Bear One Another’s Burdens | The One Another Way - Galatians 6:1-5 | Matty Finlay

Good morning and once again welcome to Silverdell.

If you and I have never met before, my name's Maddie.

I have the privilege of serving as a part of the team here on our Barney Oaks campus in this morning.

Excited to welcome you to church and open up God's word with you.

So if you got your Bible, pull it out for me.

I want you to go ahead and turn to Galatians chapter six.

And if you've got one of these worship guides, pull it out too.

You'll want this as you kind of follow along this morning.

Over the last several weeks, we have been taking a look at some of the one another commands that we see in Scripture.

The way those commands take shape in our lives is directly connected to how we allow the Spirit of God to work in us and through us.

And Pastor Tony, just a week or two ago, talked us through that, and that becomes especially clear in our passage today that we're about to look at.

You see, in chapter 5 of Galatians, Paul explains that Christ has died to set his people free.

He then shows us that this freedom isn't an invitation to live our lives however we want.

But it's an invitation, it's a call to allow the Spirit of God to work in us, to walk by the Spirit.

That we have been set free from the bondage of sin and flesh, and even though we may still fight against those things, we're called to live according to the Spirit of God at work in our lives.

Then chapter six begins.

Paul shows us what the spirit-filled life looks like, really practically when it comes to everyday relationships.

Now, while our Bibles, your Bible that you hold in front of you, has these chapter breaks in it, we need to remember that this letter to the Galatians was exactly that.

It was one letter.

It would have been read as one continuous thought with ideas that were building on each other from one to the next.

So the progression from Galatians 5 to Galatians 6 could go something like this: that in Christ we're given freedom, and as we walk in that freedom, the Spirit produces fruit in us.

And one of the practical ways that that fruit shows up in us is our willingness to bear one another's burdens.

In other words, if you are a spirit-filled follower of Jesus, we don't get the privilege of just looking inward.

That spirit-filled people have a calling to look beyond themselves, to move towards others in love.

So look at this passage with me, Galatians 6, verses 1 through 5 says this.

Galatians 6:1–5

Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted.

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor, for each will have to bear his own load.

So as you look at our text this morning, I want to point out what may seem like an apparent contradiction.

So if you're taking notes, jot this down for me.

It's number one on your outline.

It's burden verse load.

Burden verse load.

If you were paying attention, you would have noticed this that verse two says this bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

But then in verse five, Paul says, for each will have to bear his own load.

Now, Paul isn't contradicting himself.

He uses two very different Greek words and he uses them very intentionally.

For burden, jot this down on your outline, he uses the word baros, which would translate to a weight or heavy load.

Baros is a weight or heavy load, but in verse 5, he uses the Greek word fortune, which would refer to a man's pack, an individual kind of load, a self-carrying load.

So Paul isn't contradicting himself, he's making an important distinction that we need to understand that there is a difference between a burden and a load.

A load would describe your responsibilities.

Waking up on time, going to work, spending your money wisely, raising your kids.

Those aren't burdens, those are responsibilities.

Those are our responsibilities.

Those are like those personal backpacks that we have to carry.

Nobody else should shoulder the load for those things.

But burdens are things that are so heavy we can't carry them alone.

Grief, loss, abandonment, single parenting, illness, those are not the same thing, so they require something different from the church.

In other words, we are personally responsible for the life that God has entrusted to us.

That if you are a grown man still living in your mama's basement, you have some responsibilities that you need to carry.

If you are a teenager in high school and you still need mom and dad to wake you up in the morning, you need to start to own your responsibilities.

We each have individual responsibilities that we are supposed to carry, but at the same time, we were never intended to carry every burden alone.

Christian community doesn't remove personal responsibility.

Sometimes we love people well by providing relief.

Sometimes we love them well by providing correction.

Sometimes we love people well by letting them feel the weight of their decisions, by not bailing them out at every turn.

And what we need as followers of Jesus is the Spirit of God to work within us to give us the wisdom to know the difference.

There's a difference between a load and a burden.

And the calling of the Christ follower is to bear one another's burdens, not to carry their load.

Some of you are mad at people in your life right now because they're not carrying your load.

Because if the thing that God has given you to carry, you haven't been carrying it, and you're looking for somebody else to do it.

There's a difference between a burden and a load.

And our calling as followers of Jesus is to come alongside people and help them carry their burdens, not their loads.

So as we think about bearing one another's burdens, there are three questions that I want us to ask this morning.

Here's the first one Whose burden do we bear?

Whose burden do we bear?

Look again at how Paul starts this passage in Galatians 6.1.

He says, 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 two be tempted.

Paul starts with this really important, important reminder for us that the church is a family.

In Galatians 6.10, a little bit later on, he would call the church a household.

But Paul isn't saying that we should be indifferent to those outside of the church.

Because in that same verse, Galatians 6.10, he tells us to do good to everyone.

I want to show you it.

Look at this.

Galatians 6.10 says this.

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

One of the things that God does through the gospel is he brings us together, he forms us into a community, a household, and we are called to bear the burdens of that family.

All through the New Testament, we see references that speak to us, the body of Christ, being a family.

One of my favorites is actually a little bit earlier in Galatians chapter 4.

Galatians 4 · chapter mention

I want to read it to you.

Galatians 4, 4 through 6 says this.

And because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of a son into our hearts crying, Abba Father.

One of the miracles of salvation is not only that our sins are forgiven, but that we are adopted by God the Father into His family.

That you and I are no longer seen as foreigners and outsiders, but we are part of the family of God.

And as family, we have a calling to come alongside one another.

Here's what that means, church.

We are not just a group of people who attend the same worship service.

God's desire for us is that we are a family.

So when one person finds himself crushed by grief or overwhelmed with anxiety or illness, we don't look and say, Well, that's not my problem.

Well, I hope you get that thing figured out.

Their burden becomes our concern.

Paul also gives some additional encouragement for us beyond the idea that we care for family.

Look again, Galatians 6.1.

Says, brothers, if anyone is called in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Keep watch on yourself lest you two be tempted.

I want you to jot this principle down on your outline for me.

It's this that spirit-filled people are called to spiritual restoration.

Spirit-filled people are called to spiritual restoration.

We are called to be men and women of God who move toward brothers and sisters who have become caught up in their sin.

But pay attention to what Paul is saying.

Paul's not describing someone defiantly running towards sin.

As much as he is describing someone who has been overtaken, trapped, or entangled by it.

And what does Paul tell us to do?

He tells us to restore that person with gentleness.

Let me try to paint it for you this way.

My friend Kumar, can you can you join me?

Listen, we flew Kumar all the way in from India to be a part of this illustration this morning.

Can we celebrate that?

Not really.

He was here for work, but he's here with us anyway.

Kumar's good to see you, man.

Glad you're here.

Hey, what I would love for you to do, Kumar, if you don't mind, is just kind of put this over your head for me.

And you're just gonna stand right there for just a moment.

So what Paul is describing, right, is this idea that as sinners we can get caught up and entangled in sin.

Right?

Like just like a fishing net would catch a fish, that they they can be swimming mindlessly and just get caught up in the moment.

Here's what our calling is not.

Imagine I stand over here and I look at Kumar caught up in a sin and say, Oh man, I can't get too close to you because what if your mess gets on me?

Now I can stand at a distance, and maybe I can look at Kumar and I can say, Hey, let's let's talk about this sin.

Let's talk about this mess that you found yourself in.

I can stand at a distance and I can gossip to you about Kumar and his sin.

I may even be able to stand at a distance and say, Kumar, let's talk about the decisions that you've made and how you ended up in this spot.

I may even be able to stand at a distance and warn you about the decisions he made that led him to this spot.

But you know what I can't do from a distance?

What scripture has called me to, which is to restore him.

If you take a note, shut this down for me.

Restoration requires proximity.

For me to be able to do what God has called me to do, to restore in a spirit of gentleness, it requires proximity.

It requires me to be close enough to hear.

It requires me to be close enough to pray with.

It requires me to be close enough to help untangle the mess that he's found himself in so that he can walk in the freedom that Christ has desired for him.

Spirit-filled people are called to spiritual restoration.

Kumar, thank you so much.

Can you give Kumar a round of applause as he heads back to the seat?

Sin is not something we can catch simply because we move towards people in love.

Jesus repeatedly moved towards sinful and broken people.

Their brokenness did not make him unclean.

His grace brought them cleansing.

So we move towards people who have been caught up entangled in sin with humility gently, and we do it carefully.

And one of the ways Jesus brings restoration to broken people is by sending spirit-filled brothers and sisters, you who refuse to leave someone entangled in what Christ has come to set them free from.

Paul then gives us some instructions on how we come alongside those people.

Look at it again with me, Galatians 1, 6 through 3.

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 two be tempted, bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

So if you're taking notes, jut this down.

Number two, it's this how do we bear one another's burdens?

How do we bear one another's burdens?

Paul tells us three ways that we should go about coming alongside other people.

The first is this carefully.

Carefully.

Paul doesn't tell us to run in carelessly.

Paul doesn't say to not assess the situation.

Paul says, keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted.

Hear me this morning.

Sin is dangerous.

It is dangerous.

Many a godly man and woman have had their worlds turned upside down because they played with or got too close to sin.

Because they were not careful, because they did not keep watch on themselves.

Sin contempt us, sin can influence us, and sin can so easily entangle us.

That's why Paul says, be careful.

But if I am careless and proud, if I'm convinced that I could never fall, I can very easily find myself entangled in sin, too.

That's why restoration requires both proximity and carefulness.

As I was thinking about this, I remember this video that I had seen.

I want you to watch this with me for just a moment.

You're gonna see you've got these two boys and they're having a good time, they're hanging out, they're playing some soccer, and one goes over to close the gate, and as he does that, he is electrocuted.

Now you'll watch his friend, right?

He can't help him from a distance.

He goes over, realizes that it's dangerous, you get electrocuted, and then he helps him.

Right?

So there is this moment for that friend where he recognizes I cannot help from a distance.

I cannot restore from a distance.

He rushes in first time pretty carelessly, grabs his friend and gets electrocuted, and then he realizes I gotta be careful when I do this, and as quickly as he can, he grabs him and he pulls him off the fence.

Restoration requires proximity, but it also requires carefulness.

Because it's not so far-fetched that we too could become so easily entangled.

You ever try to get a soccer ball out of the back of a soccer net?

You go in there and you think I'm just gonna put my foot in and pull it out, and all of a sudden you're like you're flat on your back because your foot got all caught up, you know what I'm talking about?

You gotta be careful.

When we go try to unangle people from the mess that they find themselves in, it requires proximity, it requires carefulness.

We gotta do it gently, we gotta do it carefully, and we gotta do it gently.

Paul says, You who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Spiritual, you who are spiritual, is used to reference those who are walking by the spirit that was described in Galatians chapter 5.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

And we recognose recognize those people who are walking by the spirit by what we call the fruits of the spirit.

You remember the song?

You can sing it to yourself.

One of those fruits of the spirit, one of those characteristics is gentleness.

So when we come alongside brothers and sisters who are entangled in their sin, we do so with gentleness.

When we come alongside others to help carry their burdens, we do so with a spirit of gentleness.

However, I have found that one of the struggles I have had, and I don't think this is unique to me, is that we often try to disguise our lack of gentleness by saying things like this.

I'm just speaking the truth.

Or I'm just gonna be brutally honest with you.

I have found myself at times saying some version of this, or I'm gonna say this as lovingly as I can, which typically can mean it's not very loving and not very gentle.

And listen, as a as a Christian, as a man, as a pastor, I wrestle with that still.

I can find myself in that place believing that I'm doing the right thing because I'm just being honest.

Until one day I was reading through the gospel of Matthew and I was convicted.

Because Matthew 11, 29 says this take my yoke upon you and learn from me.

For I, Jesus, the King of kings, am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

The King of all kings, the Lord of all, the creator of the universe, the maker of heaven and earth, was both gentle and lowly.

And he tasks me, he called me, he calls us to learn from him and to be like him.

We should come alongside others gently.

If that's what Jesus did, who am I to do something different?

Who am I to disguise a lack of gentleness under this pretense that I'm just gonna be honest?

Or some of us find ourselves saying, Well, it's just the way I am.

Well, it's not just the way Jesus has called you to be.

And I think this third way that we come alongside people actually informs the first two.

So I wanted to say it's Allah said this.

That we bear one another's burdens humbly.

We bear one another's burdens humbly.

Paul adds this really fascinating sentence in verse 3.

Look at it when he says this.

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Now, why in the midst of coming alongside other people, why would Paul add something like this?

Because I think often what stops us from helping others is our pride.

I love sports biographies.

I remember reading one about Muhammad Ali, who's arguably the greatest boxer of all time, and he gets on a flight to head to a fight.

And if you know anything about Muhammad Ali, you know he's this very big, boisterous, outspoken personality.

And you knew when he was in the room.

So he boards this plane and he gets on the flight and he sits down.

This sweet air hostess is walking up and down the plane.

She's trying to get ready for takeoff.

And as she walks by him, she realizes he doesn't have a seatbelt on, so she backs up and she says, Hey, Mr.

Ali, if you wouldn't mind, would you put your seatbelt on and prepare for landing?

And Muhammad Ali, in typic Muhammad Ali fashion, responds back to her and he says, Superman don't need no seatbelt.

To which allegedly the sweet air hostess, he kind of stops in her tracks and she backs up just a step or two, and she leans in and she looks at him and she's got this sweet little smile on her face, and she says, Superman don't need no airplane.

Put your seatbelt on.

And off she goes.

Pride often creates in us a heart that leads us to believe that we're above the rules, that we're above needing help, that we are above other people.

Our pride can lead us to believe that.

That we are stronger than we are, that we're above temptation, that we're above struggling ourselves.

It can lead us to say things like, I'd never do that, I'd never go there, I'd never get caught up like they did.

Pride can lead us to believe that we're better than somebody else who may be struggling.

It can lead us to look down on them, and it can lead us to believe that we are above helping somebody else.

Pride can even lead us to find joy or comfort in seeing somebody else struggle.

But humility, humility will allow us to approach somebody else, and it will allow us to come alongside others with the appropriate amount of caution and gentleness.

Humility allows us to have a proper and right view of ourselves, which is to understand that apart from the grace and mercy of God in my life, I would have fallen to.

Humility reminds us that apart from the grace and mercy of God, I am one decision away from being caught up and entangled in the same sin.

Humility reminds me that I am not superior to somebody else.

In reality, I am just simply a grateful recipient of the work of God in my life.

Humility reminds me that it's the vehicle by which I understand that had it not been for Jesus and his willingness to die on the cross and for my sin, I would have been weighed down by the weight of my sin for the rest of my life.

Which brings us to that third and final question this morning, which is this.

Why do we bear one another's burdens?

Why do we do it?

Why is that the calling on our lives?

Why are we called to bear one another's burdens?

Why are we called to restore sinful, broken people?

Is it because it's kind?

Is it because it's good?

Is it because it's helpful?

Well, Paul gives us the answer in verse 2.

Look at it.

He says, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

And what is the law of Christ?

It's to love one another as he has loved us.

We see Jesus say it twice in the Gospel of John.

Look at them with me, John 13 through 34 says, This a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.

Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.

John 15, 12, he says, This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.

And how has Christ loved us?

Well, again, let me take you back to the scripture.

It tells us in Mark 10, 45, for even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

We don't bear one another's burdens because it's kind.

We don't bear one another's burdens because it's helpful.

We bear one another's burdens because a little over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, loved us so much that he willingly humbled himself, died on the cross in our place, and for our sins to bear the weight of a burden we couldn't carry, that we could never repay.

We bear one another's burdens because Christ did so for us.

Look how Paul wrote this to the Philippian church, Philippians 2, 5 through.

He says, This have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form.

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Church, we come alongside broken sinners in an effort to restore them.

We come alongside others and bear their burdens because that is exactly what Jesus did for you.

It's what he did for me.

But Jesus did more than come near enough just to sympathize with our burden.

Galatians 3.13 says, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.

The weight of our sin was not something we could manage.

The weight of our sin was not a burden we could carry on our own.

The weight of our sin was not a personal responsibility.

If we simply worked harder, became more disciplined, or made better decisions that we could navigate.

We needed someone to carry the weight of our sin for us.

And at the cross, Jesus carried our guilt.

So that sinners like you and I could be forgiven and restored and brought into the family of God.

But so many of us, even in the room this morning, we try to carry the weight of our guilt and our shame by ourselves.

We carry the weight of our sin by ourselves.

And we are worn out beaten up.

Every morning I bring my three boys to school and I drop them off.

You know how you can tell a kid that has on a heavy backpack?

You notice they do this.

Because their backpack's so heavy that they know if they stand up, they'll just go backwards.

And it's funny watching it with kids going into school.

Is it giving it this number?

You know what's not funny?

Watching people walk into church like this.

Watching people you love and care about have to walk like this.

Because they're trying to carry the weight of their own sin.

Because they're trying to muscle through and be good enough.

Because they're trying to do enough good to outweigh the bad.

And you know what?

I want to do when I see those kids that are walking with their buttons like this.

I wish it everything in me I could just slide over and say, hey, can I carry that for you?

Can I help you get wherever you're going?

And I think much in the same way, Jesus looks at many of us.

And he's like, hey, I'll carry it for you if you let me.

I'll take it from you if you'll give it to me.

You don't have to carry that by yourself.

You can give it to me.

Because the reality of the gospel is that Jesus bore the weight of our sin.

He carried it for us.

That you and I, we don't have to carry that weight alone.

The guilt, the shame that you feel, you don't have to carry it.

Your responsibility is to surrender to Jesus and to trust what he's able to do with it.

At the cross, Jesus carried our guilt.

He bore our judgment and our shame, and he gave his body so that we could be forgiven.

And there's no better way to be reminded of that than by taking communion.

Listen to me, communion is not this ritual for people who manage to keep themselves untangled from sin.

Communion is a meal for people who are willing to confess that Jesus is their only hope.

That in the midst of their sin, our only hope is the body and blood of Jesus.

So as we move into a time this morning, we're going to take communion together.

Here's what I want to encourage you.

There's going to be a moment here in just a second where I ask you just to reflect, to spend some time talking to Jesus.

But can I challenge you with something this morning?

Will you not think about anybody else for just a moment?

Will you not think about somebody else and how much they need Jesus and how much you wish you could share this with them or whatever it may be?

But this morning, would you think about yourself?

Paul would say this to let each one test his own work.

So maybe you should ask these questions this morning.

Where have I become entangled in sin?

As you look at your own life, where may you not be just running towards sin, but where have you gotten all caught up and tangled up?

Where have I become entangled in sin?

Is there something I need to confess rather than conceal?

Have I watched someone struggle from a distance when God was calling me to move towards them?

Have I approached somebody else's failure with pride or harshness rather than a spirit of gentleness?

Is there a burden that I have refused to share because I was afraid to admit that I couldn't carry it alone?

So I want you to take a moment this morning and would you take those questions before the Lord?

Go ahead and do that.

The Jews reminds us that his blood was poured out for us and for the forgiveness of sins.

And communion is not an opportunity where we boast in our own strength, but it's an opportunity where we become aware and grateful for his grace in our lives.

We come not as people who are going to rescue anybody else, but as those who have been rescued by the grace and mercy of God.

So if you would, if you would take out the bread for me this morning.

Take and eat in remembrance of me.

Go ahead and do that.

God, we are grateful for your son Jesus and his broken body.

By his stripes, by his wounds, we are healed.

Thank you, God, for not sparing your son.

But for love it is enough.

It's a sacrifice.

In the same way, he took the cup.

And he said, This is my blood that has been poured out for you.

Take and drink in remembrance of me.

Go ahead and do that now.

God, we thank you for the blood of your son Jesus.

Your word tells us that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.

We are grateful for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who poured it all out for us.

We didn't spare anything, but gave it all.

So, God, as we reflect on what you have done in our lives, may we now even begin to look to and think of how you are calling us to live our lives, what it looks like to come alongside others.

God, even now, Lord, would you put people in our minds?

Would you bring them to our hearts?

That you are calling us to carry their burdens with them, to come alongside them, to be the lifter of their head and their heart and to walk with them.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

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