Our Labor For The Lord

Our Labor for the Lord

Galatians 6:1-10

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - Sept. 1, 2013

*Back in 2004, “Reader’s Digest” told the story of a family going on vacation: the Klinger family. Before they left, they asked their 9-year-old neighbor about taking care of their dog. His name was Mike.

*They explained that the job required feeding, watering, grooming, and walking the dog. Mike would have to spend lots of time playing with the dog, and giving her lots of love.

*After going over this job description, the couple asked the little boy what the job would be worth to him. And Mike answered, “I’ll give you ten bucks!” (1)

*That little boy was eager to serve! How eager are you to serve the Lord today? That’s an important question, because God has some extremely important jobs for us to do.

1. The first job in today's Scripture is to bear someone else’s burden.

*God tells us to do this in vs. 1&2, where Paul said:

1. Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

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

[1] Church: We must bear one another's burdens, because it is the only way to fulfill the law of Christ.

*Paul was talking about the Lord's law of love that Jesus gave His followers on the night before the cross. In John 13:34&35, Jesus said:

34. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; -- as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.''

*The only way that we can fully obey the Lord's law of love is to bear one another's burdens. And the original word for "burden" here means something so heavy that it's taking the person down. God is talking about people who really need help, so in vs. 2, He gives us a job: "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

*This kind of burden bearing takes love and kindness. Sometimes it also takes mercy and forgiveness, because vs. 1 reminds us that Christians can be "overtaken" in sins and failures. Paul was not talking about a sinner being caught by other people. He was talking about a believer being caught by sin. That could be you, and it could be me.

*What are the rest of us supposed to do? In vs. 1 Paul says: "You who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted." God wants us to restore them. That means "to mend, repair, strengthen or supply". The word picture is a medical term having to do with a dislocated joint. (2)

*So, what you have here is a dislocated member in the spiritual Body of Christ. And I have never had a dislocated joint. But it hurts to even think about having a shoulder or hip ripped out of place. Restoration can be a painful process. But God wants us to forgive. God wants us to gently help the person to repent, and find the forgiveness God wants to give to them.

*But why should we forgive? Why should we bear one another’s burdens? It’s because WE have been forgiven! It’s because someone else bore our burdens on the cross! Jesus Christ took our greatest burden, when he took our stripes, when He carried our cross to Calvary, and when He took all of the weight of all our sin.

*Now Jesus wants us to bear one another’s burdens. It’s the only way we can fully obey His law of love.

[2] Church: Bearing one another's burdens is also vital, because all of us will have burdens to bear.

*All of us are going to need help some day, because life is going to lay something on us that knocks us to our knees. We all will have sorrow and pain from time to time, and God doesn’t want us to go through it alone. As time goes by, you will bear burdens for others. And they will bear burdens for you

*Donald Barnhouse saw a great picture of this in the story of two students who graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest ranking student in that class was a blind man named Overton. When Mr. Overton received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, Mr. Kaspryzak, a man who had no arms.

*These two young men met one another in school when the man without arms guided the blind man down a flight of stairs. That acquaintance grew into a great friendship, and a great example of bearing one another’s burdens.