The Ripple Effect of Goodness

From time to time, I have read various things dealing with church discipline. I have heard of people being put out of the church for their failures. I have even heard others talk about how they got rid of people as Paul teaches. And I won’t deny that church discipline is sometimes needed.

What you don’t hear too much about is how someone has helped restore a person into a fellowship. I don’t think we should publicize each time someone was caught in sin and restored, that sounds very much like gossip and clearly not something we should do. But how many of you listening have actually helped restore someone into fellowship?

It is ok to raise your hand; we aren’t asking for names or for when this was but how many have helped to restore someone?

Thank you and God bless you for that.

You know, the whole concept of church discipline is really to help restore someone. But Paul also teaches that before we even get to church discipline, we should work to restore someone who is in sin.

I know this can be a very embarrassing topic to talk about since every single one of us have sinned and will sin. But it is still important enough that God wanted Paul to teach us about it.

While most Bibles with subheadings will call this section something like “Bear One Another’s Burdens”, the majority of this passage actually centers on the person who is supposed to restore the one in sin.

Open your Bibles to Galatians 6 and follow along as I read our passage today. Beginning in verse 1.

Galatians 6:1–10 NASB 2020

1 Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another. 5 For each one will bear his own load. 6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

1. Restore with Humility

What sin is too great a sin for us to forgive?

I suggest the sin that is too great for us to forgive is one that is done against us. I am just glad that God doesn’t feel and act this way.

But no matter what the sin, no matter who the one is who sins, God calls us to restore that person with humility.

A. What to do

Even if you catch someone in the act of a sin, you are to restore that person.

It is easier for us to forgive someone that has sinned but we have only heard about it. It is more difficult to do that when we walk in on them in the act of that sin; especially if it is against us. But Paul tells us that “even if” we catch a person in the act, what we are supposed to do is to restore them.

The Greek word translated restore, means to “put in order” or to “restore to its former condition.”

It is also used in non-biblical writing as a medical term for setting a fracture or dislocated bone.

Listen to the gentleness of what Paul is writing to us. When we find someone broken we are to restore them, set them back up, help to mend the fracture and help them back to their feet.

We are not to stand by and watch.

One of the worse parts of a traffic accident are the gawkers. You know who I am talking about, those who have to go slow and look to see what happened but will get made if someone in front of them is going too slow.

To put this in church language, we are not to gossip about that person, we are not to stand and shake our heads, we are not to say things like, “serves them right.”

We are to humbly help.

B. Who is to do it

But who are the we?

You who are spiritual are supposed to restore that person.

Going back to the example of the traffic accident above. If a medical professional, such as a doctor, nurse or EMT is present at the scene they are required to respond based off their training.

If a person is sinning, then someone who is spiritual is to restore them. Who are the spiritual people in church?

It must be talking about the pastor and elders or we could include the Sunday School teachers. Maybe we include those who are good at giving prayers. But aren’t you so glad that you aren’t one of the spiritual people?

The problem with this thinking is that we just finished reading that as a Christian we are to walk by the Spirit, live by the Spirit which also means we are led by the Spirit and as the Spirit is in us and we follow we will be producing spiritual fruit.

So who are the spiritual people in church, those who have the Spirit in them, those who are called by God, or in other words, you.

C. How it should be done

I don’t know about you but I have found that sometimes the fastest way to a person’s mind is through the backside of their britches.

Or maybe a slap on the back side of the head.

Now don’t go looking like you have no idea what I am talking about. We all know the proverb that says if you spare that switch you will have a spoiled child.

And don’t act like you haven’t done something or at the very least were on the verge of doing it.

The problem is that Bible says we are to do this in a spirit of gentleness.

What does it mean to be gentle? Adaline likes to pet our cats. The problem with this is her pet and her pat are very much like her slaps. She is still working on the fine motor skills. So when we is getting close to a cat, we have to remind her “gentle hands” so that she does more petting and less slapping.

But gentleness is more that just gentle hands. One lexicon says gentleness is “the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self importance.

So with humility we should bear each other’s burdens, restore those in sin and with that, we will fulfill the law of Christ.

2. Reflect and Respond

But it isn’t like we are all going from person to person and restoring them.

At least I hope you aren’t with a big group of people who just take turns getting caught in a sin.

In between times that we help another we should be examining ourselves and carrying our own load.

I doubt there are too many preachers who haven’t wanted to preach like Billy Graham or at least draw a crowd like Billy Graham, or some other famous preacher. What I mean by this is they want to have the impact and influence that Billy Graham had. But Paul teaches us something different, even if you aren’t a preacher.

We need to examine ourselves, test our works and while we spend our time doing that, we aren’t busy comparing ourselves to others. We are being the person God wants us to be and we continue to check ourselves and make sure we are being that person.

In Matthew 7 and Luke 6, we can read that Jesus taught His disciples to get the log out of their eye before they tried to take the speck from their brother’s eye.

Simply put, we must continue to examine ourselves, looking at our life and works and make sure we are being who God created us to be, and carrying our own load.

Verse 5 says we are to bear our own load. This isn’t a conflict with the previous section of helping someone carry a burden.

Two different Greek words are used. The first, for burden means a heavy load which is too much for one person to bear on top of what they are bearing.

The second word is a common term used to talk about a pack that a man would carry. It is a load that is actually light because it is our responsibility to God and it is a load that is shared with Christ.

As we carry our own load and continue to examine ourselves and therefore grow in Christ, then we will be able to help carry another’s burden with them.

3. Sow for the Spirit

We have each heard the phrase, you read what you sow.

It is a common phrase and too often used to put someone down. But it is an important term for us. I know this might seem like this section is just tossed into the mix. Sort of like Paul was getting tired and just saying some commands he thought we should follow. But this actually connects his whole teachings.

We get this phrase from agriculture as you already know. Before you reap you have to sow. If you are busy in another person’s field then you won’t be sowing in your own field. If you don’t sow you will not reap a crop.

Also, it isn’t the reaper who determines what crop they reap. You can throw down wheat seed and the person who comes to reap might want to reap corn but all they can reap is wheat.

If you sow wild oats, don’t think you will turn around and have a rose garden come reaping time.

So what does the sowing and reaping have to do with a log in your eye or with someone sinning and needing help to carry their burden.

Sowing and reaping is a principle of order and consistency. It is a truth in agriculture; it is a truth in all of life; it is a truth in material and moral.

No matter what part of life you are talking about, whatever you sow in that part of life, you will reap in the rest of your life. If you spend your whole life sowing to the flesh, that is living a sinful lifestyle then you will be judged by that life.

If you spend your life sowing to the Spirit, that is walking with the Spirit and being led by the Spirit, you will be judged by the work of Christ.

4. Persevere in Kindness

What should we be sowing?

We should be sowing what is good.

Philippians 4:8 NASB 2020

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

We should sow these things in our minds and then we will reap these things. What you put into your mind is what will come out from you.

Ephesians 6:7–8 NASB 2020

7 With goodwill render service, as to the Lord, and not to people, 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

I am not saying that we should go out and do things in order to get paid.

I am saying that Whatever we do, we should do as if we are doing it to our Lord and that we will be repaid but this does not state we will be repaid in this life. We will receive our reward in our eternal life for everything. Even those little things we do that we think others don’t notice. God does.

Jesus did what was right and good His entire human life. He followed and fulfilled the Law but the end of this life for Him was crucifixion. But then came the resurrection, then came His glory and being seated at the right hand of God.

Don’t become discouraged over doing what is good and what is right. We might never get recognized in this life but what we have been promised for our eternal life will more than make up for anything here.

Thomas Watson wrote in A Body of Practical Divinity:

We think it a great kindness in a man to spare our life, but what kindness is it in God to give us our life?

Thomas Watson

A Body of Practical Divinity (1838)

Thomas Watson

As we reflect and examine ourselves and then respond, we should respond by sowing in the Spirit and persevering in kindness. It is this type of spiritual person who can then restore a fellow Christian back into fellowship with God and enrich both of their lives in the process.

Jerry Bridges said:

Goodness is kindness in action.

Jerry Bridges

And with these acts of kindness, goodness will ripple through our community, much like it rippled around Christ and His community.