Can You Spot Me?

(Host) Read Galatians 6:1-5…

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“Can you spot me?” If you ever lifted weights you know what that means…

Lifting to failure… Necessity of a spotter…

There to help you when you hit failure… if not difference between life and death/at least life and injury

Spend enough time in gym, someone would inevitably try to do it alone… Pride? Unwilling to be vulnerable? One and the same?…

Eventually becomes too much. Hopefully someone there to help lift the load.

Can you spot me?

Good analogy for life. We all eventually hit the wall. We push - or are pushed by circumstances - to point of failure. We are faced with a weight we cannot carry on our own. When that happens - and it will - what do we do? Do we allow ourselves to be crushed by the weight? That’s what many ultimately choose to do. Again, pride? Unwillingness to be vulnerable? Just so self-deluded as to really believe they don’t need help??

Or do we turn to others for help? Can you spot me? Last week we saw that the Lord created community because He isn’t alone and it wasn’t good for us to be alone. This week we build on that. Community is God’s idea bc we all need help with life’s burdens. You weren’t made to be alone AND you weren’t made to carry burdens alone. If you belong to church, you have the divine task of being a “spotter” for struggling brothers and sisters, just as they carry that same responsibility for you.

Pray…

The reality of burdens (v. 1-2)

“Carry each other’s burdens...” When Paul talks about burdens, he is referring to sin… “Caught in a sin”… Whether aware of not, Bible says we all carry this burden where we have done things we shouldn’t do/not done things we ought to do… For all have sinned...

ALL other burdens in life stem from consequences of sin… Sickness, layoffs due to a failing economy, divorce, demonic oppression… All these fit under the category of burdens here

Paul doesn’t say IF burdens happen. For him they are an inescapable fact of life. He writes Romans 8 that creation itself groans because of burden of sin, that even we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit cannot escape the groans of this world.

And if it’s not clear, burdens are not a sign that God has abandoned you or doesn’t love you; it’s the reality of a sin-sick world - a world that he has begun healing through Jesus the King.

Burdens in v2 is the Greek word baros - it refers to a weight that would be too heavy or oppressive for a single person to carry.

The meaning of this verse is clear - there are burdens you cannot/should not try carry alone. They are too much for you. You need a spotter.

Obviously, the weight of sin carries an eternal-kind-of-death consequence. Jesus’ substitutionary atonement means he stepped into your place to carry what would have been too much for you.

But also - severe illnesses, family breakdown, financial crises, mental illness, demonic oppression…

The myth of self-sufficiency (v. 2-3)

Paul confronts the myth of self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency is not a mark of bravery but a sign of pride. “I don’t want to burden others… Other people have bigger problems than me…” may sound brave or altruistic, but lurking underneath is more likely an unwillingness to be vulnerable before others, to let others see your flaws or failings, or to appear weak.

“But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:10, NIV)

Apparently this self-sufficient attitude existed in Galatia. There were some who didn't think they needed help and looked down on those that did. This attitude of conceited self-importance leads to two fundamental failures in relationship:

one, the refusal to bear the burdens of others, a task too menial for a person who “thinks he is something”;

the other, the refusal to allow anyone else to help shoulder one’s own burdens since that would be an admission of weakness and need.

To live this way, however, is to practice the art of self-deception.

The gift of mutuality

Over and against this way of life, God has given us an incredible gift: Mutuality. Mutuality just means a shared, reciprocal relationship between people. It is load-sharing. One biblical word to describe mutuality would be koinonia - translated often as “fellowship” but better as “sharing in”. The early disciples demonstrated mutuality by “sharing in” fellowship together, and this was practically worked out by sharing their goods with each other. The early leaders of the church established mutuality among the leadership so that no one person carried all the weight OR all the authority alone. Leadership is best when shared.

And to share in a mutual relationship with others is not an optional add-on in the Christian’s life; it is stated as a command. “Carry each other’s burdens…” This is the duty we owe to each other, to come alongside one another and help carry the loads that are too much to carry alone.

Paul says this load-bearing responsibility is at the center of the great law that Jesus gave to his followers. Carry each other’s burdens “and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

What’s the law of Christ? It’s the law of Love

“A new command [Law] I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34, NIV)

The kind of love Jesus means is not emotional. We aren’t commanded to have warm feelings for others. This kind of love is a verb - it’s always demonstrated by action. Biblical love is willing the good of another - even an enemy - at your own expense. This is the kind of love Jesus demonstrated by going to the cross. “As I have loved you...”

Aside: clear up confusion. It appears in English like Paul is immediately contradicting himself. “Carry each other’s burdens… each should carry his own load.” Resolved in Greek - baros (oppressive load), phortion (soldier’s backpack/normal load). His point is that there is a load we all carry for ourselves - the responsibility for our own sin. I cannot carry your sin-burden, and you cannot carry mine. Each must turn to Jesus to have the weight of that load lifted. Have you done that? Have you confessed your sin and gone under the waters of baptism as the sign of forgiveness and new life in Jesus? Next Steps.

So… each must bear the responsibility of their own sin. BUT - to bear one another's oppressive burdens IS to fulfill the law of Christ.

This doesn’t mean you bear EVERYONE’S burdens - that in itself would be too heavy. It does mean you should be a part of a smaller circle - say a small group, hint, hint - where you can help bear the burdens of others - WHILE they also help you bear yours.

If I had to say one thing about our small groups, it is that while I do want us to learn and grow in them, what is of much greater importance is the love and care that happens there. You may not need or even like the topic being covered, but you definitely need the koinonia found there - even if you don’t like it!

Small groups aren't for people who have it all together; they are the spotters for when life's weight gets too heavy.

Can you spot me?

It’s OK to not be OK

You leave church this morning and pass someone you know and ask “How are you doing?” What response do you usually hear?

"Good! Fine! Busy, but good!" Pastors are THE worst about giving this response!

Contrast this to what may be actually happening in their head on the drive to church: a fight with their spouse, anxiety about a child, financial pressure, or a silent struggle with addiction.

"Fine" is the currency of superficial community. Real fellowship begins when "I'm fine" is replaced with "Honestly, I'm struggling today."

Can we be a church where “It’s OK to not be OK”?

Jesus modeled what it looked like to let others bear his burdens. He had a small group of people that traveled everywhere with him. And within this group he had three in particular who were with him in his highest and lowest points - Peter, James, and John.

They got to see Jesus at his best, going with him up a mountain and seeing him transfigured into the glory he shared with the Father before the world began. Can’t get much higher than that!

But they also saw him at his lowest when they went with him to a garden on the eve of his crucifixion where he literally sweated blood because of his dread of what was about to happen. “He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’” (Matthew 26:37–38, NIV)

Jesus preached to crowds; he needed inner circles. He modeled that, in his divinity, he needed the Father and Spirit; in his humanity, he needed Peter, James, and John. We need both too: the embrace of the triune God (where we find our true value and identity) and a few people to keep watch with us and share our load. We need a circle—and not just in principle, but in lived experience. We need to be known and loved, in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Whether in suffering or in glory, we should never try to lift alone.

Apart from the gospel, either our pride drives us toward independence and self-sufficiency OR our fear drives us toward dependence, neediness, and people-pleasing.

The gospel humbles us by showing us we are weak and need grace, while simultaneously affirming us as secure and deeply loved in Christ. This frees us to step into interdependence—a space where we can confess sin without shame, ask for help without pride, and offer grace without self-righteousness.

And “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35, NIV)

The world does not primarily judge the truth of the gospel by our large-scale gatherings or polished Sunday presentations; it judges the gospel by how we treat each other when life gets messy. Living out our faith in circles makes the invisible grace of God visible to a watching and isolated world.

Are you trying to lift alone?

Who is the Spirit leading you to become vulnerable with - a small group, a friend - and ask “Can you spot me?”

If you take your eyes off yourself for a moment, who do you see around you that could use a spotter? Use Spirit-eyes...

——————————————————————— Communion

Invite people to stand.

Step down to the table

Invite Communion/ministry team forward.

Every Sunday we come to this table to take part in a meal Jesus gave us. Jesus said the elements of bread and wine are his body and blood, true food and true drink. They are a grace given to us for our spiritual nourishment. And they demonstrate the reality that what was once separated has now been joined together by his sacrifice.

If you would like to participate in this meal celebrating his life, death, and resurrection, after I pray step into the nearest aisle. Someone at the front will take a piece of bread dipped in wine and offer it to you as the body and blood of Jesus. If you prefer not to have wine, close your hands together and that will be the sign for them to give you a sealed container with grape juice and a wafer.

Ministry prayer...

Who would be brave enough today to say “I’m not OK - I need prayer”?...

Let us pray.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

From the beginning you existed in eternal, self-giving love, and out of that divine fellowship you formed us for connection. You declared that it is not good for us to be alone, creating us not for self-sufficient pride, but to share one another’s burdens in love.

When we were crushed under the unbearable weight of our own sin, unable to lift the load that leads to death, you did not abandon us. In your mercy, Jesus the King stepped into our place to bear the cross we could not carry. In the darkness of Gethsemane, He embraced human weakness, inviting His disciples to watch and pray, and showing us that true strength is found in authentic surrender.

Through His death and resurrection, He broke down the walls that isolate us, calling us out of hiddenness and into His family, and commissioning us to be burden-bearers for one another.

Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Jesus, as we come to your table today, we remember that on the night you were betrayed, while you were sharing a meal with your closest friends, you took bread. You gave thanks to the Father, you broke it, and you gave it to them, saying: “Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance me.”

In the same way, after the meal, you took the cup. You gave thanks, and you passed it to them, saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance me.”

Heavenly Father, send your Spirit upon these gifts of bread and wine.

Sanctify them so that they might be the body and blood of Jesus, our meal of forgiveness and acceptance. And as we share them together, let your Spirit unite us in burden-bearing love so that all people may know that we are your disciples.

Jesus, we do this in praise of your sacrifice for us, and we offer ourselves freshly to you today. All glory, honor, and praise belong to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever.

Amen.

Invite the worship team to receive Communion first and then everyone else.