Life in the Spirit

Galatians 5:25–6:6 ESV

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load. Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

INTRO

Example of Tennessee Athletics —> Kentucky fan

Military Connection

BODY

Context - Last week

Works of the Flesh vs. Fruit of the Spirit

Love | Joy | Peace | Patience | Kindness | Goodness | Faithfulness | Gentleness | Self-Control

An Exhortation: Live in the Spirit.

An Example: Life in the Spirit.

A Test: Are you in the Spirit?

1. An Exhortation: Live in the Spirit

Paul summarizes & concludes the previous section.

The Christian Life is and should be one where we continue to exhibit & grow in the Fruit of the Spirit...

Paul has ESTABLISHED that we live by the Spirit

In fact this is an underlying theme of Galatians.

Yes - The theme is salvation by Faith alone - law vs. faith -> Judaizers, etc.

From the end of Galatians 2 — the rest of the book, Life in the Spirit.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

From there — Paul uses the word for Spirit 15 times (including these 2 verses in Ch. 5) — Referring to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.

Pnuema - Used for the name of the 3rd person of the Trinity. — 200 + times in the NT

The implication is that the life we now live (as followers of Christ) is only possible in and through the Spirit.

Paul concludes this section by summarizing his argument and now assumes that if we are (Followers of Christ) we will — Keep in step with the Spirit.

AND he reiterates —> ‘do NOT fall back into the works of the Flesh’ — Conceited | Provoking | Envying

Conceited - Being proud without basis for justification — Falsely Proud — KJV = Vainglory —> Literally - “Empty glory”.

Provoking - irritate someone — my kids are really good at this… — We can be too —> When you do something just to get a ‘rise out of them’.

Envying - “Provoking to Envy” — ‘experiencing ill will due to some real or presumed advantage’ — nicer house | nicer car | better kids | ‘they get handed everything on a ‘silver platter’ —> But more than that — ILL WILL toward them…

2. An Example: Life in the Spirit

Paul graciously gives an example of what it looks like to live life in the Spirit — being transformed by, changed, & maturing in the Spirit - Fruit of it…

‘Imagine a man, caught in sin.’

The image Paul conjures here is of someone committing a sin that is not premeditated — this is not something they have been living in under the radar — but something that gave into temptation and fell into sin.

“You who are spiritual” - refers to followers of Jesus that have allowed the fruit of the Spirit, that he just finished explaining, to manifest in their lives — They are currently in the Spirit

“RESTORE him - in a spirit of gentleness.”

Restore = ‘to make adequate, to furnish completely, to cause to be fully qualified, adequacy.’

This word was used by fishermen in the context of — Mending a fishing net — It would have to be properly mended

The word was also used by physicians in the context of “mending broken bones”.

ILLUSTRATION —> Broken Arm Story

If they would not have ‘gently, yet forcibly’ re-set my bones in the proper place — mended properly — my arm would be curved.

If a member of the Body of Christ is not ‘restored so that it may mend properly’ — it will become malformed — and no longer be able to function properly.

BUT the verse doesn’t end there —> “Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” — Shot across the bow of our SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.

One of the authors I read — Compares sin to cancer — It just takes a few cells to poison the entire body — the sooner it is caught, the simpler it is to treat & remove…

Verse 2 - “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Bear one another’s burdens…

Burden = ‘hardship which is regarded as particularly burdensome and exhausting’

Carrying the difficulties and challenges of life — Temporary nature — vs. 5 “for each will have to bear his own load.”

This is done in COMMUNITY with other believers — how else will you know what burdens other people are carrying?

Not just a simple request — “so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Paul is NOT now suggesting that the ‘law of Christ’ is what saves us instead of the ‘law of God’ the Judaizers were trying to require the people to adhere to…

“It’s almost like Paul is saying, ‘if you want a law to follow - follow this - love your neighbor as yourself’ in response to the false teachers the practitioners of this anemic “gospel” “

3. A Test - Are you in the Spirit?

Verse 4: “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”

This is actually a description of one of the works of the Flesh that Paul warns against in vs. 26 —> Conceit —> Vainglory (Empty Glory)

We all know people like this, don’t we? — They project a sort of self-importance that seems out of step with reality.

Growing up we had a phrase to describe these people — “They think they’re hot snot, but they’re really cold buggers” — ‘All that & a bag of chips”

But Paul isn’t concerned about other people — “But let each one test his own work...” — We are often much better at recognizing this in other people…

But what about ourselves? Are we Conceited, Vainglorious, do we have a sense of self-importance that is out of step with reality?

Have our lives been spent in pursuit of Empty Glory?

What is the test? How do you know? — What are you boasting in?

I think there is a lot implied in Verse 4b & 5 — because of Paul’s words previously in the book of Galatians — Live in the Spirit.

If you live in the Spirit —> You test yourself by the Spirit — You have no Glory of your own, but because of Christ you have the indwelling Holy Spirit (THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT) — That should lead to Good Works…

Your Starting Point is that all Glory is the Lord’s — Does your life reflect the Glory of God & the work of the Spirit?

“Reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.”

Luke 18:10–14 (ESV)

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Pharisees measuring stick is — “Am I better than my neighbor.” — The Tax Collector (who goes home justified) recognizes his own sin & need for a savior.

Individual vs. Corporate nature of believers...

We are saved to a New Covenant —> A New People — The Church — The People of God (The Church of Christ was born & the Spirit lit the flame)

And yet there is a personal aspect to receiving the Gospel — There imperative is, “Repent & Believe” — It is implied “YOU repent & believe”

Romans 14:10–12 “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

We will ALL be held personally responsible for our response to the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ…

It is possible to change what other people see - change your vocabulary, go through all the motions, and yet not be truly changed by the Spirit - From the inside out.

Has the Spirit Transformed you from the inside out?

Verse 6 is often considered a “bridge verse” — some commentators put it in this passage — others put it with the next passage.

I think it fits with our passage today — “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.”

This is tied to our boasting in the Glory of God and not in our own vainglory.

“We stand on the shoulders of those that have come before us — Especially those that taught us the Way of the Lord”

CONCLUSION

An Exhortation: Live in the Spirit.

The Life of the believer is only possible in and through the Power of The Holy Spirit working within us.

An Example: Life in the Spirit.

We do this by restoring our brothers and sisters in a “spirit of gentleness” — Mending them so that they are adequate for continued service.

We do this by “bearing one another’s burden’s” — Again, this is best done in community (Small Groups) — you must KNOW someone to KNOW their burdens.

A Test: Are you in the Spirit?

Does your life reflect the Glory of God & the work of the Spirit?

Not just, “Am I better off than that guy?”

We will EACH have to “bear our own load.” & Give an account to God. — Personal Response to the Gospel & living in the Spirit…

Pilgrim’s Progress Example

Christian allegory written by John Bunyan in 1678 — sometimes considered “the first Novel written in English”.

Has never been out of print — considered “the second best selling book of all time behind the Bible.”

The main character is man by the name of Christian & he journeys from his home, “The City of Destruction” to the “Celestial City”

Christian faces many perils and dangers along his road to the Celestial City, but because he is a “Pilgrim” (One who has surrendered to the King & is pursuing Him in the Celestial City), Christian is protected by some of the King’s workers and is carried along his journey.

At the beginning of the narrative we see that Christian is a carrying a “burden” (knowledge of sin) — Like a backpack that he desires to get rid of, but he cannot lay it down.

But once Christian has set out on his journey he comes to Calvary and the Cross of Christ and as he is climbing the hill to the cross — The straps of his burden break & his burden rolls off of him and down the hill away from him.

We will bear burdens and difficulties, struggles, and challenges throughout our lives — Paul commands us to help each other with these burdens — we each must bear our own load — Differs from Knowledge of sin & the penalty of Sin.

But like Christian, we do not have to carry the penalty of that sin any longer.

Maybe you have been crushed under the weight of that burden…

Maybe you have no idea how you will ever get out from under it…

You can’t lay it down yourself —> But when we ascend the hill of Calvary & the Cross of Christ to embark on our journey as pilgrims in this life — The straps of that burden deteriorate, because the penalty has already been paid.

There will be difficulties and challenges, but we are protected by the King, the Prince and his emissaries along the way to the Celestial City.

Maybe today you need to be free of that burden — Of the penalty of sin.

I will be in the front —> Or maybe you just need prayer…

PRAY

Father, thank you for who You are — Thank you for the Cross of Christ — For the Life, Death, Burial, & Resurrection of Jesus — Who bore our sin.

Thank You for giving us your Spirit — That we may live according to the Spirit & NOT according to the Flesh — May we boast in You and Your glory alone - Instead of seeking after Empty Glory.

Help us to bear one another’s burdens and keep us in Your Will.

May we be a church marked by our love for one another - and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Father, we are grateful for this season of Thankfulness - May our Thankfulness for You, Your provision, & Your blessing fuel our celebration of coming Christmas Season.