Community Gospel

INTRO

If you have your Bible you can turn to Galatiasn 6 today where we will be ending our time in the letter of Galatians. And just like any good letter, there is an ending that has a lot of review of what was already said, just to make sure you heard it. That is what Paul is going to do today in our last chapter, it is his final stab, the last hurray, to make sure the Galatians got his point about the Gospel, the Spirit, the Church, and everything else in between.

Since we have a lot to read through this morning, I thought we would spend some time in prayer first.

Give us soft hearts to hear your word.

BODY

English Standard Version (Chapter 6) 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. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. So in Paul’s final remarks to the church of Galatia he reminds them of something he was just writing about which is Spirit lead relationships.

Last week we discussed the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit and how those are things that can affect out relationships (good or bad). And so he gives some more tips to have Spirit filled relationships that would be good for us to look at too.

SPIRIT FILLED RELATIONSHIP ADVICE

Deal with sin.

Paul says that those who are spiritual should be restoring people in a spirit of gentleness. Just to clarify something, spiritual person is someone living by the Holy Spirit. That’s how they are able to walk in gentleness yet being firm. It isn’t the person who can quote the most Bible or have the most intellectual theological discussions. And before you say sign me up for dealing with other people’s sins, look what it says, keep watch yourself lest you be tempted. You are not above the sin that you are calling out in another person. So what does it look like to call out sin in another persons life? Is it getting a piece of cardboard and telling them they are going to hell? Is it calling them out in front of everyone for what you see as a work of the flesh rather than a fruit of the spirit. Because that is the goal, right? Fruit of the Spirit is Christlikeness. So the more we are able to walk with each other, the less complicated this becomes. If we are not in relationship with each other, we don’t know what is sin, what is burdens, and what is them just being hungry. But a spirit filled relationship is one that is not afraid to call out sin or to have people call out their sin. Remember, when we are planted and rooted in Christ’s righteousness, we are not prickly and fragile with people poking at us. We are secure in Him so we can take it.

Bear each others burdens.

For what it is worth, as far as I can see, Living Rock church you do this very well. When someone is in need or needs something, you are right there to carry them and what people are going through. This is why we can’t be Han solo christians thinking we can do this on our own. In our own strength. In order to have your burdens carried, then you need to tell people about what is burdening you too. It shouldn’t be a weakness to open your life to people and say you are struggling with this or that. It’s called walking in the light, and Jesus died so you can have the freedom to not live life alone.

Be filled with humility

In all of this, in calling out sin or bearing each others burdens, there is a need to continue to remember who you are. To walk in the humility that really, all of this Gospel community is from Christ. So we are not thinking we are like Jesus because we think we are saving people, no. Look at what verse 3 says again,

3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

If we are puffed up for any reason when calling out sin or helping others, we need to check ourselves. We need to remember the true Gospel that called you into His grace. It was nothing that you did. It is all because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

So with this recap on community, Paul then reminds us of this reality that you reap what you sow.

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 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. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

1. Teachers sow seeds

This feels a little strange talking about since I am the one preaching right now, but Paul is trying to help them understand about something when they listen to the Word being preached. He simplified the parable that Jesus gave in Matthew 13 when he talked about the seef falling on different soils. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Jesus says to the effect that when the Word is preached, a seed is sown into your heart. If you heart is hard soil, the enemy snatches away the message. If you have weeds around your heart, you might get excited about a message for a couple hours, but then the cares of this world and the pleasure of this world steal it away. Then there are those who have good soil that hear the word and then it is planted there and it grows, and grows.

So just to be a little transparent with you all this morning, this is what we pray before the service for you. Good soil in your hearts. And it is good to share with me, or Billy, or Cameron something that you feel like the Lord planted in your heart when you hear something in the service. Because you know what I usually do when someone comes up and tells me “wow, that was a great message it really spoke to me” I pat my self on the back and say way to go Josh! No! I pray for you. I know that you don’t have the words to communicate it all, but I pray the enemy would not steal that word, that the cares of this world won’t snatch it out of you as you go about your week and that it would grow in you. So weather it is me, your life group leader, BSF leader, or whoever, share what the Lord is doing so you can continue to pray for those things to grow in your heart.

2.Spirit reaps Spirit, Flesh reaps flesh

This seems pretty straight forward, but as believers we do have a choice to sow into our flesh or into the Spirit every day. This isn’t legalism, it is sowing in a direction that we want to see our lives growing in the kingdom of this world, or a the kingdom of God. This is why I keep inviting you to join a life group, to Monday prayer, to our family fun nights, to our 21 day fast in January, all of it is to help you continue to sow into the Spirit. And then you see the fruit of the Spirit growing and thriving in your life because you have not given into the lie that Christians are just powerless sinners waiting around for Jesus to return. We have the Spirit inside us to wage war against the flesh. So this leads to the final point.

3.Don’t give up sowing!

Keep seeking him. Keep showing up. Keep trusting Him. Keep sowing into your life group, your Bible study, your friends, family work. Being a johnny appleseed and keep sowing seeds of faith because you will reap a harvest. Don’t give up now! Anyone feeling like they want to give up? Don’t! You still got breath in your lungs, there is still time to see change in your own life, in others lives,

The last thing Paul writes and reminds us of that he has been pounding this whole letter and that is what matters most in the Christian life.

What matters most in the Christian life. 11 See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. 12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

1.The cross

For Paul, the preaching of the cross meant persecution, beating, possible imprisonment or death. He was not interested in pleasing man, otherwise he would not being a servant of God as he said in chapter 1. To boast in circumcision and the law means to boast in our own religious efforts rather than boasting in Jesus. But Paul says he that he will only boast in the cross of Christ because it is the way he remembers that the world has been crucified to him and he to the world. Meaning, he belongs to Jesus because of the cross. No self promotion, no self focus, only cross promotion. And when that happens we start to see what he has done in us through His life, death, resurrection, and filling of His Spirit.

2. Being a new creation

You and I in Christ are a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come. It doesn’t matter what your spiritual resume says, good or bad, because if it doesn’t have “New Creation” on there, then it is void. We keep making the gospel a pray to be prayed so that we can get to heaven someday. Paul says that the Gospel gives you a new identity where you are born again, a new creation, old you is gone, new you is like a beautiful garden of eden where you and God dwell in covenant. Do you see how small and petty circumcision and the law look in comparison? Find your identity not in your spiritual stamina or spirituality but in Jesus who has made you a new creation. And all of this points to the heartbeat of this letter. From the beginning all the way through the letter there has been a strand of the most important thing in the believers life. it os the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

3. Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

Grace, by definition in the Bible is the divine gift that we have recieved through Jesus Christ. What is the divine gift? Righteousness, acceptance, forgiveness, belonging. We are in the family of God because we have been called by his grace. Nothing that we could do, nothing that we will do. A gift that empowers us to live transformed lives by exchanging our old life for our new one in Christ. With the fruit of the Spirit. With a community of believers who love one another. With the understanding that God loves you, accepts you and welcomes you home.

COMMUNION

-No need to be a member

-Take time to think and approach this meal in a right attitude. Joy or sorrow.

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