Lay Your Burdens Down Series

Today I want to tackle a truth that is foundational to the Christian Faith. What I want to talk about is burdens, the heaviness of life that weighs us down. If we are not rooted in God’s word we will find ourselves going through life with baggage and heaviness that is not meant for us.

Last Tuesday I was driving home from Red Deer and my stomach was just sick. Brenna and I were planning on taking on a Real Estate venture and the stress and the worry of it was taking a physical toll on both of us. I was driving home and the radio was off, and I was just praying and thinking about this venture.

The words of Jesus from Matthew 11 came to my mind. He says, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:28 (NRSV)

And I began to wonder how this can practically happen in life. How do we go about dealing with burdens and troubles, how can we live these words that Jesus spoke. How can we find that rest for our souls when life is heavy and seems to be spinning all around?

The answers, of course, are in the Bible. God gives us practical wisdom for dealing with trouble and stress and worry.

Galatians chapter 6 is a good place for us to start.

Gal 6:1-5 (NLT)

1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

2 Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

3 If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.

4 Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.

5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

What Galatians 6 is telling us is that some burdens are meant to be shared.

Verse 1 says that if another Christian is overcome by sin that we should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.

That is a very practical way to help someone with their burden. It requires a certain level of tact and humility. But put yourself into that persons shoes.

Can you remember a time in your life when you were overcome by sin, there was some habit that you were stuck in. You began to resent yourself, because of the frustration in your spirit. You know what the right thing is to do, but Like the Apostle Paul in Romans 7, you hated what you were doing, but you did it anyways. “Oh wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from this body of death?”

Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if somebody would have helped you to break out of that cycle of sin. Wouldn’t it have been a sweet relief to have somebody lovingly take you by the hand and offer you accountability so that you could once and for all shed that pattern in your life?

Sin’s power comes through secrecy and shame. It shames you into keeping the secret to yourself, you don’t tell anyone about it and you ask God for forgiveness and just try to do better next time. But the strategy of the devil is to keep you in isolation, and the power of sin urges you to keep the secret.

But the Bible says that we can help each other out, don’t give in to sins’ voice of secrecy and darkness, shine the light of the truth on it and let’s get the victory. Because what you want most when you are in darkness, is for somebody to find out what you’ve been doing and to love you enough and to value you enough to pull you back into right living.

It is a real friend who loves you enough to confront you on the sin that is only leading to death in your life.

Many times we are too embarrassed to help, or we feel like we might make the situation worse. Other times we doubt the influence that we could have.

But the Bible says in Galatians 6:1 that we can be the ones who help our friends get out from under the oppression of sin. We can help each other to be free of that burden.

Sorrow is another burden that is meant to be shared.

Galatians 6:2 tells us to share one another’s problems.

2 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT) He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.