We all know a fairy tale is not real, but I want to talk to you about THREE “BEARS” that the Word of God teaches us about.
The Bible has 3 interesting statements about our burdens.
1) First one is found in Galatians 6:5, "Each one should bear his own burden."
2) Second one is found in vs. 2, where it says, "Bear each other's burdens.”
3) Fourth is found in Psalm 55:22, "Cast your burdens upon the Lord, and He will sustain you."
That is what the Bible says about our burdens, and maybe those three verses say all that need to be said.
But I would like to expand on these three verses for the next few minutes.
HAVE YOU EVER FELT LIKE YOU ARE BEING SWALLOWED BY THE TRIALS OF LIFE WE FACE IN THIS LIFE?
Illus: That makes me think about a story I read about in the U.S. Government Peace Corps Manual for its volunteers who work in the Amazon Jungle.
The page I’m going to read concerns what to do in case you’re attacked by an Anaconda.
The Anaconda is the largest snake in the world. It grows to 35 feet in length and weighs between 300 and 400 pounds. It squeezes it’s victims to death.
So this page is the strategy, the steps to take, if attacked by an Anaconda (an·a·con·da):
1. If you are attacked by an Anaconda, do not run. The snake is faster than you are.
2. Lie flat on the ground. Put your arms tight against your sides, your legs tight against one another.
3. Tuck your chin in.
4. The snake will come and begin to nudge and climb over your body. Do not panic.
5. After the snake has examined you, it will begin to swallow you from the feet end - always at the feet end. Permit the snake to swallow your feet and ankles. Do not panic.
6. The snake will now begin to suck your legs into its body. You must lie perfectly still. This will take a long time.
7. When the snake has reached your knees, slowly, and with as little movement as possible, reach down, take your knife and very gently slide it into the side of the snake’s mouth between the edge of its mouth and your leg. Then suddenly rip upwards, freeing yourself and rendering the snake helpless.
8. Be sure you have a knife.
9. Be sure your knife is sharp.
That is what I would call a situation I would not want to find myself in.
I think if I did I would have to try and out run him before using this method of escape that I just mentioned.
Well…we may not face the fear of being swallowed by a giant Anaconda on a daily basis, but we do face big burdens in life that attempt to swallow us and overtake us and many of us want a way out from those burdens.
Things like…
• ”How are we going to make ends meet financially?”
• “How are we going to resolve the problems in our marriage or overcome the grief of divorce?”
• “How do we forgive someone that has wronged us?”
• “What do we do when a child or loved one has gone astray spiritually?”
We could have lists a yard long of things we are dealing with that drag us down daily.
Burdens and hard times in life are a reality that we may never able to fully escape.
The Lord teaches us how we are to help a brother in Christ who is being swallowed up by the difficulties in life.
Let’s go back to talking about THREE “BEARS”.
The first BEAR deals with our BEARING the burden of a brother. That is…
I. WE "BEAR" THE BURDENS HE CAN NOT BEAR
Look at Galatians 6:1-2, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
The Bible makes it clear that as Christians we all have a responsibility to BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS!
But look at the words, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault…”
The word OVERTAKEN gives us the impression this is someone that the devil has sneaked up on and overtaken.
He is now a backslider living in sin.
What’s a Backslider?
A young boy said…
• "Dad, what’s a backslider?"
• "Well, Son, that’s a man who leaves our church and goes to another."
• "But Dad, then what do you call a man who leaves his church and joins ours?"
• "He’s a convert, Son, a convert!"
The idea of backsliding is mentioned quite a few times throughout the Bible.
Sometimes it is called sliding, turning aside, turning back, falling, etc…
The word actually means exactly what it sounds like it means. To backslide is to go backwards in your spiritual life!
And now the Word of God is telling those of us who are strong in the faith to rescue the one who has gone astray.
What Cause Backsliding?
There are many things in this world that cause backsliding, but let me give you the number one reason.
Spending time with the “Wrong People.”
I Corinthians 15:33 tells us, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners"
• You cannot hang out with ungodly people and not be corrupted by them. To think so the Bible tells us you are deceiving yourself.
• You cannot watch the “Slop Operas” on television and not be corrupted by them.
• You cannot hang out with the adulterer and adulteress and not be corrupted by them.
• You cannot hang out with liars and not be corrupted by them.
• You cannot hang out with people that constantly curse and not be corrupted by them.
• You cannot hang out with gossipers and not be corrupted by them.
• You cannot watch nudity on your television and not be corrupted by it.
Again, God’s Word tells us, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners"
Illus: A wise man once said, "A year from now you will be the same person you are today, except for the books you read and the people you meet!”
Illus: Solomon, the wisest man in history, who had direct revelations with God Himself, let people turn his heart away from God!
O! How many times have I seen Christians who were truly devoted to the Lord let someone who was evil corrupt and cause them to backslide!
Illus: We tell our children to be careful at school who they hang out with, but God’s Word tells the child of God the same thing.
We need to remember and never forget:
• God has His children trying to lead people in the right direction.
• Devil has his children trying to corrupt the godly.
There are steps we take when we move away from the Lord.
Illus: Someone said, "It is doubtful that a moral fall is ever abrupt. People decline in religion and backslide gradually. Like descending a stairway, they go down step by step."
Backsliding is a drift, a downward progression away from the Lord.
The Bible reveals those steps in the life of Peter who backslid and denied the Lord three times. (Mark 14:27-72)
First stept…Becoming overly self-confident. (Vss 27-31)
Peter became extremely self-confident. If all the rest forsake you never would I.
The Christian is in danger when he reaches the point at which he feels that he does not have to cling to God because he is strong and will not fall into temptation.
Second Step, Sleeping instead of praying. Vss. (32-42)
Illus: Jesus took Peter and 2 others to pray with Him but they failed to stay awake.
Third step, Acting without God’s guidance. (Vss. 45-47)
Peter acted on instinct when he cut off the slave’s ear.
Too much of our service to Christ is not Spirit led. We want to serve Him, but not His way. We must be sure we are following His leadership, and not our own.
Fourth step, Following, but from a distance now.
Many church members count themselves as followers of Jesus, yet they are completely out of touch with Him and His work.
Fifth step,Hanging out with the enemies.
Now separated from Jesus, Peter was now comforting himself in the enemy’s presence.
Too many Christians are seeking their social and spiritual warmth at the devil’s fires and they are comfortable hanging out with the enemy.
Illus: Vance Havner once said, “Most church members live so far below the standard that you’d have to backslide to be in fellowship!”
The world today is full of backsliders who have fallen away from the teachings of God’s Word.
It is our job as mature Christians to lead them back into the fold of God.
When we do this we are FULFILLING THE LAW OF CHRIST.
WHAT IS THE LAW OF CHRIST?
Before I tell you what the LAW OF CHRIST is I need to remind you a law is something we are to obey.
WHAT IS THE LAW OF CHRIST?
The law of Christ is the law of ministering in LOVE.
Look at Matthew 20:28, we read, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
This was the ministry of Christ and now He has called us to do the same.
And the Word of God tells us in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Notice, in this LAW OF CHRIST when we obey God’s Word this is the way others can know we are ONE OF HIS DISCIPLES.
That is, we are living our lives in the same manner that Christ lived His life while He was on earth.
We are to carry on the BURDEN BEARING MINISTRY OF THE LORD.
The burden bearing in this scripture verse is in present tense, which denotes continuous action, not simply a one-time act.
Illus: Some people can get real spiritual at CHRISTMAS and THANKSGIVING in helping others. But BURDEN BEARING in the scripture is in the present tense which means we do this every day of the year.
How are we to BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS?
A. SOMETIMES IT IS SPIRITUAL
Look at James 5:19-20, we read, “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
Notice, God is talking about a Christian.
Let me show you three reasons we know He is talking to Christians.
1) First, the reason we know that is because God used the word “Brethren”. These verses refer to backslidden Christians who have erred from the truth. They have not lost their salvation, they are still a part of the family of God. This is why these backsliders are referred to as “Brethren”.
2) We also know he is talking to backslidden Christians because you cannot ERR from something that you do not have something to ERR from. They once walked in the truth but now they have ERRED FROM THE TRUTH.
3) Also, the words CONVERTED A SINNER in verse 20 confuse some folks.
Some think He is talking about the sinner, but He is talking about the backslider who has gone back into a life of sin.
Illus: Gill’s translation states it this way, “That he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way; who is the instrument of restoring a backsliding Christian, for such an one is meant by a sinner, and not a profane person; or of turning a poor bewildered believer, who is got out of the way of truth and holiness, into the right way again; or of convincing him of the error of his way, whether it be in point of doctrine, or of duty; and so of bringing him to the fold of Christ again, from whence he has strayed.”
Paul is addressing Christians who have become backslidden.
Notice, He says, “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth…”
That is, it is always a possibility.
Illus: A man that attends a Mormon church said, “Half of our church members are people who at one time attended Baptist churches, Assembly of God churches, Church of God churches, etc.”
Listen; that should not surprise us. The Word of God teaches that it is possible for a person to ERR FROM THE TRUTH.
But it is our job as Christians to go out and CONVERT them back to the truth.
Why should we do this?
(1) First, because our love for them compels us to do so.
(2) Secondly, because if we do not, the backslider who has erred has placed himself at the risk of death.
Look at James 5:20, we read, “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death.”
Illus: Paul wrote to the Corinthians who had erred in ten different ways.
But one of the ways they had erred was in the Lord’s supper.
Because many had erred in their teachings concerning the Lord’s supper.
Paul told the Corinthians, in 1 Cor. 11:30, “FOR THIS CAUSE many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”
In other words, they died!
It is a dangerous thing for a child of God to err, and Paul said because of that, some had become SICKLY, and some had DIED!
When our brother in Christ ERRS; we are to help him.
Illus: Someone said, Christians are the only one who shoot their casualties.
Illus: The Christian motto should be the same as Uncle Sam, “We leave no one behind!”
BUT NOTICE WHO IS TO HELP HIM.
Look at Galatians 6:1. We read, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
There are two things we see in this verse that we need to consider.
(1) The Bible says that those who are to assist Christians who have erred, are those in the church who are SPIRITUAL.
And it does not mean if you just think you are spiritual, it means you are SPIRITUAL.
Listen to me and listen to CLOSELY…if you are not right with God do not make an effort to help someone else.
You need to get some help yourself.
Matthew 7:3-5, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”
Now some folks think they are spiritual but those who know them think they are not spiritual.
If you are going to help someone who is weak in the faith, they need to have confidence in you and know that you are spiritual.
They couldn’t confide in a weak christian because if they did that person would spread gossip all over the church and neighborhood.
Reminds me of a true story…
Illus: A wonderful lady (Lucy) who was not a Christian, but very feisty, had relatives who thought they were spiritual who were always getting onto her about not going to church with them.
She would not say anything for a long time but one day when they were inviting her to go with them she decided to speak her mind and she unloaded on them and said, “When I see that going to your church is doing something good in your life I will consider going myself, but until then do not ask me again!!!”
There are some folks who, if they tried to assist some that have erred, would not be effective because the person that they are talking to has no confidence in their Christian life.
We are to assist the WEAKER BRETHREN WHEN HE FALLS SPIRITUALLY.
Illus: We have to become a “Crutch” he can lean on until he gets where he can stand on his own again.
A crutch is a temporary thing, not a life time thing.
God does not expect us to help someone all their life but temporarily there are some folks who need help.
But this verse of scripture teaches us one more thing.
(2) We are to do it in humility.
Look at Galatians 6:1, we read, “Restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”
In other words we are to do it in humility not thinking we are better than they are because the same thing could happen to us.
But another way of bearing our brother’s burdens…
B. SOMETIMES IT IS FINANCIAL
In this age, when we see panhandlers all over the place begging for money, we reach the conclusion immediately that those who ask for help just trifling.
There are people who think it is their responsibility to give to every panhandler they see. NOT SO!!!
Again, I remind you the scripture is addressing Christians. It is the backslidden BRETHREN who we are to help in this case.
We should never give to any organization, church, or person unless we know it is a legitimate need.
Illus: There are people who give to some of these television preachers for example:
(1)Jesse Duplantis
Did you know…
• He lives in a 35,000 square foot house?
• He has a Rolls Royce Phantom car worth $587k?
• He owns a Bentley Continental, which cost him $202,500?
• He added an Aston Martin Vanquish to his car collection, which he bought for $512,486?
• He owns three of the best jets on the market?
Another huckster that some give to is…
(2) Kenneth Copeland
He actually brags about being a billionaire.
Another one is…
(3) Jimmy Swagert
His net worth is over 15 million as of 2022 and still begging for more!
According to his 1985 financial statement he has $150 million in assets.
The reason I mention these fellows is because they are FLEECING THE FLOCK OF GOD!
We should never give to anyone or any organization until we know how it is being spent.
That includes these panhandlers that are too lazy to work!!!
We know there are people who need financial assistance, and it is not because they are too lazy to work.
It is not because they are hucksters.
It is because…
• They cannot go to the bank to borrow money, because with their income the bank would consider them a poor risk.
• They cannot go to their friends, because their friends are as poor as they are.
• And the only place they can turn to is God’s family. (God’s Church).
The bible teaches this is one of the ways by which others can know we are saved; we CARE about our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Illus: Suppose you went to bed one night, and you knew your biological brother had lost his home and was out on the street, and did not have a penny to buy food with.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
I know what you would do. You would get out of bed and find him, and make sure he had a place to sleep and food to eat.
We are supposed to have that same kind of love for a brother or sister in Christ.
We are not talking about people who spend money like it grows on trees, and then when the bill collectors come they want someone to bail them out.
People like this need help, but they need help from a financial advisor.
The Bible is saying we are to help people who tough times have fallen on, not due to their own making.
Perhaps because of INFLATION they have stretched that little pay check where it no longer covers the necessities of life.
We are to be willing to BEAR burdens SPIRITUALLY and FINANCIALLY when a Christian needs some assistance.
Look at James 2:14-16. “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
We are not to be selective in who we love and are willing to help.
Look at 1 Peter 2:17, “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood…”
WE “BEAR” THE BURDENS THEY CAN NOT BEAR.
But let me show you another “BEAR” we want to look at in the scriptures.
II. WE "BEAR" NOT THE BURDENS HE CAN BEAR
Look at Galatians 6:5, we read, “For every man shall bear his own burden.”
Some say this is a contradiction in the Bible.
For example:
1) In Galatians 6:2 we are told to BEAR OUR BROTHERS’ burden.
2) In Galatians 6:5 we are told that he is to bear his own burden.
There is no contradiction here. There are some burdens HE CAN AND SHOULD BEAR, and there are other burdens HE CANNOT BEAR!
WE CAN DESTROY PEOPLE WE LOVE, BY TAKING RESPONSIBILITY AWAY FROM THEM THAT THEY SHOULD BEAR.
Illus: John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
What was he saying when he made this statement?
He was recognizing that one of the best ways to destroy a good country is to teach people not to take personal responsibility for themselves.
Illus: When a parent continuously gives to a child every time that child asks for something, that parent will destroy that child.
We have children all over this nation that do not know how to take care of themselves, because Mom and Dad, who grew up under hard times, decided that their children were not going to have to do that. Today, many of their children do not know how to take care of themselves.
Illus: John D. Rockefeller, who was one of, if not the most wealthy man on the face of the earth at that time, feared that his wealth might destroy his children.
To keep that from happening:
• He gave them chores to do, to teach them how to work
• He made them wear ordinary clothes like other children
• He gave them an allowance each week and made them keep a record in a book of how they spent their money, and he personally checked their records to make sure they were accurate, and that they were spending their money wisely.
But yet we have other parents that allow their children to receive whatever they want to receive by simply putting out their hands. THEY HAVE DESTROYED THEIR CHILDREN FOR LIFE!
Whatever chance of happiness their children would have had, has been destroyed by these parents, who do not make them assume the responsibility that they should bear.
But not only:
• Can a nation destroy its citizens
• Can parents destroy their children, but…
• A church can do the same thing.
I want to say something, and I hope it is not taken the wrong way. But I have scripture for what I am about to say.
All across this country we have people who are called panhandlers. They are people that are too lazy to work, and there are churches that think they are doing the will of God by feeding these lazy, trifling people.
That is not what the scripture declares.
Look what Paul said in 2 Thess. 3:10. “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”
Never in the history of this country have we ever had the problem with panhandlers begging for money like we do today.
WHAT CREATED THIS PROBLEM?
Our parents, our government, and our churches have literally destroyed these people who refuse to take responsibility for themselves.
We keep feeding, clothing and sheltering them, and we do not make them take responsibility for themselves.
I. We “Bear” the burdens he can not bear.
II. He “Bear” the burdens he can bear.
And we are to allow…
III. CHRIST TO "BEAR" THE BURDENS WE CAN NOT BEAR
Sometimes in our lives we are forced to try to carry burdens that WE OURSELVES CANNOT CARRY, NOR CAN OUR FRIENDS!
It is during these difficult times that we have to look to the Lord to carry those burdens. It is nice to have a friend we can turn to when we are carrying a heavy burden, but aren’t you glad that we have a Savior that is willing to help us when no one else can help us?
We read in 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Conclusion:
I. WE "BEAR" THE BURDENS HE CAN NOT BEAR
II. HE "BEARS" THE BURDENS HE CAN BEAR
III. CHRIST "BEARS" THE BURDENS WE CAN NOT BEAR.
