mere repetition of some standardized story with all the discrepancies worked out. Indeed, the accounts of Christ’s resurrection appearances are clearly independent of one another, as their surface dissimilarities suggest. Deeper scrutiny, however, reveals that these appearances are non-contradictory. Henry Morris writes: ‘It is a well-known rule of evidence that the testimonies of several different witnesses, each reporting from his own particular vantage point, provide the strongest possible evidence when the testimonies contain superficial contradictions that resolve themselves upon close and careful examination. This is exactly the situation with the various witnesses to the resurrection.’”

Our Reason to Believe powerpoint today is titled “The Resurrection, Part 20” from “The Handbook of Christian Apologetics” by Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli.

The authors continue with the sixth part of this chapter subtitled, “Refutation of the Myth Theory: Six Arguments.”

2. External evidence:
“The disciples must have left some writings, engaged as they were in giving lessons to and counseling believers who were geographically distant; and what could these writings be if not the Gospels and epistles themselves? … Eventually the apostles would have needed to publish accurate narratives of Jesus’ history, so that any spurious attempts would be discredited and the genuine Gospels preserved.”
“There were many eyewitnesses who were still alive when the books were written who could testify whether they came from their purported authors or not.”
“The extra-biblical testimony unanimously attributes the Gospels to their traditional authors, … testimony from the Epistle of Barnabas, the Epistle of Clement, the Shepherd of Hermas, all the way up to Eusebius in A.D. 315….Theophilus, Hippolytus, Origen, Quadratus, Irenaeus, Melito, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Dionysius, Tertullian, Cyprian, Tatian, Caius, Athanasius, Cyril…. Even Christianity’s opponents conceded this: Celsus, Porphyry, Emperor Julian.”
“With a single exception, no apocryphal gospel is ever seen quoted by any known author during the first three hundred years after Christ. In fact there is no evidence that any inauthentic gospel whatever existed in the first century, in which all four Gospels and Acts were written.”

B. Proof that the Gospels we have today are the same Gospels originally written:
“Because of the need for instruction and personal devotion, these writings must have been copied many times, which increases the chances of preserving the original text.”
“In fact, no other ancient work is available in so many copies and languages, and yet all these various versions agree in content.”
“The text has also remained unmarred by heretical additions. The abundance of manuscripts over a wide geographical distribution demonstrates that the text has been transmitted with only trifling discrepancies. The differences that do exist are quite minor and are the result of unintentional mistakes.”
“The quotations of the New Testament books in the early church Fathers all coincide.”
“The Gospels could not have been corrupted without a great outcry on the part of all orthodox Christians.”
“No one could have corrupted all the manuscripts.”
“There is no precise time when the falsification could have occurred, since, as we have seen, the New Testament books are cited by the church Fathers in regular and close succession. The text could not have been falsified before all external testimony, since then the apostles were still alive and could repudiate such tampering.”
“The text of the New Testament is every bit as good as the text of the classical works of antiquity…. To repudiate the textual parity of the Gospels would be to reverse all the rules of criticism and to reject all the works of antiquity, since the text of those works is less certain than that of the Gospels.”

Purtill summarizes the textual case:
Many events which are regarded as firmly established historically have (1) far less documentary evidence than many biblical events, (2) and the documents on which historians rely for much secular history are written much longer after the event than many records of biblical events. (3) Furthermore, we have many more copies of biblical narratives than of secular histories, and (4) the surviving copies are much earlier than those on which our evidence for secular history is based. If the biblical narratives did not contain accounts of miraculous events… biblical history would probably be regarded as much more firmly established than most of the history of, say, classical Greece and Rome. (Thinking About Religion, pp. 84-85)

Lord willing, we will continue this topic in our next episode.

—PRAYER—

Now, if you are listening today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, allow me to show you how.

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9-13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Until next time, my friend, please keep in mind these reasons to believe. God bless!

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The Arizona House of Representatives narrowly passed a bill that, if enacted, would bar trans-identified athletes from competing in girls’ sports.  

On Tuesday, the House approved House Bill 2706, also known as the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” in a vote of 31 to 29.

Sponsored by 23 Republican legislators, the bill would require any interscholastic and intramural sports overseen by schools to designate boys’ and girls’ sports on the basis of biological sex.

“Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women or girls may not be open to students of the male sex,” reads HB 2706 in part.

“If disputed, a student may establish the student’s sex by presenting a signed physician’s statement that indicates the student’s sex based on an analysis of the student’s genetic makeup.”

Republican state Rep. Nancy Barto, who introduced the bill, said HB 2706 advanced fairness, given documented biological differences between the sexes.

“That is why we have separated male and female sports. And that is why women have been so successful in achieving greatness on the field, and all the benefits that go with it,” Barto added, according to ABC News.

“What has changed is Interscholastic policies allowing biological males identifying as females to compete on women’s teams.”

Democratic state Rep. Daniel Hernandez Jr. denounced the legislation on Twitter after the bill passed, calling it harmful to the state.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski

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Life.Church Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel and pastor and innovation leader at Life.Church Bobby Gruenewald have been quarantined by health officials after being exposed to the coronavirus at a conference in Germany.

In a video titled “Something Different This Month,” Groeschel, whose church has 90,000 attenders at its 34 campuses spread over 10 states, broke the news to Life.Church members late Wednesday afternoon.

“You might notice that the background for this month’s video update looks a little different. Watch this video to find out why,” Groeschel said, revealing he taped his video from his home instead of the church’s headquarters.

“If it looks like I’m shooting out of my bedroom, the reason is it’s because I’m shooting out of my bedroom,” he said.

Groeschel said he and Gruenewald, founder of the YouVersion Bible app, were already on a plane headed home when they learned that someone at the three-day Willow Creek Germany summit had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

After sharing the news with a flight attendant, the pastors were met with health authorities once they landed.

“We decided to isolate ourselves for the full 14 days, no contact with anyone whatsoever,” Groeschel said.

“The good news is, I’ve gotten time to pray,” he added. “I’ve written sermon outlines through like, the end of May.”

In his video, he made sure people knew that he and Gruenewald would not be at church to prevent any possible spread of the disease, adding that both men felt “great.”

“We will not be at church, don’t worry. We’re going to stay completely away. We’re trying to do this out of an abundance of caution to ensure that everyone is safe,” Groeschel said.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett

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As the Toronto Raptors celebrate this season as their 25th year in the NBA, celebrating right along with them is their Number 1 fan who has been with them since Day 1, public address announcer Herbie Kuhn.

Having survived every minute of the rollercoaster ride that ended with the Raptors winning their first NBA championship in 2019, Herbie says he never doubted that the team was going to survive the bad years and eventually thrive, because the Raptors had something no other NBA team had: a united, country-wide support on the homefront.

“I will tell you, we have basketball fans who are consistent and solid,” he says. “We had attendance numbers during the struggling years that other teams would have begged for, even those with winning records! We have the most amazing fans in the world. It’s a privilege to be part of this franchise.”

Herbie is fan first, announcer second. The Raptors have brought out all his emotions over the years, but especially so throughout last June.

“I have been reduced to tears many times, whether due to happiness or frustration,” he comments. “When game six of the finals was being played in Oakland, we had a whole bunch of people over to watch on TV. It got really loud at my house when the final buzzer finally sounded and we knew we were champions. Even though all day I really had had an unusual quiet confidence we were going to win this thing, I just stayed in my chair, buried my head in my hands and sobbed.

“It was such an overwhelming sense of release and relief in that moment.”

Besides caring about the players’ performances, Herbie also cares about the welfare of their souls. He is one of the Raptors’ co-chaplains who take turns offering a short sermon at a chapel service open to both teams right before Toronto home games. The players know they can come to him any time for prayer or counseling.

“I try to give them perspective on their true identity,” he says. “I tell them that regardless of the result out on the court, it doesn’t change who they are on the inside – a child of God.”

Herbie takes his role of chaplain seriously, and knows that he must set an example daily of what being a Christian looks like.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Jayne Thurber-Smith

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