Praising the LORD for our Redemption
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Introduction:
Introduction:
The church of Galatia was riddled with a group of legalists called the Judaizers who said for someone to truly be a Christian they had to be circumcised in accordance with the law of Moses. Paul confronted this idea head on and warned the church that submitting to one aspect of the law was actually submission to the whole law. Rather than living in the freedom of Christ through the Spirit, the people would be back in bondage to the law of Moses and live according to the flesh.
Paul appeals to them to live in the Freedom of Christ, love their neighbors, and exercise the fruit of the Spirit. In fact, it is the loving of neighbors and the working of the fruit of the Spirit in a Christian’s life that demonstrates their freedom in Christ. Paul tells them in
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Today we will see how we can practically live by the Spirit, keeping in step with Him.
I. What to do: Help One Another Vs 1-6 15 minutes
I. What to do: Help One Another Vs 1-6 15 minutes
Paul gives the church at Galatia four commands that he would have them observe:
The first one is in verse 1:
1 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.
1. Restore those caught in their sins
Here Paul is speaking about a Christian who has sinned and is caught off guard at the consequences. It caught them off guard, it trapped them as it were. They know they’re caught, and they need help. This isn’t describing a secret sin that a Christian is savoring, but someone who wants to be untangled from their sin but aren’t sure how.
Paul gives three qualifications for the person who is to restore them:
1. They are to be spiritual. Gal 5:22-23
Paul isn’t placing the church in tiers by saying “those who are spiritual”, but he is emphasizing that it should be someone who is demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit and is not caught in a similar sin. Both Mature and newer Christians can help a caught Christian to some degree because both have the Spirit.
2. The next qualification is a spirit of gentleness Matt 11:28-30
Part of the fruit of the Spirit, gentleness should mark how a fellow Christian is restored. Christians are not to belittle, be sinfully angry, be happy, mock or slight a Christian who is caught in sin. They are to show gentleness in restoration - RESTORATION. Not condone or explain away. They are to restore, just in a gentle manner, which means showing love, offering grace and mercy, pointing them to the forgiveness of Christ.
3. The final qualification is to keep watch on yourselves.
A Christian helping another Christian who is caught in the sin of pride has a very good chance being tempted to be prideful too.
These ingredients are vital to the task of restoration. No gentleness and you’ll likely drive the person away, no keeping watch over yourself and you’ll be tempted too. No restoring and you’re not loving your brother or sister in Christ.
The next command Paul gives is found in verse 2 with explanation in verse 3:
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.
2. Bear one another’s burdens.
The obvious definition for these burdens is to connect them to whatever transgression the person is caught by in verse 1.
When you are restoring a brother or sister in Christ, you will be helping them bear their burden to some extent.
The command goes further than helping in restoring a sinner.
We are called to bear various burdens of our family in Christ:
1. Grief Rom 12:15.
2. Financial Acts 11:29-30; Rom 12:13.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
3. Weak in conscience Rom 15:1-3.
to name a few.
In bearing a burden we are told that the law of Christ is fulfilled. This links back to 5:14.
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Bearing a fellow Christian’s burden is loving your neighbor as yourself. Which presupposes loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength. Which presupposes regeneration and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So don’t think that his is something you can do on your own in order to be right with God.
Understand Paul isn’t suggesting this be done, he’s commanding, and he offers a warning in verse 3
3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Some may be tempted to think they are too good to bear the burden of another.
That it is somehow beneath them. “Why aren’t they strong enough themselves” or “I’ve never had that burden” Or some may think they don’t need their burden borne and so when someone offers to help with their burden they are prideful and refuse.
The thing is you can deceive yourself either into thinking you’re too good to bear or share your burden, but that’s the only person you’re deceiving. Everyone else will be able to see right through your charade. You think you’re something when really you’re nothing.
Heed the command of Paul, bear one another’s burdens. Do not be ruined by pride!
The next command Paul gives is found in verse 4 through 5
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.
3. Examine your own works, not others.
Here Paul moves from the outward, helping one another, to the inward. Phil 2:12-13
We are told to bear one others burdens not mind one another’s business . We give little thought to our works, but plenty of thought to other people’s works aka their faults. And the thoughts which we do have about ourselves are always in comparison to others. “I am not as sinful as they are” or “I’m glad I’m not wicked like them” or “I wish I was as good as them and then maybe God would accept me.” Doesn’t some of this sound familiar?
It is very easy to compare yourself to others, easy but not good. Luke 18:10-13
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
We are each going to be accountable to God on the last day. 2 Cor 5:10, 10:12.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
We cannot point to someone else when we stand before God and say, “I am not as bad as they” or “They made me do this” for we will each give an account. We will each bear our own load before God. No one else can do it for us.
The last command in this section is in verse 6
6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.
4. Provide for your teachers V. 6
Paul moves again to the outward in commanding that teachers of God’s Word be provided for.
This is not a single instance of Paul instructing that those who teach the Word of God be paid for it. 1 Tim 5:17-18, 1 Cor 9:14
Pastor Robert preaches two sermons on Sunday and teaches each Wednesday night. That is easily 16-24 hours of preparation for 3 hours of preaching and teaching. Add in his counselling, personal discipling, and work in Cameroon and Mexico and you see that he does not have a cushy, sit back and relax job. Imagine how difficult it would be for him to prepare his sermon’s every week if he had to work a full-time job outside of the church. I speak from personal experience. It is hard to study and prepare and sermon while working 40 hours a week.
In short we are to financially support those who do the majority of the teaching/preaching.
The French Reformer John Calvin said
“How disgraceful is it to defraud of their temporal support those by whom our souls are fed!—to refuse an earthly recompense to those from whom we receive heavenly benefits! But it is, and always has been, the disposition of the world, freely to bestow on the ministers of Satan every luxury, and hardly to supply godly pastors with necessary food.”
We would not be as well fed as we are now if we didn’t pay our pastor to study, pray, and preach. Acts 6:4
Transition: With the “what” explained, Paul has to now tell the church how it is to be done. Paul is getting at means rather than method.
Main App:
Reflect on this passage and consider if you are exercising your freedom in Christ to care for other Christians. If you are not exercising them what may that mean?
II. How to do it: Through the Spirit Vs 7-8 10 Minutes
II. How to do it: Through the Spirit Vs 7-8 10 Minutes
Paul gives one final command to each individual and tells Christian’s how to go about helping one another: Through the Spirit of God!
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.
Remember I said you could deceive yourself even when no one else is deceived? Well, guess Who is totally not mocked through deception? God!
While possible to deceive yourself, God is not deceived, and is the One Who gives the increase.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Paul is making a connection to verse six when he uses the example of sowing and reaping. If we sow financially in supporting our pastor elder, we will reap the benefits of someone who is able to devote themselves to study, pray, and teaching the Word. That is a main link, but we can also say it links to everything found in verse 1-6. It is all sowing!
God is not mocked. What we sow is what we reap.
My wife is doing a garden this year, and the craziest thing is happening. She puts beans in the ground and she gets bean plants, she puts cucumber seeds in the ground and they grow into cucumber plants. She puts green chile in the ground and they die. She puts onions in the ground and I go outside and dig them up because they’re nasty.
You see what I am saying. Anything that is planted comes up the same type.
Paul tells us that when we sow in our flesh, we’ll reap in the flesh: the rotten fruit of corruption. Rom 8:8.
The fruit of death. Decay. Not a beautiful flower, but a thorn bush of sorrow.
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God! Rom 8:13
But when we sow in the Spirit of God, we reap from the Spirit too, the beautiful flower of eternal life. Rom 8:13.
It is guaranteed.
We ought to consider what we are sowing Haggai 1:5-7
Transition: Since we know what to do, and how to do it we now have to answer the question of why to do it. Those of you with young children are very familiar with the word “Why?” because you likely hear it several times an hour. Well thankfully Paul doesn’t do what most parents do and just say because I said so, rather he gives a good explanation in verses 9 and 10.
Main App:
URGENCY!!!!!!!!!!
There are no hybrid plants in the Christian’s garden. It is either of the flesh or of the Spirit. James 3:11-12
Ever wonder at the end of a day or the end of a year why you are not more Christlike? Ask yourself to what you were sowing, the flesh or the Spirit? Don’t be surprised when you begin reaping.
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
BRING DOWN URGENCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
III. Why do it: Eternal Value Vs 9-10 5 Minutes
III. Why do it: Eternal Value Vs 9-10 5 Minutes
We’ve seen some hints throughout this passage of why. We know from verse 5 that there is a judgement, and we know from verse 8 that sowing and reaping in the Spirit results in eternal life. But now we get to see some more results, and rewards that await Christians.
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.
How easy it is to grow tired of helping others through restoration, burden bearing, financial support. 2 Cor 4:1; 2 Thess 3:13
But Paul encourages Christian’s that there is a harvest awaiting them on the last day. Not only is there a judgement, but there are rewards for Christians! It is an incentive that
EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Christ will reward His faithful servants. Matt 25:21, 23; 2 John 8
Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.
Paul says now is the opportunity.
Now is the time of sowing. We don’t have to wait for the day to do good, the day is already here.
BRING DOWN EXCITEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are told that good should be done to all people. We can help others with the intent of pointing them to Christ. But Paul notes
It is our households and other Christians that should be the focus of our help. 1 Tim 5:8
Again, we can link a primary point with verse 6 and financial support. We should help our household and other struggling Christians financially. Paul says that someone who doesn’t support his own household is worse than an unbeliever. He also says that a man who isn’t willing to work should not eat. That’s the more specific example but we can broaden that out to any of the commands in 1-6.
Main App: Don’t give up on doing these things for God’s people now. Don’t overlook your household and your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Paul’s 5 commands are not meant to be new laws that must be done to earn God’s favor. They are wonderful directives for the free in Christ and should encourage Christians. Take courage Christian, that you are sowing in the Spirit and will enjoy life eternal with the triune God!
Take warning non-Christian, that you’re sowing in the flesh and will reap corruption.
Praise God for a wonderful opportunity to show love to our brothers and sisters in Christ, through the Spirit, and model our Savior Jesus Christ in doing good works.
Main Point: Christians, help your brothers and sisters through the Spirit, doing good works which have eternal value.