Sermon: Bearing One Another’s Burdens

Scripture Text: Galatians 6:1-10

Quotes for Reflection

Oaks Parish Vision
Oaks Parish pursues gospel-centered renewal through parish ministry, walking alongside our city, region, and world. This renewal is embodied in the beauty of liturgical worship, mission rooted in people and place among the least and lost, and relational discipleship that forms us into the image of Christ.

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves
To love at all is to be vulnerable.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
The Christian, however, must bear the burden of a brother. He must suffer and endure the brother. It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated. The burden of men was so heavy for God himself that he had to endure the Cross. God verily bore the burden of men in the body of Jesus Christ. But he bore them as a mother carries her child, as a shepherd enfolds a lost lamb that has been found. God took men upon himself and they weighted him to the ground, but God remained with them and they with God. In bearing with men God maintained fellowship with them. It is the law of Christ that was fulfilled in the Cross. And Christians must share in this law. They must suffer their brethren, but, what is more important, now that the law of Christ has been fulfilled, they can bear with their brethren.

Phillip Graham Ryken, The Reformed Expository Commentary
The Holy Spirit does not produce this fruit for our private enjoyment. True spirituality is not an individualistic quest for self-fulfillment—the kind of thing one has to climb to the top of a pillar to discover. The life of the Spirit flourishes for the sake of others. It is not experienced in private, primarily, but exercised in public. Therefore, it does not grow in isolation, but within the community of faith. Spiritual life is meant to be shared. It is less like a fruit tree hidden away somewhere in a secret garden, and more like one that grows in a public park.

Application Questions

1. Recall the central issue facing the Christians in Galatia. What can we learn from this letter for our own time?

2. What part of this text feels most challenging to a self-centered faith?

3. How can Paul’s admonition to bear both “one another’s burdens” and “one’s own load” help you navigate a current situation?