BURDEN BEARERS

 

“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 HCSB)

Need a lift?

Those words can sound like the sweetest music. Have you ever had your car break down, and you find yourself trudging along in a pouring rain or against a bitter wind?  Then you hear a voice asking, “Need a lift?”

At times we all need a lift. We break down under the burdens of life and need a friend to come along and pick us up. Everybody needs somebody sometime. You may be that somebody today.

If you say, “Well, I’m doing alright now,” then do I have a job for you!  You are the one God wants to ask someone else who is broken down, “Need a lift?”

The Apostle Paul issues the call to be burden bearers.

There are THE BACKSLIDERS WE MUST LIFT.

“Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted.” (Gal.6:1)

Someone has said that the church is the only army in the world that shoots its wounded.  Here Paul is talking about a brother who has been caught up in wrongdoing.  They are not evil people, just people who have done evil.  They did not get up in the morning intending to fall, but Satan had a trap set for them, and they were not as vigilant as they ought to have been, then suddenly they were caught. 

I am reminded that Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven. Sadly, that forgiveness is often more readily granted by our Holy Father in heaven than our brothers and sisters in church. Some people think it is the spiritual thing to do to condemn those who stumble and to broadcast their faults to as many as possible. Paul says that just the opposite is true.  The spiritual person is in the business of restoration.

Restoration is an interesting term.  The Greek word was used for setting a broken bone. That requires delicacy.  The object is to mend the bone, not permanently cripple.   The only other place this Greek word is used in the New Testament is in describing the disciples “mending” (restoring) their nets.  The net was useful until it was torn.  It could be again—if mended. 

Think of an old car that is broken down.  It sits in a field, rusting away.  But, someone who has an eye to see knows what the car once was, and has the foresight to see what it can be again, and will use their skill to take what seems useless and restore it into something of value.  There are a lot of Christians sitting at their house on Sunday mornings that used to sit in a pew.  Can we see their value and work to restore them?

There are multitudes—even Christian leaders—that have fallen into the pigpen of sin.  Instead of offering them a hand to lift them, we offer a heel to crush them deeper. We remark, “How could they do that?” The implication is that we would not—somehow, we’re morally superior. Those who react that way are just latter day Pharisees.  A classic illustration is found in John 8:1-11, where the woman who as caught up in adultery was brought to Jesus to condemn her.  His response to the self-righteous was, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.”  They had to drop their rocks.  Maybe we should—and then we would have hands free to lift the fallen one.  That’s what Jesus did.

Our Lord did not minimize her sin. He called upon her to repent, but He offered forgiveness. This is what Paul says spiritual people do.

Our approach must be one of gentleness, not a holier-than-thou attitude.  We are to remind ourselves that we too can fall, and if you think otherwise—you better watch out!  “So whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.” (1 Cor.10:12)  Any of us can fail. Noah got drunk; Abraham lied; Moses committed murder; David committed adultery; Solomon was involved in idolatry; Peter denied the Lord; Mark abandoned the mission.

This is not to say that we look the other way when a fellow believer sins.  We don’t excuse it and trivialize it under the banner of “grace.”  Instead, we are to be active in confronting and correcting sin, moved by compassion.  There is a place for public confrontation, if private counsel does not bring the backslider to repentance.  But, even the exercise of church discipline is to be redemptive, not punitive.

Being a burden bearer not only means there are the backsliders we must lift, but THE BROKEN WE MUST LOVE.

“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” (Gal.6:2-3)

Here are some more folks needing a lift.   These aren’t burdened by transgressions, but broken with troubles.   Paul uses a Greek word translated “carry” that had the sense of carrying with endurance.   This burden is a constant crushing pressure and the struggler cannot handle it on his or her own.  They need someone else to help them shoulder the load.

This is suggestive of how Christ bore our sorrows.  He put the cross on His shoulders, and carried it to Calvary. He carried what we could not.  If we’re to follow Him, we must do that for others.

We have all heard, “God won’t put more on you than you can bear.”  That’s partly true and yet can be wholly false.  God always provides the resources to face any trial.  He promises sufficient grace to endure any difficulty.  What we miss is that the church—the Body of Christ—is the channel through which the grace flows.  I may be crushed under a load that is too great for me—many are.  The failure isn’t with God.  The problem is that other believers didn’t help bear the burden.

None of us are totally self-reliant.  We all need a lift at times.  I’ve been stranded on the side of the road—broken down—and in those times I didn’t have a solution, but someone came to help me. 

I read about a convention which the Salvation Army was holding.  Their founder, General William Booth, was unable to attend due to illness.  He sent a cable to the delegates that contained only one word, “OTHERS!”   How often do we speed down the highway of life, self-centeredly focused on reaching our destination and leaving in the dust “others” who are stranded on the side of the road?

According to the Apostle, when we’re concerned for others, we fulfill the law of Christ.   Jesus commanded us, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

But let me remind you love not just a noun. It is a verb.  Action is required.  How many times do we—the writer included—resort to this cop-out, “Let me know if I can do anything.”   This may salve our conscience, knowing they won’t likely call on us.  Instead of simply declaring our willingness to help, decide what you can do and be helpful.

There is a warning here. Pride can hinder us in burden bearing: “For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” (v.3)

Pride leads us to think we’re too good to work in a soup kitchen or give blankets to the homeless or visit in a rest home that reeks of urine.  We are not going to soil our hands by changing a baby’s diaper in the church nursery or clean up the carpet in the Children’s Sunday School class where a child has thrown up. 

Furthermore, pride is a barrier to burden-bearing, if it prevents us from acknowledging our needs.  If we want to pretend that we always have our act together, then how can someone know we need help?  Sometimes Christians can be too selfish to help.  But, many would—yet they are not mind-readers!

Being a burden bearer means there are the backsliders we must lift and the broken we must love.  But, it means more—it means there are THE BURDENS WE MUST LOAD.

“But each person should examine his own work, and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in respect to someone else.  For each person will have to carry his own load.

The one who is taught the message must share all [his] good things with the teacher.” (Gal.6:4-6)

On the surface, this may seem a contradiction to what we have been saying.   Not so—this truth isn’t contradictory, but complimentary.  The burden that requires the aid of others is a burden too great for us to carry.  The word “load” used here was a Greek term for a small army pack. While others can help me bear a load too heavy for one man, I have responsibility to carry my own weight.

We are responsible for our actions.   Too often we want to shift blame to others.  There is a coming judgment where our work will be evaluated.  God will accept no excuses.  Whereas, Paul has told us not to spend a lot of time looking for splinters in our brother’s eye, we ought to extract the big log in our own (see Matt.7:1-5). 

Instead of fully carrying our responsibility, we want to compare what we’re doing with others.  There is no place for competition in the Lord’s work.  When Jesus was calling Peter to follow Him, he pointed to John, “Lord, and what shall this man do?” Jesus replied, “What is that to You? Follow me!”   Jesus was saying essentially, “He’s got his army pack to shoulder, now Peter, do your duty and put yours on!”

I’ve often been so upset at others shirking their duty that I became discouraged and neglected mine.  I have thought of some church folks, “Well, if they aren’t going to do anything, why should I beat my head against the wall.  I’m going to sit back and relax and do like the rest of them!”  That’s wrong.

Before you excoriate me for this, maybe Paul had at least experienced the same temptation.  He had doubtless seen it in other preachers.  So, he transitions to a discussion about the mutual responsibility of the pastor and his people. The pastor is to care for their spiritual needs by feeding them the Word, and the congregation is to care for his material needs so he can feed his family.

Did you know there   are retired pastors and their wives or widows that today live in poverty after they sacrificed so much to enrich others?  That is a scandal.

You appreciate how your pastor helps bear your burdens—that in times of sickness, sorrow, strife and setbacks, he comes to help lift you.  That is carrying his assigned load.  Paul reminds us that preachers are people too, and they will need help with their burdens.  That is your assigned load. 

People will drop out of church if the church leaders don’t minister to them.  Pastors will drop out of ministry if the church family doesn’t encourage them. The stress can become so great, that many would quit if they could do something else, or if God would let them do something else.

You want your pastor to walk a mile in your shoes.  Have you done that for him? 

We may be like the church member who prayed, “Lord, you want us to be like Jesus, poor and humble.  We pray for our pastor to be like Jesus.  You keep him humble and we’ll keep him poor!”

I had a Deacon Chairman once who got a brand new vehicle.  He took me for a ride in it and boasted about all the options it had.  I was happy for him.  A few months later, I purchased a used car.  He told the Budget Committee that if I could afford to buy another car (it was a Plymouth Reliant, not a Cadillac) then I didn’t need a salary increase that year.  The others cowered before him and I didn’t get a raise. 

I recognize that you put up with some nonsense from me, and I am grateful for your love and patience.  I just want you to know that I put up with a fair share myself.  There are many examples I could give—and name names—but enough of that.

What would happen if we invested our energy in supporting each other?  That is the burden we have been assigned—to do our part in bearing one another’s burdens.

Do you need a lift?  I hope this devotional message has given you encouragement.  I pray that our church will be known as a place where you can always get a lift!