The Yoke

By:  Jo Smith ~~~ November 16, 2023

Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you and learn of me.  Mat 11: 27-29  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.

So, what is a yoke?  It is a piece of wood with two neck-holes that are placed around the necks of two animals, thus chaining them together, so that they cannot move independently of each other.  One cannot go to the right and the other to the left.  They must always move together.

They do not have FREEWILL or free movement.  They must go in the direction of the one who is pulling the strings.  Jesus said the two shall be one.  In marriage the two shall be one.  This means they are yoked to each other.  It is a loving yoke until one of them decides they wish to go in another direction, away from the one they are yoked to.  When one of the partners is being unfaithful to the other that yoke or bond is broken.  So then they are no longer ‘married’ or yoked together.

There is a big bad false doctrine being taught everywhere that we have freewill.  While it is true that God does not force one to obey him, it is not true that He gave us the freewill, or choice, as to what we wish to do or not do.  If that were true, then He would have no grounds on which to judge us or make us pay for the wrongs we do, since there could be no wrong.  If He said, just do as you please, then there is no law for us to break.  In nothing would we be disobeying Him.

God did not say to Adam, You may eat of any and all the trees in the garden that you choose.  Period.   If so, there would have been no sin.  But God gave Adam a COMMANDMENT.  He broke that COMMANDMENT and death passed upon him and all men.  That is not freewill.

God commands men everywhere to REPENT.  That is not freewill.  Sure, you can disobey this COMMAND but it will cost you your soul.

If God had said, You can do just as you please, as the freewill lie says, then He would have no grounds upon which to judge and condemn people.  

If God did not say, You have freewill;  just do as you please, then it is false teaching.  It is not once recorded in God’s word, so it is a lie.  Just because you think that since God does not force you to obey him that this means he gave you freewill, does not make it so.  It means you do not understand.  If you disobey God then you are a disobedient sinner and will pay at the end of the way.

Jesus does not want a bride that is forced to marry him.  He wants only one who loves Him and His way of life.  He wants only a wife that will joyfully go the way He goes, or be yoked to him.  The two shall be ONE.  If you chose to go a different way than what Jesus does, you are not ONE WITH HIM.  If you are yoked to Jesus this means you cannot go a different direction than the one that He goes. If you are not yoked to Him you are not married to him.  

If you are worthy to be married to Jesus then you must be about HIS business, all the time.  Not once in a while;  not once a year.  All the time. 

If you love the things that Jesus hates, you are not his child.  If you want to go to places that Jesus would never go, you are not yoked to him.  You cannot take Jesus to your halloween junk, xmess junk, ball games, movies, and all such sinful doings. Jesus does not partake of those worldly things.  At twelve years of age Jesus was already concerned with only doing the will of God, his heavenly Father.  He was not out playing ball, or any other childish things.  He wanted to converse with those who are supposed to know the Word of God and teach them what he knew.

You might say, well he was different; he was special.  True, but if you claim to have his Spirit then you must also have his nature.  If you do not have this, you are not his child and need to become concerned with your soul’s salvation.  Stop listening to your lying preachers and study the Word of God for yourself, or end up lost.

Even when It came time to die the horrible death on that cross Jesus said, to God, YOUR WILL BE DONE;  NOT MY WILL.  

We must always yield our lives to the will of God;  not our own will.

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  No freewill involved here. 

 1 Corinthians 6:18-20  18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?   20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

ye are not your own?   20 For ye are bought with a price:!~~ye are not your own?   20 For ye are bought with a price:  [no place here for your own freewill.]

Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

No Freewill here.

John 6:44  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

So, see, even coming to Jesus must be the will of the Father.  Sure he said, whosoever will may come, but still it must be the will of the Father.  This was given only because Jesus has opened the door to salvation up to the entire world.  But if you think that gives you freewill to just live as you please and still belong to God and His kingdom, you are being terribly misled.

If you do not spend your life serving God, studying his word so that you can obey him in all things and do only those things that He loves, you are none of his. 

Revelation 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

This is still not freewill to sin or just live as you please.  Do not be mistaken and fall into this false teaching.  We must all obey God or be lost.  Mark 3:35  For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

See, it did not say whosoever will do his own will;  but the will of God. 

Here is the true message from God:  Mark 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Deny yourself.  Are you doing that?  If you observe heathen holidays, which are satan worship, you are committing adultery against God.  So you are not yoked to Jesus.

Matthew 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  [it said you hear my sayings and DO THEM.  If he did not say what you are doing, then you are not his bride;  you are against him.]

If you still believe that God gave you freewill to do as you please, SHOW ME ONE VERSE OF SCRIPTURE THAT SAYS THIS.  It is simply not in his word.

Acts 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:  [It is a COMMAND to REPENT;  means give up your sinful life and begin to live Holy and sanctified to God.]

Amen. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.