LIFE'S BURDENS AND I

GALATIANS 6:1

A. SIN AND THE EFFECTS OF SIN BRINGS WITH THEM BURDENS FROM WHICH NO LIFE IS EXEMPT
  1. Some of these burdens are personal; no one else, no matter how close he or she may be to us, can bear them for us:
    1. The burden of parenthood. Sorrows that came to Adam and Eve when Cain killed his brother illustrate my point.
    2. That was true of Job when Satan used the storm to destroy Job's children.
    3. David's sorrows when Absalom sought to kill his father to take the kingdom.
    4. Then we have the burden of sickness. Some of us have prayed for God to remove a certain infirmity, our friends are sympathetic, yet they cannot help us.
  2. Other burdens are brought upon us by the performance of our public duties:
    1. Moses was loaded with burdens from morning till evening - Num. 12:3
    2. Paul speaks of the "cares for all the churches" - 2 Cor. 11:28
    3. The higher the position, the greater will be the burdens.
B. BEAR YE ONE ANOTHER'S BURDEN
  1. Our opening text reminds us that there are burdens common to men which we can share or help to bear:
    1. Helping to bear one another's burden is included in the law of Christ.
    2. This truth is wonderfully illustrated in our Lord's story of the good Samaritan - Luke 10:30-35
    3. In this story the Lord shows that our moral duties go beyond the religious ceremonies, important as they may be; they include actual aid to those who need our help.
    4. In this the priest and the Levite failed miserably.
    5. But the Samaritan, looked down upon by the Jews, did nobly share the burden of the wounded man in the hour of great need.
C. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BURDENS COMMON TO ALL MEN, WHICH WE ARE TO SHARE ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF CHRIST?
  1. Being helpful in time of need is a moral duty of moral people:
    1. Feed the hungry - Matt. 25:35; Isa. 58:7
    2. Visit the sick - Matt. 25:36
    3. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." - Jas. 1:27
    4. Shield others against harmful influences when and wherever this is possible for us.
    5. Include them in our daily prayers, which is a wonderful stimulant to the discouraged.
  2. The blessedness of bearing one another's burdens:
    1. We shall never, in this present life, know the full blessedness by sharing with others their burdens.
    2. The importance of this grace receives strong emphasis in our Lord's pointing out the difference between those who are indifferent to the need of others and those who care - Matt. 25:25-36
    3. A memorial book will be written for them by the angels of God - Mal. 3:16-18
    4. Words of encouragement sincerely spoken will be a healing balm to the wounded heart.
  3. How best to share other peoples' burdens:
    1. By putting ourselves into their difficult position; only in this way can we really help them in their difficulty.
    2. By forgetting our own advantages and allowing others to share with us do we bear one another's burdens.
    3. The statement of our opening text is one of the gems of Paul's great understanding of the principles of Biblical Christianity.


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