Preached in Everett, Washington (7-25-09) 

Balancing the Weight (II Cor. 6:14)

            I’m sure most people have either lifted weights, seen someone lift weights, or at least know that there is something called lifting weights. I enjoy lifting weights and I have been doing it for a few years now. Before I was allowed to start lifting weights there were several things I needed to be taught first; mostly about safety and technique. One of the most important steps in weightlifting is having the same amount of weight on the bar. Even a couple of pounds difference can make a difference and can either mean a successful lift or serious injury (story about lifting with bball team and power lifters). If you don’t think a few pounds make a difference, tell that to the arm that’s lifting the extra five or ten pounds.

            Not helping one another like we should can have the same impact in our lives; we end up having one person that is burned out prematurely and another that isn’t growing like he/she should.  No one person can do what we need to do as Christians alone.

A.    Jesus (Luke 6:13-19, Luke 10:1-3)

B.     Paul had Silas, Timothy, Barnabas, John Mark, Priscilla and Aquila, and Sosthenes (mentioning as co-author of I Corinthians)

a.     Paul did better when others joined him (Acts 18:1-5, 2 Cor. 2:13, 7:5-7; 13)  

C.    The apostles had one another (John 13:34-35)

D.    The seven sent forth were designed to help the apostles in their ministry (Acts 6:1-7)

The strong are commanded to strengthen and help the weak (Gal. 6:1-2)

A.    We are one body in Christ and we all have a part to play to keep the body healthy and strong (Rom. 12:3-5)

B.     We are yoked to one another in some way because we are all yoked to Christ

C.    Each part of the body is vital to the success of the whole body (if a muscle is weaker than the others it is more prone to injury and it can hold back the progress of other muscles) (I Cor. 12:12-26)

a.     Some exercises are done for no other reason but injury prevention (stretching)

D.    By strengthening the weaker parts the stronger parts become stronger as well. Encouragement is always needed for all brethren (I Thess. 5:12-15)

E.     Muscles complement each other (biceps & triceps, quadriceps & hamstrings)

a.     Strengthening one gives the other the ability to be stronger (Proverbs 27:17)

How to strengthen ourselves

A.    Strength can be gained by simply eating right and taking care of your body

a.     Vice versa – strength can be lost also

B.     The same goes for our Christian lives, spiritual growth is attained by nourishing ourselves with the Word of God (Ephesians 5:18-21, 1 Peter 2:1-2, Hebrews 5:12-14, 2 Peter 3:17-18)

C.    One can give the appearance of being strong (doing exercises just for looks)

D.    Being a Christian is not something we do for the praise of anyone but God (Pharisees)

a.     Heart needs to be in the right place

Taking time off from lifting weights can be devastating to progress

A.    After only a couple of weeks of not lifting the muscles begin to deteriorate

B.     The longer you take off from lifting, the harder it is to get back into it (have to ease back into it)

C.    Encouragement and strengthening is an ongoing process, and it is a habit that needs to be developed (1 Corinthians 15:58, 2 Peter 3:14).

Conclusion: There is not going to be a time when each person in the church is doing the same amount of work. But we do need to be aware of our brothers and sisters and know what they need (encouragement, help physically or spiritually, etc.). When one has lifted weights for a while they become very aware when the weights are not exactly in balance or are feeling exactly right. We need to be close with one another and aware of what each other is doing so that we can attend to our needs the best that we can so that we make sure that we’re not the weak part of the body.

A cart with animals that are not yoked equally just goes around and around in circles and that doesn’t do anyone any good. Also, if one of the animals is doing more of the work, eventually he will wear himself out. Let us make sure that we are not going in circles or allowing one another to wear out but that we are all sharing the load as we move forward towards heaven (Ephesians 4:15-16 ).