HoHum:
Objects: Alex’s barbells
Alex lifts barbells and here they are. Demonstrate how they work. Don’t have a weight bench
One day last week I went to the gym to work out. There were many other people down there working out too. Some of them were lifting weights. As I watched the weight lifters, I noticed that they always worked in pairs. One of them would lie down on the bench to lift the weights while the other would stand up near the lifter's head.
The person standing near the head is called a spotter. The spotter stands near the lifter's head just in case the lifter needs some help. Sometimes, the spotter didn't need to do anything at all. Just being there gave the lifter the confidence needed to lift the weights.
Other times, the spotter would call out words of encouragement to the lifter, saying, "You can do it! You can do it!" That encouragement was just what the lifter needed to lift the weights.
As more and more weight was added and the bar became really heavy, the lifter became very tired. When that happened, the spotter had to help the lifter by lifting the weight for him. Then, the two traded places and the spotter became the lifter and the lifter became the spotter.
I think that is a pretty good picture of what the Bible teaches us that we are to do for one another. The Bible tells us to "bear one another's burdens." Sometimes we may have a friend who is going through some difficult times and needs someone to help carry their burden. Maybe our friend is sick, sad, or lonely.
Many times, we don't even have to say anything or do anything. We just need to be there and let them know that we care. Just knowing that we are there may be all they need to give them the courage to carry on.
Other times, our friend may need some words of encouragement. They may need for us to say, "You can do it!" Those words of encouragement may be all they need.
Sometimes a person has a burden so heavy that they may need for us to lift that burden for them. Perhaps they have no money and need food or clothing. We can lift their burden by giving them what they need.
Do you remember what the weight lifters did? After one of them helped the other, then they traded places. The really beautiful part of what the Bible teaches about bearing one another's burdens is that sometimes we are the lifter and sometimes we are the spotter. We must be willing to give help to others as well as to receive it.
From Sermons4Kids at: http://www.sermons4kids.com/weightlifters.html
WBTU:
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
Thesis: What kinds of burdens should we carry?
For instances:
I. Financial burdens
““Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”” Proverbs 31:8, 9, NIV.
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No-one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” “There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” Acts 4:32, 34, 35.
The early church was supported by the sacrificial gifts of individual Christians. They gave of their own wealth to respond to the needs of other Christians. As we consider this we need to make some important observations:
These gifts were voluntary not mandatory. Not socialism or communism but communalism.
The early church’s giving was organized, not haphazard. They brought the money and the apostles distributed. Sometimes it is good for an individual to see and need and give, but we are wise to trust the church to meet ongoing benevolent needs. The church needs to make an effort to sort through the needs and see that they are distributed wisely. Often the most deserving people are too humble to ask for help, and the least deserving are great at marketing their “plight” and milking the system.
Money was given to those who had need, not just those who had less.
In the early church, the money was distributed to people “as they had need.” The Bible doesn’t teach equal distribution of wealth, but generosity to the needy. “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” 1 John 3:17, NIV. Notice this doesn’t say, “If you see someone with an older car than yours, a smaller house or less meat,” but “if you see your brother in need.”
Acts 6 gives another example of the early church ministering to financial needs. “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.” Acts 6:1, NIV. The early church apparently had a program to care for the widows among them. Some of the widows began complaining so what should they do? “So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” Acts 6:2, NIV. The apostles knew the church’s responsibility to bear the burdens of those in need, but they needed to stay true to their calling- teaching people God’s Word. So what did they do? “Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”” Acts 6:3, 4, NIV. This is what they did. We see the result: “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.” Acts 6:7, NIV.
II. Physical burdens
“Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.” Acts 5:14-16, NIV.
Cannot offer what Peter was doing, but we can help people bear their physical burdens by easing their suffering and praying for them. “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.” James 5:14, 15, NIV.
Many of our hospitals exist today because believers in Jesus cared enough about bringing healing and providing compassion that they began a place to care for the sick. We can walk the halls of any hospital in America and run into people who are there in the name of Christ.
Many areas where we could get involved in easing physical burdens. We need to remember that each of us will stand before God and give account for our efforts to bear other’s burdens, but I’m thankful that many opportunities exist to do so in the church today.
““Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” Matthew 25:34-36, NIV.
““The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40, NIV.
III. Emotional and Spiritual Burdens
The apostle Paul had his emotional needs met while he was meeting with various trials because his brother and sisters in Christ comforted and encouraged him. Pass it on: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV.
The church is to be a place where people bear one another’s burdens by comforting each other in times of emotional pain. Churches are doing better today at providing counseling for those who have deep emotional scars and organizing support groups for those who have been through addictions, divorce, cancer, the death of a child, or other tragedies. The darker our world becomes, the more necessary these kinds of ministries will be. One minister, commenting about the number of people left hurting in our world because of sin, said, “I feel like I’m walking over a battlefield after the battle, trying to care for the wounded.”
Ministering to the needy is not just the task of the church as a whole, but of individual Christians as well. Sometimes people excuse their unwillingness to bear the burdens of others by blaming the church. People will say things like, “The church needs to do this or that for those who are hurting.” Why don’t you head up something and get serving? Church leaders do need to coordinate programs to minister to the needy, but much of what the church needs to do is through individual members. Sometimes we need to be willing to get our own hands dirty and respond to the needs of others. When we do, through the church or through our own efforts, we are helping to “bear one another’s burdens.”
So what?
Been focusing on the one another’s of the Bible. This is one, here is another:
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12, 13, NIV. “This is my command: Love each other.” John 15:17, NIV.
What does this have to do with what we just talked about? All the one another’s of the NT involve what? G.U.T.S: Genuine, Unfailing (acceptance), tangible, and now? Sacrifice
Need to call a time out and face the brutal facts. Much of today’s church and what we call “community life” is far from sacrificial. Lay down our lives? First let’s get them to show up! Our work, our kids’ schedules, even our church activities compete for our attention. Ask most people how they are doing, and we’ll get a standard one word answer: Busy!
Christians want change without challenge, strength without suffering, community without commitment. We need to learn how to live in healthy, sacrificial community, as God created us to be. A good start may be to understand one simple biblical truth: “we belong to each other”, not to our jobs, possessions, favorite TV shows, social media, kids’ activities, or fill in the blank.
When we have to find time for the important people in our lives, our relationships are low on our priority list. Something’s out of whack.
Jesus’ love is sacrificial. He bled for community. How sacrificial is our community?
Do we have the G.U.T.S to enter into this kind of community? Are we genuine enough to take off the masks and be real with one another? Is our love for one another unfailing, accepting one another “as-is”? Is our caring for each other tangible, not just with words, but with acts of kindness for one another? Are our friendships sacrificial, with a willingness to put others needs about our own? If we want to see lives changed, we need to get out of our comfortable, cozy, consumer driven, closed cliques, and have the guts to enter into God’s ideal for community life.
