Bear One Another’s Burdens

Work place - “we’re a family” - I think this might be a newer trend so I imagine that some of you may not have heard it - or you worked in a industry like mining where I imagine that likely would have been laughed at.

Intent of employer is closeness… but it’s also just a phrase that people hate…

we’re not a family - I’m just here so I can feed my family…

But also if your work place where a family they would have a day of mourning when you quit, retire or die… but they don’t - they post your job within 24 hours. And that’s not necessarily wrong - the workplace was never really meant to be a family… and unless we’re speaking of a family business - it’s just a manipulative phrase to make your boss feel better about taking advantage of you.

The family dynamic is a beautiful one - that is regularly under attack by our culture. And the workplace hijacking this vocabulary is a

But the family dynamic has also been stained by sin.

But consider how dramatically different the church is…

BUT the way that the church is repeatedly spoken of in the New Testament is as a family…

in this text: the HOUSEHOLD of faith.

The Uniqueness of the Church

The Beauty of the church.

An institution

Our text for today I believe helps us to see how the family of faith should truly act like a family, and help us to see how the church is indeed beautiful.

Church hurt… (Make a comment about this if we have visitors maybe?) Sometimes the church doesn’t act like a family - sometimes the church is impacted by sin - yet one thing that makes the church unique is that the very reason we gather is that we know we need forgiveness because we have sinned - and unfortunately that means we will hurt one another.

The text for today all falls under the category of bearing one another’s burdens. However, it divides into three sections:

Spiritual Restoration: What to do when someone in the church sins.

Spiritual Leaders: Taking Care of those who Take Care of You

Spiritual Harvest: You will Reap What You Sow

Spiritual Restoration

Verse 1 - Brothers, a term of endearment that Paul has used a few times in this letter - but he uses it carefully and sparingly. In the moments where Paul is most angry and discouraged it is absent, but in moments where he is seeking to build them up

So compared to where we were earlier in chapter 5, we do see a bit of a change in Paul’s argument. Here he moves to encouragement rather than rebuke. However, do not divorce the text from the previous section just because there is a big number 6 there.

This text is still very much a continuation of the previous section. Where Paul speaks of transgression here he is referring back to the deeds of the flesh that he just mentioned in 19-22. Where he mentions a spirit of gentleness it calls back to gentleness as a fruit of the spirit.

Where Paul writes “those who are spiritual” here he isn’t referring to an elite class of Christians are who spiritual while others are not. He isn’t referring to the most holy of the group - but referring to those who are walking by the Spirit. So Paul is ultimately speaking to all Christians here - and stating if you are walking by the Spirit this is how you ought to act.

So to pack that all back in… Paul is saying “Christians, here is what you do if you or one of your brothers or sisters is has wandered off into these previously mentioned deeds of the flesh.

So first off we must be willing to call sin what it is. It is sin. We must be willing to alongside Paul look at these deeds of the flesh and call them sin - even when the world around us calls sin god.

But how does Paul tell Christians to address other Christians who are caught in transgress? what does he say? Shun them? Gossip about them until the whole church knows about it? Post it on Facebook? No, none of that.

He says to restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

There’s a time and place for separation and removal from the church - but Paul is talking about way before we get there.

What Paul is describing is this is the first step of Matthew 18. See Mt 18:15

Matthew 18:15 ESV

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

Rebuking for the sake of restoration. But also do not forget the gentleness that Paul has prescribed.

This doesn’t mean share it with whole church through gossip, or a tell all prayer request.

Not everyone needs to know someone else’s struggle. If you don’t have the boldness to confront someone on their sin, don’t have the cowardice to whisper it to other people. That’s not a spirit of gentleness that a spirit of gossip, and cowardice. No one is calling your to be the herald of other people’s problems. No one was given the spiritual gift of gossip.

Keep watch on yourself, let you too be tempted.

Tempted to what?

Tempted to also sin.

This could mean tempted to sin also.

I’ve seen this go haywire before.

One example is that I know of a church that had a ministry to women who worked in a red light district type context - and overtime instead of the women being pulled out of that - one woman in particular was drawn into it. And as the ministry head went to do this to call her back and gently restore her - he did not watch himself and he was tempted and also fell into sin.

Thus why it is important that in the context of this we do not think too highly of ourselves, as Paul states in verse 3.

Galatians 6:3 ESV

3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Christians should be humble people. And thus we ought to confront sin humbly. Being reminded that we are also sinners - desperately in need of the grace of Jesus.

This doesn’t just only mean that you are tempted to join them in sin - but also that you are tempted to restore them in an ungentle spirit, or also that you might be tempted to sin in a different manner in response.

You might remember that a few weeks ago I mentioned a friend of mine was dealing with an issue in his church where a deacon and his wife were gossiping towards an elder. This began because the elder responded to something they did in anger. He responded to their sin with sin, and they responded to his sin with more sin.

We cannot think that just because we are in Christ, or have been in Christ for decades, that we are above sin. Rebuke other with love, gentleness, and humility. Not arrogance, and pride. This is why Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:11 after listing various sins reminds the reader “as such were some of you.” None of us are sinless. There is just as much of Jesus’ blood on your hands as there is mine, or the person you may be thinking of who needs to be called out of their sin. There is just as much of Jesus’ blood on your hands as the person whose sin you feel the need to tell everyone about.

There is a time and a place to tell others these things - but if you have not spoken to the individual in question - you do not need to report it to others. Take Jesus’ words in Matthew 18 seriously. You are not just warning people, you are not just reporting things that you think someone should know.

You are not doing the work of gentle spiritual restoration if you respond to someone’s sin by telling EVERYONE else instead of gently and humbly coming alongside them to point them to Christ and showing them the error, and offense of their sinfulness.

All of this is key to bearing one another burdens and fulfilling the law of Christ.

Burden here does not merely mean the difficult things of life. It does not merely mean helping someone when their car is broken down. Rather the burden of failure, and sin in life. As Paul is concerned here bearing one another burdens means helping them to bear the heavy load that is sin.

Ronald Fung:

The Epistle to the Galatians 1. Helping One Another (6:1–5)

The maxim “bear one another’s burdens,” as Paul uses it here, “means that `failure’ by Christians should be regarded as part of the `burden of life’ and should be shared and borne by the Christian community.”18 When the burdens of life become simply unbearable for any member of the community, the others, if they are truly spiritual, will lighten his load by sharing his burdens and thus enabling him to stand.

Rather than standing around passing judgment or telling everyone else about someone’s short comings and sins we should first pick up a phone, or drive to their house and ask “how can I help?”

How can I keep you accountable so that you might not sin?

You are worried about someone not being in church - How should you act? Maybe start with “How can I help you to be in church more often?” That’s a simple example - this gets harder when we get into substance abuse - and yet it is the very reason why we see those who have previously been addicted to drugs or alcohol are so quick to try to help others get out of it.

And Paul ties this bearing of burdens to what he calls the law of Christ. And so we can fulfill this law of Christ by doing what Jesus did. Bearing our burdens.

And in bearing others burdens we remind them of the comfort that Jesus speaks to the heavy laden.

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

We remember what Christ has done for us, and then we ought to seek to the do the same for others.

And while I’ve already stated that we ought to do these things in humility. Verses 3-5 further display this. Do not think highly of yourself - examine your own work. Paul is dismantling any remainder of pride that the person might have.

If you think you are something when you are nothing you are lying to yourself.

But instead of lying to yourself - honestly reflect on your deeds - how do you fair? Bear your own burden and boast in yourself. See how you fair - see how you stand.

2 Cor 13:5 … There’s no room for at least i didn’t sin like that guy…

Spiritual Leaders

Verse 6 -

Then Paul pivots to celebrate and honor the person who teaches. The one who teaches the word, who encourages you to bear one another’s burdens, to restore one another in gentleness, to fulfill the law of Christ.

Paul makes a comment that almost seems as if it doesn’t fit in this text. If the text up to this point is addressing spiritual restoration and ensuring that we do not fall into sin, and bearing one another’s burdens - then it seems a bit odd that Paul would write:

Galatians 6:6 ESV

6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

And I will admit that I searched several commentaries to insure that I was understanding this correctly. This another aspect of carrying one another’s burdens. But more exclusive to the one’s teaching you.

To directly quote a pastor friend of mine: “As the teacher has blessed with heavenly blessings, bless him in earthly provisions for his labors.” A pastor friend of mine Kyle Ryan

OR as one commentary very bluntly wrote it “pay your pastor.” In other words take care of the physical needs of those who are taking care of your spiritual needs by preaching and teaching you the word of God, and laboring for you in prayer.

This isn’t about a preacher profiting off of the gospel, the intent is that the teachers needs are taken care of so that they do not have to worry about those needs in order that they can focus on the work of the ministry.

This does not just mean providing for your pastors financial needs- though that applies, and this church does, but also

Spiritual Harvest

7-8 - you will reap what you sow…

The following Paul’s statement here argues to show what our deeds demonstrate.

Going back to chapter 5, if you life is marked by the deeds of the flesh, you will reap that which they bring - corruption. But if you are walking by the Spirit, bearing one another burdens, caring for each others needs, then you will reap eternal life. Now this isn’t about earning salvation - to take that interpretation would be to miss the entire point of the letter so far. But redeemed people do the works of the redeemed, sinful people do the deeds of sinners.

THIS is not the same as karma. This is not a promise that if you do good to others good will always happen to you. This is not “what goes around comes around.”

Todd Wilson in his commentary on Galatians writes:

Galatians—Gospel-Rooted Living Sowing and Reaping Is Reality (6:7, 8)

What we need to understand is that sowing to the Spirit is simply another way to describe walking by faith; it’s a life lived by faith and in reliance upon the Holy Spirit of God as both the motivation and means of giving sacrificially.

Do not expect to reap pumpkins if you plant corn. Do not expect friendliness and kindness if you sow gossip and discord.

If you sow negativity, bitterness, pessimism, ungodliness - and you wonder why you reap the same things…

This is an example of burdening others rather than bearing the burden of others.

All of that is sowing to the flesh… but we aren’t supposed to sow to the flesh we’re to crucify the flesh.

But this isn’t just about the power of positive thinking or karma… it’s about the community of the church. And this should ultimately lead to look at your deeds -

Your harvest is a sign of your heart. If your heart is wicked you will do wicked deeds. If you have been given a new heart in Christ you will reap

But that’s not the full direction that Paul takes this text - he uses this an encouragement to continue to do good works.

Galatians 6:9 ESV

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Thus this is also a reminder to continue on in the fruit of the Spirit. While the fruit is something that we bear as a natural outworking of the Spirit in our lives - we also have this responsibility on our part to endure in good work.

It can at times feel discouraging to endure in doing good works - especially when we don’t see the harvest of those good deeds. Some times those things take time. We may never see the fruit of our harvest - maybe someone else watched the growth, though we planted the seed. But that should not discourage us from doing good. We ought to continue on in the work of ministry, in the work of loving our neighbor because it is the right thing to do - the God glorifying thing to do - because it is reaping to the Spirit - not because it brings a harvest to reap. We hope and praying it brings a harvest but that’s not the goal. The goal is doing good, and glorifying God.

And Paul even further states that we ought to seek to do good to those in the household of faith.

Galatians 6:10 ESV

10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Do good to all - but take care of the church. This would bring the text full circle in a sense. If we should seek to do good to those who are in the household of faith - then that would include restoring our brother or sister who is in sin. Bearing one another’s burdens. Caring for the church and for her shepherds, as the shepherds seek to care for the sheep.

Being reminded of the gospel…

Share the gospel…

Conclude