Bearing Burdens

So we are going to start a little different then usual.

Everyone there is object an object in your row.

I want everyone to grab one and then with one arm hold it out in front of you.

And its not a competition unless you want it to be

But I would guess that it starts pretty easy right?

Everyone think this is easy?

Well I have good news you have to hold it like this the whole service?

No really, but your probably starting to feel the burn bit right?

Anyone starting to feel it?

Anyone think they can go for the whole sermon?

But you probably noice that it starts very easy but then the longer you go eventually you get to the point where you are going this thing is heavy!

and it keeps getting heavier and weighing more until we can’t carry it at all and we give in and go Im done.

But you know in life we all carry weights around

And to often these weights that we cary are not even visible.

These are the weights we feel when a marriage is crumbling, but on the outside everyone thinks we look happy

its when a health issue comes up and its all we can think of

These are the weights you have probably felt if you have ever struggled with anxiety or depression

Its a heavy weight, but not many people can see it,

Its a weight if you have ever caught yourself during a financial hardship, and all you can think of is this weight.

And then there are also weights that we have to carry because of things we have done.

We made a mistake, and we feel the consequences

We are wrestleing with something that we are ashamed of, and because of that we have not told a soul.

And we just feel that weighing on us.

And this list could keep going right?

But what happens is we have these things that may not seem heavy at first, but over the period of days, weeks, months and even years we caatch ourselves in a place where we go, I cannot hold this alone.

And its not long before we catch ourselves asking “how can I go on?”

And so here is what we are going to do today, because if I had to guess, there are probably some of us in this place this morning, where the burden has gotten to heavy and we do not know what to do.

But we are finishing this letter that a leader in the early church named Paul wrote, to the Galatian church and this is a church that had burdens.

Some of them were far from God and you can picture them going “I don’t know how to get where I need to be”

but then they are also being persecuted, so some of them might be in a place where they do not know if there will be a tomorrow.

And I love where we are because Paul finishes his letter today, and he talks about the burdens we bare.

And my hope for us today is if your in a place thats tough this morning, that maybe this morning that burden can get carried.

And so we are in Galatians 6 and my hope is that this morning is that we start to see that the burdens we face do not have to be alone.

And so lets start verses 1-2 because Paul immediately calls out this lie that we need to carry our burdens by ourself

Look what it says:

Galatians 6:1–2 (NIV)

Doing Good to All

6 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

So Paul starts with the spiritual burdens that we carry, because the truth is whether you are new in your walk with God, or have been in a relationship with God for years there are times we mess up. Amen?

And I love what Paul does, because he does not say when someone messes up kick them out right?

But he says restore them gently,

You know is anyone big into the HGTV shows, where they take something thats old and beat up and they completely redo it right.

So say someone found our coffee table (No joke this is a picture of our coffee table)

But they would wipe off the Cheerios, they would start to sand it down, they would restain it and it would kind of be this labor of love right?

And what I love about that word is its not someone coming in going look at that trash,

But its someone looking at another person lovingly, and going lets do this togehther.

Lets bring you back into the person God has created and called you to be.

Because this is really far from it.

And in verse 2 that we read Paul tells us that we need to bear each-others burdens.

Because the truth is we are not called to do it alone.

Its kind of like if you have ever flown.

You know that planes have those two big engines that make the plane fly.

But apparently, this is a little bit of a plane fact, a plane can stay flying with only one engine.

But theres a reason it fly’s with two, because flies better with two right?

But because if one fails the other keeps it from crashing.

And this is what Paul is telling us about our burdens.

Sure bear it alone, but first off its hard, but secondly and more importantly its dangerous, because you can crash.

And I think that this is probably one of the most important points that I want us to get today.

because we aall have different burdens in our life and God has given us people to help carry our burdens.

And to be honest I think this is the main reason we have this thing called a church.

Because I can guarantee you can find a good sermon online, you can find good Christian music, and these things are good.

But something that I believe cannot be done, without planting ourselves somewhere, is us becoming a people that bear eachother burdens.

Because I can guarantee that the issues you are facing someone else in this building has faced.

You might hve marital issues, well there is this couple accross the sanctuary that has been there, and they can share what they did.

You are wrestling with an addiction, someone else has been through that,

Because the truth is when we keep the burdens in our life in the dark they grow.

And I am not saying come announce your deepest darkest sin on a Sunday morning, but start to pray about the people in your life (hopefully in this church) that you can come to, and say I need help.

Because each person here, including myself, needs someone who can guide us, love us, gently restore us and ultimately be a part of carrying the burdens that we just cannot carry any further.

And lets keep moving. Look at verses 3-6

Galatians 6:3–6 NIV

3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

So first Paul says carry our burdens, and this is really the corporate part of our faith, but then he moves on to acknowledge that while what we do here is important, there is also a big part of our faith that is about ourselves.

And he is going we need to test oursselves (not where we are comparing ourselves against where someone else is in their walk with God, but where we should be)

And Paul even mentions in verse 5 that we read, that their is a point where we have to carry our own load.

We can’t rely on someone else, but its on us.

Its almost like how last year I took Liam to preschool and one time out of the dozens of times I did it, I forgot his backpack.

Probably for the next 7 months Liam would remind me weekly that I forgot his backpack.

And he called me out on it as he was getting ready to enter kindergarden,

and I remember going wait a second preschool sure, thats on me, but you are in kindergarten now!

Sure I can help, but ultimately, you are at the point in life where you need to start bearing this.

And I think in our walk with God, we get to a place where its easy to point at others for the reason we are not growing in our walk with God, or why our life has ended up in a rough place.

We might go well my church is not helping me grow in my walk with God (and it should)

We might go well this person did this and I am really mad about it, and its caused all of these issues (and that might be true)

But at a certain point we have to look at ourselves and go, but what have I done, and how can I push myself to grow closer to God in my own life.

Because when we are pushing ourself in our walk with God, and relying on others in the body of Christ, God starts to move in an amazing way, where we start to mature and become so much more rooted in the people that God has called us to be.

And Paul tells us this in these next verses:

Galatians 6:7–8 NIV

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

You know Paul goes what you reap, is what you sow

And this is simple, the things you put into your walk with God, is for the most part, going to be where you find yourself.

Its almost like if you are a baker, you know the ingrediants you but in a cake impact what the cake taste like.

I could put good things in it and its going to tate pretty good right?

But then I can add other things or forget things and then I bake the cake and all of the sudden we end up with this nasty thing right?

And in a way Paul is going doo not b suprised when you fill your life with toxic things and your life ends up in a place where you see the destruction and harm of the things you have done that were far from God.

Because what we reap is what we sow.

And I want to finish up and jump to the last part of this passage in verses 17-18 and this passage

And this is Paul wrapping this entire letter together. It says:

Galatians 6:17–18 NIV

17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

You know Paul is saying I have these burdens, I have these things troubling me in my life, I have these things that I feel like might be pulling me away from Christ, but from now on, I am not letting it cause issues because I have the marks of Christ.

And Paul might be referring to the persecution he has faced, but more likely he is going because Christ has died, my previous way of life died and now I am made alive in Him!

And ultimatley now these burdens that I catch myself bearing can be held my Christ.

And as we close maybe you are in a place today where the burdens you are holding is to much, first off what would it look like to give that to Christ,

but secondly, what does it look like to find ssomeone (maaybw someone in this room that can help us walk this life togheter.

Because god did not create us to be alone.

When God created Adam, he said its not good for man to be alone.

And so as we sing this last song, I am going to ask you to do something a little odd, because up front I have some rocks in this basket

Maybe that can represent the burden you are holding this morning,

And it is heavy, and you are unsure what to do.

I am going to invite you during this song to place it on the alter,

As a way of saying I am owning this, but I am not holding onto it but I am giving it to Christ, and I am dropping it at His feet.

And my prayer is that as we do that it does not just end here, but we find someone to live this out with.

Will you pray with me?

And maybe you are holding onto somthing that you know you need someone to walk along sside with.

Maybe you can grab a stone to remind you I need to find somone.