Bearing Each Other’s Burdens - Part 2

Welcome to this weekend's In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley.

If Jesus spent His time caring for helpless people, then believers have no excuse for ignoring those around us. Our series continues with part two of Fearing Each Other's Burdens. If you knew that your son or your daughter was into something that was going to destroy their life, wreck their life, and impact them for the rest of their life, you would want to become involved in their life in such a way to have them restored to be the wonderful young man or young woman that they started out being.

Restoration, that's what you want. So, you would take the advantage of your relationship with that son or daughter to restore them to that relationship that you know is right. If you know that your son or daughter is in need of help, you would take the advantage of your relationship with that son or daughter to restore them to that relationship. Well, all of us are children in the eyes of God. All of us are His sons and daughters, and all of us need help at some point in our life. So, I want you to turn, if you will, to Galatians chapter six, and let's read these first five verses together. Here's what Paul says. Galatians chapter six, it says, Now watch this carefully. If you and I are going to bear someone else's burden and help them be restored, we have to be the kind of person who is spiritually minded. Now that doesn't mean you just go to church, read your Bible, and pray. Spiritually minded means the most important thing in our life is our walk with Christ. Spiritually minded speaks in terms of being filled with the Holy Spirit, controlled by the Holy Spirit.

That keeps our motives right, keeps our purpose right, keeps our objective right. He says, you who are spiritual, if you're living in sin and about have backslidden, then you can't do much for someone else. Because your own heart has to be right. But He says, you who are spiritual do what? He says, restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness.

So ask yourself this question. Is your character, your conduct, and your conversation on a daily basis of such that people who are living in sin are convicted by your presence? Who hear you speak are bothered by what you say.

But on the other hand, those believers out there, for example, who are going through difficulty and burdens and part of that, part of that is not only burdens for everyday life, but part of it is sin in their life. They just can't shake loose from the past. Then, how are you to help them? They have to see something in your life and mind. They have to feel something about us before they're going to trust us. Because you see, one of the primary reasons, one of the most difficult things in helping people is this. They don't trust Christians.

They don't trust each other. Here's a person who's hurting. And you go to them, one of the guys, well, I really want to help you, but you're one of those persons whose tongues split. And so, as soon as they tell you what's on their heart and their brokenness, you go tell somebody else and say, you know, I'm telling you because I just want you to pray for them.

That is, listen, that is absolutely, totally deception. If you want them to pray for them, then don't tell them what's going on. Don't tell them about their heartaches and their burdens. Don't tell them about the sin that they've confessed to you.

That is not godly. And he says this very carefully in this passage. He says, you who are spiritual, that is, you are governed by the Spirit. You're controlled by the Spirit. You want to walk in the Spirit.

The Spirit-filled life is your life. That's who you are. You're a spiritually-minded person.

Now listen, just because you ask the blessing at the table and just because you read your Bible once in a while and you go to church, that doesn't mean you're spiritually-minded. You can, listen, you can be dishonest in your business. You can be dishonest and you can be a flirt. You can be lustful as a devil.

In other words, all that kind of stuff can be in there. These other actions look pretty good, but the truth is, where is your heart? What are you thinking when you see somebody that you look with lust or genuine love toward them? Do you look at who they are or who they can be? And wonder, for example, what kind of talents and abilities and skills does this person have?

All of this is involved in who we are. Listen, if I'm going to help someone, he makes it very clear. He says, you who are spiritual and there's one other word that look at that. He says, the right attitude, right attitude is that of gentleness. Now what is a gentle person? A gentle person is one who is caring and loving and kind and forgiving and accepting. Now, if you're a gentle person and you're trying to help someone else, you do not say, how'd you get yourself in that mess?

In other words, you're not harsh, you're not in a hurry, but your kindness is supreme above everything else. You don't, listen, you don't get in an argument with a person you're trying to help. Listen, you can win the argument and lose the person for good. You don't argue with them. You listen to them. You listen. They begin to tell you what's going on in their life.

Watch this carefully. They're going to read your response before you say a single word. You know how they're going to read it? They're going to look at you in your eyes.

You'll reveal what you're feeling. They're going to watch how you respond physically. If you get antsy, they're going to think, I better quit.

If you look with shame, shame, shame, shame, they're going to stop. And that's an attitude. Remember, it's an attitude. And it's not just a person who is going to be a burden bearer. It's a person who is going to be a burden bearer. It's a person who is going to be a burden bearer. It's a person who is going to be a burden bearer. Gentleness is able to accept no matter what.

No hurry, no rushing. And listen, not the feeling, the attitude, I'm going to fix you. I know how to fix you.

has to have a gentle spirit. And when you and I respond correctly, here's what they do. They start up here telling you about what's wrong in their life. Oh well, nobody's perfect.

Everybody has, you know, those things. And then the longer you're talking, the longer you listen, the more they trust you, what happens is you come off of this idea that everybody has mistakes. Then they tell you about a little bit of their past. And then they tell you about what other folks have done to them and how it's somebody else's fault.

And finally, when they get down here, they've poured out their heart to you. Takes time. If you're in a hurry to bear someone else's burden, forget it. Restoration, restoration doesn't come quickly oftentimes. It doesn't come in a hurry. It doesn't come as a result of an argument. It comes as a result of a Spirit-filled person in the spirit of gentleness and acceptance. And as we said, as of, and of love, when you and I learn the way Jesus dealt with people, we'll be able to deal with them the same way, if we're willing. And so, the whole spirit of gentleness. And then there is also this idea of our own personal preparation. And that is, we have to get ready to deal with someone else.

And how do we do that? The first thing we have to do is we have to come to the Lord ourselves and say, Father, don't You look at my heart. Anything in my life God ought not be there, I want to deal with it right now. When I confess it, when I repent of it, willing to deal with it.

If there's anything I've not seen, God show it to me now. And secondly, then the best way and the most effective way for me to help that other person is before I say a word to them, begin to pray for them. God, speak to their heart. When the right time is there, Lord, that You want me to deal with something in their life, get them ready for it. Do you think God will answer that prayer?

Yes. And sometimes He'll answer it in this way. He will intensify the burden in their life.

He will intensify the weight of their sin till they feel so desperate when you come to build a relationship with them, what happens? They're open. They're surprised at themselves how open they are. But they're hurting. And it's not getting any better, it's getting worse.

They've just got, something's got to happen. And what you've done by prayer is prayer, watch this, prayer is a prayer that's very important. And then you can look in, you can reach in, then you can stand in, and their heart gets opened. But that prayer is very important.

If you just go launching into somebody's relationship, more than likely you're going to say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing. And then of course, there's absolute total dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Now here's why this is so important. It's so important because the Holy Spirit knows exactly the right time to approach that person. And He will lead you. He knows exactly the right time when they're feeling the greatest sense of guilt, when they're feeling the greatest sense of neediness, when they're willing to forget their shame and all the rest and just open the door of their heart to someone. And so, when you rely upon the Holy Spirit, He'll give you discernment. He'll show you what to say, what not to say, when to say it, and when not to say it.

He'll show you how to respond and how not to respond. And oftentimes, the Spirit of God will simply say to you, just listen, no response, just listen. And it may be at first that person, that you don't say anything to them, you just listen to them.

And here's what they're doing. While you are listening and they're talking, in their mind, they're gauging, judging, sizing you up, how do you respond, how deep can they go, how much can they tell you, how much of their sin and all the rest that they don't feel shame towards you. All this is going on in their mind and their heart. And so, that's why it's so very important that you and I rely upon the Holy Spirit. And if we approach someone like that, God will redeem them. But now, watch the rest of this passage, because what I want you to see here is this. And that is, He gives us a caution concerning bearing our burdens with others.

So, watch this now. He says, the first verse. Restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Then notice, bear one another's burden and therefore fulfill the law of Christ. That is, when obedience, that's what we're doing, because He told us to love each other, help each other and so forth. Now, watch this. For if anyone thinks he's something when he's nothing, he deceives himself.

You say, what's that got to do with it? Simply this, that when you and I come to a person who is living in sin or has slipped or fallen some way, we are to be reminded no one is above slipping and falling no matter who you are. No matter how spiritual you may be. You see, that's what Satan wants people to think. Well, you know, I've reached this level of my spiritual life therefore that can't happen to me.

You're just about ready for it to happen. But the simple reason, that's deception. And what he's saying here is this.

Watch this. It's a, to some degree, it's dangerous. Because once you get involved in somebody's life to help them, Satan is going to attack you. For example, let's say that it has something to do with a person's morality. Maybe their sexual past or whatever.

And this person out of brokenness, absolute desperation, shame, has to tell you what happened. Well, watch out. Because Satan will turn that on you if you're not careful. That's why it's in the spirit of humility, dependence upon the Holy Spirit, lest he says, look, he says, looking to yourself so that you too will not be tempted.

Bear the another's burden, and thereby fulfilling the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he's something when he's nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he'll have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone and not in regard to another.

What's that? Wait a minute, you're talking about pride? Now you're talking about boasting? Here's what that word means.

Look at this. When he uses the word here for boasting, it is not a word of pride. Here's what he's saying. That we should have this attitude that, watch this, he said, each one examine his own work, our life, what we do, what we've accomplished, achieved in life. Then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone and not in regard to another, which means this.

When you look at your life and you see what God has done, you recognize He did it all. You're not comparing yourself with someone else. You're not saying, well, they're doing these things and now look what I've accomplished in life and what I've achieved.

But in other words, it's none of that. It's recognizing that everything that has come our way and successes or accomplishments or achievements in your life, it's God. What is it we are boasting? We are boasting of the Lord Jesus Christ and what He's done, and He says, we'll have reason for boasting in regard to Himself, not in regard to another. And that word for boasting there is a boasting not of what we've done, but it's a boasting and recognition of what has happened by God in our life.

And so therefore, what does that do? That keeps us from rendering ourselves, listen, absolutely of no value when it comes to someone who's going through some heartache in life. Now, listen to what He says, then He says, for each one will bear his own load, own burden. Well, that sounds like a contradiction because the truth is we start out saying we're going to bear someone else's. But again, it's a different word. When the Bible says in verse two, bear one another's burdens, that's one Greek word. When He says we are to bear our own, that's another Greek word. And here, the first word is heaviness and weightiness and things in their life that just weight us down. The second word is the word that was used in those days for a marching soldier who had his pack on his back. And that pack was this particularly Greek word. And what Paul is saying here is this, there's some burdens you and I bear that are our responsibility.

In other words, the soldier marching with his friends can't say, I'm tired of you wearing this thing, you wear my pack. You take all this. No, he has a responsibility. There are certain burdens you and I bear. You have responsibilities in your family as a father, as a mother. You cannot give that responsibility to somebody else, have responsibility in your job.

You give that to somebody else and you'll be looking for one. And so, when he uses that word, it isn't the same weighty, heavy, but it's a load. As the soldier marches with his pack on his back, that's his burden.

That's his load, he can't give it to someone else. So, there are no contradictions in this passage. This passage is all about us living the kind of life in which the character of Jesus, the conversation of Jesus, the conduct of Jesus is so evident that when we go to a person that we've identified as going through a burden or heartache, or even if it's a sin in their life, that we're acceptable. That somehow they can see in you, hear in you, feel in you, having watched you. And they're willing, little by little, to open the door of their heart. God wants you and me to be, listen, to be used as His earthly liberators in order to help people to be freed from the guilt of their life. Things that have happened that have brought them shame, disgrace, and as He says, if anyone is caught, if anyone is caught, if anyone is caught, if anyone is caught, that's the purpose of being a person. Look, in any trespass, those of us who are spiritually minded people, genuinely, it's our responsibility when God, now watch this carefully, this does not mean that you have to go out today and start looking for somebody.

No. He wants you to serve as liberator and restorer from their sin. And that's my prayer for you. And Father, how grateful we are.

You're so loving and tender and kind and forgiving and accepting. So redeeming and liberating. And we ask that the Holy Spirit would speak to people today who are lost, living in sinful slavery. They need liberation, restoration, restoration. Pray for believers, Father, today, many who don't even go to church because they don't feel accepted. So full of shame and embarrassment and regrets over the past. Help them to see that Your love enables You to see all the way through that to forgiveness and cleansing and restoration and a person who can be used by You in the most unusual ways. We love You and praise You and thank You in Jesus' name.

Amen. Thank you for listening to part two of Bearing Each Other's Burdens. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.