October 16, 2022
Notes
Transcript
Galatians 6:10-11
Galatians 6:10-11
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.
This first verse seems so simple and so common sense for the Christian but yet there is so much here. Paul is drawing our attention to the foundation of all that we have and all that we are as Christians.
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men,” this phrase lays the foundation of all that we are to be to mankind. If we properly “sow to the Spirit” in “due season” there will be a harvest. A harvest of good things, which we are to share with others. This seems simple. Of course we are to show others love and kindness, all people. That should be a no brainer. But yet, how many of us go through our Christian existence and self is the constant focus of our prayer life and our day to day living for Christ. So that we get what we need out of the equation. We forget that not only does God want to do a work in us, but that this work is to grow to a point that we do good for others.
Opportunity in the Greek is Kairos and means “an appropriate time to do something” The idea is not to merely do good to others when the opportunity presents itself, but to LOOK for opportunities to do good to others.
Good here as it is used, is literally in the Greek “the good”. This is not just the product of someones character by anybody’s standards, but rather the good that is produced by the work of the Holy Spirit through the Saint. So the greater meaning is:
The believer who “sows to the Sprit”, and who does not faint, will definitely reap a beautiful and wonderful harvest in themselves. Meaning that the Holy Spirit will do a mighty work in the individual, releasing them from the bondage of sin in their lives, freeing them of fleshly desires and behaviors that hold them back, transforming them into a new creation in Christ. Once we are that new creation, that thing that has been birthed in us by the Sprit, because of our walking in the Spirit and sowing to the Spirit, we are to then share the reason that this harvest has been reaped. We are to tell everyone about what caused the change in us. We are to share with the world how our Faith in what Jesus did at the cross, through the power of the Holy Spirit, our lives were changed. This is the good that the Holy Spirit speaks of here through Paul. We cannot keep this wonderful harvest to our self. We must share it with others. We must let others know of the good that has been done in our life. We must give others the seed that will start the same bountiful harvest in their own lives. We can’t give them what we have but we can tell them how to get it for themselves. There is a saying, give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. We cant give what we have, but we can share how to get what we have been given, or what has been worked in us. This is how we are to be to the world. This is the interaction that we are to have with unbelievers.
But to believers we have an even bigger responsibility.
“especially unto them who are of the Household of Faith,” This tells us two things. First we know that we are to share the salvation message with the world. But more importantly we are to help believers maintain their Victory through the Cross, and the cross alone. Many people in the household of Faith don’t really know of the great victories afforded by the Holy Spirit according to our Faith in the finished work of Christ. But it is the greatest problem of the Church right now. It is the greatest problem of the Christian. When we misunderstand the cross we misunderstand how to be victorious over the flesh that plagues us. Satan sits in the church. He desires to draw our Faith away from the Cross. His work is against the church, not the world. He has the world, He needs to disrupt the church. So our work is to keep the Church in THE Faith.
Finally with this phrase, the Greek does not actually say Household of Faith, it says household of THE Faith, the only faith that the Holy Spirit will honor. We cannot let ourselves be pulled away from our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. That is The Faith.
And as well when Paul refers to Believers he is not just refering to those that believe that there was a Jesus or those that believe in the Jesus of their own making or the Jesus of miracles, or Love, but the Jesus that Died for our Sins. So as Paul defined it, believers are those that are of the Household of THE faith. A believer is a person that has respoinded to the Gospel message by trusting Jesus and joining the company of other whose lives have found new focus in relationship with the Lord. And trusting Jesus is not just lip service, or mere thought process, or that speaks of just our initial salvation experience, but our everyday walk as well. It also speaks of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, Divine Healing, financial prosperity, and above all, at least as it refers to our daily living, a victorious, overcoming, Christian Life. It all comes through our Faith in the Cross, which as stated, must be exhibited on a constant, daily basis.
So many Christians fight unnecessary battles. There is no fight. There is no work for us to do. Just rest in this knowledge and let the Holy Spirit do the work. So many Christians don’t realize this. Do you really understand? We may think that we do, we may understand in our mind, but have we put it into practice in our lives. Have we really put Faith in what Jesus already did? Has this knowledge made it to our heart? Well I’m afraid that many will think and many will even have succeeded for a time, but sometimes we forget and we have to be reminded. If we are not being reminded on a regular basis we tend to go awry. As a teacher of many years, I still need to be reminded of tactics and behaviors that have stood the test of time that work for the best outcomes at school. I get into a rut at times. I need help getting out at times.
This is why we need to attend church. This is why it is so important to hear the word of God preached and preached in the right way. Because Romans 10:17 tells us that
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
So when the church is not preaching the truth of the Word of God and the Pulpit is not reminding the people of keeping their Faith in what Jesus has already done, then the people begin to struggle. The people begin to fall into failure, or at least get really good at hiding it.
We as believers belong to the Lord. We belong to God. We are His. But what does that mean? What belongs to God? What does it mean to Belong to God?
Well we know of course, All things belong to God. For He is the Lord of All. But let’s look at what the Old and New testaments say about what belongs to God.
To begin with the simple things, to God belongs the interpretation of dreams. Gen 40:8
8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
And the secret things He has planned but not revealed. Deut 29:29
29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
To God belonged the Sacred Articles of the Temple (1 Chron 22:19
19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the Lord.
And also the First Born of Israel Lev 27:26
26 Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the Lord’s firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the Lord’s.
To God belongs judgment Deut 1:17
17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
10 For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, A day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: And the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: For the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice In the north country by the river Euphrates.
and restitution Num 5:8
8 But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.
The Psalmists say that to Him belong the Kings of the Earth, Psalm 47:9
9 The princes of the people are gathered together, Even the people of the God of Abraham: For the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted.
The mountain peaks, Psalm 95:4
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: The strength of the hills is his also.
18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; And the rocks for the conies.
and the Highest Heavens Psalms 115:16
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: But the earth hath he given to the children of men.
God is the possessor of every living soul Ezek 18:4
4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
as well as everything under heaven Job 41:11
11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
and to Him belongs salvation Rev 7:10
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
All things belong to God. He is the Lord of all. Most of the Bible writers, aware of God’s greatness, focus on his attributes rather than on His possessions. The writer of Job tells us to God belong Wisdom and Power Job 12:13
13 With him is wisdom and strength, He hath counsel and understanding.
Strength and Victory Job 12:16
16 With him is strength and wisdom: The deceived and the deceiver are his.
Dominion and Awe Job 25:2
2 Dominion and fear are with him, He maketh peace in his high places.
echoed in Psalms 22:28
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s: And he is the governor among the nations.
To God belong Glory and Power Rev 19:1
1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
And eternal praise Psalm 111:10
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: A good understanding have all they that do his commandments: His praise endureth for ever.
But Who belongs to the Lord?
One of the great Prophecies of the Old Testament is found in Isaiah 44:5
5 One shall say, I am the Lord’s; And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; And another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, And surname himself by the name of Israel.
Even though it was a time of apostasy when Isaiah uttered those words, the Verse looks ahead to a day when God will pour out His Spirit on humanity. Then human beings will know God in a deeply intimate way. Isa 44:3-4
3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, And floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, And my blessing upon thine offspring:
4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, As willows by the water courses.
We should realize that for us, that day has come. The New Testament is rich in letting us know that we do belong to God- not as his possessions, but as His dearly loved Children.
We have been called to belong to Jesus Christ Rom 1:6
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
As Jesus’s people we are to bear Fruit to God Rom 7:4
4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
because Jesus breaks the power of our sinful nature through our Faith in the Cross Rom 8:9
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
And as a people belonging to God, we who know Jesus are chosen to bring Him praise 1 Peter 2:9
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Our Relationship with Jesus replaces all the old relationships that once bound us. Once we were in the grip of our sinful nature Rom 7:5
5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
, the devil Jn 8:44
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
and the world Jn 15:19
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
But as those who belong to Jesus we enter a new world of Light. But belonging to Jesus, we know from the new testament, has to do with relationship not possession. That relationship must come through the Cross. ti can come no other way. We come to the Lord through our Faith in the Cross, and we remain in the Lord through our Faith in the Cross. All our relationship is centered up in the great price Jesus paid at Calvary.
Now I love this next part and i hope you hang on to this today.
Although Jesus is Lord, we are no longer forced slaves. We are sons and daughters and friends Gal 4:6
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Because we belong to Jesus and are Sons and Daughters, we now also belong to each other. When we ask where we belong, the Bible’s answer is in “the family” Gal 6:10
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
We are now in close fellowship with one another as children of a common father. We belong in close fellowship with other members of God’s family. That is how we can meet someone of like Faith and have an instant close connection with them. We grow in our relationship with the Lord as our Faith stays anchored in the Cross. With the holy Spirit ever drawing us closer to Christ and keeping close company with others who also hear and respond to what God says. Jn 8:47
47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
I just love that. The family of God is a beautiful thing. Even if your own earthly family is not there or not around or not in your life, you have a constant family that you can call on and feel the warm embrace. The family of God is like no other family and I can’t wait for the reunion.
Now moving on to our last verse today.
11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.
It seems as if Paul wrote this whole letter himself. It was his custom to dictate his letters to a scribe and then sign the last part the salutation in his own hand writing. But Galatians held such a strong position and weight with Paul that he felt need to write it himself. We find evidence to the scribe Tertius in Romans 16:22
22 I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.
and the evidence of just writing his signature in 1 Cor 16:21
21 The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand.
18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.
17 The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.
Now why would Paul feel the need to validate his own writing and his signature? Well it seems that there was a case of forgery, where someone had written a letter to the Thessalonian church to the effect that the Great Tribulation was upon them and signed Paul’s name. II Thess 2:1-2
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Paul wrote this letter in his own handwriting to let them know of His strong convictions in the matter. The letter to them was lengthy but important. And as we can see from the tenor of this study today that when a family member is in trouble we want to catch them. We want to keep them from danger and we will do what we can to help them. Now that this letter is coming to a close the choice will be up to the Galatians as to how they move forward. But I just love the message that was brought out of this. We belong to not just God, but to each other. I had someone ask me once why do we greet each other as Brother and Sister? Why do we feel the need to call each other by that label? Well today’s message should answer that question. When I was a kid, I thought that was just what we did in the church. But now I hope we can better understand and appreciate just what God has done for us here. When blood family turn on you, and most of the stories in the Bible, the families of the ones chosen by God had to leave their earthly family behind or their earthly family turned on them. They were still a part of the Family of God. That sense of family and taking care of one another was instilled greatly into the children of Israel. So much so that even to this day if you are part of the Jewish community you are never alone. There is always someone to help. There is always someone to carry your burdens with you. They may not be perfect, but they take care of their own. They watch each others children, they care for each other when they are sick. They are there at a death, and a wedding, and the birth of a child. This is how we as Christians are to continue. When you come to Christ you have an instant family. Church we need to remember that. We were not sent here to walk this walk all by ourselves. We were not made to be alone. We were made to help each other. Rely on each other. And as the last verse says bear one another’s burdens. Don’t allow yourself to become over burdened. Reach out and let not only God know what you have need of, but also those around you in the body of Christ. For we are of the Household of Faith.