What To Do With Your Burdens
Gal. 6:2-5
[Some burdens are meant to be SHARED, some burdens are meant to be SHOULDERED, and some burdens are meant to be SHED. Link included at bottom to formatted text version, handout, and PowerPoint Presentation.]
We all have burdens. Some have a physical handicap, chronic sickness, or some abnormality you cannot change.
Some have spiritual burdens. It may be that “Hurricane Satan” has struck your life and the surge of sin has soaked your soul, and now you are suffering spiritual consequences.
Some have emotional burdens like depression or anxiety, a heartache over some loss, or a financial reversal.
Ill.—Chinese woman lost her dear son/could not find comfort/went to wise old man and asked what to do/ “go to a home that has no sorrow or grief, and bring back a mustard seed, and I will restore your son” /several days went by, and she returned and said, “I have been so selfish in my grief…sorrow is common to every home.”
We all have problems and cares, and they weigh down upon us like a burden on the back.
We don’t all have wealth, but we all have burdens…
[health/talents/own home/children/hair!]
Every day of life here on earth brings to us it’s own assortment of burdens, and we will be blessed to study God’s answer to the question, “What do I do with my burdens?”
1. Some burdens are meant to be shared [by others]
v. 2 Examples of burdens to be shared:
•Faults and failures of others
v. 1 When a fellow believer stumbles and falls into sin [not those who CHOOSE to live in sin], rather than pointing accusing fingers or shooting our wounded, we should reach down and give them a helping hand to lift them up, and help them get back on track. We are supposed to encourage/strengthen one another when it comes to faults and failures.
v. 2-3 The only thing which will keep us from doing v. 2, is to think that you yourself are above ever needing this help. There are people like that…they feel they are God’s gift to the church and to humanity, and actually feel good about themselves when others fall…which is self-righteousness, or “value by comparison.” This is self-deception. We all need each other at times.
Joke—preacher was preaching on this theme, and asked if anyone had ever heard of a perfect person / man in back raised his hand / “I don’t know him, but I’ve heard a lot about him…my wife’s 1st husband!”
But truly, we are all “prone to wander”, and we all need each other.
•Sorrow and grief
At any given time at GBC we have someone under a heavy load of grief. We have had a lot of great services recently with a great spirit, but always there’s someone present going thru an awful time.
“Be kind to everyone for everyone has sorrow some kind.”
Tragedy, sorrow, disappointment, depression, and grief will eventually visit the house of every person.
Ruth 2:13
Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.
She was a stranger in a foreign land…an outcast. She expected to be ostracized, and to have to do without. But someone came into her life and comforted her.
Whom have you comforted recently? Who has comforted you?
This is 1 reason God allows sorrows to come to us…so we can be comforted, and then in turn comfort others in need once we’ve been thru it.
II Cor. 1:4
Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
Ill.—George W. Truett, 1st Baptist of Dallas years ago told of a lady in his church who had a baby who died. He tried and tried but could not comfort the woman. Hours of counsel didn’t do it. But then he remembered another lady in the church who had been thru it before. He enlisted her help, and she did more in 5 minutes than he ever did.
Let’s not wallow in self-pity and allow our tragedies to be wasted…God wants to use them for good in others. Many of you have been thru things that uniquely qualify you to help others I cannot help!
And let’s be patient and kind, understanding that everyone has burdens.
Ill.—J. Vernon McGee tells of a church member criticizing him for “ignoring him” on the subway. This wasn’t his usual way, so he asked when it was. Then he remembered that day, and the very bad news he had heard, and the burden he was carrying. He apologized as he told the man the situation. The man’s heart broke as he empathized and realized his Pastor wasn’t perfect and had a life of his own, and didn’t exist merely for others at all times…and he apologized and became more patient and kind.
So lift a burden with a kind word or note…because some burdens are meant to be shared. Make your Faith Promise pledge to Missions, read their prayer letters, pray for them, adopt one and spoil them…because some burdens are worthy of sharing!
That’s v. 2…but now look at v. 5…it almost seems contradictory.
But I believe this is talking about 2 different kinds of burdens. Some are to be shared by others, but…
2. Some burdens are meant to be shouldered [alone]
v. 5 There are some burdens which no one else can help you with.
Examples of burdens to be shouldered:
•Consequences of personal sin
We live in a day and time in which people want to sin and ignore the consequences. [avoid them]
The attitude today is: “it’s not your fault…it’s the way your parents raised you.” [dominating mother/rejecting father/momma gave you oats too early/made you play with dollies/what your “ex” did to you or your boss, etc.]
I’m not minimizing the affects our past can sometimes have…I’m saying that in Jesus Christ you CAN get past your past!
When you take on the former attitude too far, you are shrugging off all personal responsibility for your life…you develop a victim’s mentality and everything is someone else’s fault.
We’re in a mess today as we don’t take personal responsibility for the choices that we make!
Ill.—the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that killers become killers for 2 reasons:
1. A difficult delivery at birth
2. They were rejected by their mother
The article went on to say that if forceps were used on you when you were born you have a higher likelihood to kill people one day!
I understand that certain things in our past can “predispose” us to certain things, but we still make our choices, and when we make our bed, we have to sleep in it!
Your parents lifestyle may have exposed you to adultery [anger, lying, gossip], but you still have a choice to make when tempted w/ immorality. We can rise above it and break the cycle if we want to, with God’s help. There’s victory in Jesus if we want it!
But we like to play the blame game…and we’re world-famous for passing the buck.
Ill.—it all started in the garden of Eden when Adam said, it’s that woman you gave me, God [and we’ve been using that one ever since!]…and then the woman said, it’s that snake [referring to Adam? No, Satan!]
When will we grow up and rise up and fess up and say, I’m responsible?!
We can choose to sin, but we cannot choose the consequences!
v. 7-8 We have a free will, and so does God when He reads our meter!
•Judgment
This is serious.
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Everyone here will someday stand before God…alone! I cannot stand with you and no one with me. Your parents won’t be beside you or your attorney. We will all have to give an account.
The saved will be secure, but we still will have to answer at our judgment. Thank God, the Christian’s sin has already been judged at Calvary, but we will give an account for how carefully or how carelessly we lived our Christian life. Some will suffer loss. If you think you can live a haphazard Christian life and get away with it you are badly, sadly mistaken.
Our service will be judged, our stewardship, our motives, and then rewards will be given for that which was done truly for Christ, who knows the heart.
The lost will have no hope at their judgment. They will stand before God w/ the burden of sin still on their back. There’s only 1 sin for which a person will go to hell…the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior. If you need to be saved today and you reject the opportunity, you are inviting this scene to take place, alone before God, and you and your burden will be cast into the lake of fire.
No matter which judgment you appear at…all the veneer and excuses are stripped away…it’s just you and your Creator.
Shared, shouldered…
3. Some burdens are meant to be shed
Psalm 55:22
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Jesus is our great burden bearer. Sometimes we cling to a burden and try to carry it ourselves. We can be deceived into thinking God wants us to carry something by ourselves as if we are somehow serving God by doing so…but some burdens He wants to carry for us, if we’ll let Him.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
When it’s more than you can bear and you don’t think you can take another step, you can lay it on Jesus.
For some reason sometimes, we feel like we can make it ourselves. But there are times when we need to let go and let God!
[use small boy for illustration…lay a burden on his back and have him try to climb the steps to the platform…not able to make it under the load]
One of these two things will happen when we cast our burden on the Lord:
•The Lord will lift the burden
I’ve seen people have a health need, and they pray, and it goes away.
Financial need…and God provides the money. It’s always great when that’s how it happens. But that’s not always how God works…
Look again at Ps. 55:22 which says, “and He shall sustain it” ??? No, “He shall sustain thee.”
Sometimes the Lord doesn’t lift the burden…sometimes...
•The Lord will lift you [pick up boy carrying the burden on his back...now his burden is being carried, but by someone else!] [now you know why I used a small guy for this illustration!]
The Apostle Paul is an example of this. 3 times He asked God to lift a burden he was carrying. We preach about it and say that God’s answer was “no”, but I’ll give you grace. But really, 3 times God said yes…I’ll lift that burden, and you too!
Some of you are getting bitter toward God because you’ve asked Him to lift your burden and it doesn’t seem that He has…but please realize it may be His will to lift you up, and carry you and that burden through it all. But when we throw a perpetual pity party we don’t allow Him to carry us or the burden either!
“He shall sustain THEE!”
ill.—man walking down road w/ big sack of potatoes on his shoulder / so heavy, sweat on his brow / somebody pulled up in a pickup truck and offered him a ride / climbed in, but kept sack on his shoulder / after a while the driver looked over and said, “man, put that sack in the floor and relax” / he replied, “no sir, I’ll not do it…it’s enough that you’d carry me to town, I’m not gonna ask you to carry these taters!”
And that’s just what we do to the Lord sometimes. Some of you today are carrying a burden the Lord never intended you to carry…but you seem to insist!
“I must tell Jesus, all of my trials, I cannot bear these burdens alone
in my distress He kindly will help me,
He ever loves and cares for His own.” [then chorus]
Come to the altar today and cast your burden on the Lord [symbolically leave it there], and also ask Him what He’d have you shoulder/share.
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