THE LOWLY HEART

 THE LOWLY HEART

Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

Come unto me, all ye 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 ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

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

 

I’ve been working hard this year to get at our hearts- your heart and mine.

 

I am going to change that course  and speak of One whose heart is not our own.

 

He has “a lowly heart.”

 

Perhaps the most important thing we can learn about the heart is that:

·   Jesus has one and

·   It is lowly

 

You and me, we can desire to be humble. 

·   We can seek to have a contrite spirit.

·   We can strive to fill our heart with the right things so that the wrong in them has no place to stay.

 

But the truth be known, we’ll still be poor sinners, 

·   In trouble

·   In need and

·   In debt to the blessing of the Lord

 

If only we could look to Jesus!

 

If only we could get our eyes: 

·   Off of ourselves

·   Off of others

·   Off of our problems

·   Off of our offences

·   Off of the things we have lost

·   Off of the things we wish we had

·   Off of our past failures

·   Off of our current complaints

 

And once and for all see Jesus.

 

The earlier ministry of Jesus Christ is often called His “year of popularity.”[1]

 

The earliest part of His ministry saw multitudes upon multitudes of people following Him.

·   Some out of curiosity – would He perform another miracle?

·   Some out of craving - would He give them another free meal?

·   Some out of creed – would He restore the kingdom to Israel?

 

The first half of His ministry is an offer of the Kingdom of God to the Jews.

 

He is their Messiah and He could have given them the promised kingdom.

 

Consider the Sermon on the Mount.

It seems an almost impossible standard, doesn’t it?

 

It won’t be in the Millennial Kingdom of God.

 

John the Baptist and Jesus Christ both preached the Kingdom of God.[2]

 

In Matthew 11,

Jesus referenced the ministry of John the Baptist

Matthew 11:7-10 (KJV)

And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 

But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 

But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 

For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

 

Jesus referenced their rejection

Matthew 11:16-19 (KJV)

But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 

And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 

The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

 

Jesus pronounced a curse upon their cities

Matthew 11:20-24 (KJV)

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 

But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. 

And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 

But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

 

Jesus turned His attention elsewhere

Matthew 11:25-27 (KJV)

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. 

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

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.

 

I do not mean to imply that God has forsaken the Jews. But He has set them aside for a new, peculiar people.

 

Verses 28-30 is your invitation to become part of that people.

 

I try to practice what Jesus did in this passage, every time I extend an invitation at the end of the message.

 

I try to tell the audience what to do.

 

Notice Jesus provided for them three actions.

 

First, 

I. COME

Matthew 11:28 (KJV)

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

 

You understand that not everyone does come.

 

·   Some are too busy with their own things

·   Some are too satisfied in their current circumstances

·   Some are too angry at the people around them

 

There are a lot of reasons that people to not take up Jesus’ invitation to come to Him.

 

·   Some people, frankly, have never heard the invitation

Jesus put that task on you and me.

 

Acts 1:8 (KJV)[3]

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

 

It is not at all difficult to come to Jesus.

You simply accept His invitation.

 

But I have discovered that everyone who has ever come to Jesus had one thing in common, they knew they needed to.

 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden….

 

I have met more than a few people who came out of curiosity, like the multitudes who came during the year of Christ’s popularity, but they turn away as soon as their curiosity is satisfied, or they get bored.

 

Those who are saved, know there is nowhere else to go.[4]

 

The second action is

II. TAKE

Matthew 11:29 (KJV)

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.

 

Notice that Jesus did not say,

·   Take my glory

·   Take my power

·   Take my influence

·   Take my popularity

·   Take my throne

·   Take my crown

 

He said, “Take my yoke.”

It’s an act of submission.

 

A yoke binds two together.

·   Two oxen

·   Two horses

·   Two people

 

A marriage, for instance, is a yoke.

You have agreed together to become one.

 

The thing is, two, bound as one, can do so much more than two can do individually.

 

It’s called, synergism.

“the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.”[5]

 

But here’s the thing. In order for the two to be one, they cannot be two.

 

In order for two horses, yoked together, to do more than they could do apart, they have to work together.

 

They have to surrender their own will to the will of the whole.

 

When you take Jesus’ yoke, you surrender your own will.

·   You will go a different way than you would have gone before

·   You will work in a different field than you would have worked before

·   You will pull a different load than you would have pulled before

 

This is why so many Christians struggle.

 

They are trying to get Jesus to pull their load.

 

They thought when they got saved, they could still do what they always thought they would do, but Jesus would bless what they do now.

 

Jesus said

Matthew 11:30 (KJV)

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

He doesn’t make your load easier.

 

He gives you a different load.

 

Action number three

III. LEARN

Matthew 11:29 (KJV)

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.

 

This reminds me again of the Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 

The word “teach” is in there twice.

 

Living for Christ is a life of learning of Him.

 

·   We learn about Him

·   We learn from Him

 

And one thing I know about learning is, it takes time.

 

It’s a process.

 

Isaiah 28:9-10 (KJV)

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

 

Anita has been a teacher since before the first day I met her.

One of the things I have learned from her is that teaching is a process.

 

Children learn in steps.

The teacher teaches them a thing.

·   If the teacher goes on to the next thing before the student has really learned the first thing, they won’t be able to learn that next thing.

·   If the teacher keeps moving them on before they get the steps before, they will never really learn what the teacher wanted them to learn. 

 

I want to inform you, there is a lifetime of learning to really know Jesus Christ.

 

You can fast track growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.[6]

 

You can’t skip steps. Not if you really want to learn of Christ.

 

You won’t like every step.

But if you don’t get every step, you won’t ever be able to learn of Christ and walk with in in that yoke.

 

That’s why you don’t really want a pastor who will 

·   Make church easy

·   Make the Bible easy

·   Make being a Christian easy

 

If you never learn to walk with Jesus, you will never learn that HIS yoke is easy, and HIS burden is light.

 

You’ll spend your whole life fighting to get that lowly heart of Jesus to carry your burden.

 

And that’s not easy.

 

---

[1] His three year ministry has been divided into 1. The Year of His preparation, 2. The year of His popularity, 3. The year of His passion. 

[2] Mark 1:14 (KJV)

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

[3] It occurs to me that both this passage and the Great Commission begin with power. Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

[4] John 6:66-69 (KJV)

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

[5] Definitions from Oxford Languages

[6] 2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

IT’S NOT THE SIZE OF YOUR GIFT BUT THE SIZE OF GOD’S BLESSING

IT’S NOT THE SIZE OF YOUR GIFT

BUT THE SIZE OF GOD’S BLESSING

Matthew 14:14-21 (KJV)

Zechariah 4:9-10 (KJV)

The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

I have often thought that the way Faith Promise is sometimes presented would never work in any other land than the United States.

·   We are so focused on numbers, and it’s probably not wrong.

·   We have so much to give that to ask, even expect that Americans would give in big ways seems right.

But what I have observed over the years of my Christian walk is that what most people think of when they think of increasing their giving for missions is either,

·   I can ask God to give me a raise at work

·   I can ask God to give me a better job

I remember hearing Warren Wiersbe once say that God had always answered his prayers for provisions by giving him work.

And that sounds great, unless you live in a third world country where there is no work.

How does God provide for Faith Promise missions there?

Is it true that, if you have very little, you are no longer responsible to God to tithe and give an offering to missions?

This year, for the first time in our lives, many of us have an opportunity to EXPERIENCE Faith Promise Missions.

With that in mind I want to remind you that it has never been about the size of your offering, but about the size of God’s blessing.

Notice first,

I. THE LOAVES AND FISHES

Matthew 14:14-21 (KJV)

And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

He said, Bring them hither to me.

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

The first thing that I notice is that 

A. This was a huge need.

A great multitude

We know it to be five thousand men and who knows how many women and children.

If Jesus and his twelve disciples and all brought a lunch, there would not be enough to feed them all.

Five loaves and two fishes.

Some people say it was a little boy’s lunch.

It doesn’t matter if it was an entrepreneur’s stock.

If the loaves are ten feet long and the fish are 50 lbs each, this isn’t enough.

One of our problems, I think, has been that we think /god blesses America BECAUSE we give so much.

It’s not true.

God has blessed us SO we can give.

During the first part of the Civil War, the Confederacy was dominating the battle fields.

Lincoln was frustrated because he could not find a general who was willing to fight and

Jeff Davis had generals like Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson

During the Southern heyday, one of their well-known Baptist pastors, I cannot remember his name, preached a message that was then published and distributed to every Southern state and every Confederate Soldier.

In the message this pastor declared that God had blessed them on the battlefield because they were so good at supporting missionaries.

That didn’t last very long, did it?

It doesn’t matter how much we give, the need is far too great for us to help them all.

I notice secondly

B. They brought what they had to Jesus

This is the great secret.

It is not the size of our gifts that meets the need.

It is the blessing of the LORD.

Could it be that the LORD will allow us to see that the true blessing in giving to Faith Promise is not to count how big our promise is, but to mark how much GOD does with it?

C. When it was said and done, there was more left over than was given.

Some of the missionaries could be in real serious trouble because so many churches operate like so many peopledo and like even our government does –

They spend everything and more than they make.

I have told this account many times, but wish to do it again.

Back in 1990 my family made a trip to Mexico and stopped in a church in California on the way home.

The evening we were at this particular church they had a church planter preaching.

The man thanked the church for all that they had done to help him and said that because of them their church was almost debt free.

Once the message was over the pastor got up and said, “We didn’t give so you could be almost debt free. What debt do you have?”

The church planter said that the city had required him to pave their parking lot and they still owed for that. Maybe it was $20,000.

The pastor right then asked for a motion to pay this church’s debt.

Motion, second and passed.

After I asked the pastor how in the world were they able to do that.

He said, “We don’t commit all of our Faith Promise. We save back a portion so we can do things like this.”

They gave to missionaries AND had over to give even more to missionaries.

I believe it is Biblical, even Christlike.

By the way, it would be smart if our country would learn to do that.

And if our families would too.

Let me give you another account, that of,

II. THE WIDOW’S MITES     

Mark 12:41-44 (KJV)

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

I note first of all

A. Jesus was watching people give

It’s nobody else’s business what you do or do not give to God.

But it is God’s business and He seems to be keeping books.

·   I’m not trying to make you feel guilty 

·   I’m not trying to motive you with the fear of the Lord

I’m just preaching the Bible.

B. Jesus called His disciples to see

Somebody has to keep count down here too.

We do not keep a record of your Faith Promise.[1]

·   But we do add the promises up 

·   And we do keep an account of what comes in and goes out

C. Jesus was not impressed with the size of the offering

He was impressed with the sacrifice of the offering.

·   It might be that this year you can’t promise as much money as before.

·   But this year you can promise a bigger sacrifice than ever before

I have just one more

III. GOD’S GRACE IN MACEDONIA

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (KJV)

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;

Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

A. They gave in great trial and deep poverty

And yet they were filled with joy and they gave liberally (generously).

Did you notice that God graced or blessed them so that they gave in a time of affliction and poverty.

God blessed us by organizing our Faith Promise during this pestilence.

B. They gave beyond their power

They gave both to their power and then beyond.

I take it that they figured out what they could do, and then did even more than that.

And they even did that willingly.

C. They gave themselves

We often say that we give our tithes first, then our offerings on top of that.

That’s only partly true.

The Biblical order is:

·   Surrender yourself first

·   Pay your tithes secondly and

·   Give your offerings after

Conclusion

I am not giving you permission to give less than you have given in the past.

I do not have authority from God to do that.

I am saying, this: 

·   What matters this year is not that you match or better your promise from last year.

·   What matters is that you better your sacrifice over last year.

It’s not the size of your gift the missionaries need.

It’s the size of God’s blessing.

---

[1] Your name is not on your promise