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Why the Christian Life is a Burden
Matthew 23:4
"But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,"
One of the sad things I have seen throughout my Christian life is the dropout rate of Christians. According to the Barna Group, there is a 59 percent dropout rate of young Christians from ages of 18 to 30. This percentage should be alarming to every Christian. Another study showed that of those who dropped out of church, only 13 percent came back in their late 20's. What I have also seen that these studies did not cover is that many of those who stayed stopped their involvement in the church ministries. God's desire is that no Christian would ever stop serving Him. However, let me show you what I believe is the cause of this dropout rate and young Christian's lack of involvement.
In the verse above, Jesus addressed the multitudes about the dangers of the scribes and Pharisees. Though these two groups of people were very religious, they caused many to leave the Christian life because of the burdens they placed upon people. The sad part is that the philosophy of the Pharisees and scribes still exists today. This philosophy that has infiltrated our churches has caused the Christian life to be burdensome. I believe God wanted the Christian to enjoy serving Him. Too many Christians come to the point where they only exists as they try to succeed in the philosophy of the Pharisees. There are four things we see from Matthew 23 that causes the Christian life to be burdensome.
First, seeking position causes the Christian life to be a burden. Verse 2 shows us that the Pharisees sought to "...sit in Moses' seat:" You must be careful about falling into this trap of seeking position. I have watched many preachers get discouraged because they sought position among their peers in Christianity only to become disillusioned with the whole Christian life. I have watched Christians whose whole agenda is to acquire a high position in their church. Let me warn you that this will burden down your Christian life.
Second, pleasing man causes the Christian life to be a burden. The verse above shows us that the Pharisees were only concerned with what man thought about them. Christian, if you do everything with the concern of what others think about you, you will place an undo burden on your Christian life. You will never please man! If your Christian life consists of worrying about what others think about you, then serving God will be a burden.
Third, seeking titles causes the Christian life to be a burden. In verse 7 we see that the Pharisees were concerned with how they were addressed. They wanted titles placed on their names to impress people. Stop worrying about titles. Too many people seek a title in their church so they can impress others. If your whole purpose in serving God is to acquire a title, then you will find the Christian life a burden.
Last, seeking associations will cause the Christian life to be a burden. In verse 6 the Pharisees were concerned with being in the "uppermost rooms" with the leaders of their movement. Though I believe this is a small group of people in Christianity, there are those who want to say they are close to a "big name" preacher or Christian to impress others. Don't be a name dropper, for once you start dropping names you will feel you must prove to everyone how close you are to these people.
The answer to all of this is simple. The answer is to serve God to please Him and not man. Let God worry about positions and titles. You just need to stay busy serving God. When you come to the point in your Christian life when you are not concerned with what man thinks, but with what God thinks, then you will find the freedom and enjoyment that you desire.