Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many years ago, my family would go for long walks around a lake that was just a few blocks behind our apartment, and one of my oldest children, who was very young at the time, would drive closely behind us with his battery operated truck. But it was a little bit of a hike, and sometimes if the battery hadn’t been fully charged before leaving the house, it would stop and die halfway across the lake. Although he would try to push it himself, it was far too heavy of a burden for him, so I would have him step aside and push it all the way back to the house for him.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
A burden is a load of some type, typically a heavy one, but unlike carrying somebody else’s groceries, sometimes it is a burden that you cannot always see because it is buried deep inside of one’s heart. Each day, people are weighed down with a heavy conscience because of the sinful things they have done during their life. But when they openly confess their faults, and are filled with a contrite and penitent heart, they can be restored once again, as we fulfill the law of Christ by forgiving them of their debts, and bearing their burdens for them.
Galatians 6:1-2 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
In the church we must learn to be very forgiving with one another, because all of us have come short of the glory of God. But in the Corinthian Church, there was open fornication going on among them, so the Apostle Paul had them remove the man responsible from their fellowship, and shun him. But eventually, he was very sorry for what he had done, and filled with compunction and grief over the matter. Because of his open display of contrition, the Apostle requested the church to forgive him, and fulfill the law of Christ by lifting his heavy burden of grief from him.
2 Corinthians 2:6-8 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
When somebody is overtaken in a fault, they will be consumed with grief for something wrong that they have done, either towards you, God, or others. When people demonstrate Godly sorrow for the wrongs that they have committed, reconciliation can take place, and they can be restored and forgiven for any past misdeeds. But the one thing that hinders this entire process from happening is pride. This is because a lot of people don’t want to own up to their own faults, and admit that they were wrong. Because of this, the devil has bound them hand and foot, deceiving them into keeping the wickedness of what they have done buried deep inside of their heart. So instead of repenting of their deeds and humbly seeking reconciliation with others, they will go in the complete opposite direction instead. I’ve always said that one of the greatest things that is lacking in this world, is humble contrition towards God and others, because without this sincere quality, you will never accept the truth of what you have done. This is why the Lord Jesus taught that people who neglected to apologize and repent towards a brother were to be treated like a heathen, because repentance is one of the main doctrines of the Christian faith. This is one of the reasons why open confession with one’s lips is so important, because through their own admission of guilt, they can finally be healed in their heart, and forgiven for their sins.
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
John the Baptist would listen to the confessions of people as they admitted their faults to him before getting baptized in the Jordan River, and I’m sure that whatever was confessed at the Jordan, stayed in the Jordan, as John was a just man who was very discreet in these types of matters.
Mark 1:4-5 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
Even in the life of Abimelech, Abraham prayed for him, and he was released from the punishments of God.
Genesis 20:17-18 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.
But there are some people who profess to be Christian who have become so hard-hearted that their consciences have become completely seared and numb from all feelings. Like branding cattle, their hearts have become branded with the mark of impenitence.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
It’s impossible to carry somebody else’s burden when they refuse to confess it. It’s impossible to forgive people in their heart when they refuse to seek repentance for what they have done. Because of their own pride, the weight of the sins that they have committed are going to carry them right into the lake of fire, a rebellious group of people that you are not even supposed to pray for.
Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
But not everyone is the same way, because some people are very gentle-hearted, and have a great desire to become faithful to the will of God. If they were to sin, they would be immediately be convicted in their conscience, and feel the weight of their own wrongdoings.
Psalms 38:4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
But when people are filled with grief because of what they have done, we must extend to them mercy, and free them from the burden of their heavy conscience. This is the law of Christ, who carried the burden and punishment for our sins, by laying down His own life for us on the cross.
1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Matthew 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
Like putting on a backpack filled with huge rocks, many people are walking through this world with the burden of a heavy conscience. For some of them, it is a just reward and a punishment for their open rebellion against God, but for others who possess a contrite and penitent heart, it is the opportunity to relinquish their backpack of sin unto God. Remember that God will resist the proud, but grants grace unto the humble. John the Baptist listened meekly to the humble confessions of others, but he rebuked harshly the impenitence of the religious leaders of his day. Humble contrition is what defines the difference between these two types of people.
So, in order for the weight of one’s conscience to be cleansed, sins need to be humbly confessed to God and others, and in the moment that you hand over your backpack of sin and admit the foolishness of your wrongdoings, it gives them the opportunity to fulfill the law of Christ, by carrying your heavy load of guilt, and bearing……
……Another Man’s Burden
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️
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