Bear One Another's Burdens

Galatians 6:1-10

2024 Spring Branch

Bear One Another’s Burdens

Galatians 6:1-10

I am a Christian. You are a Christian. We are not following laws, we are following Christ. The law did not produce salvation, give me life, give me the Spirit… Jesus did this. The law does not produce fruit, the Spirit of God produces fruit in us and changes our lives progressively.

We are obeying Christ now. We are yielding to the Spirit now. This is our lifestyle, our practice, and our habit as we abide in our Vine, the Lord Jesus Himself.

But what happens when we fall? But what happens when we start going back to sinful desires or to works righteousness?

The Christian should be miserable, and that misery should indicate that the Christian is not where he or she needs to be… but maybe they do not understand and or maybe they are deceived. Maybe we justify our actions and behavior in some way. We are very good at this…

But as an on-looker, as a brother or as a sister… what do we do?

Verse 1 – If anyone is caught (seen or is ensnared) in any transgression… you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 18:15 – If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault… James 5:20 – Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

1. It is not negotiable: We are to talk about it. We must confront it. Christ commands it. Love demands it. This is the Christian way of life.

Overlooking sin in the church is not Christ’s way. Just praying about it is not Christ’s way. Our brother or sister, if they are truly Christian, they are being affected by the sin and it is doing harm. It will lead them down a dark road and do harm to them and those around them… even within the church.

Overlooking sin is not love, it is hatred.

2. Who should go? Not hot heads. Not prideful bigots. Humble servants of Jesus. These individuals who know God, know God’s Word, who pray and love their church family. They do not want to shove their noses in their sins. They do not want to act superior over the sinning individual. They just want to help. This is their attitude and character.

3. For what purpose? To restore (to mend them or help repair) them and save their soul from damage. To protect them, others, and Christ’s great name. We want them set free, with joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. We want them to turn before something worse happens to them. We want their family to be kept safe from the effects of sin.

And ultimately… We want Jesus to be honored and glorified in and through it all. In sin, Christ’s Name is not honored. That person’s prayer life and worship life is hindered, the Spirit is grieved and quenched. We desire for them to be liberated and to make progress in the Christian life.

Verse 2 – We are under the Law of Christ. (John 13:34 -Love) He is the King; what He says… goes. Under His commands we bear with one another, practicing long-suffering with one another. Loving one another as ourselves is obedience to Jesus and it is imitating the King’s actions toward us…

Our people, all of us, will have burdens. We will all carry a certain amount of burden, and we should never expect a life without difficulty, nor should we expect our brothers and sisters to take every burden away from us…

But at times… we need a hand, we need a shoulder, we need a meal, some support of some kind… sometimes we all need some help. We check ourselves as we consider the need, and with right motivations and intentions, with a cheerful heart, we give not expecting anything in return.

Your brothers and sisters will have temptations to overcome. Guard yourself, check your intentions, make sure you don’t have a plank in your eye… and help them to the best of your ability out of love… not for your boasting...

Matthew 6 – Give without being seen by others. Give without boasting. Give naturally, in secret, and move on… Knowing that you did this out of your love for Christ and for your brother and sister on Christ. And your heavenly father will reward you Himself, when you do so.

The Lord loves a cheerful giver. The Lord loves the peacemaker. The Lord loves the servant. Let us do good to everyone, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Verse 6 – In context above, it seems that the one’s who are teaching God’s Word are worthy of their wages and that we should support them with material compensation. With the context below verse 6, maybe we should share all the wonderful and excellent things learned from the Word of God.

To be honest, I am for both. For every check given to me feeds, clothes, and warms four grateful family members… two starving children…

But on top of that… I love hearing what God does in and through the ministry. Please share this.

Verse 7-9 – Do not be deceived. God will not be mocked. He knows your hearts. He is telling the truth. He has given you the truth. Invest your lives now and reap the benefits of sowing into the spiritual work.

Receive the Spirit of God and now go and sow seeds… farm… work the ground… redeem the time… cut off the things that keep you from growing and invest in others so that they can grow…

We still have daylight left. Tell the world, teach them, disciple them, help them to see that going their own way and living for self will lead to destruction, but living for Christ and living by the Spirit will lead to life and life eternal.

Do not grow weary of doing good. It is going to be worth it. Keep witnessing. Keep showing Christ. Keep growing. Keep reaching. The harvest is coming, just be faithful. God is going to finish what He started. This work is not in vain. This is a good work and we will not come down.

Make the most of the time you have. Make the most of today.

Sow the Gospel. Sow love. Sow kindness. Sow patience. Sow gentleness. Sow faithfulness and self-control…

The Lord will give the increase… just keep sowing and watch God move...

Time is short. Life is short. The time is now… make the most of the time you have.

Keep sowing… and you will not have any regrets when you meet your Savior in the end.