Think of four different people. Or think of four different roles that a person might play in different situations.
Let’s call the first one Mr No-More-Dead-Wood. Mr No-More-Dead-Wood is very concerned with those who make themselves burdens to others. He wants to cut the dead wood, prune the tree, get rid of the people holding us back.
His favourite songs are the Deltones’ ‘If You Wanna Grow Up to Come a Big Big Man You’ve Gotta Get a Little Dirt On Your Hands’, and Queen’s, ‘I Want to Break Free’.
The sort of things he will say are: “You aren’t pulling your weight. Look, I’m doing more than my fair share. You’ve got to start doing more. This company/team/church cannot keep carrying you forever. We aren’t going to cover for your anymore. You are too much of a liability. “
Mr No-More-Dead Wood, like all of us, has strengths and weaknesses.
Q: What are his strengths?
A: [He sees who is doing the work. He makes sure people don’t bludge. He will say the hard things that need to be said. He can get good results. He will make the hard decisions to make a company profitable and a team successful. You want him managing your business or looking after your superannuation]
Q: What are his weaknesses?
A: [He excludes people who don’t make the grade. So what do we do with them? And there will be times when he himself will need mercy, for at some point he will not make the grade. Also, he might be tempted to pride and superiority because of his competence]
Let’s call our second person, Miss I-Can-Handle-It. Miss I-Can-Handle-It doesn’t like to ask for help. She likes to stand on her own two feet.
Her favourite songs are Simon and Garfunkle’s ‘I am a Rock, I am an Island’, and Cold Chisels, ‘You’ve Got Nothing I Want, You’ve Got Nothing I Need’.
The sort of things she says are: “I’m self sufficient, I can handle it. I look after myself and pull my own weight. I’m not a burden to others.”
Q: What are her strengths?
A: [She provides for her own needs and doesn’t depend on anybody else. That gives her freedom.]
Q: What are her weaknesses?
A: [She needs to realize that she won’t always be able to handle stuff by herself. If she doesn’t she might become proud. She might also not be able to emphathise with someone who needs more help than her. Also, if she is a rigid individualist, she might miss out on being part of something bigger than herself.]
Here is person number 3. Mr Hold-My-Hand. Mr Hold-My-Hand depends a lot on others.
He doesn’t seem to be able to do things by himself. His favourite songs are the Beatles ‘I want to hold your Hand’ and U2’s Unchained Melody, ‘I need your love’.
The sort of things that he often says are: “I need you. I can’t handle this on my own. Won’t you help me?’
Q: What are his strengths?
A: [Maybe it is true, and he cannot handle the things on his plate. So he realizes that he needs to trust and rely on others. He might be humble and ready to trust others and God.]
Q: What are his weaknesses?
A: [He becomes too easily dependent on others. So there are many things that he can do, but he doesn’t try to do them. So he becomes lazy and irresponsible. And he becomes a burden to others.]
The fourth person is Mrs To-The-Rescue. She loves to help people and to get them out of problems. She is always helping others. Mrs To-The-Rescue is a solution waiting to happen. She loves the songs, “He’s not heavy, he’s my brother’, and ‘Brother, let me be your servant’.
The sorts of things she says are: “Look, I think you’re making a mess of that. I’m here to help. Let me help.”
Q: What are Mrs To-The-Rescues’ strengths?
A: [She probably cares about other people. She might be right. Some people usually have trouble with some things maybe she is able to help them.]
Q: What are her weaknesses?
A: [Maybe she needs to let other people solve their own problems. That way she is actually being more helpful. Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. She might be creating a bunch of dependents so that she can have someone to rescue and feel good about herself. Also, is she realistic about her own strengths and weaknesses? Perhaps she is rescuing others at the expense of dealing with her own problems. She offers to take the speck out of someone else’s eye when has a great log in her own.]
Paul wants the Galatian church to be working well together. He wants them to depend on Christ, not the law for salvation. He wants them to know that they are free. But he doesn’t want them to abuse or lose their freedom. Rather, he wants them to be enslaved to one another in love. He wants them to march in formation, which is called, keeping in step with the Spirit.
The Spirit is leading them away from the self-centred works of the flesh. So now the Spirit will enable them to function properly as a church. Because the fruit of the Spirit are profoundly other person centred. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control. And by keeping in step with the Spirit, by flying in formation with the Spirit, by marching according to the Spirit, they won’t be divided, fighting and devouring one another.
Sin is a spiritual burden. No wonder in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian is said to have a burden. And of course, Christian’s burden rolls off his back at the foot of the cross.
Sin is a spiritual burden. And while only Jesus and his death can bring us forgiveness, the church also has a role to play in dealing with the reality of sin and the restoration of the sinner.
And so Paul starts chapter 6 with some advice about what to do when someone sins. Look at verses 1 and 2:
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (NIV)
Sin can sneak up on each of us and catch us unawares. And then we are caught. Paul talks of being caught in a sin. The word means being overtaken by surprise. Someone is captured unaware. As Colin Buchanan sings: Sin is like a great big crocodile, sin is a dangerous trap. Sin can creep up like a crocodile. All of a sudden, SNAP. No wonder people are said to ‘fall’ into sin. Or be trapped by sin.
We live in a world where morality is a private thing. My personal life is none of your business. Your personal life is none of my business.
Well, Jesus takes a different attitude. Paul does, too. There is no “private” sin, you see. No area that is off limits to Christ. God wants his church to do something when one of his children falls into sin. Sin matters that much. For the Apostle Paul calls for the ‘restoration’ of the sinner. We are responsible for each others’ godliness. In the Christian church, there is the place for loving pleading, rebuke, correction, tender warnings given in love.
It matters when a Christian sins and wanders off. James says this: My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. Lift up the fallen. Restore the guilty to repentance Bring back the wanderer. Such is the job of the shepherd of the flock. But such is the concern of all Christians.
But while it might be the concern of all Christians, it is not necessarily the work of every Christian. Paul wants the Galatians to remember that we are all weak and sinful. There but for the grace of God goes I, went I, may go I.
So Paul gives an implied requirement: ‘those who are spiritual’. In other words, those who are marching in line, stepping with the steps choreographed by the Spirit, it is given to them to restore the sinner. That is so we are not hypocrites. We have to have removed the log in our own eye, so we can see clearly to take the speck from our brother’s eye. And if we are not walking by the Spirit, we cannot be said to be Spiritual.
We need to carry each others’ burdens. But we need to do it when we’ve been carrying our own pack. We have to carry our own load, and then those with the strength need to help others to carry theirs as well.
Moreover, there are real dangers. And so not every Christian can help every other Christian with their particular sins. Sometimes it is good for males to help males, and females to help females, parents to help children, and those a little ahead to help those who are a little further back, and those who’ve beaten that problem before to help those who are facing that problem again. And all this takes wisdom and godliness.
But there is a danger. But watch yourself, or you may be tempted. This is a real spiritual battle. And the church must mount a rescue operation when one of it’s soldiers falls. But because it is a spiritual battle, there is a real risk to the rescuer. Bearing a brother or sister’s spiritual burden of sin is risky.
I remember hearing a story about some evangelists who went to a Billy Graham conference. And they were so stirred up that some of them thought it would be a good idea to go and evangelise the ladies of the night in that city. Is it a good idea for men to go to the red light district of the city to witness to the poor women trapped in prostitution? Is that wise? Is that watching yourself, lest you may be tempted? Well, it might be, but others thought it was not a good idea, and talked them out of it.
Sometimes this work of bearing burdens is dangerous work. So Jude tells us: Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (Jude 22-23 NIV)
He who splits logs might be injured by them. He who treats infectious diseases might themselves catch them. He who disarms land mines might be blown up by them. And he who seeks to rescue sinners might be caught up in their sins, because we ourselves are sinners. It is an occupational hazard. Please pray for those of us called to do this work.
But bearing each other’s burdens is necessary. Paul says it fulfills the law of Christ. I think the law of Christ he is referring to is the second most important commandment, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’. And bearing other’s burdens is the way of fulfilling that law.
The spiritual burden of sin is the first burden Paul wants shared in the passage.
But there are other burdens that Paul wants borne. And verse 6 tells us about another burden the church must bear.
Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. (NIV)
What is your burden in this passage? Me. I’m your burden. I’m your instructor. And you are called to share all good things. Which is a way of saying, the church should pay it’s ministers.
Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul teaches that:
The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14 NIV)
Again, we read:
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18 NIV)
Now, what self-serving verses to highlight? Isn’t this just proving that churches only want your money?
No, the church doesn’t just want your money. You don’t get off that easily, by writing a cheque and being done with it. The church wants all of you! Because Jesus Christ wants all of you. After all, Christ died for all of you. He gave his all so that you can give your all in response.
Jesus commands the church to bear the burden of those ministers who bear the burdens of the church. Support the church that supports us. Bear the ministry that bears you up.
Friends, when we pay for our church, meeting our budgets, understand what we’re doing. That is not ‘charity’ or ‘generosity’. That is simply paying the bills for services rendered. It’s like paying the electricity or phone bill. We become a generous church when after paying for all our bills, we then give generously to those in need. And that is what verses 9 and 10 are all about:
Verses 9 and 10:
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Bearing burdens is tiring. It is wearing. And Paul knows this. It is easy to stop doing But Jesus wants his church to continue bearing burdens, even when we become weary of it.
And there are two burdens. The church. And the world.
Verses 9 and 10 have a beautiful balance about them. We are reminded of our universal obligations, but within realistic parameters. We are told that the work of doing good is never finished. But if we put this teaching into practise we will be able to say: ‘today I’ve done what I can, I will rest content in that knowledge’
Our obligation is to all the world. Let us do good to all people. But But they give our distinctively Christian motivation, limitation, and priorities.
The motivation: We will reap a harvest if we do not give up. There is a harvest. There are rewards for the Christian in doing their good works, both in heaven and even on earth. We will be compensated more than abundantly for all of our pains in serving Christ. Jesus will look after our needs here and now, and after a little hardship eternal life, we will rest content with those who like us have come to worship Christ as Lord. And of course, the greatest reward is people. Heaven is first and foremost people. That is the motive for doing good. The people you served on earth gathered around the Lord Jesus in heaven.
But there is a limitation: As you have opportunity. This is a particularly Christian reminder. God is sovereign, we are not. God is omnipotent, and omniscient. We are limited in our power, time, resources and knowledge.
And the priority: The household of faith. Our obligation is to do good to all people. But our first priority is to the household of faith. Charity begins at home. Elsewhere, Paul says that someone who does not look after his family and particularly his immediate relatives has denied the faith and worse than an unbeliever. But supposing that we’re meeting our family priorities, charity begins with the household of faith. We start with Christians, particularly Christians we know, and work out.
We have an obligation to every human because they are made in the image of God and all are in some sense our neighbour. But we have an especial obligation to those who are Christian. Not only are they made in the image of God, but they are being remade into the image of Christ. They are our spiritual brothers and sisters. They are members of our body of which we are a part. They too have a share in Christ. If they hurt, we especially feel pain.
So we start with Christian aid and work out, from there, depending on our opportunity.
So Paul urges us to carry each others burdens to fulfill the law of Christ. We carry the sinning brother or sister. We carry our minister. We carry our poor brother or sister in Christ. And we carry all people. Like Atlas, the world is on our shoulders. Here are our Christ given burdens.
But not only do we carry other people. We have to carry ourselves as well. We also have to think about ourselves properly. We have to be sober-minded in the way we thing of ourselves.
We must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought. That is the unreality of arrogance and self deception.
Nor must we think of ourselves more poorly than we ought. That is the dishonesty of false humility, and the unreality of poor self-esteem. Look with me at verses 3-5:
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else. For each one should bear his own load.
This passage is calling us to be realistic in our assessment of ourselves.
On the positive side, there is a proper pride we can have in ourselves. Pride is not always a bad thing. There is a dignity and a self-sufficiency that is a proper pride. And this head-held-high dignity comes not from comparing ourselves with others, but from testing ourselves.
It doesn’t look down on others. Rather it says with sobriety and insight. “Under God, I’ve watched myself. I’ve tested what I am like. And this is what I am. I have come this far, and as yet no further. I have achieved this, but I have not achieved that. I have given up this, or no longer do that. But I have not yet achieved this. I want to be that, but I am not there yet. That is realism.
You might say to yourself, ‘I provide for myself. I work for my living. I have this job. I do this meaningful work. It serves these people. Without God, of course, I could do nothing. But I am pulling my weight, and I am not a bludger on society or my family. But I’m certainly not yet here. This is where Jesus wants me to be. This is where I am. I am still a work in progress.
What is it to ‘bear your own load’?
It is first to know yourself, and then to pull your own weight, and hopefully then some. It is firstly to understand who you are and what you can do, what your capacity is, and then to work at your capacity for the good of yourself and others. It is first self-knowledge: As Paul says in Romans 12:3:
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (NIV)
And then it is self-sufficiency, so you can bear your weight and then some more. As Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10:
If a man will not work, he shall not eat (NIV)
Or of the repentant thief in Ephesians 4:
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his hands, that he may have something to share with those in need (Ephesians 4:28 NIV).
In all this there is a principle. Verse 7:
Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
There is a proportionality and a fittingness in all of God’s works. The one who ignores Christ and the grace of his gospel, will be punished. But the one who keeps in step with the Spirit, the one who sows to please the Spirit, the result is eternal life, sure and certain. Heaven is not just a gift (it is a gift, nothing surer), but it is a fitting and appropriate compensation for all our pains on this earth. And our rewards in heaven will be in proportion to what we have done on earth. In rewarding us with heaven and in heaven, God crowns his own gifts. He gives us the good works to do, enables us to do them, and then rewards us for having done them. God is just looking for excuses to bless and reward us.
Back to our four characters I started this talk with.
Mr No-More-Dead-Wood. He might be useful for a corporate clean out or as your superannuation fund manager. But in the church, he needs to listen to the command ‘restore him gently’. The church is not about downsizing to reduce costs and maximize the bottom line. The church is about restoring sinners who have fallen. It is not about minimizing employment so you can squeeze every last drop of productivity out of the few. It is more like war time full employment, or total war effort. Rather than say, I have this limited job to do to this standard, and if you can’t shape up, you’re shipped out, the church says, who are you, how has God made you, what can you do. Just as in war, everybody got a job, from the very young to the very old, so in the church. Every one is important, and no one get’s left behind.
What about Miss I-Can-Handle-It? Well, it’s good that she can handle it. That’s a good start. But maybe she needs not just to handle it for herself, but help others. For others might have a heavier load than she does. And we want to get everyone across the line. She needs to think how she can bear each others burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Then there’s Mr Hold-My-Hand He needs to harden up and take a concrete pill. He needs to re-assess what he can do, because he hasn’t yet reached the maturity of self-sufficiency. He needs to carry his own load and stop being a needless burden on others.
And what of Mrs To-The-Rescue? It is possible that she is being counter-productive. For by doing all this rescuing, she is not having others learn the maturity of standing on their own two feet, and take responsibility. In the meantime, it may well be that there are fires burning for her at home. She needs to think about carrying her own load, and letting others do the same.
May God bless us by giving each of us right thinking about who we are, and what we can do in the household of faith.
Let’s pray.
1Brothers, if a person also might be overtaken by surprise in some transgression, you, the ones being spiritual, restore such a one in [the/a] spirit of gentleness, watching yourselves, lest also you be tempted.
2Bear one another’s burdens and thus you will fill up the law of Christ.
3For if someone thinks himself to be something, being nothing, he leads himself astray. 4& let each one test his own work, and then with respect to himself only he will have a boast, and not with respect to another. 5For each one his own pack will carry.
6& let the one being catechized the word share fellowship/partnership with the catechist in all good things.
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For that which a person might sow, this thing also they reap. Because the one sowing into the flesh, of himself from the flesh will reap decay, but the one sowing into the spirit from the spirit will reap life eternal. 9But of doing good let us not grow weary, for in its own time we will reap, not relaxing. 10Therefore, then, as we have time, let us work the good to all, & especially to the household of the faith.