Watch Yourself

Introduction

A young man asked the older, “What’s the secret of your success?”

“Good decisions,” he replied.

“How do you learn to make good decisions?”

“You get that by experience.”

“How do you get experience?”

“By making bad decisions.”

That is the truth is it not? Listen closely to this next one.

Bob Zuppke, a famous football coach, once asked the question, “What makes a man fight?” He answered his own question by saying, “Two forces are at war in every fighter, the ego and a goal. An overdose of self-love, coddling of the ego, makes bums of men who ought to be champions. Forgetfulness of self, complete absorption in the goal, often makes champions out of bums.” (Charles Swindoll book of quotes and illustrations)

None of us are perfect.

None of us get everything right all the time.

None of us want to let go of our own thoughts of ourselves either.

We want to think of ourselves as better than others.

We want to be the best.

Even though this is what we want, we drag ourselves down by having this “I am better than you mentality.” We all have it. Just some have learned to control it better than others. Some have been able to completely overcome it because they have removed themselves from the picture. They have done what the coach said one must do to be a champion. But they have focused on the goal with such devotion and forgotten themselves because they have given everything to Jesus Christ.

They have realized that the failures and the mistakes were learning opportunities that God had orchestrated for them. They needed it because lets face it, when we always win and do good we become arrogant and self-absorbed. We think we are the greatest and unstoppable. We need to be taken down a notch. This is what failures and mistakes do. God allows them so we can learn to not be arrogant and high-minded. We learn to be faithful to Him and helpful to others.

Which leads to the first point of the message...

Our Character

Before we examine this first point let me read the text at hand today. if you have your Bibles turn with me to Galatians 5:25-6:10.

As the last two verses in chapter five tell us if we live by the Spirit let us also walk in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

This is a bit tough isn’t it? We struggle here. We have difficulties to not provoke or envy. We also struggle with becoming conceited.

You see that when we are conceited, we are empty of glory. This is what the underlying meaning of the Greek word used here. When you are empty inside you are desperately trying to fill this void. We have this desperation to have affirmation. To have recognition. To be proven as something. All of us have this desperation in us. We are all apt to become this way. We are all apt to desire attention in any way we can get it.

This filling comes from the Spirit as Paul wrote. We can only avoid this type of desperation by becoming a child of God by belief upon Jesus Christ and the filling of the Holy Spirit. We do not do this on our own. No! It takes the work of the Spirit to make us not be conceited and prideful. It takes the Spirit to make us not envy or be provoking. It takes the Spirit for us to be able to

Restore those who have fallen. (v. 1)

When one is not in the Spirit the natural instinct is to discriminate and belittle those who have fallen.

Even those who are filled with the Spirit and are therefore spiritual, sometimes struggle with this concept.

But, we restore a fallen brother or sister.

We do not condemn. We do not rejoice in their fall.

This is not saying that we do not call a sin a sin. It is not saying that we do not call it out if it is against us. But we do it with a gentle spirit and not one of revenge or vengeance.

We do not rejoice when this happens. No, we watch ourselves and seek out the Lord because it is only through Him that we can do this.

We do not look at this type of situation thinking what am I going to get out of this.

No that is what the conceited person does. We go into it with the idea of true restoration and redemption for the person in the situation, whatever that may be.

To do this rightly we

Help one another. (v. 2)

We come alongside one who is in this condition. We help them.

We bear their burden–something that is particularly oppressive. (This word here is different than the word load in verse 5, there is no contradiction.)

Simply we love our neighbor as our self. (Matt. 22:37-39; Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14). Simply, we help our neighbors with anything they are struggling with.

This burden could be moving, mowing, mechanic work, horse issues, anything you can think of. If they are struggling and you can help, you need to help and not do it for your gain. You just do it to be doing it. It is for the one you help and not you. It is for the glory of God not the glory of you.

Again, we can only do this if we are one of Christs. We have to have the Spirit in us to be this way rightly.

Yes, the world can be good to one another but most, if not all, are doing it for their own glory because they need to do it to fill that void within.

One last caveat in this. You do this even if you do not like the person. Simply, you help all people who are struggling. We love them because we have been loved by the Lord first (1 John 4:19).

We have this genuine love because it is the love of God that has been “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:5).

It is because of this that we

Know our own place. (v. 3).

See in our love we fulfill the law of Christ which is to love God with our all and our neighbor as ourselves.

We can only do this, though, when we know our place.

This verse is powerful and it is very instructive as a stand alone concept. But it is saying much more in this context.

Simply, we will never live this servant type of life. One where we go out and move into relationships where we really serve the other instead of trying to build up our self-image. This will not happen unless we have a deep humility in us.

We have to know that we are not better than anyone else. We were all created in the image of God as Genesis 1:27 tells us. When we do this we can genuinely seek the betterment of others.

Once we know our own place

We do not compare ourselves to others. (vv. 4-5)

We do not compare because we are genuinely in the Spirit. We are fully enveloped by the power of the Spirit. That is if you have been truly healed in your heart by the Spirit. If you have been you need not to always compare yourself to others as a way to bolster your fragile ego.

You can still make progress in what you do because you are, as the coach from the introduction, focused on the goal and not your self or others. You are judging only your work. You are only looking at what you have done or not done.

You see that others have done good at something and you have a genuine pride for them. You are not jealous or envious. No, you are happy for them because you are not comparing yourself against them. You see your work as valuable and good because it is what you have done and it is what you are able to do. Simply, we bear our own load and because it is what we can do. It is not that we are bad because we are doing what we can do. It is our God gifted ability and in that you take joy, you do not compare.

This phrase “bear own load” is not the same as verse 2. No, it is basically saying, “we focus on our own burden and do not compare ourselves complacently–showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements–with others.

We tend our own life and do our best.

We help one when they have fallen or just need help because we want to genuinely help them.

We do not compare against others and cause grief instead of love and care.

William Barclay has said:

If a man is forever concerned first and foremost with his own interests then he is bound to collide with others…If for any man life is a competition…then he will always think of other human beings as enemies, or at least as opponents who must be pushed out of the way…and the object of life becomes not to help others up but to push them down.

When we compare and compete against all, we focus completely on ourselves and do not seek to bear one another’s burdens.

Simply, “Focusing on our own self…leaves little room for attention to others.”

When our eyes are on God, we will faithfully do the work we are to do and we will stop looking at everybody else as a competitor and we will not use others for our advantage.

Jesus came and gave Himself completely for us and He demanded nothing in return. He gave everything for all of us when we were enemies to Him. He demands nothing in return. He died for you and me. He did all this without any honor given to Him. He died as an exile and criminal. He did not have glory then but He did it anyway because He loves us. His love is waiting for you if you will only accept it. If you will only believe that through Him you have eternal life. It is there because He gave it all for you because He loves you. He has focused on you and not Himself.

If you have believed and have the Spirit then you will know...

The Concerns of Christian Living

When we have shrugged off the old way of living for ourselves we will see the concerns within the life of a believer. We will see the duty of being faithful to those who teach the word, the principle behind this duty and living, that there is an encouragement from the Lord for it, and the opportunity to do all we have learned.

The Duty. (v.6).

This section flows directly from the last. It does so because when we have gave up all our selfish desires and genuinely care for others. We will be generous with the good things we have. Paul is explicitly saying that churches are to support their pastors here. This is true as other Scripture speaks to this.

I am seeking the implicit concept here. That being we share the good we have with any who have helped us. We do this because we care for them. They have taught us so we share good with them. The good we share can be the word of God.

We are simply giving a substitutionary sacrifice of something of ours for someone else. We are giving away something that we have earned by bearing our own load. It is for the mutual upbuilding that this whole section is about.

We do this because it is the right thing to do it is the principle behind our living.

The Principle behind our living. (vv. 7-8).

When we act in one way and speak in another we are mocking God. We are laughing in His face by our actions. If we say we are loving and sharing for the real good of others but inside we are doing it for ourselves, we are mocking God.

When we behave this way, this wicked and evil way, when we do not share with and aid others genuinely, when we compare and are in competition with others, basically when we are seeking our good above others; we are sowing to the flesh.

We are living in the flesh. We are acting as the wicked world. This living will reap only corruption. It will bring only a downfall and misery. It will bring us down to the pit of despair.

We will have only bitterness, hate, jealousy, envy, provocation of others, anger, but these are nothing compared to what God will pour out on us for our vile actions. Here in this life and the life to come if you are not Spirit filled and saved by the blood of Jesus. Even if you are saved and you act this way, you will face wrath in this world from God.

Your fleshly sowing will for sure generate a harvest of fleshly desires. You will have a blast for a time. You will have what you want, but you will still be empty inside. You will not fill the void.

But those who are seeking the betterment of other believers, and non believers, with a genuine heart, will reap great benefits in the Lord. This is a harvest that will never end.

It is to this reaping and sowing that we must live. This is not a karma concept. It is not a what goes around comes around. No, it is a certainty that if you sow to the flesh you will reap corruption. But if you sow to the Spirit, living a life dedicated to the Lord, you will reap eternal benefits.

I say eternal benefits outweigh anything this world offers. This is why we have...

The encouragement for the duty. (v. 9).

We have this amazing encouragement for this life right here. Paul says to not grow weary in doing good.

Paul is encouraging us to remain solid in being faithful to God and persevere in doing good.

We are to do this regardless of what happens to us.

How many of you have ever gotten tired of things not working out?

How many though it would never end?

But to those who kept persevering and kept going and never gave up you saw a change. It may not be anything that anyone else saw or would have thought good, but it was good to you.

This is what Paul is saying. Keep going and continue to do good. The world will say give up, curse God, take care of number one, no one else cares do what you want, you do you and many other phrases the world says.

I, along with the apostle Paul, am saying to stay solid in doing good. Stay faithful to the Lord. Remain steadfast and serve God because He is steadfast and will reward you with a bountiful harvest.

This harvest may not be here and now, probably will not be here and now, but it will be a harvest of eternal significance and eternal benefits. Stay faithful and seek out

The opportunity to do good. (v.10).

He ends this section with the opportunity. We have this opportunity daily.

We see people regularly.

We can be good to a world that has gone mad. We can be good to those who have cursed and spewed vile talk about us. We can be good to all people.

This a good that is especially to those who are fellow believers. We are to be gentle with fellow believers and not accusatory. We are to be especially loving and good to them. This does not mean we never tell them of the wrong they do. No, that would be not good. We have to call a spade a spade but this is to be done with gentleness and care. Never from a place of self-satisfaction. We should always correct a fellow believer with tears and a broken heart. Never out of malice.

But we must be good to all people. This is friend or enemy. It is all people. Those who hate you and those who hate God. We must be kind and gentle to all people. We are be patient. Again, good does not mean we never correct or tell them something is wrong. If we do not we are not being good. We must tell people when they are in the wrong and need to change, but we do so with gentleness and love.

As Romans 12:14-21 says, we are to bless those who persecute us, not curse but bless. Rejoice with them in rejoicing, weep with them in mourning, live in harmony with them the best we can, not be arrogant, associate with those who we normally would deem as beneath us, do not seek revenge but live in pace with others the best we can.

Simply, “let us do good to everyone.”

Let us love our neighbor as ourselves. Let us fulfill the law of Christ. Let us have compassion and care for all people. Let us seek the welfare of others.

We strive for the betterment and the good of others above ourselves by serving and putting others before ourselves.

Conclusion

I end with this thought.

If we will allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to the extent that we live out this section of Scripture, then we can be change. We can be the ones who bring about the good of our community. We will not condemn others for their actions but seek to restore them or draw them to Christ. We will be change and not just yell about change. We will go and do instead of sit and say. We will be Christ to a dying world.