03.07.2010 Galatians 6 - Bear One Another's Burdens

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Easter is coming! We should only have about 4 more feet of snow before then! Actually – there are only 4 weeks until Easter – and a lot of people start thinking about going to church around Easter time – so I encourage you to invite people.

Lord, you reign and are in control of all things – you love us – even as we sang – Your love for us – and we appreciate that. We come with hearts of worship we seek You earnestly – we each have areas of struggle – where we need your help – there is so much inside of us we need You for – we want our attention to be on You – You make life work and worth living. We call out to You for those things we long for You to do in and through and around us. This morning – to know that You are acting on our behalf – You have planned our morning and have something to give to us today.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; [each one] looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have [reason for] boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.

Now, we are going through Galatians – and we only have two messages left.
6:1 Brethren, if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness;

The video – fish caught in a net – they are struggling – trying to get out – they don’t want to be there. He is saying – if anyone in the church is trapped – fallen into – has been found out as being caught in a transgression – in a sin – and really – in context –He is going back to the deeds of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. If anyone is caught in the deeds of the flesh – there were those 4 categories – Sexual sin, Religious sin (idolatry) Relational sin, Sins of excess – and we think of those – people really being trapped in those things – but keep in mind – it especially focuses on relational sin – that is the context of Galatians. We don’t think – if someone has an anger problem, or a bitterness problem – that they are trapped in a net like a fish.
We need to react in the same way – to those issues as we would to the others – that is the context. This could happen to anyone. Anyone can get trapped.

The way Paul says it – if you see a fish in a net, it doesn’t want to be there – it wants out – struggling to get out. When we see someone trapped in something, we understand they don’t want to be there. Their actions may look like they want to be there, but they don’t – they want out.
You who are spiritual – You who are living in the Spirit – bearing the fruit of the Spirit – someone exhibiting a life yielded to God’s Spirit and bearing fruit –
Restore such a one – Restore – Mend – like a garment that has been torn or a broken bone – set it right – bring the broken bone back together. There is a sense of healing that you are to bring. When it comes to the soul, as Christians, we are at times doctors of the soul – healers of the soul – and we have as our responsibility - …it doesn’t say, you, who are pastors – or you, who have gone to seminary – but YOU who are walking in the Spirit – You are a healer of souls. We need to have the confidence that we can restore someone spiritually who is trapped.
In a spirit of gentleness. Paul is interested in HOW we restore someone. Restoring them – that is a no-brainer – if someone is caught, it is your job to free them from the trap – but it must be done with a spirit of gentleness. That is a fruit of the Spirit. Keep watch on yourself – lest you too be tempted. It has to be with a spirit of gentleness. We tend to go with a hammer – but what we need is duct tape… binding it back together. If someone has a broken bone – you need to be gentle with it.
Keep watch on yourself – lest you too be tempted. Make sure – you have to recognize – you are no different – it could be you trapped in that net – and if not, it is God’s grace. Maybe you were in that net at one time – but you need to recognize your own potential for weakness. The potential for weakness is there.
Lest you be tempted. He is speaking about pride – because our tendency, when we are in that situation – it is easy to say – I’m glad I’m not in that one. There can be a sense of, if they were like me, they wouldn’t be in this. Don’t think that way! When you think of all the people throughout our lifetime who have fallen in terrible situations – embezzlement, sexual sin – you can guarantee that they, at one time said, I could never do that – I’m bigger than that – and I have heard their testimonies where they have said that.
Keep watch – lest you too be tempted. That is the hardest – when you have had victory in something for a time – so you don’t guard yourself – REMEMBER TO GUARD YOURSELF!
Bear one another’s burdens – carry – the same word in John 19:17 – Jesus carried his own cross. Burden – an incredible weight that one cannot bear on your own.
There are times when we have a burden we are unable to carry. As Jesus walked with that great weight, what happened – He fell – and they grabbed the passerby, Simon of Cyrene – and he carried it. It is in those times that we, as brothers and sisters, our job is to carry it with them. It is easy, when someone is caught in a transgression – to correct them, to point out how to not do it…but it is difficult to bear it with them.
Don’t if you won’t.
Don’t point out the person’s sin – burden – if you won’t carry it. It is simple – don’t do it!
If you are unwilling to go and pick up that weight and walk with that person, then you are not the person to point it out. Especially within community. That doesn’t mean that you don’t point out something – that means you carry it. You recognize your full responsibility when someone is struggling. Think of the Good Samaritan – he didn’t just come by and say, buddy, you are in trouble! He picked him up – tended his wounds, got him a room – gave money to the innkeeper – He went the whole way. As a community, we need to carry each other’s sorrows, difficulties, and yes, trangressions – until those bones are set, healed – mended.
The maxim – bear one another’s burdens – means that failure should be regarded as part of the burden of life and should be shared and borne by the Christian community. When it becomes unbearable, the others should lighten his load.
3 back to pride – if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. It seems out of place – but it really fits – it is the tendency, isn’t it. When you help someone in a struggle – there is such a sense of arrogance and pride – and it will kill you! But let each one test his own work and his reason to boast will be – this is sarcasm – look at yourself – and if you are alright, go ahead and boast, haha! We need to make sure we are right ourselves – help the others – that is the responsibility – restore them when they are caught – but make sure you look at yourself first and do it right – because that person is vulnerable and easily wounded and injured. A bruised reed he would not break – Jesus is so gentle that even that doesn’t break in His hands – and He is urging us to be the same way when someone is struggling.
Those who imagine themselves to be somebody are unable to bear the burdens of others – fancying themselves…
They are more likely to treat others with gentleness and humility when they have been through it themselves.
He closes this little section – each will have to bear his own load.
Somebody caught, trapped, bearing his own burden – then carrying the load for them – making sure you yourself are not trapped. But then he says – bear your own load – and the word for load here is light and manageable – We will all have the struggles of life – and we need to learn, as Christians – to bear that up – to make it – to carry our own weight – at times, great burdens are laid upon people – and people are trapped and cant’ get out of it – and at those times, we need to be there for one another. It is simply our job – our responsibility before Jesus – it is what the community of God is all about – it is so simple it is incredible! Jesus said, by this will the world know you are my disciples – if you love one antoher. It doesn’t sya anything about fancy programming or anything else. Typically, people don’t bear one antoher’s burdens – maybe a little help – but there is a difference. We need to learn how – it starts with a willingness – just like that video we didn’t see –
Someday you may fall in that net – do you understand that? Maybe there is no net right now – swimming in the deep blue sea. But someday – you may be in that net.