Restore Such An One

Galatians Series: Freedom Through Christ  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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To learn how to help fallen and hurting belivers.

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Introduction

It is said that the Christian army is the only one that shoots its wounded. But is this really true? Are Christians really guilty of shooting their wounded? Sadly, Christians do often put other believers down when they fail or fall. Far too often, believers become judgmental and critical when others slip and are wounded by the effects of sin.
The issue is not to be why was a believer wounded by sin but how can a believer be restored?
God is a God of restoration. He does not hold a grudge. Just ask the Prodigal Son…just look into the mirror and you will see who He restores.
The Christian has been charged with the responsibility to restore fallen saints. Will we be found faithful in this critical ministry?
Note the word “man.” This means a person who is just like the rest of us; that is, he has desires, passions, and urges just like we have. He walks and lives in the flesh just like we do. Therefore, he faces the very same temptations we do, for all temptations is common to all men ()
What should we do when a Christian brother has succumbed to temptation, stumbled or fallen? What should be the spirit and attitude of the church? How should we approach the problem? Are we to...
Ignore Him? Dismiss Him?
criticize Him? isolate him?
Withdraw from him? Spread rumors about him?
shame him? Slander him?
censor Him?
Note a fact: no sin is specified. The sin may be large or small, black or gray. The point to note is this: a true Christian brother can be overtaken by sin.
The word “overtaken” is interesting: it means to be taken beforehand, by surprise, or unexpectedly. A true Christian is surprised when he is overtaken by sin.
When a brother is caught in sin and slips and falls, what should be done?
Scripture is clear: Christian are to restore them.
The word “restore” in this sense means to recover. It is a word used in the sense of regaining something that was lost whether person, territories, possessions, strength and health.
Well there is a wrong way and a right way.
Remember Paul is writing this letter from a point of deep passion and frustration...
Backstory:
Chapter 1-2 - Gospel of the Crucified Messiah...
Chapter 3-4 - That Gospel creates a new Multi-ethnic Family...
Chapter 5-6 - That is transformed by the Spirit.
The new Multi-Ethnic Family of Christ, full of faith in Jesus, Loving God and others in the power of the Spirit should hand a fallen brother...

First, Let The Spiritual Believers Handle The Matter (v.1).

Spiritual Believers are those who walk in the Spirit. How can a church tell if a believer is spiritual, if they are truly walking i the Spirit? the former passage spells out how.
Does the believer bear the fruit of the Spirit?
Does the believer live a crusicfied life with Chrsit, that is sacrificial, self denying life? Has the believer crucified his flesh withe the passions and lust? ()
Does the believer walk in the Spirit—live a life that is consistent with his position in Christ? ()
Does the believer walk free from super -spirituality and envy, pride and jealousy, arrogance and selfishness? ().

Second, Approach The Brother In A Spirit of Meekness (v.1)

How often is the approach not concerned with restoring a brother. It is bent more on downing or destroying him. And the great tragedy is that it forces him to turn more and more to the world, to those who are more understanding of his weaknesses because they, too, are weak.
The Spirit of rejection is not what Scripture is telling belivers to show. Scripture is saying approach them in meekness: to be gentle, tender, warm, loving, and caring.
Discuss their sinning, yes, but with them not others!
Ephesians 4:1–2 KJV 1900
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Third, Consider Yourself (v.1).

Consider yourself, for you, too, can be tempted and overtaken by sin.
This is a crucial point, for all believers are tempted with all kinds of sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13
1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV 1900
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Some of the most inaccurate words that glide across the lips of Christians are these. “I’ll never fall. It could never happen to me.”

Fourth, Bear One Another’s Burden (v.2).

The law of Christ is the law of ministry and love.
Matthew
Matthew 20:28 KJV 1900
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Christ gave and sacrificed Himself to reach out to man. He bore the sins of man for man.
We cannot bear the sins of men; but we can bear the burdens of each other.
Romans
Romans 12:15 KJV 1900
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Fifth, Confess Your Own Nothingness (v.3).

This is the reason so many fallen brothers are locked out of the fellowship of believers and churches. They are looked upon as being… unfit, less spiritual, less capable, weaker, too tarnished and insufficient.
This of course is contrary to the Spirit of Christ. Note the words. “When he is nothing.” Christ came to save “nothings,” that is, sinners.
The point is this: no person is better than any other person. All men stand before God as sinners.
Therefore, there is absolutley no place amoung God’s people for...
super-spirituality
spiritual snobbishness
spiritual pride
Matthew 23:12 KJV 1900
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Proverbs 20:6 KJV 1900
6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: But a faithful man who can find?

Sixth, Examine Your Own Work (v.4).

The word “work” refers to conduct and behavior than to employment. The point of this verse deals with all our behavior. We are to be examining and judging our own lives, not the life of a fallen brother.
Scripture is forceful in this matter.
Matthew 7:5 KJV 1900
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Seventh, Realize Your Own Responsibility (v.5).

The point of this verse is to warn the believer: he is personally responsible to the Lord for his own behavior and shall be judged for what he has done.
Matthew 12:
Matthew 12:36 KJV 1900
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
2 Corinthians 5:
2 Corinthians 5:10 KJV 1900
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
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