The ministry of restoration.

Opening Comments

Please make your way to Galatians 6:1-5 in your copy of God’s Word. How many of you have ever heard the saying “The christian army is the only one that shoots its wounded.” ? Is that true? Are we as believers in Christ, really guilty of metaphorically shooting our wounded? Sadly, we often do attack the fallen among us. Far too often, we as believers become judgmental and critical when our fellow believers are wounded by the effects of sin. Is that what we are supposed to do? NO.

In the text before us this morning, we will focus not on the why a believer gets wounded by sin, but how do we as a spirit led body restore a believer who has fallen into sin. Which is truly what our savior wants us to do.

This is the Word of the Lord, let’s look at it together.

Galatians 6:1–5 NKJV

1 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. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.

Introduction

God is a god of restoration and he has charged his children with the ministry of reconciing our brothers and sisters in Christ who may have fallen into sin. In v.1 of our text you may have noticed the word “man,” this means any person that has desires, passions, and urges just like all of us have. A person who lives and breathes just like you and I do. Someone, who faces the very same temptations that I face.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV

13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

What are we supposed to do when our brother or sister in Christ has chosen to give in to the lusts of the flesh? What should the Spirit and attitude of us as a church family be toward them? How are we to approach their struggle with sin in order to help them?

The word “restore” here is an interesting word in the greek. it is a word that is used for setting a broken arm or leg, mending nets or for cutting a growth out of the body. All of these are things that are done to help, not hurt.

Far too often, the tactic when a fellow believer has issues with sin in their life is to isolate, criticize, gossip, shame, slander and dismiss when what we’re actually supposed to do is to restore, set right, mend, and lead to repentance.

How we approach our fallen brother or sister in Christ is a delicate matter. Often, they will be sensitive or embarrassed to the point a of shame for their sin. Often, so shamed that they will feel embarrassed to return to church because they fear the judgment that ,may be awaiting them.

This is why the ministry of reconciliation is so vitally important. The ministry of restoration is the ministry of God. It is the ministry that God has called us to.

Let’s examine together what this ministry restoration looks like from the text before us.

1.) Who should handle the restoration of a fallen believer? (v.1)

Paul tells us here in v.1 that it is the job of the “spiritual” to restore a fellow believer who has fallen in to sin.

A Spiritual believer is one whose:

A.) Life exemplifies the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

B.) Is living a Christ-like life that is sacrificial and self-denying.

Galatians 5:24 NKJV

24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

C.) Lives a life that is consistent with his position in Christ.

Galatians 5:25 NKJV

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

D.) Lives a life free from acting super-spiritual or selfish.

Galatians 5:26 NKJV

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

2.) Why should we seek to restore the fallen.(v.2)

Paul gives us command here to “bear one another’s burdens”. This means that we are to help one another carry the heavy burden of temptation and coping with the results of sin in our lives. If I have ever overcome sin in my life, I now have the responsibility to help others who may be struggling like I once was.

But notice Paul says when we do this that we are “fulfilling the law of Christ.”

What is the law of Christ?

Galatians 5:14 NKJV

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Romans 13:8–10 NKJV

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Christ is the ultimate example of love. He gave and sacrificed himself to reach out to sinful mankind to provide a way of salvation from sin. He bore our sin in his own body out of nothing more than his love for you and me. This is the gospel message.

We put the gospel on display for others to see when we do the same for our fellow believers when they are struggling under the load of temptation and sin.

We bear each others burdens when we are compassionate, pray for, sympathize and empathize with those who are struggling with sin in their lives.

Jesus was the supreme burden bearer and when we fully realize the love of Christ for us, we can’t help but display that love toward others by following his burden bearing example.

3.) How do we approach a fallen believer in order to bring restoration? (v.1,3-5)

A.) With a “spirit of gentleness”

Gentleness is so often lacking amongst conservative Christians today and it is one of the driving reasons that people flee the church when they slip into sin.

Too often when our fellow believers are struggling with sin in their life we become:

Hard

indifferent

harsh

we reject

criticize

gossip, slander

ostracize

act holier-than-thou

None of this type of behavior is focused on restoring the fallen but on destroying and putting them down. Instead of them being surrounded by those who love and want to help them come back to following Christ like they should, we drive them into the arms of the world who will accept them in their weakness. This kind of behavior is not the ministry of restoration, its the ministry of rejection.

If we desire to restore a fallen believer, then we must approach them gently with a spirit love, care and concern for them to repent. Then, when they do, we throw open our arms of love and forgiveness and welcome them back to fellowship.

B.) Using introspection

One of the ways that we can be sure to have a spirit of gentleness when seeking to restore a fellow believer who has fallen into sin is to take time for introspection.

1.) Realize your own capacity for sin. (v.1)

Consider- to look, think or give attention to ones self. To keep an attentive eye on your self.

We should never have the attitude of “it will never happen to me” when it comes to matters of sin because it certainly can happen to us any time that we fail to walk in the spirit as we should.

This is why the ministry of restoration is so important. We should love and help our fellow believers in love and gentleness because we could one day find ourselves in the same position.

2.) Realize you are no better than they are. (v.3)

In the eyes of God, no person is better than another. We all stand before God as sinners in need of a savior.

Within the body of Christ, our only attitude should be that our only righteousness is found in Christ and not in ourselves, therefore we are totally dependent on him.

It is only when we truly understand our own sinfulness and dependency on Christ that we can truly help our fellow believers in their struggle against their sinful flesh.

Matthew 23:12 NKJV

12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

There is no spiritual hierarchy in the body of Christ. Im no better than you and you’re no better than me. We’re all just a bunch of sinners in need of God’s grace every day.

3.) Examine your own behavior. (v.4)

Work- here refers to all that we do.

Before we approach an erring believer in an effort to bring them into restoration, we must examine and judge our own lives first.

Paul says that “every man” is to do this constantly. Each of us has so much temptation we face every day and such a capacity to sin that we must constantly be on guard for our own behavior. We must measure ourselves according to God’s word and not how we stack up against those around us.

Matthew 7:5 NKJV

5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Only when we do this can we truly display a love and concern for those around us and seek to resotre them to fellowship.

4.) Realize your own responsibility. (v.5)

Verse 5 stands as a warning to each believer that Paul is speaking to. Each of us are personally responsible to the Lord for our own behavior and will stand before him one day to give account.

2 Corinthians 5:10 NKJV

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

The word load here is referring to what we all cary through life day to day be it good or bad.

Before I cast a downward judgmental eye toward my fellow believer, I must realize that I am accountable for my behavior not his. That includes how I helped him in his struggle to overcome sin and follow Christ.

Conclusion:

God is a God of second chances and as his children, we should be about second chances as well. We don’t kick our fallen brethren, we reach out a hand to help them bear the burden of the sin in their lives. We do so by looking within and understanding our own capacity to struggle with temptation and sin and then approaching them gently to show them the love of Christ. This is the gospel put to work in the body of Christ.