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Come unto me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30
One of the biggest obstacles to belief in Jesus is overcoming our desire to sin. We are born with a sinful nature that craves sin. Sin is our default mode of operation. Beyond overcoming sin, and yet related, is the idea that we must keep God’s commandments. These commandments seem like an onerous burden to us.
People who live by God’s commandments are often ridiculed. It is not “cool” or “edgy” to live a righteous life. Our popular culture idolized rebels. Rebels, by definition, rebel against commandments. We are lead to believe that if we live according to God’s commandments that our lives will be joyless and grey.
It is true that living a righteous life may not be as exciting. We are less likely to have to deal with the consequences of sin if we ask God to help us avoid sin. If we avoid lust we are denied the excitement of unwanted pregnancy and disease. If we avoid materialism we are denied the excitement of bill collectors and bankruptcy. If we avoid anger and envy then we are denied the excitement of depression and ulcers.
Yes, our lives may, indeed, be less exciting; if the consequences of sin are the excitement we’re looking for.
So, maybe we’re OK with a little less excitement. But how do we overcome our sinful nature? How do we handle the burden of keeping God’s commandments?
The first step is truly understanding what Jesus did for us. Our sinful nature condemns us to an eternity, not only separated from God, but one of punishment and torment. Hell is not benign. Hell is not passive. Jesus often refers to unsaved people going to a place where there will be “…weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In the parable of The Rich Man and Poor Lazarus, the condemned rich man speaks of being “…in torment in this flame.” This is the righteous and deserved punishment for the lifetime of sin that we are all guilty of.
And yet, God loved us enough to send Jesus to save us. He found a way to uphold His perfect justice, and at the same time, spare us from the eternal punishment we deserve. He sent His perfect Son, who had no sin to be punished for, to take our punishment for us. The sentence is served. All we have to do is accept the pardon.
If we understand this, if we understand the depths of the sacrifice, if we understand what we have been spared from; we will want to serve God. We will want to do what He wants us to do. We will want to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. Just as we would not want to disappoint a person that we look up to; we will not want to disappoint God after the mercy He’s shown us. We owe Him our lives and our souls. If we ask God to send His Holy Spirit to give us this understanding and appreciation; He will.
Once we have the understanding of what God’s done for us and the desire to please Him; we are still left with the problem of turning from our old sinful lives. But how can this happen? If we are born with a sinful nature then how can that possibly be changed? The Bible tells us:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
God will take away our desire to sin. There is a difference between falling into sin and diving into sin. If we are putting ourselves in tempting situations, if we are going to places where we will be tempted, if we are spending our time with people who will want us to do sinful things with them; then when we sin, we are not falling, we are diving. We are willfully sinning against God.
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. [NASB]
Hebrews 10:26-27
If, however, we ask God to help us avoid temptation, if we seek His help when we find ourselves in tempting situations; when we do sin, this is falling into sin. This is impulsive sin. This is sin that we do not make excuses for. Rather, we confess our sins willingly and seek God’s forgiveness and His help to turn away from sinning against Him.
God promises that if we seek His help, He will provide it:
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it. [NASB]
1 Corinthians 10:13
Finally, the secret that the Devil does not want us to know: if we are new creatures, if we live by the Spirit instead of by the flesh; we will not want to sin against God. We will find sin abhorrent. It will go against the new heart that God has given us. Our conscience will scream at us. Our guilt will overwhelm us. We will not need to be coerced into confessing our sins. We will run to God for quick and complete absolution.
We will want God to help us avoid these sins in the future because we simply feel better doing what God wants us to do. We will be filled with joy by our service and obedience to God.
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. [NASB]
Psalms 1:1-2
The Bible says we will actually delight in God’s Law. We will think about it day and night. We will want to keep His commandments and not surround ourselves with sinful things.
The yoke that Jesus spoke of is easy. Its easier than the yoke of sin. Its easier than the consequences of sin. The burden is only a burden when looked at through the eyes of our sinful nature. Jesus is talking to us as willful, disobedient sinners. He tells us that these things that look burdensome are actually quite light if we trust Him, if we believe in Him, if we accept the forgiveness that He’s offering to us. The burden of sin on our shoulders weighs us down, but the Law of God in our hearts lifts us up.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [NASB]
Galatians 5:24-25
