At Southside we endeavor to be people of the Book. We believe that God's revelation - the very words of God our Father, the Creator and Sustainer of the world - are given to us in the Holy Scriptures. We believe that the Scriptures contain everything we need for life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and so we seek to structure our lives and the activities of our church around the teachings of the 66 books of the Bible because they are required and sufficient. 

This includes how we organize our church government and how we operate. In the scriptures we see the commands for church organization as Christ at the head with Elders as under-shepherds overseeing the flock as shepherd-teachers. The mission of our church is to Glorify God in all we do, Grow to maturity as a body of believers then Go into the world sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. 

But how do we do that? Well the scriptures tell us: Ephesians 4:11-16 describes Christ’s plan for His bride, the church to not be “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (vv. 14-16).” 

So in this passage we see both the goal for the church and the model for its growth. The goal is to grow up in to our head which is Christ. For that to happen Eph 4 says 1) there is a diversity of parts in the body which all need to be equipped, 2) each part needs to be working properly if we are to grow, and 3) your personal holiness affects everyone else in the church. We need each other; you cannot mature in Christ by yourself. Lonewolf Christianity is at best disobedient Christianity and at worst no Christianity at all. 

How then do we know we are maturing in this way? Well in Galatians 6:2 we see a simple command that is a measure of maturity: “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We must examine ourselves to determine how well we obey this command.  This command seems straight-forward but it is deceptively simple. Unless we are walking in spiritual maturity, obeying this command is quite difficult. Galatians teaches us to not trust in the flesh or in works but to walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit results in producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and carrying burdens, thus fulfilling the law of Christ. If the fruit of the spirit is what the spirit filled believer looks like, carrying each other’s burdens is what the spirit filled person DOES.

1. One Another’s Burdens

• The first thing we notice about Galatians 6:2 is that everyone has a burden(s). Your burden may be light, or it may be crushing you. Paul uses the word, Baros, for burden, meaning a heavy weight. 

What are these burdens? 

a. Burdens of the Soul - sin

The first burden we see is found in verse one: transgression or sin. Sin is a terrible burden we all carry. James 3:2 reminds us that we all stumble in many ways. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8) and we make God a liar and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:10). From time to time, we all walk in the flesh – sometimes we fall into sin, sometimes it is besetting sins, sometimes it is with premeditation, and sometimes it is high-handed sins. Our sins may be by commission or omission, and they may be sins we have lived with so long and loved so dearly that we call them personality traits. Other burdens we carry are:

b. Burdens of the Heart - grief, sorrow, broken relationships, divorce, death, apathy depression, loneliness 

c. Burdens of the Mind - confusion, anxiety, ignorance, foolishness, addiction 

d. Burdens of the Body- weakness, illness, poverty

2. The Law of Christ

The Law of Christ is summarized as you shall love God with all of your being and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31, Galatians 5:14, John 13:34). Here Paul has in view heart, mind and body burdens as well as soul burdens; they are what we use to fulfill the law of Christ. Hebrews 12:1-2 exhorts us to lay aside every weight and sin and run the race, keeping our eyes on Jesus. He endured the cross and bore the burden of shame. He ran the race and secured victory for us. We lay aside our sin, we love God, and we love others by helping them carry their burdens – this is our race.

What was required for Christ to bear our burdens? He left heaven and came to earth; He humbled Himself; He temporarily laid aside His majesty and power; He lived among us as Emmanuel; He fed us, clothed us, healed us, comforted us; He was despised and rejected for us; He was killed for us! That Church family is the Law of Christ - to love like Christ loved - and how do we do that? Like He did - by bearing another's burdens.

KEY POINT -Burdens weigh down every aspect of our being, hindering us from fulfilling the Law of Christ, and restricting our spiritual growth. The ministry of burden bearing should be woven into the DNA of the church and as we become more Christlike this burden bearing will become a greater part of our personal life.  

3. Bearing Another’s Burden

The verb that Paul uses, Bastazo, for bearing a burden implies getting under the load, lifting it, and carrying it – a sustained activity, carrying it to completion. The verb is in the plural, present, active, imperative tense which means it is a command for all of us. Are you obedient to this command? Are you bearing each other’s burdens - are you fulfilling the law of Christ? If you have the Spirit in you and you are walking in the Spirit, being a Spiritual person, you will not be able to stop yourself from bearing other’s burdens.

4. Bearing Burdens God’s Way

The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) is a perfect example of bearing the burdens of another God’s way. It is

• Without favoritism or prejudice

Jews looked down on Gentiles, but they despised Samaritans because they were a half-breed. By putting the Samaritan as the righteous man in the story Christ challenges their prejudice. Do we show favoritism when challenged with carrying the burden of another? Does race, ethnicity, gender, age, social status, or any other characteristic influence your willingness to carry the burden of another? There is no room for favoritism.

• See the Burdened

The first step is to see the burden - see past the facade into the life and heart, to see the wound and the error. If you are filled with the Spirit, you will be walking in the Spirit and you will see things differently. Your own sin will be grievous, leading you to root it out of your life. You will be transforming your mind to see things from a spiritual perspective. And you will see many problems as spiritual problems needing biblical answers.

• With Compassion for the Burdened  

The Samaritan showed true compassion for the man, whereas the Priest and the Levite stepped aside, refusing to get involved. James 4:17 is convicting: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” We cannot just step aside when we see the burden of another, for to do so is a sin of omission. Many of us are sinning in this manner today. Consider those around you. Are you praying for them? Do you know their burdens? Do you attempt to connect with them? Are you in a home-group? Do you practice hospitality? Are you embarrassed about discussing spiritual issues? Do you come late or leave immediately after the service to avoid interaction with your church family? Are you too busy to get involved? Does all of life revolve around you and your comforts?

• Without Censoriousness

Worse than ignoring a person is an attitude of censoriousness, an attitude that is judgmental, critical, self-righteous, lacking empathy, it assigns negative motives and always carries an undercurrent of bitterness and anger. Censorious people lack compassion and don’t seek to understand the other person. This is a sin to which no one is immune. It is all too easy to allow our pride to be critical of the weakness in another, especially if that is our strength. Romans 15:1 says, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak…” We are to speak the truth in love and sometimes this means confrontation, but it must always be done with a spirit of compassion. 

Applications:

• Wives – Are you compassionate with your husbands as they repent and struggle to turn from sin?

• Fathers – Do you patiently instruct your children, bearing with their immaturity and insolence? Or do you rule with a harsh authoritarianism that exacerbates the issues and provokes them?

• Elders – Do you have compassion for those caught in sin who should have known better? Do you have apathy toward those who are lukewarm in their faith? Do you look down on them in disgust?

• Congregation – Do you have compassion for your elders? Do you understand that they have burdens too? Do you stand in judgment or suspicion of their motives? Do you understand that they, like you, are not perfect? They love you and care for your soul.

The Samaritan took the initiative - He went to the man. This is active love - a compassion which first moves in the heart and then the limbs. It is a love that draws near and doesn’t shrink back, a love that stoops low in humility and comes alongside, a love that can take the bloody, gory mess up close and isn’t afraid to assess the damage and apply the cure. You cannot minister to the burdened from above. We must come down to where they are and come alongside as we carry the burden together.

The Samaritan applied oil and wine. This is the medicine. In the case of sin, it is the healing power of God’s Word - a balm applied with wisdom and discernment to the wounds, to dig out the dirt and disease and wash it clean with the Word and thereby ease the pain and lift the spirits of the downtrodden. We are to take the broken and bleeding to Christ, the source of spiritual healing. Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This is ministry, it is Bearing Burdens - that is what we are all called to do as disciples of Christ. It is costly and it is to continue until Christ returns. It requires that we walk in the Spirit, that we minister to the needs of others, that we are willing to get dirty, that we are willing to pay the cost, and we must be patient.

5. Bearing Our Own Load

To bear each other’s burdens means we must humbly bear our own burdens. Here Paul means that we must keep a watch on ourselves. Galatians 6:1 says that we who are spiritual should restore the one caught in sin. If we deny the sin in our life, we cannot confront others. However, taking this to the extreme, since all have sinned, no one would ever confront sin in another. We must not deceive ourselves into thinking ourselves more holy than the one we need to confront. We must confront in a spirit of gentleness, keeping watch over ourselves. This is a call to self-examination with sober mindedness.

Finally, we must bear our own load (v. 5). We all have loads - and those who are walking in the spirit should be bearing up under them because the same way you bear other people’s loads is the same way you bear your load - through renewing your mind, confessing, repenting, and bringing your burdens to Christ. The steps of repentance mirror the steps of restoration and burden bearing. Comparison of Repentance and Bearing Burdens:

One of the main reasons we struggle to bear each other's burdens is because we are unpracticed in self-examination, applying the truths of Scripture to our own lives, and bringing our burdens to Christ in repentance. If we have compassion for another, we will hold them accountable – but we must get the plank out of our own eye before trying to help them remove the speck from their eye. We are to seek virtue together.

As the Samaritan had physical resources (a donkey, oil, wine, and money) we must have spiritual resources (the Word of God) if we are to bear another’s burden of sin. We must give them God’s words, not our words. We must know and be able to apply God’s Word. We must also be prepared to bear burdens by sharing our financial resources. This means the true Christian should always be employed in industrious labor so that we can provide for those in need. Through burden bearing, God’s church is built up and we all attain the whole measure to the fullness of Christ. Therefore bearing each other’s burdens is a barometer of maturity in our lives and in our church. 

God’s vision for the church is stated in Ephesians 4:15, “speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” If one member of the body is not working properly because of a heavy burden or a lack of empathy, the whole body suffers. If one member is embittered, it affects the entire congregation. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” (1 Corinthians 5:6) It's this kind of situation that a mature believer, who is sensitive to the spirit, who sees the world with spiritual eyes, who is seeking first God’s glory and the good of others, will always notice and then minister to the body by helping bear their burden. We need each other so desperately, to bear burdens, to come alongside, to instruct, to guide, and to restore, so we can return to our function in building up the body, to A Measure of Maturity.

Selah:

1. How well are you keeping this command? Are you bearing your own load through repentance and walking in the Spirit? Are you building physical and spiritual resources so that you have something to share?

2. Are you doing all this God’s way? Does your ministry to the body come with a sweet aroma of worship? Are you sharing your spiritual and physical resources?

3. Are you actively seeking to identify your own burdens and the burdens of others?