- Building Up One Another -
Bear One Another’s Burdens
Galatians 6:1-2
Introduction
M. Scott Peck begins his book The Road Less Traveled with a three word sentence that is packed with simple, yet profound truth…it reads, “Life is difficult.” Life is filled with burdens.
Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” NIV: ‘Carry each other’s burdens’
In all of the one another passages we have studied, it is clear that as a church we live life together devoted, honoring, accepting, admonishing, greeting, and serving one another. It seems natural that God’s intention for the church is that we become a community where we bear one another’s burdens. There are many kinds of burdens to bear.
Burdens Are A Part of the Christian Experience. Christians are not exempt from burdens! Even great people of faith had their share of suffering – consider Job, and the Apostle Paul for example. Christians experience a variety of burdens. Our burdens may vary in kind and intensity, but all of us have burdens of one kind or another, that occur at one time or another. Look around you in the congregation today and understand that all of us have burdens. There is a heartache in every person’s life.
"At some point, all of us struggle under the weight of a difficult situation. It might be a sin we cannot overcome, a trial that just doesn’t let up, or a need that remains unmet. However, there’s no need to struggle through it alone, because we have the support of fellow believers as we bear one another’s burdens.”- Charles Stanley
1. Bearing Burdens
The Burden of Sin (Galatians 6:1 “…If someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.”)
We have a responsibility to one another to help when our brothers and sisters are stuck in sin. If we care, we have to speak up - not to judge, but to RESTORE. Restoration is Enacted..…
-By those who are spiritual - mature believers who depend on God’s word / shepherd those in distress.
-With gentleness - not harsh words/rejection/scorn.
-With our guards up - not influenced to fall in same trap.
Morgan Creager: Bearing those burdens means that we also point others to truth and wisdom from God’s Word, and challenge them to move forward in Christ.
We can help bear the burden when someone falls into sin. There are many other burdens people carry.
Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
What are some of the other burdens we can help bear?
Sorrow and grief.
Sickness and aging.
Emotional difficulties and emotional scars of the past.
A Difficult marriage.
Children with special needs or rebellious spirits.
Unemployment or under-employment.
These are just a few examples of the many kinds of burdens that people need help carrying.
Nicole Kaufman wrote, “We can’t always take away suffering. We can’t always pray away suffering. But we can be the support. … Carrying another’s burden does not mean taking away their pain. It simply means to hold them up and point them to Christ.”
What is Required To Bear One Another’s Burdens?
A Willing Heart - do we care enough to try to help someone who is hurting?
Observant Eyes and Ears. We have to know that a brother or sister has a burden! Are we observant to know what is going on in the lives of those with whom we have a relationship?
A Commitment to active involvement in each other’s lives.
Keys to Involvement:
-Spending time with each other
-Developing relationships with each other
-Finding trustworthy people to open up to
-All of this requires time and effort to develop relationships – real community.
It’s impossible to bear one another’s burdens if we do not know what they are.
Conclusion
On July 25, 2002, nine coal miners entered Quecreek Mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. About 9 p.m., the miners were drilling when 50 million gallons of water released into their own shaft, cutting them off from the surface. In a desperate race against time, more than 200 rescuers worked to save the trapped miners. The men were trapped in a small chamber just over four feet high and 18ft wide, in frigid 55 degree water. The area of entrapment was approximately 240 feet underground and about 1.5 miles from the mine entrance. In an interview, a spokesperson said, “The miners “decided early on they were either going to live or die as a group.”
They were all rescued as a group some 77 hours (3 days) after being trapped in the mine. One of the miners said, "Everybody had strong moments, but any certain time maybe one guy got down, and then the rest pulled together. And then that guy would get back up, and maybe someone else would feel a little weaker, but it was a team effort. That’s the only way it could have been.”
The 55 degree water threatened to kill them slowly by hypothermia, so according to news report: “When one would get cold, the other eight would huddle around the person and warm that person, and when another person
got cold, the favor was returned.”
What a great description of the way the church is supposed to work!
Bearing One Another’s Burdens carries a promised result with it: If we faithfully carry each other’s burdens, then we will be fulfilling the law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? The law of love.
John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
John 15:12 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
Galatians 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Bearing One Another’s Burdens is a great responsibility/ privilege. Jesus was a great burden bearer - listener, helper, loved others. He bore our burden of sin on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternity and hope. We are walking in his footsteps when we bear one another’s burdens.
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Discussion Questions
1. How can one go about restoring someone who is wandering from the faith in a ‘gentle’ fashion? Describe what that looks like.
2. Few people intentionally plan to fall into sin. How would you “watch yourself” while trying to help someone else?
3. How does Christ’s example show you what it means for you to carry someone else’s burden?
4. Paul told the Galatians to share their troubles with one another. This would bring healing to hurting people and provide opportunities for the believers to help each other.* What are some reasons people are hesitant to share their troubles with one another? Can you provide any suggestions for overcoming this hesitancy?
5. What kinds of things should we be praying about so as to grow in our carrying the burdens of others?
6. Morgan Creager wrote, “We cannot bear every burden. Only Jesus can do that. But we can keep our eyes open and our hearts willing.” What kind of boundaries should be set when we consider bearing another’s burden?
7. What else did you want to talk about in relation to this lesson?
8. If your group settled on a service project last week, what updates need to be made?
*Note from the Life Recovery Bible
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Video of this message can be seen on the YouTube channel of Forsythe Church of Christ.
Audio available on our podcast, found in iTunes or on our host, Podbean.
Thanks for reading!
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Resources:
Getz, Gene. Building Up One Another. Victor Books, 1981.
Owens, David. Bear One Anothers Burdens (Thanks, David, for a GREAT series!)
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/11-bear-one-anothers-burdens-david-owens-sermon-on-servanthood-141829
Stanley, Charles. Bearing One Anothers Burdens
https://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/bearing-one-anothers-burdens
Creager, Morgan Bear One Anothers Burden
https://www.pray.org/blog/bear-one-anothers-burdens/
Kaufman, Nicole. Really Carry Others Burdens
https://couragehopelove.com/really-carry-others-burdens/
