Galatians 6
Thank you.
Good morning. We are wrapping up our sermon series in Galatians. We are in chapter 6 today. Got your Bibles. You've got your app. You've got whatever it is. You used to it the scripture I go ahead and be in Galatians chapter 6 like Emma's going to be gracious enough to look at that put it up on the screen for us as well.
Take a look at the scripture and it will go into our time of worship through the hearing of the word.
Always writing here to the Church of galatia 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 be 2 lest you to be tempted bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Or 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 this 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. Do not be deceived. God is Not mocked. Whatever one says that also. That will he also reap. The one who sews to his own flesh will also from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sews 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. See with what large letters. I am writing to you with my own hand. It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh it would force you to be circumcised. And only in order that they may not be persecuted for the Cross of Christ. 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. Far be it for 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 or neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation and ask for all who walked by this rule peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. For now, let no one cause me trouble by bear on my body the marks of Jesus the grace of our Lord Jesus of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit Brothers a man. Pray with me. Father I thank you. or your word, thank you for those who gather here to hear it today and pray Lord that is is that I'm here, and I'm I'm just a mouthpiece for you that you put me aside and you speak I want to handle this correctly and I want to do this to honor and glorify you and I pray Lord. That is we hear the words today you'd speak to us. Through your word that you would move in. Our hearts would challenge us you would convict us.
And you would draw us closer to you. Father I pray that this is heard and it doesn't fall void as your word promises. It won't be and I just asked for that is we do this again. You moving arm. It's it's in Jesus name. I pray amen.
It is the wrap up, right? All done writing this letter. It's very impassioned. We saw last week in chapter 5, especially how and passion to Paul was that it's it's almost by the time we get to chapter 5, it's it's almost this letter of a heartsick dad to kids that he knows should know better and he's he's he's hurt by them. He's upset by them. He's angry but he's not as angry with them as much as he feels like he's he's anger of those have led them astray and now here he's he's back and he's just That moment of now. Listen, I got one last thing to say to your kids at a moment. I remember having some conversations my own father that way you're sitting at the kitchen table as a as a young adult. There's a cup of coffee between us and I'm like, oh boy here comes right, but but it wasn't a bad thing. It was it was that reassurance of I love you. But here's the path. I want you to keep on as I love you heaps. Keep thinking things straight. Impulse kind of doing that as he's wrapping up this letter and in much like the last little small chunk of chapter 4 really led into chapter 5 the last little chunk of chapter 5 really Legion 2 chapter 6 in his conclusion here with 25 and 26 of chapter 5. It says 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 in any leads right into but Brothers if anyone is caught in transgression, right? It is just be conceited about this, but we're going to smoothen to this.
And he's he's he's instructing us to keep in step with the spirit and then here it is is what it looks like. So If anyone is caught in transgression. I think of that particular line is Paul's writing it here and I'm thinking wow transgression sin, right and getting caught with we all have it. There's their stuff in us that old man that Paul talks about another book. So he's trying to kill and get rid of it and and eliminating there's life. There's still some of that in us no matter what are our process of getting holier than holy orders is sanctification in it takes a lifetime with Christ. It's not like I woke up after I got to save the next day and I was ready to go and I'm Sanctified know it's a it's a process and impulse reminding the galatian church sure that it's a process that there are going to be people. They're going to be caught in a sin. We all do it. It's all going to be there. Our goal is to want to move from it, but he says brothers and sisters are caught in sin. They are restored. They're not put out. They're not kicked to the curb. They're not unloved no more. So there are restored when you when you restore something you love it. It is it's it's precious to you it hits deer at sweep. I think of the old antique farm engine to my dad and I would sit in the garage for months trying to figure out how come this one little single cylinder engine didn't want to fire right and we would spend months at a time on one part trying to get that one part to work, right. We wanted to restore it. Bring it fully back to the working order and that's what restoration here is want to bring Believers back into the fold in full working order so that they may Main function within the church is done gently is done humbly. It's done without conceit and it keeps us as Paul describes it those of you who are spiritual right is Paul kind of says they're it keeps us in check. It is real easy. He'll easy to. Think of yourself as as being more spiritual than somebody else when they're still something in your eye that you're not seeing or other something in your life that you're you're trying to keep hidden away. Keep yourself in check.
Palhares also reminding us that being slaves to a new law of this this legalism that opens the door for us. Do not be gentle with Brothers and Sisters in Christ the two to be harsh to be. Conceited in that regard that did it that there is this temptation. R Us to go out and look for the sin and fault and someone else but completely ignore and deny the sin and fault that is within our own lives. And if we want to watch for that. There's this humility and how we restore our brothers and sisters. It is again giving us instructions for how we walk in step with the spirit and he says it were to walk in step with the spirit. We are called to Bear one another's burdens.
I think wow how this really reflects back to the Bluetooth. The beginning of this world called to restore our Brothers and Sisters in Christ right work and inverse one restore them until we go back to that. Jennifer bearing one another's burdens and we're working to restore them that this is all kind of cyclical by bearing one another's burdens. We inevitably are keeping them from falling into sin. Right if if we are walking side-by-side with somebody we're helping them where we're guiding them through this thing called the Christian Life. We're bearing the burden they have it that Jaden comes to me says Michael man. I need you to pray for me. I'm having a real rough time. There's there's kids at school and air pressure mean there's a sander that my brother I got you. I got your back. I'm going to pray for you. Right. I'm taking me out to dinner get him some McDonald's or something pocket through but I'm bearing his burden in that. And in doing so I'm being humbled to remind myself that yeah, I remember what it was like to be that agent or a lot more jerks and nice people school. And and I'm them also saying hey is there people here that are going to help you out and we keeping him from falling into sin is he's keeping me from falling into sent as we're all working together to keep our lives straight for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Paul has spent this entire letter reassuring the galatian Believers if they do not have to follow the Jewish laws to be saved. Yet he says they are to fulfill the law of Christ by bearing one another's burdens.
I think this is really something interesting. That is I was reading through this. I I kind of go back and I and I see what they're talking about hear that a lot of Scholars think the Paul's describing what Matthew is Jesus's teaching in Matthew chapter 22 vs 37 through 40. And then the Pharisees are coming up and they're asking him questions and and he's just kind of black of the scripture says he is shut up or shut down the Sadducees who would come in and they were asking him questions at this point in time and they were kind of pointed Diggy questions and the Pharisee Super Bowl which of The Commandments is the greatest commandment. I think he's going to pull out from the Big Ten and he goes somewhere else. He goes. He goes to Deuteronomy chapter 6. And he says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and saw your mind. This is the great and first commandment and then it goes to chapter 19 of Leviticus. I believe what he says and second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself from these two Commandments depend all the law and the prophet. But this is it. This is the law of Jesus Christ Is This Love. Supremely? love him supremely if you have any Love In You Give It All to the God who created you. That's the Law of Christ Ellen in doing that when you give that love that you have in you all of it poop really completely ridiculously over to the god of creation who loves you
then that second part where you love your neighbor as yourself just kind of falls into place because we are loving God that completely that immensely that enormously then you see all of his creation is worthy of his love.
even when they fail because he is a gracious God that you see them as created beings of his that we Are All Made In His Image and there is if we are loving him I Would we not love the things that are made in His image. It doesn't make sense to not. And so those things what it hinges on.
All of this will be done out of that love for our God. Verse 3 all reminders to be cautious of thinking more of ourselves and we should this is this is incredibly easy to do right? It is super easy to Bank of yourself a little higher put yourself in a position that maybe you shouldn't be in mentally in your mind. Where you belong Do this lack of humility that that sneaks up on us? It creeps in on us. It keeps us from being able to really truly bear one. Another's burdens are called to do in verse 2.
Verse for Paul's continuing to push us towards have personal humility. Test your own work best it. What's the purpose here pushes that he reminds us that utilizing our god-given abilities to their fullest is the only real thing we can we can boast them and we don't have anything to really boast about
Let you walk into people's offices sometimes doctors do this. I've been some other offices of a couple of attorneys and I know I walk into their offices and it's it's like this wall of I don't even know like this degree this degree this degree this practice practice practice practice practice is what I have accomplished and that and $0.75 will buy you a cup of coffee. The Circle S. Right? It doesn't change who you are or anything. It's still just a bunch of paper is all going to burn up in the end anyway. But we try to put ourselves in a position where we think we're higher than that. We think we're better than we really are and in pulsing check that at the door. Stop get rid of that put that aside. You cannot any better than anybody else in this we are all equal heirs with Christ when we come to Christ. And it should be our desire than to bring those who are not in Christ up so that they are equal areas with us and bring that about that all we have are the gifts and abilities and things that God has given us anyway in at any moment. He can take it away. It could be gone even studying and small group in haggai and we had done a study of Nehemiah and Ezra prior to that and it will reminder the Babylonian captivity that it wasn't very long after Solomon's Reign that God used foreign countries to destroy
Israel it's Solomon's point in time. They were the wealthiest most powerful most influential nation in the known world at the time and it within three to four generations that was gone and they were destitute the city in Jerusalem. The walls are torn down of Temple to Worship the Lord got high on high.
God gives he can take it away. We need to remember that the only thing we have is is what we have in Christ, but we have been given in God and then how we utilize it for his sake and for his glory and even when we think about that if we're boasting about doing those things really kind of boasting on what God has done through us. It's still all goes back to him.
verse 6
Paul's just instructing the church to make sure it cares for the material needs of those. Who teach Maybe somewhere along the line is kind of a x Paul does this is he right? So it's just kind of this insert just by the way, and then it comes back to the main topic a little bit. This is kind of those by the ways, by the way. If you guys aren't taking care of your teachers your pastors your elders you need to make sure you're doing that. All right, and in again as we've been studying in haggai in Ezra Nehemiah, one of the things that God is Upset with people of Israel that is their lack of care for the priests and Levites The Men Who were guided called and and set aside to the leading worship until to leave the people. We're not being cared for Paul's just reminding him. If this is part of the Old Law, if you guys are really wanting to think about the law. There's a chunk of it to you need to be aware of that. You need to be doing probably still today. Xenoverse 7 uses a strong warning to us
God knows the hearts of people and he knows the works they do.
God will not be mocked in this idea that Paul talks about here with reaping and sowing is It's just it's as old as farming as it's as old as the garden this idea that if you plant potatoes you're going to get potatoes back. I should not go out in my garden and go to digging my potato bin and think I'm going to get tomatoes. I just know how it works. If I put in potatoes. I'm going to get potatoes back if I put in tomatoes, I should get tomatoes back. Now. I know that we've always got volunteer plants from year to year, but that's not what he's talking about. We didn't we didn't really say those three even read them. Those are blessing Foods in that regard. What are you saying that about this the same the more you plant the more you should Harvest if it's a good year and in the same as is kind of the matters of the spirit.
If you so works of the flesh that Paul describes back and chapter 5 verses 19 through 21. You're going to get those works of the flesh right back on you. You're going to get that deceit and envy you're going to get that.
Drunkenness and sorcery idolatry you're going to get all of those to jealousy the angry. The rivalries are going to get all of that back if you're sowing that out. It's just going to come right back to you cuz you can't plant things and expect something different to grow. If that's what you're planting in the world. That's what you're going to get back.
in the more of that you so the more of that you're going to get back in your own Harvest. GZA is a follower of Christ. We should have this outpouring of the holy spirit in us and the fruits of the spirit that are in us to just flow out of us.
as you sow this
You will also reap this as you go along as Believers price. I think of it as like hydroseeding Hazard scene hydroseeding I'm talking about hydroseeding is this idea that this kind of I guess in last 10 15 years. It's going to come up new and popular. They bring a truck out got a big tank on the back of it. And inside of that tank is a mixture of water seed and fertilizer and it's kind of turning into turning they put her on a big pump and a guy will get out of the truck and I'll stand where you want to go to look like a fire hose and open up the files in this green spray all over there in about a week. You got a new lawn. Done hydroseeding and you're doing it now with some small crop some things cover crops in that sort of stuff too. And they and they use it. We is as Believers in Christ. When the Holy Spirit dwells us we should be like that big pressurized tank for hydroseeding fruits of the spirit that we should spray and fruits of the spirit everywhere's woman that seed we were letting it land everywhere because that's what people need to see in us because that's what we've been called to show that is this overflowing we're pressurize we can't contain what Jesus is doing in our life. We can't contain what the spirit is doing our lives in his got to get out somewhere. That's what should be happening in US. That's what Paul is reminding us of that. It's a controlled explosion
Of the fruit in our lives.
Verse 9 Paul warns us to not grow weary of doing good.
I was thinking about this and I've been praying about this for this congregation that that we're we're setting ourselves up to be really busy for Jesus in June. That's not necessarily A Bad Thing. But I've been praying about are we going to make folks weary. Are they going to get tired of it going to get? We can't grow weary of doing good for his cause for his sake for his glory. I know it is really hard to do the right thing all the time. I get it feels just like their days are out there and you're the only person doing the right thing. And it is tiring and I understand that and it can be frustrating when you're the only person who's doing the right thing. You looked around your workplace and feels like you're the only one who seems to get it or are you were looking around in your school in your classes and feels like you're the only one who gets in your doing it. It's tough but Church. It's important for us to not grow weary. There are times and we as followers of Christ put forth a lot of effort. What seems like very little return. It's okay. It's okay. Hunter just remember that we will have a season to reap. It takes a while to plant things farmers are concerned less than a quarter of Indiana right now has been planted with corn the 90-day growing season from from from germination to harvest minimum 90 days and they're not sure they're going to get that 90 Days Inn.
It's been so wet in the field not ready.
Right there weary, but we should not be there's a time. It takes that time. There's a a process in which That season to reap comes. I love that God uses farming analogies because it reminds us that it takes a while for it. Then it's it's not just instant gratification with Jesus. It's the blessing and the joy of delayed gratification with Jesus hear me on that. It is a blessing and a joy to have delayed gratification. We don't like it. But it's a blessing and a joy to have it and pulls remaining of this if there is going to be this season to reap and we should not give up not only should we not give up we should take every opportunity we have to do the good works in the share the love of Jesus Christ with one another and others who needed as well.
Then we start seeing him verse 11. Always really really wrapping it up here. What we understand about Paul is you wrote a lot of his letters while in prison or in house arrest in Rome there yet time on his hands. And if you're arrested, you can't leave the house. You chained to a chained to a wall your your what are you you have plenty of time to do things befall spend a lot of time praying singing writing letters to the churches that he had planted and two missionaries into pastures like Titus and Timothy and indeed he sent these out but a lot of times he would use a scribe.
Which we see that in Romans, I think even named subscribe and Romans, but good food have the Scribe and it would be basically I'm taking dictation all would say what he wanted to say and and they'd write it down and I can't imagine being the guy in a prison cell with Paul is he's preaching cuz these read like sermons as he's preaching and I got to get every word down. A job I can probably like that'd be really a cool job, but for me like oh my gosh, I be such a hectic job trying to get that all down, but that's what you did in the paper. the Church of galatia needs to see that I'm really behind this for whatever reason Paul had big handwriting whether he couldn't see well whether he just starting to get old and is is need a larger handwriting because you just muscle dexterity wasn't there. We don't know but he said look at how big this is. He's really rapping it up. He has this distinctive large handwriting. But he says this is from me through the Holy Spirit reminds us. In that bit. This is the word of God that he is who he says he is in God's is who he says he is. Verse 12 he starts to kind of move on here and he says it's talking about that party for the circumcision again, right he gets back to that. There are those who want to look good outwardly. They want to look Pious and righteous. But are not that way inwardly, they're not righteous or Pius inside. And those are the ones in galatia that are driving the church to the circumcision party thing. This is idea of obeying Jewish law so that you may be a Christian. Pulsating no, no, no. No. No, just remember that. They try to look good outside, but they're not and they're not even really keeping the law. They're only wanting to brag and boast about how holy they look and they want you to fall into that with them. I want you to show how many people we have brought on our side. We must be right we have large numbers.
I don't think that's how it works rarely do large crowds make good decisions as a whole.
Impulse and be wary of them. Watch out for them. Keep it out there only looking good on the outside. Still not good on the inside.
They takes us 12 and 13 and 14. I talked to them about the boasting again, and I love it. ET we see where are boasting should take place a Michael process 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 in the world.
Only reason we have to brag on anything to boast about anything is to boast and what God has done in our lives.
have nothing else
this letter was written to combat this this false teaching of a of a false outward appearance of righteousness and in a false holiness. And it was written to combat that because all one of them to have an a change of life that Jesus Christ brings to us. But that's that's what it is is I can boast and brag that Jesus has changed my life.
That's what it is made me a new creation. I am different now than when I didn't have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I should be changed not outwardly. But inwardly my spirit should be different. My heart should be different. I am made a new that way. There's no additional law. There's there's no checklist. There's no work that I can do. None of those things are going to actually Draw Me Closer to Jesus Christ. No matter what how hard I want to work? No matter how hard I want to do how much of that stuff I want to put forth. If I'm not doing it out of love and adoration for a holy and just God who sent Jesus Christ his son you save and redeem me for his sake and for his glory and I'm just spinning my wheels. And Paul's wanting to remind folks of that. It doesn't matter what you're doing. If it's not out of the sake of love for Christ love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your mind. As the first and greatest commandment.
That's where it starts.
It's All About Us surrendering and allowing him to make us new creatures that will grow our relationship if you're not surrendering at all.
What's happening? There's no growth in Christ. And this is the call for your life through the book of Galatians that you to put yourself aside. Put your wants and desires. I put it with your easy checklist decide which are hard checklist decide that it's about you putting yourself aside to put on Jesus Christ.
That's the big call here. I don't know where everybody's at with that. I don't know where people stand. In relationship with Jesus Christ that I know. Well, I never really really no.
We had a had a dear little lady that is in our church that is moved on to live with her family and is used to talk about I may not be able to judge you but I can be a fruit inspector. I was her kind of way of saying it and I love that because we are kind of called the bear one. Another's burdens is kind of being a fruit inspector here. Right, where you at on this end? And how's this going in and checking out with one another? How is your walk with Christ? What's it do you have a walk with Christ? You know, Jesus Christ was Paul's reiterating here so much that it's not about the good you do it's not about. The work you put forth. It's not about the effort you do, but how Christ isn't dwelled you and is changed you. You become a new creation.
You can no longer boast in anything except the cross of Jesus Christ.
Have you have you seen that in your life? Are you there? Are you ready to say I surrendered all I want to love the Lord my car with all my heart. My soul my mind. I want to give it all to him and let him change me. I Surrender
I give up. This was Paul's call Misty. Become a new creature in Jesus Christ that way. Put yourself aside and put on Christ. Would you play with me?
Father in Heaven, I thank you again for your word. I thank you for appalled here is reminding us repeatedly that and it's you. It's you it's it's not us. It's not anything we do it's not. Not the check. I wrote this morning. Not the the plans we have for next Sunday afternoon to to the minister to people on a park that it's not. gathering on Thursday night to have burgers and fries with the guys It's not about. Keeping up appearances. But it's about loving you rendering to the law of Christ to love the Lord Our God with all your heart soul and mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Love that way and to obey why isn't Commandments of the scriptures because of the love not out of obligation.
because of loving obedience father I pray that that's where our hearts are at today. I pray that is we we read through the words of Paul is ever given him through the Holy Spirit. We read through the scripture. We see the commands. He's given us and the directors we have the do we say we love you so much at these are going to be easy.
I know I can always say that.
Father I pray you forgive me of that. And it would change my heart. So it is easy. Father I hope we're all praying that. We want to show you reverence for obedience and love not of obligation in fear.
Are they continue to speak to our hearts continue to challenge us continue to?
Invictus and draws closer to you Listen, Jesus name I pray amen.
