8/16 Work With Jesus

Date: Thursday August 16, 2012
Today’s Chapters: Jeremiah 27-29
Message Title: Work With Jesus
Hello My Friend,

A yoke is a device used for joining a pair of animals together in order to get them to work as one, while one could certainly get quite a bit done, joining them together would give them more power, strength, and endurance to get much more done, and perhaps even be able to accomplish something that just couldn’t be done with one. Now, just because the two animals are yoked together that does not mean they will always work together as one, sometimes it is a struggle to get both animals to cooperate. However, once they stop fighting amazing things get accomplished. The same is true for the Christian, as long as we work together with Jesus we will see God do great things in our lives, but as long as we keep struggling and trying to do everything on our own we are not going to see God do very much for us. “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” – Colossians 2:6-8.

Sometimes being yoked with Jesus can seem as though He is not even with us, especially when struggles come our way, and while the struggles seem unbearable and unfair, God has a reason and purpose for every one of them. The time had come to pass that Jerusalem and Judah be judged, there was no turning back now, God made His decision, He warned them, and now they majority of the people were in Babylon, under captivity, and would be held there for seventy years. Through Jeremiah, God tells them, the remaining people in Judah, and all nations that they too would all be under the command of Nebuchadnezzar.

“And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.” – Jeremiah 27:6-10,22.

God commanded Judah and all nations to be yoked with Nebuchadnezzar, if they tried to get from under the yoke they would suffer for it. While it seemed as though they were losing their freedom by becoming servants of Nebuchadnezzar, God was actually saving their lives. The same reigns true for those who yoke themselves with Christ. While it may seem that we are losing our freedom to do whatever we choose to do, God is actually saving our lives. Any nation that is not yoked with Israel is suffering today, they are being judged, and when Jesus returns, it doesn’t matter what nation we are, everything will be destroyed completely to make way for Christ to build His Kingdom for all who know Him will dwell in. “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”- Revelation 3:11,12,19.

The news of Judah having to live under the command of Nebuchadnezzar did not go very well, it did not take long for some rebellious people to cause trouble. A man named Hananiah decided to challenge God by saying that he would brake the yoke himself within two years. “Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it. And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.” – Jeremiah 28:3,10,11,15-17.

Some people will never learn that they cannot fight God nor play God, rebellion does nothing, but get innocent people hurt and death upon themselves. Look at the fate of the devil for his causing all of mankind to fall, which is the fate of every person that tries to fight or play God. The only way we can ever get God to repent of His judgment toward us or change our fate is by knowing Christ personally as our Savior and remaining yoked with Him. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever…He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 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.” – Revelation 20:10, 21:7,8.

God instructed Jeremiah to send a letter to the Jews in Babylon, He wanted them to know that even though He sent them away from their homes that He has not forgotten about them. “Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” – Jeremiah 29:1,4-7.

What a surprise! What the captives imagined would probably be seventy years of slavery was promised as seventy years of peace, even though they were in captivity. When you think about it, as Christians, we are held in captivity right now, but God gives us peace through Jesus Christ, He tells us to go ahead and live our lives until Jesus comes to get us. What greater peace is there than to know that God not only blesses us with what we need and desire here on earth, but we have even greater things waiting for us when we leave this earth. “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” – 1 John 2:24,25.

Now, just like a yoke is useless when both animals do not cooperate, when we do not cooperate with Jesus the yoke is useless. Think about it. Would you want to work with someone who always fights with you? Well, Jesus doesn’t want to work with us when we are fighting Him either. Every time a person tries to handle a situation on their own they are in bondage to their struggles rather than becoming free from them. Jesus wants to help us, He died for us. If He gave His life to save us from hell don’t you think that He would help us get out of every one of our struggles? Of course He would! He is God! He set us free! Now, instead of making His yoke useless, just cooperate with Him. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” – Galatians 5:1.

Today’s Prayer: God, I know that with every struggle you have a reason and a purpose for it, all I do when I try to handle them on my own is fight with Jesus as He tries to walk with me and help me. Give me Your power, wisdom, and strength, help me to stop fighting and just cooperate with everything You are trying to do for me. Although I make be in captivity I can have peace and everything I desire as long as I keep walking side by side with Jesus. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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