Faith and Freedom: Dealing with People

Dealing with People

Freedom from the Mosaic Law

Freedom in Christ doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want!

Need to fight against ‘Works of the Flesh’ and cultivate the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’

Spiritual People:

“If we live by the Spirit let us also keep in step with the Spirit”

McKnight: “Such a life of freedom is life in the Spirit (vv. 13–26). In the present section, Paul now gives some concrete illustrations of what it means to live as a Christian individual within a community when that community is guided by freedom in the Spirit.”

How to live spiritual?

That person is so spiritual? What do we even mean by that?

St. Patrick: Like, this Tuesday isn’t Patrick’s Day. It’s SAINT! Partrick’s Day. He must have been more spiritual, more than me, anyway.

What it means to be spiritual is actually really practical?

Paul’s Pendulum of Mutual Accountability and Personal Responsibility

John Barclay’s Structure

6 Brothers,

Don’t want to spend a lot of time on this passage- last year on our membership series...

First Pendulum: Restoration WITHOUT Temptation

Restoration sans Temptation

Mutual Accountability: If anyone is caught in any transgression (medical term for setting a fracture), you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

Personal Responsibility: Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Spiritual people restore others with a spirit of gentleness…

Social Media advice: Spiritual people restore with a spirit of gentleness.

It’s about restoring people caught in brokenness/sickness

Gambling problem, addiction, sexual desires, unfaithfulness to a spouse.

Transgression= medical term of setting a fracture

YOU’RE A NURSE!

Transgression= medical term of setting a fracture

Keep in mind: You’re not better. All have fallen short. Don’t for one second think you’re beyond that sin or another one.

But as amazing as nurses are, I do have to say that there is a reason why General Hospital has been a daytime soap since 1963!

Nurses fall prey to temptation!

Heather, being a pastor’s wife, always got the inside scope from people. It was as if during her breaks she sat in a confession booth.

We, who are spiritual, aren’t above sin. We can’t let our guard down. Restoration is the mutual accountability piece, but that personal responsibility is certainly there: Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted!

If you are helping the sick, that doesn’t mean you need to take their medicine.

Example:

Example:

Someone has a hard time with gossip:

“You have a real problem with gossip.”

Why do you think you can talk about other people in that way?

Aggressive:

Gentleness:

Take them out for coffee. I am not perfect, and the Lord knows how much I still struggle with stuff.

This is really hard!

Almost every time I have to confront somebody about something, they leave the church.

Second Pendulum: Burden Bearing AND Load Bearing

Mutual Accountability: 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Personal Responsibility: 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.

v. 2: Bear Burdens= baros: Weight or heavy load, shoulder

v. 5: Bear Load= Phortion “man’s pack”= Our responsibility before God.

How do we understand this pendulum?

Burden Bearing is basically being like Jesus to others.

Taking a burden away. Acts of service and sacrifice.

That’s why Paul says that by bearing burdens, we fulfill the Law of Christ

How remarkable is it that Paul even uses this word “Law”?

Paul has spent the entire letter so far talking about how we’re not under the Law

But we are able to fulfill the Law of Christ- Love, sacrifice, burden sharing.

How to raise our kids in 2020?

Showing up with food when someone is sick or have a new baby.

If the first pendulum is how to support people struggling with sin, this second pendulum is how to support people struggling through sickness or grief or mental illness or whatever. It’s about spiritual growth within our struggles.

Prayer:

Sunday morning

Taking Monday night’s email and praying for that list

Easy to pat yourself on the back!

Bear Burden comes from weight or heavy load.

Boar load comes from ‘man’s pack’- like, you’re own stuff. You have a personal responibility towards God to serve, but to do so within the capacity of your gifts and talents.

Dante mentioned this last week: Serving at the Holly Springs Food Cupboard: “Look at how I served?”

Serve yes, but don’t serve thinking you’re all that and a box of chocolates. Serve being keenly away that the Lord has given you talents and abilities and that you need to use them for God’s glory.

If you serve but a) that service is sort a one-and-done deal, b) that’s the only service you ever do, c) you don’t serve with a glad heart but for social recognition, than you need to consider the personal responsibility of service.

If you give of your time, but only give 1% of your income, then there’s a disconnect.

If you give 1% but give a lot of time, then there’s still a disconnect.

Spiritual people consider how to serve others.

How to test your work?

But they also take responsibility for the time, talents, and treasures the Lord gave them.

Third Pendulum: Teacher Support AND Spiritual Maturity

Support

Mutual Accountability: 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.

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.

Personal Responsibility: 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.

Mutual Accountability:

Supporting the teacher:

I will say that we feel very much supported by y’all! That’s biblical!

Rural community:

Turkey, potatoes, ham. Chilliwack: Smoked salmon!

Teachers are devoted to sharing good things and so the one who is taught the Word should share good things with the teacher.

Personal Responsibility

Support of the pastor doesn’t mean that you can neglect your own spiritual growth!

Verses 7-8 is about investment: What you invest in is what will grow in your heart. If you cultivate sin, that’s going to grow. If you cultivate in the Spirit- think specifically the Fruit of the Spirit here because it’s in the passage immediately beforehand, then those things will grow.

What you plough and plant in your heart is what will grow and blossom

If you plant soybeans, you’re going to get soybeans.

If you plant alfalfa, you’re going to get alfalfa.

Plant corn? Corn.

Beans? Beans.

You need to take responsibility of your spiritual growth! You can’t rely on just the teachers, you have to take ownership of your spiritual life!

Karma: Spiritual what goes around, comes around

If you want to be more loving, than stop sowing condemning everybody who doesn’t agree with you.

If you love

Not Karma, but common sense! You will grow what you invest in.

If you want to be more joyful, than stop being a Debby Downer.

If you want to be more peaceful, than stop sowing in argumentation.

Karma:

If you want to be more patient, don’t sweat the small stuff.

If you want to be more kind, than sowing judgementalism.

If you want to be better, stop sowing in apathy.

If you want to be more faithful, than stop investing in disloyal thoughts.

goodness

What goes around, comes around

If you want to be more gentleness, stop sowing your angry.

If you want to be more gentleness, stop investing in anger.

self-control

Finally, if you want to be more self-control, don’t allow your heart to wonder.

What are you sowing these days?

Fourth Pendulum: Love your Neighbor as Yourself

Mutual Responsibility: 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.

Pendulum:

Mutual Responsibility: 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.

Love Neighbor Love Yourself

DO GOOD!

Michael Grange article

Love your Neighbor

Mutual Responsibility: 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.

Michael Grange article

As Yourself:

Michael Grange article

4 Random Thoughts?

Bearing Burdens

Responsibility for one another

Sharing with One’s Teacher

Sowing and Reaping

Doing Good

Purpose from McKnight:

Personal Responsibility

Mutual Accountability

“Both emerging from the context of communal strife.”

Such a life of freedom is life in the Spirit (vv. 13–26). In the present section, Paul now gives some concrete illustrations of what it means to live as a Christian individual within a community when that community is guided by freedom in the Spirit.

Four Lessons to Live Freely in Community

What does it mean to be Spiritual?

vv. 1-5: How to Restore a Brother Properly

With gentleness

v.2: Law of Christ= Love (5:6, 14, 18, 22)

Surprising inclusion- ‘law’ of Christ

Verses 3-5: Problem of Pride

Restoring without pride or feeling better than thou.

Doing so without pride

v. 6 “Spiritual People Should Support Teachers” (McKnight)

vv.7-10 “Spiritual People are Accountable to God” (McKnight)

Freedom from the Mosaic Law, not the Law of Christ

Freedom from the Mosaic Law, not good works.

John Barclay’s Structure:

The Heading (5:25–26)

The NIV Application Commentary: Galatians Spiritual People Are Accountable to God (vv. 7–10)

His structure (changed in terms only) is as follows:

The Heading (5:25–26)

A. Mutual accountability (6:1a)

B. Personal responsibility (v. 1b)

A. Mutual accountability (v. 2)

B. Personal responsibility (vv. 3–5)

A. Mutual accountability (v. 6)

B. Personal responsibility (vv. 7–8)

A. Mutual accountability (vv. 9–10)

A. Mutual accountability (6:1a)

B. Personal responsibility (v. 1b)

A. Mutual accountability (v. 2)

B. Personal responsibility (vv. 3–5)

A. Mutual accountability (v. 6)

B. Personal responsibility (vv. 7–8)

A. Mutual accountability (vv. 9–10)