July 17, 2022 - Bearing Burdens
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Today we break into chapter 6 of Galatians, and if you’ve been with us, you know that for the past several weeks, the apostle Paul has been highlighting for the Galatians....
The 2 paths of life in this world...
The path of [Slavery] - under the law of God
The path of [Freedom] - Faith Alone in Christ alone
And in Paul’s argumentation - He’s been speaking against 2 EXTREME sides of Christianity that still play out even today!
On the one side was the LEGALISM that was being pushed by the Judaizers (the need to be physically circumcised to be saved)
On the other side - the abuse of the FREEDOM we have IN Christ - to use that freedom as a license to sin.
And now - MORE RECENTLY - what Paul’s been elevating over and over again - is the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
That the Spirit of God will AFFIRM our faith - as we now live out - The War Within
The opposing DESIRES of...
The Flesh on one side &...
The Holy Spirit on the other
BOTH SIDES - now at war - WITHIN us who believe!
So Paul says...
Walk by the Spirit of God
Keep in step with the Spirit of God
And so FAR - the context of what Paul has been saying has REVOLVED around the individual…the BELIEVER
Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh! - - Your OWN flesh
TODAY - we’ll see other ramifications of the CALL that Paul has been proclaiming - that we walk BY the Holy Spirit!
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so 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 test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.
5 For each will have to bear his own load.
As we’ve mentioned - for the past several weeks - Paul has been discussing the relationship between the Spirit and the Flesh
And this whole time Paul has really been trying to FUNNEL each side - of
being under the Law
Lawlessness
…into LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
And AS WE ALL KNOW - Paul knew what this INNER WAR was all ABOUT...
He knew how IMPORTANT it was to KEEP IN STEP with the Spirit of God
Paul’s flesh was still ACTIVE in his life.
He was a VETERAN of this war...
And he knew the responsibility he had as a believer in Christ...
After reading through our text today - we see what the main theme is...
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
The call - for those who are Spiritual...
is to RESTORE a brother or sister who has fallen into a sin...
Remember the call from last week?
Walk by the Spirit
Be led by the Spirit
Keep In step with the Spirit!
NOW - TODAY - Do you see how important it is for us to DO THAT?
It’s those who DO keep in step with the Spirit...
Those who DO walk BY the Spirit - it’s those people who DO THAT - who are called to do the work of RESTORATION!
NOW - What if everyone decided - Nahhhh, I’m not gonna keep in step with the Spirit!
Who would restore people?
As we know - and as we keep mentioning week after week...
EVEN PAUL struggled with sin
As we also saw earlier in this book of Galatians - Remember when Paul rebuked Peter for PULLING AWAY from the gentile believers…?
Peter had been eating with the Gentiles...
But then when certain Jews came from Jerusalem, Peter pulled away...
And in doing so - he rebuilt the wall of hostility between Jew and Greek...
A wall that Christ had torn down!
And so - Peter / Paul - we all need restoration at some point-or another!
And it’s those who are Spiritual who are called to do this!
And so know this:
SLIDE:
Our pursuit of “keeping in step with the Spirit” is not only for ourselves, but for others as well.
Other people - in your life - will need you to help restore them…at some point
Will you be able to?
And so - We HEAR the call here from Paul… (Restore others who fall into sin)
But HOW do we do this?
Looking back at v1 in chapter 6 - we read this...
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Paul makes it clear that we are to approach the situation of RESTORING someone...
with a spirit of gentleness.
Even so - the question remains - - HOW do we do this?
*How many of you are more often ready to FIGHT people - over restoring them?
*How many of us are more ready to DEFEND ourselves - then restore others?
Life is hard - and can roll OVER us!
SO how can be best accomplish this - with a Spirit of gentleness!
From here - Paul, lays out for us how we should go about doing this…and he starts with the ROOT - leading us to the RESULT.
Let’s look at the rest of v1
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
God is so wise is He not?
If we’re going to effectively restore a wayward soul, the first thing we need to do is...
What is the Root of Christian Restoration?
SLIDE: The Root of Christian Restoration: Reflecting on Self (Humility)
The Root of Christian Restoration
The Root of Christian Restoration
Back to our verse...
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Now this portion here - Keep watch on yourself...
It’s really a process that we must do WHILE we’re in the process of restoring the person...
BUT - based on another principle found in Scripture...
We also know that...
LOOKING INWARD is foundational to the process itself
Let’s look to another part of scripture to see this!
4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
FIRST - take the log our of your own eye - AND THEN you’ll see clearly to approach a brother!
What’s he saying - LOOK INWARD FIRST!!
This here is a GENERAL principle that carries through EVERY instance of restoration!
You can NEVER be too humble...
Anytime restoration is being sought...
...it MUST be founded on humility...And THAT means, we look at ourselves first...
Why?
Because it puts our hearts in the right posture!
**Be honest...
**How many times have you come into a situation - and IN THAT MOMENT - you were (QUICK to SPEAK) - - you RESPONDED HARSHLY....
and then later on - you remembered - OH YEAH, i did that same thing back in the day....
that same thing I just got mad about!
UGH - I wish I would have taken a breath - and focused INWARD - FIRST!
I THINK Paul knew - that only a heart that is HUMBLE - will display the kind of GENTLENESS needed to restore someone in a God-Honoring way
And so we start there!!
The Root of Restoration is - (Humility) - Reflecting on Self
We FIRST reflect on ourselves - BECAUSE - It puts our hearts in a position and posture to live out the next phase of restoration....BUT IT ALSO does something else
Reflecting on Ourselves not only awakens the spirit of gentleness we NEED to restore someone...
But it also - - Guards OUR hearts from the same sin that caused the need for restoration
1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Lest you TOO be tempted - JUST LIKE the one who fell to that sin
Something that we are very good at in life - in general - but also in the church...
Is comparing ourselves with each other
We sometimes can look at another person’s SIN PROBLEM...
and USE IT - to justify dabbling in it.
Paul says - Watch yourself!
and in terms from last week - KEEP in STEP - with the Spirit
BECAUSE - DOING SO - will keep us in a position to be ABLE to restore the wayward soul.
And so - While the Root of Restoration is - (Humility) - Reflecting on Self
We also see...
SLIDE: The Response of Christian Restoration: Bearing One Another’s Burdens
The Response of Christian Restoration
The Response of Christian Restoration
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
The call is clear.
The Greek word for Burden here - literally means - a HEAVY weight
And the CALL to BEAR this weight - means to - CARRY IT - not just pick it up and put it back down.
We’re called to CARRY these HEAVY WEIGHTS (burdens) of our brothers and sisters in the Lord!
And yet there are several aspects of the Christian life that are present here in the text...
From this text - we see the implication is - -
SLIDE:
All Christians have burdens
Because we know the reality of how SIN still impacts us - we know that each of us will have BURDENS to bear in this life...
and yet - the BURDENS mentioned here - are not just DUE to someone falling into SIN
Burdens come in all shapes and sizes...
BURDENS pertain to:
falling to sinful temptation
physical ailment
mental depression
family crisis
lack of employment
ALL SHAPES and SIZES - are the burdens we deal with
And so as BELIEVERS in Christ - those called to KEEP in step with the Spirit of God....
We’re called to COME UP along side our brothers and sisters...
And CARRY these burdens WITH THEM...
*Have you ever been in a situation
where you found out something bad happened to someone -
but you weren’t really CLOSE with that person....so you thought to yourself -
well that stinks…and then just moved on with your day?
I’ve been there....
Now compare THAT situation with this other one...
*Have you ever been in a situation
where you found out that something bad happened to...
someone you’re really close with...
And so you went to that person - and you FELT what they FELT?
Where you ENTERED INTO their pain...
You know what you were doing?
You were BEARING their BURDEN - carrying the WEIGHT of that burden - WITH THEM
When we BEAR people’s burdens - we ENTER INTO...
their pain - the WEIGHT of it transfers to OUR shoulders
their confusion
their depression
their shame
their doubt
AND WE do our best to make it our own - so we can help them FIGHT to STAND...
...Fight to get back on the right path!
If it’s a SIN ISSUE - we CONFRONT the sin - GENTLY… YET we confront it...
We help them see the PATH they are on...
And our hope in ALL of that - is - REPENTANCE...
Remember when Nathan RESTORED David?
How did David respond to Nathan?
13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
Why did NATHAN COME to David?? - For restoration!!
Nathan comes to David -
Confronts the sin...
And David - REPENTS!
That’s what we’re after.
And so when it comes to a SIN ISSUE....we need to know this:
SLIDE:
When it comes to a sin issue, repentance always precedes restoration
Where there is no repentance - there can be no restoration (regarding an issue of sin)
And so HOW DO WE bear the burden of a wayward soul?
Let’s say it’s SIN ISSUE....
How do we BEAR THAT burden?
We don’t ENTER into that SIN to then SHOW THEM HOW NOT TO DO IT....
We approach the situation - HAVING LOOKED INWARD FIRST....
And understanding that we’re NO BETTER than them...
AND - I WOULD CONTEND - also understanding that WE’VE BEEN THERE TOO!! to some degree or another
Question:
How many of you believe that there are SINS out there that you’ve NEVER stepped into…?**
now your mind will go to - I’ve never KILLED anyone (but where will I go next?)**
AND SO...
We BEAR the burden of a WAYWARD soul - when we admit that we’ve been there too… to some degree
AND THEN - gently approaching them...
We show them the error of their way...
We seek that they repent to God...
AND THEN - when they do that...
We speak the HOPE of Christ into their life!!
We shower them with a RENEWED ENERGY to - go and sin no more...
That they TOO would Keep in step with the Spirit!
This is how we BEAR the burdens of those around us!!
We empathize with their HURT… wherever that hurt CAME FROM...
We walk WITH them in their pain…we ENTER INTO it...
And we encourage them IN THE LORD! - - Pressing God’s PROMISES into their hearts to strengthen them!
Listen - - for as long as it takes.
It’s not easy!
This is how God designed this to work!
This is how God designed for the Body of Christ to take care of itself!!
We look at the human body and we know how the body takes care of itself!
We’ve discussed it before -
If I injure my left leg, my right leg will begin to CARRY that burden!
It will “STEP UP” - and help carry the load!
*My right leg is like 10 cm shorter than my left leg. I found this out thanks to Dr. Nick and Dr. Janette
I’ve gone my whole life - NOT KNOWING....not knowing I was a freakshow
I went through my whole athletic career - not knowing
HOW is that possible?
My body COMPENSATED
Other members of my body BEARED the burden - caused by having a shorter leg
And this is how God designed the Body of Christ to FUNCTION!
We BEAR each others burdens!
We’re NOT MEANT to do this on our own!
And so YES - while ALL Christians will have burdens...
SLIDE:
Christians need each other to persevere
Lone Ranger Christians are those who grieve the Spirit of God.
Lone Ranger Christians are those who war against God’s plan for how the Body of Christ functions best.
We are MEANT to work together....because we NEED each other...
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.
Paul says - TAKE CARE BROTHERS - lest you fall away...
Well - how do we TAKE CARE?
Next verse...
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
We NEED each other!!
So far - - We’ve seen that the
SLIDE:
Root of Restoration:
Humility (reflection on self)
Response of Restoration:
Bearing One Another’s Burdens
This isn’t easy - BUT - When we live this out - we’ll make it - God willing - to the RESULT of Restoration...
SLIDE: The Result of Christian Restoration: Fulfilling the Law of Christ
The Result of Christian Restoration
The Result of Christian Restoration
When we BEGIN with Humility…look inward first
And Bear that person’s BURDEN
We...
Restore that person - Gain our brother or sister
And we FULFILL the Law of Christ
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
What does Paul mean by - Law of Christ!
The only other place in Scripture where Paul uses this term is in 1 Corinthians..
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
SO - let’s see what Paul means -
Let’s highlight some things that will help us...
VERSE 21 shows us that Paul is - now - UNDER the Law of Christ
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
So that EQUATES to -
VERSE 20 tells us that Paul is NOT UNDER THE LAW
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
So Paul...
Under the Law of Christ
YET - NOT under the Law
what else?
VERSE 19 tells us that Paul is - FREE FROM ALL!
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
So the Law of Christ equates to:
Not being UNDER THE LAW - No longer UNDER God’s wrath!
BUT instead - FREE FROM ALL!!
Remember - trying to get to God - by way of the Law - MEANT - you were now UNDER God’s Wrath!!
But the LAW of Christ - is FOUNDED on - GRACE!
When we BEAR one another’s BURDENS - we LIVE OUT what Jesus did = FOR US on the cross!!
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Jesus - took our SIN BURDEN - CARRIED it to the cross - and NAILED it there!!
His LOVE - for us and for HIS GLORY - REDEEMED us unto Himself...
WE NOW - are called to bear each other’s burdens…and RESTORE brothers and sisters
We’re called to LOVE others with the LOVE of Jesus...
Earlier in Galatians we saw this....
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Restoring others - Bearing their burdens… we Fulfill the Law of Christ...
FOUNDED on - - GRACE!!
And so - - so far we’ve seen:
The Root of Restoration: (Humility) Reflecting on Self
The Response of Restoration: Bearing One Another’s Burdens
The Result of Restoration: Fulfilling the Law of Christ
NOW- before Paul let’s us go - he REVISITS the - MUST NEEDED ingredient in Christian Restoration!!
Humility!
Back to our text...
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so 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 test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.
5 For each will have to bear his own load.
*Question: You guys remember the Pharisee and the Tax Collector?
Remember what the Pharisee said?
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
Do you think this man would ever SEEK to - BEAR the BURDEN of the Tax Collector?
NO WAY!
Why? - He thinks he’s - - BETTER than the Tax Collector!
Back to our text today...
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
it goes back to HUMILITY AGAIN!!
See some people - JUST LIKE that Pharisee - WOULD NEVER CARRY the burden of another - they believe they’re TOO GOOD for that!
Paul says - Don’t DECEIVE yourself!!
Next verse
4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.
Paul’s saying - This whole BEARING each other’s burdens THING - it’s not a competition...
Where we LOOK AROUND at others - to SEE HOW WE’RE DOING!
Paul says - NO - test YOUR OWN WORK!
And when he says TEST - that means there must be a STANDARD that we ALL must LOOK TO...
What’s that standard? - - The Law of Christ!
I’m not called to LOOK at my neighbor and think - Well - I’m doing a BETTER job at this than He is - THEREFORE - Yayyyyy!!!
THAT WOULD mean that my REASON to boast - was in my neighbor...
Paul says - NO...
You test YOUR OWN WORK - WHY?
Last verse...
5 For each will have to bear his own load.
Wait - Isn’t the main theme of the sermon today - To BEAR Each other’s burdens..?
Paul just said - For each will have to bear his OWN load.
Why does he say this?
We need to know that the BURDEN in v2 that we’re called to HELP OTHERS with - means - HEAVY LOAD!
This word - LOAD - here in v5 - doesn’t equate to a HEAVY LOAD....
The load here is v5 - refers to - a pilgrim’s backpack...
So we must know this - to close:
Galatians (2) Carrying One’s Own Load (6:4–5)
we are to bear one another’s ‘burdens’ which are too heavy for a man to bear alone, but there is one burden which we cannot share—indeed do not need to because it is a pack light enough for every man to carry himself—and that is our responsibility to God on the day of judgment. On that day you cannot carry my pack and I cannot carry yours.
SUMMARY
Today - we’ve seen what Christian Restoration entails...
SLIDE: The Root of Christian Restoration: Reflecting on Self (Humility)
The Root of Christian Restoration
The Root of Christian Restoration
it must start HERE - if we’re to ever attain the Spirit of gentleness that’s needed for restoration
SLIDE: The Response of Christian Restoration: Bearing One Another’s Burdens
The Response of Christian Restoration
The Response of Christian Restoration
When we BEAR people’s burdens - we ENTER INTO...
their pain - the WEIGHT of it transfers to OUR shoulders
their confusion
their depression
their shame
their doubt
AND WE do our best to make it our own - so we can help them FIGHT to STAND...
...Fight to get back on the right path!
SLIDE: The Result of Christian Restoration: Fulfilling the Law of Christ
The Result of Christian Restoration
The Result of Christian Restoration
- When we BEAR one another’s BURDENS - we LIVE OUT what Jesus did = FOR US on the cross!!
We LOVE neighbor as self…and fulfill the Law of Christ...
Founded on Grace!
May we embrace these truths…and ask ourselves...
Galatians (2) Carrying One’s Own Load (6:4–5)
Are you more loving and patient than you were this time last year? How do you gauge your gentleness and self-control, your kindness and faithfulness?
Am I pursuing to RESTORE those around me who need RESTORED?
Do I need restored?
Can I seek help?
And will [I] be READY - when those around me - need restored...
May it be so....
We’re going to PRAY - and close with a song....
Let’s pray!