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Speaker: Rev. Shine Thomas
Posted on: 2010-08-08
Series: Uncategorized

Introduction

A woman lost her dear son and could not find comfort. Many tried to counsel her but to no avail. Finally she went to an old man for help. He said, “I will restore your son back to life but you will have to do a task.” “Go to a home that has no sorrow or grief and bring back a mustard seed” the old man said. After a month the woman returned and said, “I have been so selfish with my grief, sorrow and pain are common to every man and home.”

Are you tired? Do you find yourself losing enthusiasm in life because of the burdens that weigh you down? This morning we are going to see the types of burden we face and we are also going to see how we are to deal with our burdens.

Joke: A pastor preached 4 messages on a Sunday morning and came home very tired. Soon he saw his wife drop into an easy chair saying, "Am I very tired." The pastor looked over at her and said, "I had to conduct 4 services and preach 4 sermons today but why are you so tired?" "Dear," she replied, "I had to listen to all of them."

We all have burdens. Some have physical burdens like chronic sickness or some disability that you cannot change. Some have spiritual burdens. Satan might have struck your life and bonded you spiritually. Some of you may be dealing with emotional burdens like depression, anxiety, loneliness, heartache of a loss, or financial struggles.

The fact is we all have burdens and cares and they weigh down upon us like a load on the back.

What to do with your burdens?

1. Some burdens are meant to be shared by others.
Galatians 6:2 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

What are the burdens to be shared?

a. Share your sorrows and grief

When we go through sorrow or grief because of the loss of a loved one, rejection of a close friend etc we need to share it with others. Don’t carry it alone.

Illustration: A mom sent her little girl to the corner store for some grocery and she was late a little longer than mom thought necessary. When she asked her why she took so long, the girl told her that she saw her friend with a broken doll. “Did you stop to help her fix it?” mom asked. “We couldn’t fix it, “said the girl, “But I stayed a while to help her cry.”

In the Book of Ruth, Naomi lost her husband and two sons while living in Moab. Now Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth return to Bethlehem bitter in heart. In Bethlehem they did not have any food to eat. It was the time for barley harvest and Ruth decides to pick grains left behind by the harvesters; incidentally she was in the field of Boaz. Now Boaz and Ruth were related through Naomi’s husband but neither of them knew it. Boaz came to his field and saw Ruth picking up the leftover grains. Boaz allowed Ruth her to pick up the leftovers from his field. Boaz cared for her, protected her, and also provided drinking water for Ruth.

Ruth 2:13 Then Ruth said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.

Ruth was a stranger in a foreign land, an outcast. She expected to be ostracized. But someone came into her life and comforted her.

Whom have you comforted recently? Who has comforted you? God leads us through sorrows so that we can be comforted and then in turn comfort others in need once we have been through it.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 3Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Illustration: A sister lost her child in an accident. She was in tears for a long time and the pastor tried but could not comfort her. Hours of counsel and prayer did no good for her. But then the pastor remembered another sister who had lost a child before. He sought her help and this sister did more in 10 minutes than the pastor ever did.

Let us not allow our tragedies to be wasted and live in self pity. Come out of it and God wants to use them for good in others. Many of you have been through problems that are unique to you that qualify you to help others that I cannot help. Share in people’s sorrow and grief.

b. Share to restore one another

Galatians 6:1-2 1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

If we see another believer in sin we should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. That is a very practical way to help someone with their burden. It requires a certain level of tact and humility.

Can you remember a time when you were in a habitual sin? You hated what you were doing, but you did it anyways. See what Paul says in Romans 7:21-24 When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Wouldn’t it have been a sweet relief to have somebody lovingly take you by the hand and offer you accountability so that you could once and for all come out of that sin?

People around us are burdened with sin and the answer is you. When you spot a sin in your brother or sister pray for them. Then confront them in love to help them.

The Bible says that we are to help restore our friends in sin.

Galatians 6:1-2 1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

While we are to confront others with their weakness to restore them, we too are to seek the help of others to come out of our personal sins. Be very careful with whom you share your burdens and do it only if you have full confidence in that person.

Many times we try to keep our sins a secret and put on a holy face in front of other. Sin becomes powerful when it is done in secret. When we commit a sin secretly we ask God to forgive us secretly, but again the next time we get a chance we secretly commit the same sin again. It is the devil’s strategy to keep our sins secret. The Bible says share your burden of sin so that we can be restored.

Now, everyone does not accept correction. Some people act as if they are righteous yet living in sin. They feel they are above needing help. The Bible calls such a person a fool.

Galatians 6:3 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. We all need correction!

Joke: A preacher was preaching on weakness and asked if anyone had ever heard of a perfect person. A man in the back seat raised his hand. The pastor said, “Brother I would like to meet him.” The brother said, “I too don’t know him but I’ve heard a lot about him, my wife’s first husband.”

2. Some burdens are meant to be shouldered alone.

Galatians 6:4-5 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load.

There are some burdens which no one else can help you with; you will have to bear it alone.

Galatians 6:4 4Each one should test his own actions.

When it comes to actions we are in control of our actions. We can choose to do good or bad. If we choose to sin we have to bear the consequences of our sins. We can choose our actions, we cannot choose the consequences. So, the burden that comes as the consequence of one’s sin has to be borne by the same person.

Now some of you may be asking this question in your mind. Pastor I am saved and I committed a sin by choice. Later I regretted and asked God to forgive me. Will God ever forgive me? Absolutely, God will forgive you but God may not always take away the consequences, you may have to bare it all alone. Anyone supporting the ones doing wrong will also have to bear the consequences of sin.

Galatians 6:8 A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Some burdens are meant to be shared. Others we have to take responsibility for, and there is a final grouping of burdens that God has promised to take care of.

3. God takes away some burdens

Matthew 11:28-30 28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

The yoke that Jesus is talking about in this verse is a piece of wood that is strapped to the oxen to pull a heavy load. The way the yoke is made is so that the stronger ox would carry the brunt of the load and the lighter ox would get the lighter part.

We have tractors today instead of oxen Jesus’ audience would have immediately understood what he was talking about, because it perfectly fit there culture.

Jesus is saying that when we allow for him to come along side of us and help, he will take the hard parts, and we get the lighter parts, but in order for the load to be taken care of we have to be attached to Jesus.

Illustration: I pick Sam up from school. Sometimes I take the car and sometimes I use the scooter. As Sam arrives out of the school gate he looks very tired after a hectic day, he will be carrying a bag full of books. As we reach the car he just pushes it all to the back seat, comes over to the front, bends the seat and relaxes as we drive back home discussing the events of the day. If I turn on the air conditioner he is all the more fresh as we reach home.

God is like this. If you are attached to God, if God is driving your car he just takes away all your burdens which you cannot handle. Do not struggle alone he wants to carry all your burdens. Stay attached to God.

Illustration contd.: Now I told you some days I take the scooter. Sam comes just tired like any other day. Sam will immediately sense it and ask me, “Daddy did you come in the scooter today?” I say, “Yes pie.” Now Sam will have to carry the books on his shoulder as I ride the scooter back home. The scooter also helps Sam reach home but all the way Sam is carrying his own weight.

Sometimes God is like that. He does not take away all our burden. He lets us carry it.

Psalm 55:22 22Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee:

Look carefully, It is not written he shall sustain it (your burden), It says he shall sustain thee. God will carry you with your burden on your back like Sam’s scooter experience.

Apostle Paul had a burden. He prays to God to lift that burden 3 times but God’s answer was ‘no,’ but I will give you the grace. Truly God lifted that burden and apostle Paul.

Don’t get weighed down We all have burdens in life: Some burdens have to be shared and some burdens have to be shouldered alone. God can take any of your burdens if you stay attached to him.

God Bless You! Amen.