THIS IS A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PASTOR KYLE DURING THIS TIME WITHOUT CHURCH SERVICES BEING HELD DUE TO COVID19.

FOR PRINTABLE PDF OF THIS MESSAGE, CLICK HERE.

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BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS

Good Evening Church Family,

Galatians 6:2 says: Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

As each of us are a part of the family of God, we have a responsibility to treat one another as family. A good family looks out for one another, helps one another, forgives one another, and bears one another’s burdens. Now the burdens referred to in Galatians 6:2 are not necessarily burdens of being overwhelmed by circumstances (although that’s important as well), but the burdens of sin. Verse 1 says: Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. This passage is essential in instructing us how we should restore someone who has been in sin, and is now repentant. Often this is applied to someone who is being restored from church discipline (Matthew 18:15-20), but should by no means be limited to this. We are all sinful people, and though God has forgiven us our sins because of Christ, we still have the flesh to struggle with as we live here on this earth and need one another to help hold us accountable.

In order for us to be able to properly bear one another’s burdens of sin, we must have a solid and practical understanding of how we need to show to one another the same love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness that God has shown us. A key component to this is humility, as stated in verse 3: For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. If we are exercising true biblical humility, then we’ll have a correct view of ourselves and see that although we may all be at different levels of maturity, we are actually no different from one another in that we are all sinners saved by grace who still struggle with sin. Verse 4 addresses this as well as reminds us that we should have our own sin at short accounts before we can help hold someone else accountable: But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. We would be deceiving ourselves and the other person to think that we can help bear another’s burdens when we ourselves are steeped in un-repentant sin.

This point was made abundantly clear in the event of the adulterous woman whom the scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus in order to test Him (John 8:1-11). Jesus, rather than condemning her, knew that her heart was broken and grieving over her sinful acts and offered her forgiveness. He also knew that the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees were as sinful as hers, but lacked repentance. This story is a strong example of how we should view one another’s sins, as well as our own, and be there to help bear one another’s burdens when they are repentant.

In Christ,
- Pastor Kyle