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BEAR ONE ANOTHERS BURDENS - Galatians 6:1-18 - 4/7/2010Bear One Another’s Burdens Gal 6:1-18 by Rev Mark Harris 4/7/2010 In 1995 at Coffs Harbour my nephew Matthew, who was 2 years younger than me was stabbed in the stomach, in front of his wife Wendy and 2 young children. The ambulance was called, as well as his mum (who is my sister) and his step dad. On the way to the hospital he died. This was a terribly traumatic event for the family, especially his wife, my sister and brother in law. Matthew and Wendy had just started to attend a church about a month earlier. In the weeks that followed the murder, the local church provided all the meals for the family, as well as people to listen and to care and to be available when needed. It was a tremendous help to the family and a great witness to Christ. This story illustrates how we should; Carry each other's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. All through the letter to the Galatians Paul has been encouraging his readers to turn back to the true Gospel of faith in Jesus alone. Paul has argued that his authority comes directly from God, not from anyone else. He’s burdened for the Galatians and doesn’t want them turning from the true Gospel. The true Gospel is that they have been adopted as God’s children, through faith in Jesus alone. This adoption cost Jesus a painful death on the cross, because he was the only one who could pay the penalty for their sins. In Chapter 5, Paul stated the kind of behaviour a believer should not display and compared it to the person who is in step with the Spirit of God. The one in step with the Spirit has the fruit of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Chapter 5 closed with a challenge. (Gal 5:26) Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. In today’s passage Paul focuses on the kind of behaviour a believer should display. And there are two significant ideas Paul emphasises in this passage. *The First is ‘Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. ‘ Paul explains how to behave toward someone caught in sin. In the Galatian church, Paul is most probably referring to the members who were enticed back towards Judaism. 61 My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. So what is to be done for this believer who’s sinned? Does Paul encourage his readers to say ‘It’s none of our business’? Or to condemn them? Or to gossip about it to friends? NO! They’re to be restored. Helped to get back onto the right path. Who is to restore them? Paul encourages those who display the fruit of the Spirit in their lives to restore them with gentleness. Paul stresses to the believer to be careful to not also be tempted. In verse 2 Paul explains how to behave toward all believers. 62 Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. That the Galatians were urged to fulfil the Law of Christ, is in stark contrast to the ritualistic laws that some were trying to impose on them. So what is the law of Christ? In Ch 514 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbour as yourself." This is perhaps best expressed in Johns Gospel. John 1334 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. *So how do we bear one another’s burdens in order to fulfil the law of Christ? Well how did Jesus do it? In Sacrificial service to others. He loved us so much that he died for us. He took the burden of sin and death that I couldn’t bear. How did Paul bear the burdens of others? The letter to the Galatians is a prime example. He’s trying to restore the believers at Galatia who are caught in sin. And throughout the letter you can see the genuine heartfelt concern Paul has for them. We may not be called upon to carry someone’s burdens to the point of our death, And we may not be called upon to restore a church. But it may cost us something. It may cost us time or inconvenience or even money. Are we willing to sacrifice even those small things in order to ease the burdens of others? How well do we bear the burdens of our fellow Christians? Trisha and I have friend’s who moved to a new place, and a new church. Our friend was pregnant with her 4th child. 2 of her children were in school; 1 was a toddler. She went into labour and as she was new to the area, she had no family to baby-sit her toddler. So she rang a few ladies from her new church. Not one of them was available to look after her toddler whilst she had her baby! Their excuses- I have jobs to do at home. One lady said she had to do the shopping! These ladies were regular attendee’s at church! How well did those Christian ladies love their sister in Christ? Our friend’s burden wasn’t being caught in sin, nor did she need to be restored to the right path. But if we as Christians can’t bear the small burdens of our brothers and sisters in Christ, how will we ever deal properly with the brother or sister caught in sin? *To be a Burden bearer is a natural consequence of walking in the spirit. But how do we bear each other’s burdens? Well, we have to get to really know each other, In order to know each other’s burdens, In order to bear each other’s burdens. How well do all of you know each other here this morning? Do we know each other well enough to bear each others burdens? [Pause] It’s important for us to heed Paul’s warning in verse 3. 63 For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. Paul says loud and clear. DON’T think too highly of ourselves. He’s just finished telling them how to restore sinners, and carry each others burdens. But helping another person with their burdens can very easily lead to the sin of pride! “Aren’t I good? I help SO MANY people!” It’s important for us to remember that it’s only God’s grace that makes us something! Paul continues in verse 4 to urge the Galatians to check out their motives. *64 All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour's work, will become a cause for pride. We need to ask ourselves - Why am I doing this? Am I doing this out of love for Christ and love for others? It’s important to be sure in our own minds that we’re doing the right things for the right motives. Then we won’t compare ourselves to others. 65for all must carry their own loads. This isn’t a contradiction to Verse2 It’s been suggested that the burden in verse 2 is a heavier load that really needs more than one to carry. For example the burden of sin. We needed Jesus to carry it, it is too big for us. The burden in Verse 5 is more like the load you might carry in your backpack; The responsibilities that each believer has. In Vs 6 Paul once again shows the outworking of sacrificial love for others. 66 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. Paul encourages his readers to love their teachers. To make sacrifices for them as you would for any other believer. Our teachers aren’t exempt from love and care! How do we behave towards our Teachers of God’s Word? Do we encourage them? Do we sacrifice our time, money, and energy for them? Once again Paul is saying Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ. The second significant idea in this passage is found in V7 Paul says: 67 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. *We can sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that there aren’t consequences to the wrong things we do, or the right things we don’t do. But we can’t fool God. If we don’t bear one another’s burdens, we aren’t showing Christ’s love, so the fruit of the spirit isn’t growing in us. Were only fooling ourselves! 68 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. Here Paul returns to the idea of the fruit of the spirit. When we think of fruit we think of fruit on trees. But the term also includes the fruit of the field. Some of the Galatians had been sowing to works, by returning to the Jewish laws. But Paul points out (5:18) ‘if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.’ To rely on works is to make a mockery of Jesus all sufficient death on the cross. If we sow to the sinful nature, we reap the consequences. The acts of the sinful nature were spelled out in Ch 5:19-21 Some are hatred, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions. What about us? Do we hate anyone? Are we jealous? Do we have a short temper? Are we full of selfish ambition? We need to keep a check on these things because Paul warns that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. “for you reap whatever you sow” *How do we sow to please the spirit? The seeds that we sow are our thoughts and deeds. We should set our minds on the things of God. The books we read, The company we keep, The leisure activities we enjoy, Daily prayer and bible reading and worship, These can be all sowing to the spirit. I know from personal experience that the time of my greatest spiritual growth was when I was at Uni. I belonged to a Christian fellowship group, at the residential college where I lived. The group met every weeknight in someone’s room, for a time of fellowship, singing Christian songs and prayer over a mug of Milo or coffee and bikkies. The encouragement that each person received to grow as a Christian was tremendous. I remember it took us all year to study Hebrews! Some members of that group are still my good friends today, even though we live km apart. Without sowing to the spirit there can be no fruit of the spirit. “for you reap whatever you sow” So Paul goes on to say, 69 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. Paul tells us that doing good is like sowing seed. In time, doing good reaps a harvest, in the lives of others, and in our own. And there will be a reward in heaven for faithful service. But Christian service can be tiring and we can be tempted to become discouraged, to slack off, or even to give up. That’s why Paul encourages the Galatians to not give up. *So how do we encourage one another to not become weary in doing good? By meeting together. By being part of a cell group. By praying for each other. By knowing each other well enough to bear each others burdens. And this all takes time. Finally in verse 10 610 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. In the light of the heavenly reward, Paul urges the Galatians to continue doing good. In our hectic lives it’s easy to miss opportunities to do good. But this is where we need to look carefully at out priorities. Do we need to be as busy as we are? If we set our minds on the things of God he will provide the opportunities. We probably all know the expression ‘charity begins at home’ But Christian charity must never stop there, Jesus said ‘We are to love and serve our enemies’, as well as our friends. If we do good to all people we’ll reap a reward. Not that we should ever think that we should only do good because we get something for it. Rather the good we do should spring naturally from understanding what Christ has done for us. But even so, we’re to do good things, especially for the family of believers. And that’s us here today. As Paul says in Ch 4. If we have faith in God then We’re adopted as children of God and so we’re brothers and sisters in Christ. And as brothers and sisters we are family. But even as a member of the family of believers “You reap whatever you sow” In conclusion: What’s our response to this passage from the Apostle Paul? Let’s behave as he encourages us to behave Let’s sow to the Spirit and reap eternal life Let’s bear each others burdens and fulfil the law of Christ Let’s be like the believers who helped to bear the burden that my sister and family were going through in their time of crisis. And let’s not grow weary in doing good by meeting regularly together for support and mutual encouragement! |
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