Getting Practical
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Today we turn to Paul’s letter to the Galatians — a letter written not to give empty praise but to protect, to call God’s people back to the only gospel of grace.
“Before we unpack Paul’s final charge in Galatians 6, let’s remember how the first five chapters press us toward true faith in Christ:
Galatians 1 confronts us with the danger of trying to build an idneity based on other things - money, status, acts of performance. Paul calls us to a faith rooted in Christ alone, not human traditions or performance (Gal. 1:6–9).
Galatians 2 challenges us to live with integrity: if we believe the gospel of grace, our lives must reflect unity, not hypocrisy. Paul’s rebuke of Peter asks us: do our actions match the gospel we proclaim? (Gal. 2:11–14).
Galatians 3 convicts us of our pride in trying to earn God’s favor. e come empty-handed, believing God’s promise—because only faith justifies, not our efforts (Gal. 3:6–14).
Galatians 4 reveals our spiritual identity: we are not slaves under law, but beloved sons and daughters through Christ. Will we live in the freedom or return to bondage, tie ourselves to false promises? (Gal. 4:4–7).
Galatians 5 reminds us to walk by the Spirit, to listen and do the will of God. (Gal. 5:16–25).
In every chapter, Paul urges us: stop relying on yourself, trust Christ alone, and let the Spirit make you new.
Paul’s words are a fierce defense of freedom: freedom from legalism, from the tyranny of earning God’s love, and from any power that would enslave us again.
Yet as he draws this letter to a close in Galatians 6, Paul shows us what this freedom looks like. It’s not bout being individuals chasing self-fulfillment, but being drawn ever greater, ever closer into community. It is through the church that Christ’s love is realised.
A shared place of love, where differences are embraced, burdens are shared, and lives are transformed by Jesus’ cross.
Section I: Restoring the Fallen — A Space of Restoration (Galatians 6:1)
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Paul’s words are tender but clear: when someone stumbles, the Spirit does not lead us to judge or gossip but to restore them — carefully, patiently, lovingly.
The word Paul uses means to mend a net or set a broken bone. It’s delicate work.
And think of the medium Paul chose: a letter.
Letters in Paul’s day weren’t private, but read aloud to gathered believers. The medium we use matters. Paul uses his letters to remind those he reaches out that they are joined. That just because he is not physically present, across a thousand miles, across the great distances of space or even of 2000 years, Christ’s disciples are not seperate but are one in Christ Jesus. A letter is a conversation, not a note shouted into a vaccum. Paul reminds us what it is to be part of the Church Universal. A place where he could speak love, correction, and encouragement, even when absent in body.
Today, the church must be that same space: a community where failures are not fatal but opportunities for healing; where those caught in sin find gentle hands, not harsh words.
Restoration isn’t weakness; it’s Christ’s own way.
That is the church into which Paul reminds us Jesus has invited us.
Section II: Bearing One Another’s Burdens — The Space of Mutuality (Galatians 6:2–5)
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
We were never meant to walk alone.
Sin, grief, temptation, and suffering are too heavy to bear without others.
And yet, our postmodern culture worships radical individualism: prove yourself, build your brand, depend on no one.
But Paul says the opposite: greatness in God’s family is measured by our willingness to stoop down, shoulder one another’s burdens, and lift each other up.
But Paul also balances this with personal responsibility:
"Each one should carry their own load."
Some weights — like our response to God’s call — are ours alone to bear. This seems opposed, but think of it like perhaps your car breaks down when you were giving lifts to a concert. Your neighbour can offer to lend you a car and thus share the burden of expectation to get there, but it doesn’t mean they take on the relationship you have with your friends - nor the future of that relationship. The two words are different. The first really talks about ‘ a heavy burden’, while the second is really a rucksack - a soldiers pack. Every soldier must carry their own pack, but it is only as an army that they are effective.
A healthy church calls us to maturity: we help each other without trying to get out of what God asks of each of us.
Imagine a community where everyone carries both their load and one another’s burdens — a place of honesty, safety, and love.
That is the church into which Paul reminds us Jesus has invited us.
Section III: Sowing to the Spirit — The Space of Investment (Galatians 6:6–10)
Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Every word, every act, every choice — like seeds planted in a field.
Sow selfishness, and you’ll reap brokenness.
Sow love, kindness, and truth, and you’ll reap a harvest of life.
Paul’s call is to invest in others — not to chase self-promotion, but to build each other up in love.
He writes:
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Our postmodern world says to invest in yourself first — but Paul teaches that in the church, we are called to sow into each other.
Our faith grows when we pour time, prayers, and encouragement into our brothers and sisters.
Paul says:
"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Let’s be a people who look for opportunities to plant seeds of hope every day, who go out of our way to remind everyone we encounter that Jesus loves them.
Paul grounds his message in lived experience - for he knows that it is there in which we will encounter our hardest battles, and our greatest joy.
That is the church into which Paul reminds us Jesus has invited us.
Section IV: The Mark of the New Creation — The Third Space of New Identity (Galatians 6:11–16)
Paul takes the pen himself:
"See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!"
Often, Paul would use an amnaeusis, that is a secretary who would be expected to pen his words. Yet here we can imagine Paul perhaps asking them to hand him the pen, tears in his eyes for the Galatians who are doing something so dangerous, as he desperately reaches out to them across time and space. As his courier braves desert heat and high peaks to deliver this message. As he unfurls this scroll amongst the house churches of Galatia, the performer barely able to contain his information as he tells them Paul himself wrote this. Perhaps he turns the letter around, that they can see on the manuscript that this section is ungainly. Perhaps Paul’s tears till stain the page. We cannot know this,
"Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation."
This is the climax of Galatians: all our boasting, pride, heritage, and achievements count for nothing.
Only the cross matters.
Only the new creation God makes us in Christ.
The church Jesus calls us to isn’t defined by old categories or status symbols — but by a shared identity as forgiven, Spirit-filled people.
Here, differences aren’t erased but united under Jesus’ lordship.
Paul ends with a blessing:
"Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule — to the Israel of God."
This peace and mercy mark the true community of Jesus — the church where grace rules.
That is the church into which Paul reminds us Jesus has invited us.
Conclusion: The Whole Message of Galatians — Living as God’s Community on Earth
Paul began Galatians defending the freedom of the gospel — salvation by grace through faith, not by human effort.
He exposed the lie that we can add anything to Christ’s work.
He declared that the Spirit, not the law, empowers a life of love.
He taught that in Christ, we are no longer divided by ethnicity, status, or gender, but one family, heirs of the promise.
He warned us not to use freedom for selfishness but to serve one another in love.
He painted a picture of life led by the Spirit, overflowing with the fruit of love, joy, peace, and more.
And here in Galatians 6, Paul shows us what that looks like on the ground: restoring the fallen, carrying each other’s burdens, sowing good into one another’s lives, and living as God’s new creation.
This is the church Paul invites us to continue to build — a community where we are:
Rooted in the gospel of grace.
Bound by mutual care, not competition.
Living as people of the cross, boasting only in Christ.
A Final Challenge
Will you embrace your freedom in Christ — not as license, but as love in action?
Will you reject the world’s obsession with self-made identity, and instead find your life in Christ and His family?
Will you commit to building spaces of restoration, mutuality, investment, and Spirit-shaped identity — for your own heart, your family, your church, and your world?
Will you let Jesus build his Kingdom in your heart, in your life, in our church, in Kinson?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the gospel of grace.
Help us restore with gentleness, carry burdens with love, sow seeds of goodness, and boast only in Your cross.
Make our lives a third space of grace, where Your peace and mercy flow, and Your Spirit forms us into a new creation.
Amen.
