Overcoming Weariness
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Galatians 6:1-10 “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
We are living in exhausting times. More people than ever are emotionally and physically exhausted. Technology while helpful has created more stress.
People are more divided then ever. We have been programmed to argue and fuss more than ever. Unreasonable expectations are the new norm.
Let's talk about you and your work. The latest statistics show that 6 out of 10 people fear coming to the dentist. So let’s think this through. You have emotionally and physically exhausted people, that fear coming to you who have unreasonable expectations. Before they even get to you they have built up a negative attitude. Now to compound things you live in a world that is increasingly divided and hostile, you are emotionally and physically exhausted as well and you have to deal with demonic children that fight you as you try to do your job. All this is a recipe for disaster. And if you are not careful you can be drawn into weariness.
The New Oxford American Dictionary online version defines weary as the feeling or showing of tiredness, especially as a result of excessive exertion.
Here in the Bible the Greek word literally means to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, or exhausted.
This is becoming a major problem in the United States. We are at an all time high for prescriptions of anti-depressants. This is an indicator that weariness has taken over.
Is there a way we can overcome this weariness? The Bible gives us the way to overcome weariness.
What are some causes of weariness?
Self-centeredness (Vs1-3)
Galatians 6:1-3
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
One sure way to spiral into weariness is by being consumed with yourself. Behind most of the division in our country is self-centeredness. By our design we were created for relationships. The devil wants to divide us from those relationships.
In prison what is done to punish prisoners who are unruly? They are placed in solitary confinement. Studies have shown that the only way to break the will of self-centered rule breakers is to take away all their relationships. You say well what does that have to do with me? The acronym for Joy is Jesus first, others second and yourself last. The more you and I eternalize things the more miserable we become.
Boredom (Vs4-5)
Boredom is defined as the state of being disinterested in one’s surroundings, having nothing to do, or feeling that life is dull.
Do you want to know one of the high causes of extra marital affairs is? Boredom. Becoming disinterested in their spouse feeling that their marriage is dull.
Do you want to know statistically what one of the major reasons of dissatisfaction with one’s employment is? Boredom.
Do you know what one of the main reasons people leave their Church is ? Boredom.
Do you know what is at the heart of boredom? Self-centeredness.
People jump from marriage to marriage, from job to job, from Church to Church seeking happiness and fulfillment, but it never works because the marriage, the job or the Church is just the symptom, the real issue is boredom. And we have become well adjusted to treating the symptoms not the cause in our day.
Feeding your flesh (vs7-8)
We all battle the desires of the flesh. There is a battle in our lives the spirit verses the flesh. For instance look at what the Bible says about the spirit verses the flesh.
Read Galatians 5:16-26 in NLT
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
Opposite of weariness is peace. There can be no peace when feeding the flesh.
Two natures beat within my breast
The one is foul, the one is blessed
The one I love, the one I hate
The one I feed will dominate
So we know the causes, how do we overcome them?
Develop a servant attitude. (vs9-10)
Christian means to be Christ-like. We are never more like Jesus than we serve others.
Matthew 20:28
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Philippians 2:5-8
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Develop a servant attitude. When little nicki comes in for an appointment and he’s pushing you beyond the limits resist the urge to take the drill to his brain and take on the attitude of Jesus Christ.
Feed Your Spirit (Vs9-10)
You and I have to have some kind of spiritual intake. There are devotionals, Bible apps, and many other resources to help us with spiritual intake.
We cannot be constantly taking in all of the negative and divisive stuff of the world and it not impact us. Feed your spirit, not your flesh. Garbage in, garbage out.
Don’t Quit (V9)
One person has said the key to longevity in marriage is endurance. One old fellow told me one time, “we’ve been married 65 years and never thought once of divorce. Murder yes but not divorce.”
The key to your thriving in your job will be your willingness to have a servant attitude, having your spirit fed and just a good ole dose of tenacity.
Ultimately your job is more than a career. Your job is service to the Lord Jesus Christ. Your job is a reflection of your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
The real key to avoid becoming weary in doing good is to remember that we represent Jesus Christ. I believe the reward comes when we truly realize that its not the circumstances we are in that causes us to weary rather its our own self-centeredness, our boredom or the feeding of our flesh that causes us to weary.
We cannot control our circumstances we can only control our response to those circumstances.
Galatians 6:9-10
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.